No DRS ban for Monaco

F1 Fanatic round-up

9th May 2011, 0:019th May 2011, 7:50 | Written by Keith Collantine

In today’s round-up: the FIA has decided not to ban DRS for the Monaco Grand Prix, despite teams’ safety concerns.

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Comment of the day

What did you think of the Turkish Grand Prix and the new rules for 2011? Face21 says:

I agree it’s much more complicated to follow races this year, but I think it’s brilliant. Both spectators and teams are learning and I guess we’ll get used to it soon. The most difficult part for me is not just the difference of performance between soft and hard tires, but also the difference between new and used tires. We know when they put soft/hard tires, but we don’t know when they put used/new tires, so we can only speculate with it. In Malaysia I was surprised that Ferrari looked quicker than McLaren at some stages of the race while it was the opposite at other stages even though they were using the same strategy?��?� I guess they did not use the same strategy in terms of used/new tires and that made the whole difference.
Also, the behaviour of the car with high/low fuel loads is different from car to car. McLaren and specially Red Bull are quicker on low loads of fuel (i.e. end of the race/qualifying) compared to Ferrari and Renault. Was this the reason why Webber was able to overtake Alonso at their last stint while he was unable to even close the gap on him of the previous stint? Or was it a tire question? I guess we’ll never know.
Regarding the DRS, many people were enthusiastic about it after the first races. I don’t really like it and in my view it was the tires that really made those races interesting, not so much the DRS. I feel it is an unfair advantage for the driver behind because he’s the only one allow to use it. KERS is a different story. KERS is the same for both and it adds another variable that both can play with (trying to make the guy in front use it somewhere and then attack using it at a different place), so I believe it’s fair. This is not the case of DRS.
Face21

From the forum

2011 Turkish Grand Prix Awards

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to kbc and taurus!

On this day in F1

The death of Gilles Villeneuve 24 hours earlier cast a shadow over the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.

With the second Ferrari of Didier Pironi withdrawn, John Watson won the race ahead of Keke Rosberg.

Niki Lauda finished third but was disqualified for being underweight, elevating Eddie Cheever’s Ligier to the final podium place.

It was a disastrous start to the race for the ATS team, who saw both their drivers eliminated on the first lap, along with Bruno Giacomelli’s Alfa Romeo:

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Keith Collantine

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80 comments on “No DRS ban for Monaco”

RIISE (@riise)
9th May 2011, 0:07
Monaco is going to be such a test, it will interesting to see which drivers are brave in using the DRS on certain small straights and how they handle the entry into a corner.
I don’t mind DRS in Quali but for the race it should be banned. There’s no need to take the risk really since the Pirelli’s should provide enough reason for there to be a lot of action.
1. US_Peter (@us_peter)
  9th May 2011, 3:51
  I didn’t like the idea of DRS being used in the tunnel, but honestly now that we know it’ll be on the pit straight I have less worries. It’s a very short straight, so it’s effect may be pretty negligible, and unlike the tunnel it’s actually straight, so lack of downforce shouldn’t really cause any (added) danger. I think it’s unrestricted use in practice and qualifying will actually be a much bigger potential danger.
  1. codesurge (@codesurge)
    9th May 2011, 4:41
    I foresee wannabe-heroes meeting the armco in practice and qualifying when they can use DRS everywhere. What are the odds that we’d see qualifying get red flagged at least once?
    1. US_Peter (@us_peter)
      9th May 2011, 5:32
      I think there’s a pretty good chance we’ll see our first safety car of this safetycarless season as well.
    2. BasCB (@bascb)
      9th May 2011, 6:27
      I guess we might see some hairy moments on friday with drivers testing how far they can go. And possibly during qualifying as well.
  2. infy (@infy)
    9th May 2011, 8:24
    The main “straight” is not really straight.
    Exiting the last corner, you effectively rub against the left hand side, then almost rub against the right hand side before moving back towards the left hand side before the tricky right hander.
    It can all be done while going flat out, but the line taken is nothing close to straight :>
    1. US_Peter (@us_peter)
      9th May 2011, 19:24
      Well, much straighter than the tunnel, which I guess was my point.
  3. Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
    9th May 2011, 12:35
    Even with the DRS enabled, they will still have a crazy amount of downforce… DRS is about the same as KERS imo, both reduces downforce and increase straight-line speed. We’ve had KERS before and no major accidents, just Lewis throwing it in the barrier… If DRS was in GP2, with all the crash-kids, then yeah… Possible danger, but in F1, no chance.
    1. graigchq
      9th May 2011, 15:10
      no..KERS doesn’t affect downforce in any way, it’s added power directly into the gearbox.
      The opposite is true with DRS, it doesn’t give you any extra power, but by reducing drag, makes the power you have got go a lot further (higher speed)
      so the argument that it may be dangerous is valid IMHO. Like those above, i’m worried about drivers activating it too early on some parts that aren’t anywhere near straight and then crashing as a result of lost rear grip on exit under power
2. Fixy (@)
  9th May 2011, 16:28
  I think Alonso will use it after turn 1 as he waved at Di Grassi last year.
Oliver
9th May 2011, 0:11
User discretion is advised.
James (@jamesf1)
9th May 2011, 0:40
I really hope, perhaps even pray, that nobody gets hurt during the Monaco GP, because allowing DRS to be used at Monaco is an accident waiting to happen.
1. wasiF1 (@wasif1)
  9th May 2011, 2:02
  I agree they shouldn’t have use it there.I wanted to see that race only with KERS & Tyres.DRS will create some trouble mainly in the swimming pool complex if the drivers decides to use them there in the practice & qualifying.
2. DVC
  9th May 2011, 2:25
  Monaco isn’t as tricky as it used to be. For evidence of this look at how many cars have been finishing recently.
3. Scottie
  9th May 2011, 2:39
  They’re the worlds best drivers… I’m sure they’ll survive!
4. Macca25
  9th May 2011, 4:58
  Your acting as if they have a rocket strapped to the car. The drivers are not idiots, they know when and when not to use it. And if there is an accident then so be it, the cars are as safe as they have every been.
  Relax people, everything will be fine.
  1. James
    9th May 2011, 10:13
    Approx. 70-80bhp gain when using DRS… that is quite a gain. As we have seen in Malaysia, China and Turkey. It almost is like a rocket strapped to the car
    1. Oliver
      9th May 2011, 13:51
      I doubt the high speeds it enables is the issue, rather it is the tricky handling characteristics on such a tight track is worrisome
    2. graigchq
      9th May 2011, 15:13
      no extra HP gain whatsoever. but the power they HAVE got gets more efficient.. important distinction to make
      1. James
        9th May 2011, 23:50
        My bad, it’s bad said to be the equivilant of gaining an extra 70-80bhp gain
5. infy (@infy)
  9th May 2011, 8:25
  Overly dramatic. These cars are so safe, and considering they dont really go very fast, the chances of injury is pretty small.
  1. James
    9th May 2011, 10:12
    Still a chance though? That’s like saying air travel is the safest form of motorised transport. Doesnt mean that you wont have a crash?
    1. jabg
      9th May 2011, 12:51
      didnt they have boost buttons and turbo in the 80’s, surely the gain was much bigger
  2. Tommy C (@tommy-c)
    9th May 2011, 13:26
    “they dont really go very fast”
    Please clarify. Relative to what? They seem pretty dang fast to me!
Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey)
9th May 2011, 2:03
Maybe just for laughs, the FIA will put the DRS activation zone between Mirabeau and the Loews/Grand Hotel Hairpin.
1. DVC
  9th May 2011, 2:27
  I remember Trulli making a move through there in a Toyota. With DRS maybe he could have made it stick without bouncing off the curve and damaging his suspension. (Yes, I’m being facetious.)
  1. codesurge (@codesurge)
    9th May 2011, 8:07
    Best not to give Trulli too many ideas, remembering the move he tried to pull on Chandhok last year..
    1. Mike
      9th May 2011, 10:48
      Admit it, at least Trulli is creative. :D
2. US_Peter (@us_peter)
  9th May 2011, 3:55
  I like that idea! Or Between Rascasse and Anthony Noghes. Or how about this… just in front of the swimming pool, between its two chicanes?
  1. BasCB (@bascb)
    9th May 2011, 7:14
    Remember Rosbergs shunt there a few years back, that was massive!
  2. DVC
    9th May 2011, 9:55
    Or best of all, just on the Lowes Hairpin.
3. Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
  9th May 2011, 12:36
  With the ‘straights’ at Monaco, they’d be better off putting it in the pit lane.
IceBlue (@iceblue)
9th May 2011, 6:39
I don’t think the DRS has any place in F1 because it benefits one driver at the expense of another.
I don’t think KERS belongs in F1 because it has very little technological relevance to street cars where regenerative braking is commonplace, albeit returning the energy in a different form.
I have no problem with the tires. They are the same for all drivers with no favoritism.
What I do think is that the FIA should establish a basic 3D box for the car to fit into and let the engineers have free reign. To pretend to control costs in F1 is an asinine joke when some teams currently have their own advanced computer systems, wind tunnels and test tracks and those that don’t can’t even test between races.
If you want to see what a race series with, basically, no restrictions was like, look at the U.S. Can-Am series. You’ll see where McLaren’s roots are and the ingenious creativity of Jim Hall and his Chaparrals. It was awesome.
I think advanced engineering and free expression should be sought for and rewarded.
1. Mike
  9th May 2011, 11:20
  I don’t agree, you see in F1 that the wealthy teams are usually at the front, this is ok in my opinion but only to a certain extent. I think the balance we have now is not idea, but not something to be ashamed of.
  In terms of the free reign bit, I think it’s a laughable idea, it would turn F1 in a farce.
  I would like more freedom in F1, but remember that more freedom will make it less even. Which will mean less exciting racing.
2. paolo (@paolo)
  9th May 2011, 13:36
  Free reign leads to massive aero effects which leads to greater turbulence for the car following. This will then give a greater advantage to the driver infront which completely contradicts your first sentence
3. Tim
  9th May 2011, 14:04
  Can-Am was wonderful while it lasted. But that fact that the series’ glory years lasted only eight years (1966-1974) should be sufficient warning over costs.
  Can-Am cars were wonderfully fast (faster than some of the F1 cars of the period) and some of the technical innovation was amazing. Few people are aware, for example, that wings and ground effect were used in Can-Am before they were used in F1. Jim Hall also developed a fan car for Can-Am well before Gordan Murray did likewise for Brabham in 1978. But there’s always a danger of looking back at Can-Am through rose-tinted glasses. John Surtees won the first Can-Am series in a customer Lola T70 in 1966, but the McLaren works team dominated after that until the might and money of Porsche arrived with highly developed 917s. Once the 917/30 started winning everything in sight the regulations became increasingly restrictive to try to rein in the Porsches.
  Technical freedom works where budgets are determined by enthusiastic amateurs driving or running the cars. Porsche killed Can-Am by outspending everyone else, but it could just have easily been another manufacturer. Awesome though the series may have been over eight glorious years, it wasn’t remotely sustainable.
explosiveface (@explosiveface)
9th May 2011, 6:46
The pit straight? The first turn is too tight to overtake, and the straight it too short to pull ahead before the corner. People WILL crash in qualifying, most likely through the tunnel and Tabac.
Idiotic.
Macca (@macca)
9th May 2011, 6:49
People WILL crash in qualifying, most likely through the tunnel and Tabac.
They haven’t got a gun to there head forcing them to use it. If they can get through the tunnel with the wing open then good luck to them.
I don’t see why people are getting so upset about this for.
1. Mike
  9th May 2011, 11:31
  Exactly, it’s the same as them being able to take the chicane at 300km/h…. They can, but they most likely will choose not to.
  They will find their own limit.
2. Jonathan
  9th May 2011, 14:08
  The drivers will only be thinking about the lap time, not their own safety.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
9th May 2011, 7:14
I don’t know why people simply assume that because the DRS will be in use at Monaco, there will be a horrifying crash that results in injuries, death or worse. I really don’t get it. Sure, the drivers will be testing the limits with the use of the DRS, but they’re not idiots – they know where those limits are.
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  9th May 2011, 8:24
  Exactly: either DRS is safe to use, or it isn’t.
  What I think this story reveals is the unstated acceptance within the paddock that Monaco isn’t really safe enough for an F1 race.
  1. bosyber
    9th May 2011, 8:48
    Well said, I guess.
    I think that it will mainly extend the difference between the best and the worst cars at the Monaco track; those with good mechanic grip, and in the tunnel aero-grip, will be able to use the DRS more.
    With that, I’m not really sure I like it, but I suppose as Coulthard says: it’s just a set of tools to be used to go as fast as you can with the car. At least in the Monaco race it won’t be able to be so over-effective as it seemed in Turkey, with where they placed it on the start “straight”.
    1. DVC
      9th May 2011, 9:58
      I think people mostly will not use it, not because it isn’t safe, but because you always want more downforce at Monaco not less.
      1. BasCB (@bascb)
        9th May 2011, 13:11
        Yeah, but on those small stretches of straightish track, Vettel is bound to use (he was on it in the last part of turn 8 right at the last apex!) it, as are others who feel confident to shed drag as much as possible.
        But Bosyber is right about this showing the differences between the cars with more downforce, as they can use it on more parts of the track.
2. Bigbadderboom
  9th May 2011, 14:27
  Monaco simply doesn’t fit F1 anymore, I love watching it, but if so many people feel that DRS really pushes safety beyond acceptable levels then perhaps Monaco has had it’s day. Everybody will make the historical argument, that it’s a “Classic race” but really, the track is at best difficult and worse dangerous, it’s all about qualifying with very little opportunity for overtaking, unless there is a pit error, a crash or mechanical failure. Don’t get me wrong Monaco has been fantastic, and is a wonderful place, i’m just saying it may have had it’s day!
Eggry (@eggry)
9th May 2011, 7:19
I’m a fan of DRS but in Monaco…I really fear huge accidenct.
1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
  9th May 2011, 11:47
  It hasn’t happened yet everywhere else, so why assume it will happen at Monaco? After all, Monaco is the slowest circuit on the calendar – and if you look at Webber’s accident in Valencia and Leimer’s in Turkey, the modern racing car is so safe that the drivers can survive just about anything.
  The fear that the DRS will cause a massive accident is just a by-product of the argument that the DRS is bad for the sport because it makes overtaking “too easy”, and it ignores both common sense and everything that has come before from the previous races.
  The DRS has not caused an accident yet. There is no way to prove beyond reasonable doubt that a) it will happen, b) at Monaco and c) in a way that endangers drivers, fans and officials.
  1. Eggry (@eggry)
    9th May 2011, 13:45
    I’m not worrying someone would hurt. I don’t think someone would hurt. I just don’t want to look that massive accident ruins the race.
  2. lukeath
    9th May 2011, 19:18
    On the DRS and accident thing, do you remember Sutil’s spin in qualifying (Bahrain?). That sort of mistake at Monaco would make much more of an impact. Also there was Alonso’s randomly opening in china which if it were to happen at monaco could cause a large problem!
    Saying this I beleive that DRS should be allowed at Monaco and that F1 should have an element of danger – Crashes should not be rare but death most definately should
Girts
9th May 2011, 7:55
I believe that FIA is going to ban DRS as soon as we have the 1st serious accident as the result of a DRS-pass. I don’t think that anyone is going to be hurt (and I HOPE that this will not be the case, too). But something similar to Webber’s flight in Valencia 2010 should free us from the unnecessary gimmick.
1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
  9th May 2011, 11:49
  Well, we haven’t even had an accident this year, so I don’t think you have much to worry about. Especially since there won’t be any way to prove that the accident was a direct result of the DRS and would not have happened without it.
  So a race similar to Melbourne, Sepang, Shanghai and Istanbul should free us from the unnecessary argument that the DRS is dangerous.
  1. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
    9th May 2011, 13:36
    You just know as soon as anyone walls it coming out of or going into a DRS zone you’re going to have people calling for it to be banned.
    Fair enough argument…if it was a major DRS fault that caused serious injury.
    99% of the time accidents are because of the lump of flesh sitting in the car. That should always come under scrutiny first.
    1. damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
      10th May 2011, 10:10
      Last year both Williams cars suffered mechanical failures that led to huge accidents. But the important thing is that the DRS has proven to be quite safe, so far.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
9th May 2011, 8:02
The best people to make a judgment on the use of DRS are the drivers and ultimate responsibility with regards to deployment is up to them. Any accidents rising from the use of DRS won’t have anything to do with the circuit itself. We should have faith in their ability to not stick it in the wall and make an informed and sensible decision, like we do at any other circuit.
Doance (@doance)
9th May 2011, 8:37
I hope they make the DRS help a faster car pass a slower car and not let a slower car pass a faster car like in Turkey.
verstappen (@verstappen)
9th May 2011, 8:43
Monaco with DRS in qualifying will be awesome! It’s already the most unforgiving ‘circuit’ on the calender, where the slightest mistake can be enough to put you against the barrier.
Due to the lack of overtaking a lot of people find it a boring race, but I love it! Why? Because around every corner in every lap potential disaster looms and that’s what makes me sit on the edge of my chair.
And now they’ve added DRS in the mix, the device which is used to reduce downforce! This will really spice up qualifying for me.
About the race, I’m not sure. I think in Monaco you still need to have big cojones to overtake someone, even with DRS. It won’t be too easy like in Turkey. But for me it’s unnecessary.
1. verstappen (@verstappen)
  9th May 2011, 8:45
  To clarify:
  by disaster I’m not meaning big accidents, but just people going against the barrier and not being able to continue.
  1. DVC
    9th May 2011, 10:00
    If you want to stop that happening then you will have to stop racing at circuits with barriers. The risk of crashing out* should always be part of the sport.
    *(not the risk of bad injury)
    1. verstappen (@verstappen)
      9th May 2011, 10:57
      Then we agree. I’ll clarify a bit more: crashing out is fine, but I don’t want bad injuries.
Rahim.RG (@rahim-rg)
9th May 2011, 8:56
I think its a great thing to have DRS at Monaco…We might see something that we haven’t seen too much at Monaco….Overtaking….
HounslowBusGarage
9th May 2011, 9:04
how long is the Pit Straight up to St. Devote corner?
Icthyes (@icthyes)
9th May 2011, 9:11
People are making it sound like we normally travel around Monaco at 50mph and the DRS will boost that to 150mph.
The drivers know where they are and will judge their moves accordingly.
1. Nick
  9th May 2011, 10:21
  I don’t think that’s what people are concerned about; I think they are more concerned in drivers being over optimistic in trying to pull off an overtaking maneuver.
  1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
    9th May 2011, 11:50
    They’re not idiots.
    1. DVC
      9th May 2011, 13:43
      Who was it that took MS out one year by weaving in the tunnel under SC?
    2. Nick
      9th May 2011, 15:15
      So under your reasoning every crash that takes place is down to idiocy? A simple misjudgement is all it takes for a nasty crash to happen.
      1. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
        9th May 2011, 18:39
        Exactly. People are doing to drivers a disservice by implying they don’t know how to do their jobs. Drivers will crash both with and without DRS It’s an inevitable part of motorsport.
      2. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
        9th May 2011, 18:41
        Oops. That was meant as a reply to PM’s post ;)
  2. Tommy C (@tommy-c)
    9th May 2011, 22:47
    nothing we haven’t seen befeore, eg: yuji ide, takuma sato, etc. just part of the excitement!
DVC
9th May 2011, 10:01
At Monaco a DIS would be more useful. Doesn’t mean I think they should ban DRS though.
Adrian J
9th May 2011, 10:29
Where were drivers using the F-Duct last year? We’re there just as many doom mongers before the race that time predicting a huge accident and look what happened…nothing (as a result of the F-Duct being used anyway).
1. Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
  9th May 2011, 12:31
  I believe they were. Hulkenberg crashed, and that was about it…
Tyson Evans (@bobtehblob)
9th May 2011, 12:26
I can see someone like Kobayashi pulling off either the most amazing overtake at monaco ever.(possibly the first overtake ever, or just causing a huge pile up.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
9th May 2011, 12:30
Why is everyone making such a big fuss? These are the best drivers IN THE WORLD we are talking about. They will know how to drive around Monaco DRS or not. Overtaking can be done at Monaco, just look at Alonso from 24th last year, so therefore there is no reason why DRS should not be allowed at Monaco. I struggle to see why anybody can say that it is unsafe.
BTW the detection zone will probably be just after the Lowes hairpin and the actual DRS zone will most likely be just after Portier, so the drivers are using the wing under the tunnel.
1. paolo (@paolo)
  9th May 2011, 13:40
  Agreed.
  Its no more unsafe than having car which are naturally quicker than they were in the past.
  Its what they are paid to do
Jonathan
9th May 2011, 14:28
DRS is inherently risky. We know that, if it fails, there will probably be a serious accident. And we also know that most components on an F1 car will fail at some point.
So we have to ask whether all possible steps are being taken to manage the risk. As long as the tracks have huge run-off areas, tyre walls, sand traps and so on, the answer is surely “yes”.
But Monaco is quite clearly one of the more dangerous tracks on the calendar. So it doesn’t strike me as unreasonable that Webber et al. want an obviously risky feature of the cars switched off at Monaco.
All this talk about the cars being so amazingly safe and the drivers being so amazingly brilliant that there couldn’t possibly be a serious accident… it suggests to me that the authors (a) haven’t heard of the phrase “tempting fate”, and (b) are probably under 17 years old.
1. Icthyes (@icthyes)
  9th May 2011, 14:57
  The only way the DRS can fail is by not activating, or the entire wing coming off, in which case you’ve got bigger problems.
2. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
  9th May 2011, 22:35
  I don’t think anyone is naive enough to suggest there will never be a serious accident while DRS is deployed.
  Ultimately if the drivers are that bothered they will protest before hand or refuse to use it during the race. No one is forcing them to use it. It’s at the drivers discretion.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
9th May 2011, 23:44
I think the DRS will be used in the Loews Harpin. :D
Sarcasm aside, I think the best option is the 2nd straigth through Beau Rivage.
DRS Detection: After the pit exit
DRS Activation: After Sainte Devoit
DRS De-Activation: Massenet

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