Short DRS zone for Korean Grand Prix

2011 Korean Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

Drivers can use DRS for passing at turn three

The FIA has decided on a relatively short DRS zone for the Korean Grand Prix.

However it comes one one of the longest acceleration zones of the year, where drivers are on the throttle for more than a kilometre.

The activation point will be on the straight between turns two and three, but drivers won’t be able to open their rear wings until they are approximately halfway between the two corners.

The detection point is situated at the exit of turn one:

Korean Grand Prix DRS zone

2011 Korean Grand Prix

    Browse all 2011 Korean Grand Prix articles

    Image © Williams/LAT

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

    Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

    39 comments on “Short DRS zone for Korean Grand Prix”

    1. So DRS would help maximum speed rather than acceleration…

      1. Still acceleration just not out of the preceding corner, DRS allows you to select a longer top gear and therefore maximum speed granted. But I think we will again see cars hitting the rev limiter towards the end of the straight they then won’t go any faster irrespective of the DRS being open or closed once on the limiter.

    2. You’d think they could easily make two DRS zones – along the front straight, and along the straight to turn four.

      1. @prisoner-monkeys Yeah I thought that too. That and how short the zone suggests to me it’s not really needed here.

        1. Could a current F1 car get through 7 and 8 with DRS deployed or even 8 and 9 into 10, if so that would have been interesting.

          You are right it is not needed into turn 3.

          BTW, what are the corners named on this track, I don’t think I know the name of any of them :-(

          1. @bbt

            what are the corners named on this track

            As far as I’m aware they don’t have any, just numbers. A depressing trend in modern circuits.

            1. Very sad. There must be more unnamed corner than ever in F1 right now.

            2. Forced corner names don’t mean anything. I’d much preffer to see corners being named after important events/drivers what-have-you, than a brand new track being made with meaningless names attatched. It’s just the same as numbers if you ask me. But I totally agree that these tracks should start naming them, just not after random things with no meaning.

            3. Well, Anonamooooose we could already name one for Webbers crash, one for Vettels engine blowing and maybe the marine bend can be the washout!

            4. @Keith Collantine Why is it depressing? Corners will be named after a few seasons…..for instance i expect a corner/straight in India to be named after Karthikeyan after a few years

            5. @keithcollantine Why is it depressing? Corners will be named after a few seasons…..for instance i expect a corner/straight in India to be named after Karthikeyan after a few years

            6. @malleshmagdum

              Corners will be named after a few seasons

              That’s not been the case at Bahrain and Shanghai. Or the Hungaroring for that matter – and that’s been on the calendar for 25 years.

        2. the main straight would’ve been more appropiate IMO.

          1. i agree. that could allow a car to get close into turn 1 and then be right there for turn 2. however, i think no DRS would have been fine as in canada and spa.

      2. Yes, but the question is, is it needed?

        In any case won’t they be already running into the limiter at the end of this straight? It might well pan out to be a bit like Monza in that respect.

      3. Yeah, they will all just bounce off the rev limiter, so there won’t be much overtaking if the car in front uses their KERS.
        They should place it on the following straight. Allow activation early after turn 3 and allow another over taking point on the track where normally there would not be a chance to overtake.

    3. Should have put it into Turn 1 in my opinion. Again, why not make a new overtaking zone instead of “improving” an existing one? We saw most of the overtaking into Turn 3 last year.

    4. i’d assume that the FIA is playing it safe, considering the lack of Dry Racing that we saw last year.. The last thing they’d need is a ludicrous amount of passing into T3

      1. Many cars might hit the rev limiter, like Hamilton in Monza.

    5. Again this will make choosing top gear interesting, that is a very long straight, maybe Mclaren have learnt from their Monza mistake.

    6. I think it is sensible to put it half way down the straight, but then again we are probably going to see quite a bit of overtaking into turn 3 anyway.

    7. I’m one of those who think DRS should be dropped next year. It made overtaking too easy.

      1. Considering it doesn’t look like it’s going to be dropped all together, perhaps the FIA should consider using it

        1) In the right proportions when used (i.e. use 2011 data to see how long your zone really needs to be).
        2) Only on circuits that have a reputation of having little to no overtakes. Not using it in racetrim would generate the strange situation of having DRS in practice/quali, but I think it would make sense to not have DRS at circuits like Monza, Spa (venues that are known for actually having overtakes). DRS is supposed to aid overtaking. What if there is no need for this specific aid at a certain venue?

        1. New crazy idea…. just get rid of the massive wings causing the problem?

          We can make up for it with a bit of ground effect and more efficient areo in terms of drag reduction.

          Then we can get rid of the stupid wing and every straight will have overtaking…. well the main straights will

          1. Completely agree.

          2. Great idea, all for it. Sadly, it’ll never happen. The fact is it would cost far too much to develop ground effect to the level of aerofoils, and possibly cause too many accidents in the process. Think of it in terms of the engine freeze.

            Maybe when this economic climate has all blown over we can think about investing in this tech again.

        2. I think its been good in certain races. next year they should just not use it at places like spa and probably montreal, it was far too easy and not neccesary, there is always exciting racing at these venues

    8. I cannot decide whether I think this DRS will be useless or just enough to allow cars to catch the car in front… I certainly don’t think this will allow cars to overtake and pull a gap before T3

    9. What I’d like to see the the detection point moved to just inside the braking zone for the first corner, so that we could see suicidal lunges under brakes as drivers try to get within a second of the car in front and then pull up in time to make the corner.

      1. That’s what I’m talking about. also That’s why I complained the detection point of Suzuka.

        1. @eggry

          That’s what I’m talking about.

          Sebastian, is that you?

          1. I don’t think he’s Korean though :P

          2. Please give the COTD to yourself.

            Regarding the DRS, I’d prefer to see it on the main straight in order for the following car to be closer on the back straight. Putting the DRS on massively long straights just spoils it in my opinion (China, Canada, Spa).

    10. I’d like to see a ‘kind of’ inverted DRS.

      A defined wing angle for each track (standardised rear wing or strictly dimensions required).

      When you are within second of the car in-front you can get a push of a button increased wing angle, hence DF, for the corners to enable them to follow more closely.

      On the straight the driver reverts to the defined wing angle, so neither car has a particular advantage on the straight and into the breaking zone, a good old skilled fair fight.

      I’ll stop talking rubbish now :-)

      1. Not bad…but I don’t know if it would work: the loss of efficiency when on another car tail could be not recoverable just with a corrected wing angle…

    11. I was thinking about what this would be, and I think an DRS zone going before and after one of the hairpins would have been an interesting way to use the straight>hairpin>straight>hairpin>straight nature of the circuit.

      So, if it were activated at the finish line, and closed halfway through the straight in between turn 2 and 3. I suppose this is how it is though, we’ll see how well it works.

    12. Agai on this topic. DRS is really cosmetics, and is not of real motor sport races…
      FIA should find a way to make manufactureres design cars that are efficient enough also when slipstreaming.
      In my opionion getting rid of complex and big wings could be a good idea. I would also dictate a completely flat car bottom. Aerodynamics should be mostly about drag reduction than downforce creation…

      1. @David- The cornering speeds, the downforce, are what make Formula 1 what it is today. F1 is not solely about speed and more often than not speed comes at the expense of aerodynamic grip. The moment other forms of motorsport start setting faster lap times than F1 cars you’ve just lost the pinnacle of motorsport.

        I think the floors are flat, aside from the bargeboard.

    13. Well, at least is not the full length, that would be excessive. I guess it’s a bit of a gamble just how long these DRS zones need to be.

    Comments are closed.