DRS
What is it and why do they keep talking about it.
Okay, we know so and so has got DRS, but WHAT DOES THAT MEAN….
DRS = Drag Reduction System
It’s basically a helping hand for overtaking.
Let’s look at how it works:
F1 cars are all about AERODYNAMICS (air movement around the car). Cars are designed to cut through the air as fast as possible. BUT they are also designed to get round corners quickly without spinning out, and to do this they need DOWNFORCE. Downforce is air pressing down onto the car so that it grips onto the track. They need downforce to grip, but it creates DRAG (air resistance) – they’re not cutting through the air as efficiently as they could. On a straight, the car is looking for that top speed – this is where DRS comes in.
One of the key components for creating downforce is the REAR WING. If you look at my super technical drawing you can see how air passes over the car.
Air is pushed UPWARDS over the wing, creating downforce as the car is pushed DOWN. It works in the opposite way to aeroplane wings or putting your hand out of the window and tilting it upwards – they both create lift, while in F1 that wing is creating downforce.
DRS changes the movement of air using a FLAP on the rear wing.
This is the flap CLOSED – air moves over the top. Downforce YAY, but drag slows down the car.
This is the flap OPEN (the car has DRS) – air now moves through. Less downforce, but also less drag and therefore more speed.
That’s the technical bit, but why/when/how do drivers use DRS?
DRS gives drivers around 15kph of extra speed to overtake. They can only use DRS when under a second behind the car in front. They must pass through a DETECTION POINT which will signal to them that they are within a second behind, and therefore may activate DRS when they enter an ACTIVATION ZONE. The number of zones vary across circuits – Monaco only has 1 while Australia has 4 – due to the twisty/turny nature of Monaco vs the long straights of Aus.
Quick fire DRS facts:
It was introduced in 2011.
DRS can be used in practise and qualifying whenever drivers are in activation zones.
Race control can stop the use of DRS if conditions are dangerous – wet, debris on track etc.
DRS can only be used after the first lap of the race has been completed.
It deactivates automatically when drivers come off the throttle or onto their brakes.
Lovely Presentation Izzy. DRS is something that I'm very much focusing on in F1 and how it creates overtaking. 2026 Regs could be a key talking point.
They’re getting rid of DRS and going to active aero in 2026.