Single DRS zone at Singapore

2011 Singapore Grand Prix

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Expect more passing attempts st turn seven this year

F1 will go back to using a single DRS zone for the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.

During the race the detection point will be at turn four and drivers will be able to activate it at the exit of turn five.

That may allow passing attempts into Memorial Corner, turn seven:

DRS zone for the Singapore Grand Prix

Drivers will be able to use DRS without restriction during practice and qualifying.

2011 Singapore Grand Prix

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    Keith Collantine
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    31 comments on “Single DRS zone at Singapore”

    1. This is the most logic decision, no other straight is long enough for DRS (hence only one zone).

      1. Agreed, it makes sense. I had hoped that they might try a race without DRS here, and see how it went…

        1. We pretty much had no DRS in Monaco considering the length of the straight.

          1. Yeah, actually the best race for DRS usage, as it only marginally helped to keep the cars close to each other.

    2. the other possible zone will be the Esplanade Bridge between Turns 13, 14. But apparently it is too short a striaght…

      1. It would be interesting to see what happens if they do have a second DRS zone there.

      2. The problem with that straight is that the preceding corner is so slow, that the car ahead will always get the jump, much like Barcelona’s last corners. If someone gets a run, it’ll be most likely due to new tyres (like Kubica), and the pass would happen anyway.

    3. Hope it doesn’t make it too easy.

      It was the only logical option though.

      1. There’s not much room for error down there so they may be a little conservative.

    4. Pity that the longest straight isn’t anywhere near the grandstands or walkabout zones. Looks like seeing overtaking will be difficult for us watching at the track!

    5. so f1 is still using this stupid device?

      been an f1 fan for 40 years but havn’t watched a race since istanbul because of this ridiculous device, was hoping they would have dropped it by now.

      any chance i’ll be able to get back to watching what i love in 2012 or will drs still be around?

      1. 40 years and you gave up after what was admittedly a system under development? After a couple of seasons I could appreciate that but that seems a little hasty to me.

        1. it maybe a system in development but to me its an artifical system which has no business in f1.

          watching the sort of push of a button overtake drs produces ruins the show for me, i saw drs in action in the early races & it completely turned me off so i decided not to watch untill drs is completely removed.

          its stupid watching one car simply be able to push a button & then be 15-20kph faster and just drive straght by with the car unable to use drs defencess against it. thats not the sort of racing ive loved over the years & certainly not the sort of thing i enjoy or want to see.

          1. But what about the issue or dirty air which has impeded drivers more and more since aerodynamics became so important?

            1. that is a natural thing though & lets not forget that it also gives an advantage to following cars down straghts in the form of the slipstream. people talk about those great slipstreaming battles at monza in the old days, they were assisted because of the so called dirty air creating a slipstream.

              anyway back to drs, the problem with it is that it is a gimmickey, artificial bandaid rather than a full blown solution to the so called dirty air problem.

              if they wanted to improve the racing there were far less gimmickey & artificial ways to do this. reduce aerodynamics, allow a limited form of ground effects which is the direction many other series & there are other solutions such as the mushroom diffuser system swift developed for there formula nippon car which sends turbulant air away from the front wings of the car behind allowing them to run closer.

              they had an opportunity to properly address the issue with the 2014 regulations yet decided against doing it properly & just stuck with drs which as far as i can see has done nothing but make passing too frequent, too easy & made it totally unexciting to watch. its gone too far the other way now.

              the thing that kept me hooked to f1 for 40 years is good, close racing with hard fought & exciting overtaking. drs has taken away a lot of the good racing & certainly hasn’t made overtaking more exciting, its made it dead boring with a driving simply pushing a button & blowing straght past the non-drs car in the middle of the straghts.

              if we’d had drs back in the 70s/80s/90s we’d have most likely lost many of the great racing moments & great overtaking moves which i loved to watch & which kept me watching each race.

            2. Just the fact that people nowadays talk about DRS overtakes and non-DRS overtakes pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?

              For me a DRS overtake is almost like a goal scored on penalty in football; it’s a goal in the score sheet, but nothing else.

    6. Hasn’t this part of the track got a stupid amount of bumps on it? So they can open DRS and empty their KERS purely so they can shake the fillings out of their teeth?

      1. This is F1, so even the bumpy bits are not that bumpy by the standard of other series.

        But finding a place that’s less bumpy on this track would not be very easy. Turns 13-14 are, apparently, worse, and that’s one of few other places they might have put the DRS zone.

    7. Looks like there are some similar feelings about DRS. The idea of giving the slower guy behind you a way to pass you with a device that he gets to use and you don’t boggles the mind. Don’t give that business about it being fair because it’s the same for everyone. I challenge anyone to tell me how this notion is better for racing than being able to pass the guy you are following by using your skills ,knowing the cars limits and having the mental focus to get the job done.

    8. What does Niki Lauda think about DRS??

      If he supports the concept as it currently is being used then I will eat my words. Has he stated an opinion about it ??

      1. I think he’s been too busy tearing Lewis Hamilton a new one.

      2. Niki Lauda thinks DRS is stupid.
        http://bit.ly/oxUTFd

        I agree with him, Hate DRS & wish they would just ban the stupid thing!

        DRS has done nothing but make me enjoy the races less.

        1. Thanks StefMeister , I guess I will have something different for lunch….

    9. I still reckon they could get away with three DRS zone – the pit straight, the back straight and the Esplanade Bridge.

      1. This!

        FIA needs to realise that this is the toughest track to overtake.

        Take the case of Trulli in 2008 and Glock in 2010. It does need excess DRS

        1. There was 28 overtakes at this circuit last year so overtaking is clearly not that impossible.

        2. this comment to me highlights the problem with drs.

          f1 is becoming too reliant on it, rather than looking at real solutions to make overtaking a bit easier there relying on drs which as someone said above is nothing but an artificial bandaid.

          if drs is carried over to 2012 & beyond & continues to work as it has in 2011 I can see myself just walking away from f1.
          i love f1 & have done practically my whole life, however i hate drs & what its done to the racing this year.

          1. What’s with this “I will walk away stuff” ??

            Although I think DRS is a load of crap too I won’t give up on the sport because every new season is always ripe with change and some clever designer will bring something new and different and will give his team a previous unknown advantage. That is what F1 is about and will always be.

            The challenge of the next generation of racecar makes Formula One so fascinating. Somebody out there will get it right and affect what the cars will become and how they will perform. If your idea is a good one then all will follow and that is why we watch F1 with such passion.

            Stay with the program, changes are about to happen and the test of the teams , the drivers and the fans will be rewarded.

            1. there’s a difference between a clever engineer coming up with something to a teams advantage & some stupid gimmick like drs which is ruining the racing.

              i’ve hated watching many of the races this year because of drs, i hate watching drivers simply hit a button & then blow straght past another car because of drs in my view that aint racing & aint something i wanna continue to watch.

              so if drs is kept & continues to work as it does ive no intrest in watching anymore.

    10. They could have let use it also on the start finish straight but I respect the decision.

    11. Final DRS comment:

      Give it to the fans and let them install it on their street cars so it can be properly used when leaving the event and getting onto the freeways to get back home…

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