Two DRS zones for the Indian Grand Prix

2011 Indian Grand Prix

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Two DRS zones will be used in the Indian Grand Prix.

Drivers will be able to lower their wings to overtake on the start/finish straight and the long straight heading to turn four.

On the latter, the activation point is halfway along the straight.

The detection points are the exit of turn 15 and the entry to turn three.

2011 Indian Grand Prix DRS zones

2011 Indian Grand Prix

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    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...

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    47 comments on “Two DRS zones for the Indian Grand Prix”

    1. Interesting. Two enormous DRS zones, really!

      1. I wonder if, with the titles decided and a new crowd to impress, they’ve just gone for the solution that will create the most changes of position possible?

        1. My take was rather about them experimenting with it, but what you propose sounds pretty reasonable @keithcollantine

        2. @keithcollantine well, I said before it’d be good for them to test new solutions in terms of the DRS zones. Both champions are decided, so…

        3. Lucas Alexander Munro
          26th October 2011, 16:05

          I agree! That seems the most likely scenario.

        4. Given the concerns expressed here in previous discussions about the corners not being suitable for overtaking, perhaps they’re trying their best to avoid being a new Abu Dhabi.

        5. It would be a rather self-defeating policy. DRS has been proven time and time again to dramatically reduce racing action. DRS reduces the skill required for overtaking and makes defending in most cases impossible. DRS means that the fastest cars simply breeze their way to the front quicker.

          1. Not necessarily. Look at Hamilton and Webber in Korea.

            I don’t think we can categorically say anything about DRS yet. It’s still surprising all of us.

      2. sid_prasher (@)
        27th October 2011, 20:56

        I am going to be at T4 – hope it doesnt become too easy!!

    2. That’s a weird place for the second detection point. Surely it would be better-positioned either further back towards Turn 2 or on exit of the corner?

      1. Do you think we might see some late braking to try and get the DRS?

    3. Where do you put DRS zones on a circuit that’s never been ran on before?

      I think the activation point just after the final corner is perfect, but I’m not sure about why the detection point is just right after Turn 15 and not closer to Turn 16. Someone could pass a rival into Turn 16 and then get DRS, which is wrong in my opinion.

      I hope the second zone, along the long back straight, doesn’t turn out to be too effective. They’ve obviously applied the same logic here as they did in Shanghai with its massive straight, but I suppose we won’t know how effective it’ll be before Sunday.

      If it was up to me, I’d have put the second detection point into the braking zone of Turn 4 after the very long straight and had the activation point immediately afterwards to encourage overtaking down into Turn 5.

      1. The second zone looks similar to Yeongam’s with a late activation point, but the detection point is right in the middle of the braking section which makes car closer.
        I’m not a fan of DRS because it does add overtaking, but it removes/makes useless any overtake just before the activation point, turn 3 in this case.

        1. that’s a good point. They won’t try anything at turn 3 with that enormous DRS zone afterwards. It’ll surely be safer and more effective to stick behind and storm by on the back straight with the wing open.

    4. looks like only the top teams can effectively use both the zones. Getting the traction out of turn 15 to squeeze the gap to 1 sec is going to be interesting.

    5. So someone who is overtaken in Turn 1 can re-pass in turn 4? I think that’s the plan.

      1. The smart driver will use the Start / Finish straight just to get close to the car in front, but not to overtake. Then use the 2nd DRS point to overtake. Thus preventing the obvious counter-attack.

        If we start seeing this or drivers unable to defend once they have overtaken, then we have a pointless use of DRS.

        Why not give us a chance of seeing at least 1 non-DRS passing zone? Is this a half hearted attempt to draw in more viewers with promise of an exciting race?

        Quite frankly I found the Korean GP annoying when a non-DRS pass into turn 1 put the driver at a disadvantage due to DRS on the following straight. All the skill of a non-DRS pass wiped out by an unskilled pass.

        1. Totally agree. Especially when, now, the best possible chance of overtaking is to not go as fast a possible, but instead just hang around the back of the car ahead.

          I can see the use of DRS in some circuits though (vilencia mainly, impossible to overtake unless you have 30 lap younger tyres), but this is a track where it is definately not needed at all – so many opertunities to get a good tow. All you need is a fast 7th gear and you’re golden, not good racing at all.

    6. Absurd. I’m afraid we will see a lot ov easy overtakes in the straight, no beaking battles.
      It seems to me that this year cars are much more easy to get followed, and so overtaking would be possible even without the DRS. I have this feeling.
      DRS too me has nothing to do with sport in its true spirit.

      1. I LOVE DRS, though I think it doesnt go far enough.

        I want to introduce PRS, Power Reduction System. Much like DRS, the following driver can push a button to remove 100HP from the Leading car, but only if he is < 25 sec behind, the moon is full, and if snow is expected within 3 days.

        Next, I want land-mines installed in the track, not many, just 1 or 2, hidden at random. They would not kill the driver, just hurt the car a bit. Sounds dangerous, but think of THE SPECTACLE.

        Finally, I want Fan involvement. After each race, THE FANS (rather than the stewards) get to vote for their favorite driver, who is then crowned race winner, regardless of the on-track results.

        The rantings of a damaged mind or a prediction of F1 to come given the current direction? I leave the reader to decide.

    7. Hmm Im a bit skeptical having two DRS Zones,Giving the fact the zones are the two long straights on the circuit,Would it produce a fair deal of Overtaking or make it look too easy? I reckon the latter

    8. How about zero DRS zones? Just give it à try…
      Really, I keep on saying it, DRS should be for boring tracks only! And boring even is another thing then ‘none-overtaking’…
      If this new circuit is designed so bad that we need two DRS zones, all the more reason to get another designer!

    9. when the track was designed, it was said that inputs from teams were taken to come up with a track which may provide close battles & aid overtaking. and when you look at the track it’s hard to know in a non DRS situation where can the driver try a overtaking move or where can cars go for wheel to wheel racing??

    10. A good choice I think. I’ve been suspicious of the length of the S/F straight for overtaking and the slow preceding corner to the long straight has Abu Dhabi ’10 written all over it, even with DRS.

    11. Wish they would just run a race without any DRS zones.

      Im sick of watching incredibly easy & dull DRS passes. With 2 DRS zones on 2 long straghts I think were in for another Istanbul with stupid levels of ridiculously easy passes.

      If DRS carries over into 2012 I proberly won’t bother watching F1 anymore :(

      1. If DRS carries over into 2012 I proberly won’t bother watching F1 anymore

        Yeah, right.

      2. So, i guess we will only see you back in the forums about other motorsports from December onward, as its a certainty DRS will stay not only for 2012 but most likely for the years after that as well.

        Good luck finding another sport then.

        1. Got other sports & Motorsports series I already watch which would take my mind off F1.

          Also there is a chance DRS in its current form will go for 2012 as FOTA will evaluate it after the season to decide if its necisary.

          If they listen to the fans there is a higher chance of it been removed as i see more negaitive comments than positive regarding drs now on various f1 websites, message boards etc…

          1. @dizzy I don’t like NASCAR, yet I don’t go to NASCAR websites and tell everyone I don’t like it and won’t watch it.

            1. @enigma It’s bit different if you don’t like NASCAR to begin with, though?

      3. Agreed, DRS = Drama Reduction System.

        Watching any race from pre-2008 (or more so pre-1998) just seems a much rawer and genuine racing experience than today’s fare. In those days you had confidence that you were watching the fastest cars in the world going hammer-and-tongs. Now it’s an FIA regulated freakshow of artificial tyres, and artificial overtaking. The spirit of this sport is in crisis.

        1. And yet we’ve had the greatest season of racing action of all time. The teams and the drivers all face greater challenges today in terms of the sporting side of things than they ever have done.

          The skill it takes to drive a modern day F1 car is higher than the skill it would’ve taken to drive in the Senna/Prost days. Senna could just concentrate on driving a car round a track. Someone like Vettel today has to drive the car as quickly as possible around the circuit, manage his tyres, make several adjustments on his wheel, plan how he’s going to deploy KERS and DRS and all without any electronic aids or assists – while going as fast as Formula 1 has ever been.

          Formula 1 still has the best teams, the best drivers and the best technology. As long as that remains the case, Formula 1 hasn’t lost any of it’s spirit. This is the Golden Age, now.

          1. Woudn’t say Senna/Prost Etc… had it easier, I’d say they had it harder.

            They had to use the clutch & fully manual H-pattern gear shift’s, No power steering, Less reliable cars (Which required more looking after), No Power steering, Less downforce/Grip, Less efficient brakes, Tyres which regularly had to last an entire race so needed conserving & they actually had to fight to pass lapped cars.

            Todays drivers may have more dials & buttons to fiddle with but I would say they have less overall to worry/think about compared to 15-20 years back.

            Thats not saying that driving todays cars is any easier as its still a difficult challenge & requires immense skill.

    12. I don’t really see why they need 2 DRS zones on a track where overtaking looked like it would be more possible anyway.

      I think having 1 zone on the start straght or on the straght between turns 4 & 5 would have been better as passing on the long straght between 3 & 4 would be possible even without DRS & DRS may just make things a bit too easy there.

      I think if there going to stick with DRS they need to start putting it in places which may not be the most obvious passing zone as putting it in the most obvious place often just makes things way too easy which doesn’t make things more exciting, Just makes things more boring.

    13. Having been an opponent of DRS all season so far, my intention for this race is to support it for what its intended use is and to note how it affects the race outcome. My critisim of this system is and has been how it is used and the fair/ unfair way it helps and or hurts driver positions ultimately. I still believe that driver skills are more important than the poorly implimented gimick known as DRS. If you are going to allow a drag reduction system then let it be one where the driver chooses when and where it best be used. With that said, again, I now will be keen to see who can make the most of this system and will take note as to how much F1 is improved with it.

    14. Two DRS zones will be interesting and I’m glad they’re trying it on a new circuit.

      Do we know of any gravel traps on this track? Or is it going to be a Tilke playground for the drivers….

    15. The long straight looks to me like a “too easy” pass, like we had in Turkey and Spa. But a few drivers might choose too short a top gear, hit the rev limiter too soon, and get caught out.

      It’s all academic, though, if Vettel does his usual immense first lap and is a few seconds up the road by the time the wings are activated!

    16. To me DRS seems to make the fastest car on the day come out on top. That’s quite boring, isn’t it?

    17. The best form of defence is to let your faster rival by on the first drs straight, and then get him on the second drs. If you don’t, your rival will hang back and nail you in the second drs.

      I’m sorry but that isn’t racing, that’s rubbish is what that is.

    18. Doesn’t make any sense,one point would have been enough.

    19. A good time to experiment with the system.

      I’m going to be sensible and refrain from slagging off a race that hasn’t happened on a track that is yet to be raced.

      1. Like other commenters mention though, the best way to experiment is to have no drs at all for some of the remaining races. We then might have some understanding of what, on their own, the tyres and no ddd offer and whether it really is enough for us all.

        At the moment we have no control experiment.

        1. @John-H Fair comment. I guess they have more faith that racing without DRS will still produce decent races?

    20. What a missed opportunity, as there is no real life known overtaking data for this new track, why didn’t they just switch off DRS for this race. To find out if 1. It is needed on this track and where, and 2. To see if the DRS is actually making that much difference compared to the tyre differences.

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