One DRS zone instead of two at Canadian Grand Prix

2012 Canadian Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

The double DRS zone used in last year’s Canadian Grand Prix will be replaced with a single DRS zone for this year’s race.

Ahead of this year’s race Lewis Hamilton said: “With KERS hybrid and DRS in the mix, it should be an exciting grand prix – although, interestingly, we’re reverting to a shorter, single DRS zone after the double zone last year.”

Last year’s DRS zones for the race were situated on the start/finish straight and the straight leading towards the final chicane.

They shared a single activation point at the exit of the hairpin. In the race some drivers were able to complete a pass in the first DRS zone, then pull further ahead of their pursuer in the second zone.

Twin DRS zones were used in the Australian Grand Prix this year, where one had been used the year before.

Hamilton expects McLaren to be competitive at next week’s race: “The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a fantastic track – it’s super-fast in places, which means it requires finesse and precision, but you can also end up racing wheel-to-wheel with people at 200mph too, which is an incredible sensation.

“However, you still want a car with decent low-speed traction – all those long drags are usually preceded by tight hairpins, so it’s important that you can get the power down efficiently if you’re to pull a good lap time together.”

He added: “On paper, I think our car will be well-suited to the combination: we showed in Spain that we’re very good in high-speed corners, but we were also quick in the final sector, which is slower and more technical.

“Of course, it’s still difficult to accurately predict the outcome, so I’ll be focusing on another clean weekend where I can score more consistent world championship points.”

2012 Canadian Grand Prix

    Browse all 2012 Canadian 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.

    67 comments on “One DRS zone instead of two at Canadian Grand Prix”

    1. However, you still want a car with decent low-speed traction – all those long drags are usually preceded by tight hairpins, so it’s important that you can get the power down efficiently if you’re to pull a good lap time together.”

      I understand that centence as meaning that Hamilton is not too sure their car will be best suited for the track. Although I would think that Hamilton will be very much set at winning his race this year, after all he did very well here in the past, right until he hit Button last year.

      1. “after all he did very well here in the past, right until Button swiped him”

        fixed

        1. “after all he did very well here in the past, right until he miscalculated his move”

          fixed fixed

          1. And that was only so because Hamilton was bla…tantly slower at that point in the race.

            1. “What are you guys doing!” (in my best Button radio voice)

    2. Huzzah!

    3. One too much, but hopefully it rewards defensive drivers like Schumi, who got DRSsed badly last year.

      1. The second zone was pretty pointless anyway, as far as I remember Schumi was always overtaken in the first one?

        1. yes but the first zone was too long is his point. remember the aerial shots from last year of webber overtaking schumi 2/3rds of the way down the straight?
          so a shorter zone for 2012 sounds better.

          1. We see passing at on that straight every year, we REALLY don’t need DRS there at all. On the main straight is good however.

    4. Last year Canada was the best Ferrari qualy of the season. Fernando was 2nd and Felipe was 3rd. In Monaco Ferrari was a surprise for me, with good traction on the exits, great on slow corners and super fast on the curbs. These are the key for Canada as well plus they will bring many bits and pieces for the car.

      If rain stays away from the circuit this gp will be a thriller. With only one and shortened DRS zone the overtaking will be just fine. Historically Canada always produced great overtaking so why use two DRS zones? One is just fine!

      Does anyone knows what and when will FIA clarify Red Bulls floor? In my opinion a hole is a hole and a crack is a crack. If they legalize red bulls hole then will we have again a new double diffuser loophole? Or is it a loopcrack?

      1. Usually, thrillers rhymes with rain in Formula 1, however, even dry Montreal has the condiments to be another classic.

      2. Montreal is always awesome. I am sure I will be on the edge of my seat!

    5. Id much rather there be no DRS zones!

      Hate the stupid artificial gimmick, Done nothing but badly hurt my love of F1!

      1. Similar views here, but to a lesser extent. We already have the KERS technology, weird tyres, and one of the most talented ever field of racers. We shouldn’t need DRS on top of all that to make good racing. I can only pray DRS remains the stop-gap solution as it was intended.

        1. If it’s written into the 2014 rules I will be seriously disappointed.

          1. You will be dissapointed then as DRS is going to be staying around beyond 2014.

            DRS was initially sold to us fans as a stop-gap, However its now been talked about as a more permanent solution. McLaren’s Paddy Lowe was quoted late last year as saying that DRS had removed any need for further aero changes.

            So basically were stuck with the bloody thing!

            1. Not sure what peoples gripe is with DRS.

              It’s intention is to give back drivers what they lose in corners through ‘aero push’

            2. N- Just because something has good intentions doesn’t mean people have to embrace it. DRS passes in my opinion, appear too easy, akin to a motorway pass. A higher number of passes does not equal a higher quality of racing.

            3. @N
              Yeah sure, but the disadvantage of the “dirty” air is only present in the corners. On the straights it is an advantage.
              Returning the disadvantage on one straight alone, where there is usually plenty of overtaking opportunities in the first place create easy, sometimes even free overtakes that feels incredibly fake. And overtakes where drivers just drive by each other down a straight is boring. It would be much better to somehow artificially (like DRS) return the disadvantage, where it is actually lost i.e in the corners, or even better, revise the rules so that the cars doesn’t leave a long trail of ruined air behind for the next driver to go through. Ground effects and less emphasis on wings could reduce the wake dramatically. Thus provide closer racing and enable the drivers to overtake on most of the circuit and if they are brave enough, give it a go in the twisty sections as well.
              Fixing F1 with DRS is like fixing a Rolex watch with duct tape.

      2. Can’t stand it either, but I have to say none of the drivers have come out and really criticised it yet which I find surprising so perhaps I have to get used to it.

        1. DRS was only brought in because its a simple solution for now, than to fix the bigger problem. The cars rely too much on aero! Cant the FIA bring in wing rules that give the cars similar downforce to what they had in the 80’s? More horsepower and wider tyers, then we will see some wheel to wheel action!

          1. @ivz…agree completely and have said similar things many times on this site.

        2. Not sure what peoples gripe is with DRS.

          Because DRS is a silly artificial gimmick.

          There are people out there that want to watch racing & to see real, exciting overtaking.
          All DRS does is produce dull, unexciting, boring & soul-less drive-by passes down straghts in which a lot of the time the car been DRS-ed can do nothing to defend against it.

          Since were discussing Montreal, Look at last year. Schumacher drives brilliantly to get to 2nd & then Button/Webber easily DRS straght by him with Schumacher unable to do anything to even try & defend his place.

          To me what DRS creates isn’t good racing & certainly isn’t exciting or even mildly intresting to watch.

          1. “Because DRS is a silly artificial gimmick.”

            You do realise that this is your gimmick, don’t you?

        3. @john-h Vet and Alo have criticised DRS, no surprises thier, as thier 2 of the biggest culprits of also not wanting to be challenged by thier teamates.

          1. @mattynotwo – What the hell does DRS hve to do with being challenged by a teammate? If they don’t like DRS, then it’s because they feel that DRS offers passes that are too easy, having often used the device themselves.

            1. @david-a DRS offer’s new challenges, and Alo and Vet don’t like being challenged by teamates, and they don’t like being challenged by DRS.

              “If they don’t like DRS, then it’s because they feel that DRS offers passes that are too easy, having often used the device themselves.

              Vet & Alo want to find the easiest way to stay in front of the next guy, and DRS does not make it easy to stay in front.

            2. @mattynotwo – The first part of your comment doesn’t even make sense. Being challenged by a teammate has nothing to do with being “challenged” by using DRS.

              The second part of your comment would only have any credibility if it was they who were the most likely to lose from DRS, and I can’t remember either of them falling victim to many DRS overtakes.

              If they dislike DRS, it is because it makes overtaking on a straight too easy. The “dirty air” effect was a disadvantage in corners, yet the DRS gives the following car an advantage on the straights where there never was a problem with being able to slipstream. That’s why you see passes where the battle is over half way down the straight. And that’s the issue- DRS fixes the wrong problem. I would however, put up with DRS happily if it is temporary (as it was supposed to be) and the dirty air problem is truly fixed.

            3. @david-a ‘The first part of your comment doesn’t even make sense.’

              It makes perfect sense, and it cannot be made any more easy for you to understand.

              ‘The second part of your comment would only have any credibility if it was they who were the most likely to lose from DRS, and I can’t remember either of them falling victim to many DRS overtakes.’

              They attack DRS now as a preventative measure.

              Vet & Alo don’t want to lose easy victory’s because DRS allowed a trailing car the chance to overtake, when previously thier was no chance of the trailing car overtaking, and driving to victory was easy.

            4. @mattynotwo

              It makes perfect sense, and it cannot be made any more easy for you to understand.

              Unless you are referring to a pair of teammates using DRS on each other, teammates and DRS are two entirely different subjects. All I see is you attacking Vettel and Alonso for being treated as number 1 drivers in their teams, when we are talking about the Drag Reduction System, a device introduced to increase the amount of overtaking in F1. You saying that teammates are a challenge and that DRS is also a challenge has no point.

              Vet & Alo don’t want to lose easy victory’s because DRS allowed a trailing car the chance to overtake, when previously thier was no chance of the trailing car overtaking, and driving to victory was easy.

              Except that Vettel dominated 2011, the very first year of DRS. He most likely would have won it in a similar fashion without DRS. Why? Because he and his team were the best, not because of “dirty air”.

              The only actual lead changes so far in 2012 that have involved DRS have been cars that hadn’t pitted being passed by those that had. So again, there’s nothing to suggest that Vettel and Alonso dislike DRS because they fear it might make them lose out.

              I basically agree with them and Mark Webber’s point of view:

              “Some people will like to see cars passing and re-passing all the time. Nascar stock-car racing in America is founded on that. But for some who have a more purist point of view about F1 – like me – overtaking should mean more than that.”

            5. @david-a ‘You saying that teammates are a challenge and that DRS is also a challenge has no point.’

              It is the point, and it’s very easy to understand.

              ‘I basically agree with them and Mark Webber’s point of view:

              “Some people will like to see cars passing and re-passing all the time. Nascar stock-car racing in America is founded on that. But for some who have a more purist point of view about F1 – like me – overtaking should mean more than that.”

              Yeah, I know Web said that, and it’s very vague, and like I said above, unless you were concerned about how easy it is to maintain your position in front of another car, not one would have any complaint’s about DRS.

              I mean, lol, just think about, “oh yeah, for sure it should’nt be to to easy overtake, cough,cough, overtaking should be very,very difficult, cough,cough, especially when I’m front, lol “

            6. @mattynotwo

              It is the point, and it’s very easy to understand.

              I understand, but your attack on Vettel and Alonso’s team status over Massa and Webber has no relevance to a DRS discussion. It is pointless.

              Yeah, I know Web said that, and it’s very vague, and like I said above, unless you were concerned about how easy it is to maintain your position in front of another car, not one would have any complaint’s about DRS.

              You claimed that drivers only dislike DRS because they might lose positions during a race because of it. That does not explain how one of the drivers you accused dominated a season where DRS was used.

              The problem that F1 had was that cars could not follow each other in high speed corners. DRS, which was only intended to be temporary does not actually fix that issue. Instead, passes occur on straights as if the other guy was standing still. You, and anyone else can like it all you want, but that does not mean that other fans and drivers have no reason to dislike the device.

            7. ‘I understand, but your attack on Vettel and Alonso’s team status over Massa and Webber has no relevance to a DRS discussion. It is pointless.’

              Obviously, you don’t understand. Like I said above, Vet and Alo are the biggest culprits, when it comes to not wanting to be challenged by thier teammates, and Vet and Alo are 2 of the 3 drivers that I’m aware of that have come out an attacked DRS. If Alo and Vet did’nt come out and attack DRS, then yes, you would be right, they would’nt be relevent.

              ‘You claimed that drivers only dislike DRS because they might lose positions during a race because of it. That does not explain how one of the drivers you accused dominated a season where DRS was used.’

              So why would Vet care about DRS, he made DRS irrelevent by staying out of range of DRS most of the season. Here’s why: because Vet knows it is not as easy to maintain position when a trailing car is within range with DRS, Vet said after Canada last year that Button would have passed him in the DRS zone anyway. So obviously, he is fully aware DRS affect’s how easy it is for him to maintain his position.

              ‘You, and anyone else can like it all you want, but that does not mean that other fans and drivers have no reason to dislike the device.’

              Yeah ,for sure, and you guys don’t have the right to ruin every race build-up, every post race, and anytime inbetween for anyone who wants to just get on with enjoying F1 and constructive discusion.

            8. @mattynotwo

              Obviously, you don’t understand. Like I said above, Vet and Alo are the biggest culprits, when it comes to not wanting to be challenged by thier teammates, and Vet and Alo are 2 of the 3 drivers that I’m aware of that have come out an attacked DRS. If Alo and Vet did’nt come out and attack DRS, then yes, you would be right, they would’nt be relevent.

              The points are coincidental. Your opinion about drivers who don’t like being challenged by their teammates is unrelated to their dislike of DRS.

              Here’s why: because Vet knows it is not as easy to maintain position when a trailing car is within range with DRS, Vet said after Canada last year that Button would have passed him in the DRS zone anyway. So obviously, he is fully aware DRS affect’s how easy it is for him to maintain his position.

              He would be aware of how DRS works, having also gained positions through its use, and he knows that DRS passes are easy. If a battle is over half way down a straight because of a flap in the rear wing, where’s the excitement?

              Yeah ,for sure, and you guys don’t have the right to ruin every race build-up, every post race, and anytime inbetween for anyone who wants to just get on with enjoying F1 and constructive discusion.

              I do still enjoy F1 but I don’t have to love everything about it. I remember that people had the right to complain about F1 being boring in the first place, so I and anyone else has an equal right to complain about DRS producing unexciting, easy passes. You have the right to like DRS, but I do not, and I never will.

            9. I do not mind DRS being a short term solution by the way. I just can’t stand the idea of it becoming permanent for the reasons many have outlined.

            10. @david-a ‘The points are coincidental. Your opinion about drivers who don’t like being challenged by their teammates is unrelated to their dislike of DRS.’

              Coincidental or not, it is what it is, Vet and Alo don’t like being challenged by teamates, and they don’t like the challenge of DRS interfering with what would have previously been an uninterupted, easy, cruise to the finish.

              ‘He would be aware of how DRS works, having also gained positions through its use, and he knows that DRS passes are easy.’

              If, as you say, DRS passing is easy, then that must make maintaining your position less easy than before?

              Would you agree with that?

              ‘If a battle is over half way down a straight because of a flap in the rear wing, where’s the excitement?’

              Well, where’s the rule that states that a pass on a straight is illegal? boring, unexeciting, etc?

              I,m not aware of any, in any form of auto racing anywhere.

              It is nothing more than an imaginary rule, which is influencing your enjoyment of F1.

            11. @mattynotwo

              Coincidental or not, it is what it is, Vet and Alo don’t like being challenged by teamates, and they don’t like the challenge of DRS interfering with what would have previously been an uninterupted, easy, cruise to the finish.

              But they are completely unrelated points- your opinion about how they handle teammates has NOTHING to do with DRS. So why keep bringing up a useless point?

              If, as you say, DRS passing is easy, then that must make maintaining your position less easy than before?

              Yes, but DRS passing is TOO easy. If you have to work to maintain a position, you should also have to work to gain a position. Because overtaking in the pinnacle of motorsport is supposed to be a SKILL.

              Well, where’s the rule that states that a pass on a straight is illegal? boring, unexeciting, etc?

              You’ve missed the point again. I never said passes on straights are illegal. I asked where the excitement is in an overtake where the battle is over half way down the straight because of the significant effect of DRS. No bravery on the brakes, just hit the button and fly past as if the opponent is driving a Fiat Panda.

              It is nothing more than an imaginary rule, which is influencing your enjoyment of F1.

              Well, you’re letting your imagination run away with you if you think I claimed that there is a rule that states a pass on a straight is illegal.

            12. @david-a ‘But they are completely unrelated points- your opinion about how they handle teammates has NOTHING to do with DRS. So why keep bringing up a useless point?’

              If my point is so useless, like you say, then why have you repeatedly been putting in your best effort in, to unsuccessfully argue against it?

              ‘If, as you say, DRS passing is easy, then that must make maintaining your position less easy than before?’ ‘Yes, but DRS passing is TOO easy. If you have to work to maintain a position, you should also have to work to gain a position.’

              Obviously, I don’t agree that DRS makes passing too easy, but, the following part of your comment makes a bit of sense.

              Do you think that F1 teams and driver’s and may be resistant to a change of the ease of which they maintain track position?

              ‘Because overtaking in the pinnacle of motorsport is supposed to be a SKILL. ‘

              That’s just a gimmick.

              ‘You’ve missed the point again. I never said passes on straights are illegal. I asked where the excitement is in an overtake where the battle is over half way down the straight because of the significant effect of DRS. No bravery on the brakes, just hit the button and fly past as if the opponent is driving a Fiat Panda.’

              But, by saying the only proper passing is in a braking zone, you are dictating, a zone, where, when, and how passing must be done, and that is no different whatsoever to a DRS Zone.

            13. If my point is so useless, like you say, then why have you repeatedly been putting in your best effort in, to unsuccessfully argue against it?

              Because it has no bearing on the topic at hand- the use of DRS and whether it is good for the sport or not. If we were talking about KERS and I started randomly criticising Maldonado for crashing a lot or something, it would be called out and considered off-topic. I haven’t seen any successful argument linking your off-topic attack to the DRS issue.

              Do you think that F1 teams and driver’s and may be resistant to a change of the ease of which they maintain track position?

              They are the ones sitting in the cockpit, so if those who feel that the balance has gone too far towards the attacking driver, they’re better positoned to judge than we are.

              That’s just a gimmick.

              If overtaking isn’t a skill according to you, why should we find them exciting to watch? Couldn’t we all just jump into a car and start pulling moves like Senna?

              But, by saying the only proper passing is in a braking zone, you are dictating, a zone, where, when, and how passing must be done, and that is no different whatsoever to a DRS Zone.

              I do not think the only proper passing is in a braking zone. But a DRS pass usually involves a car passing another having been given a significant drag reduction advantage. You might find that exciting, but I do not.

              Bottom line is, the only way I will accept DRS is if it remains a temporary solution to the dirty air problem that F1 had.

            14. @david-a ‘Because it has no bearing on the topic at hand- the use of DRS and whether it is good for the sport or not. If we were talking about KERS and I started randomly criticising Maldonado for crashing a lot or something, it would be called out and considered off-topic. I haven’t seen any successful argument linking your off-topic attack to the DRS issue.’

              Alo and Vet attacked DRS, the topic being discussed is DRS.

              Anyway, I give up, obviously, its just not registering for you.

              ‘They are the ones sitting in the cockpit, so if those who feel that the balance has gone too far towards the attacking driver, they’re better positoned to judge than we are.’

              I did’nt ask who’s sitting the cockpit, or who’s in a better position to judge.

              I asked do you think that F1 teams and driver’s may be resistant to a change of the ease of which they maintain track position?

              ‘If overtaking isn’t a skill according to you,’

              No, sorry, I never said that, you must have confused something someone else said somewhere, for something I said.

              ‘Couldn’t we all just jump into a car and start pulling moves like Senna?’

              Probably not all off us, but thier is a billion people on the planet, and most human’s are more than capable of learning to drive a road car in about 6 months, so I don’t know.

              ‘ I do not think the only proper passing is in a braking zone.’

              Where else can proper passing be done then?

              ‘But a DRS pass usually involves a car passing another having been given a significant drag reduction advantage. You might find that exciting, but I do not.’

              Yeah, I know what DRS involves.

              Vettel had a significant car advantage last year, and team mate who’s not allowed challenge him, and he won nearly everything.

              I know you find that very exciting, but, most people, certainly do not think that is very exciting at all I’m afraid.

              ‘Bottom line is, the only way I will accept DRS is if it remains a temporary solution to the dirty air problem that F1 had.’

              I can fully accept that, all reasonable thinking people would accept that, and, your right, you don’t have to accept DRS, and a lot of people like yourself, don’t find it easy, accepting things that, are new, and makes things better than they were in the past, like DRS does. But, most of the time, they end up accepting, even becoming some of the biggest supporters & getting the most enjoyment out of the exact same things they initially could’nt accept.

              I don’t really know a lot about this ‘dirty air problem’ but from what I’m aware, it’s not just a problem in F1, ‘dirty air’ is a problem in many major cities where thier’s a lot of cars polluting the air. I don’t see ‘dirty air’ as much of a problem.

              Anyway, like I said above, I give up, I’ve accepted DRS, you can do whatever you like.

          2. @mattynotwo

            The post about Alonso and Vettel had nothing to do with the topic at hand- the use of DRS and whether it is good for the sport or not. If for example, we were talking about KERS and I started randomly criticising Maldonado for causing collisions, it would be redundant, since it would have nothing to do with the discussion.

            If overtaking isn’t a skill, why should we find racing drivers exciting to watch when they do them? Couldn’t anyone do it if it wasn;t supposed to be a skill?

            I do not think the only proper passing is in a braking zone. But a DRS pass usually involves a car passing another thanks to a significant speed advantage, rather than any bravery or car control. I see no excitement in that.

            At the end of the day, the only way I will accept DRS is if it remains a temporary solution (as it was supposed to be) to the overtaking issue F1 had.

    6. So with the progress so far, we will see no DRS zones in Canada next year? Probably not, but i’m trying to stay optimistic!

    7. Solid comments that absolutely do not get tired in the articles that generate every round in determining that GP’s DRS zones.

      They probably shouldn’t be saved for a general article about DRS, but for here, while we discuss how it affects each individual track.

    8. HURRAY! Just 1 zone… though to be honest, I’d have tried with no DRS zones here. Montreal is a circuit that produced a great amount of overtaking moves even in the bore-fest era.

    9. Well Monteal’s straight line is very long so it the single zone is long enough, it wouldn’t be a problem.

      Anyway, I expect Mercedes would be the team to beat unless tyre temperature problem catch them. They’are not so competitive in hot condition such as Spain and Bahrain. Usually, If not rains, Montreal is quite hot place. If hot, Ferrari has good change along with Lotus and Mclaren.

    10. So the DRS zone will be situated on the straight leading towards the final chicane?

      1. Indeed, where is the DRS zone then? I hope it is on the start finish straight because last year showed the very worst aspects of DRS on the final straight.

        1. Put it on the run to the hairpin I say, or on the run to the chicane before.

          1. @Slir + 1! They should put it at an “unusual” place, because the run up to the chicane is already a good spot for no- DRS overtaking.

    11. Presumably the single zone will be before the final chicane? It’s a pity if it is – it’s Always been easy enough to pass there anyway. It’s along the finish straight that the cars need a helping hand.

      1. yes but we dont want drivers NOT overtaking on the back straight in order to use drs on the start straight…

        1. I think it could possibly work if the DRS was on the pit straight and the detection zone is where it was for the first DRS zone before, just after the hair pin. That way, we could see an overtake down the back straight, and then a pull away with DRS, or a get close exciting moment and then an attempt on the pit straight where it would be pretty fun to watch an overtake, and then because of that, there could possibly be more fighting after that down the first few corners, maybe more due to running of line, dirty tyres, and just running different lines into corners.
          So, it could be interesting on the pit straight with the far back detection zone. But it would be disastrous on the back straight. Completely.
          No DRS would be better of course though…

    12. Qualifying will run under the threat of light showers. So any driver bad at getting their tyres up to temp. will have a hell of a day. Sunday is much better as only predicted to be cloudy but bright.

      1. Long range whether forecasting is usually hard to get right. It’s more than a week until qualifying even so I would wait a while before trying to predict anything just yet.

    13. The manner in which the FIA has implemented DRS is laughable at best. To have two DRS zones with a only single detection point makes no sense whatsoever, so it’s good that they’ve at least reverted to one for this race. Also, allowing drivers to use DRS when they are following lapped cars? How does that benefit overtaking and competition?

      Their past responses to such criticisms have always been along the lines of “we simply dont have the technology to accomodate such distinctions with the DRS system”, which is beyond ridiculous. F1 is the most technoligically advanced sport in the world, and yet their DRS detection and activation logic has seemingly been programmed by a person who’s never been near a computer.

      Whether or not you like DRS in F1, it appears to be here to stay, and at the very least it needs to be applied in a much more sensible and sporting way.

      1. Haha, yeah I always found that excuse slightly bizarre! We’ve developed space travel and perhaps the most relevant tech… GPS… but try and have a computer detect when a car is in relation to another… whooaaa, lets not get crazy! What do they think we have, a driver tracker!? haha.

        1. Their past responses to such criticisms have always been along the lines of “we simply dont have the technology to accomodate such distinctions with the DRS system”, which is beyond ridiculous.

          Its because DRS runs off the timing loops which are placed every 200m around the track.

          Since its main purpose is Timing/Tracking its a fairly basic system, It detects the car transponder & sends the data back to FOM’s timing system. They use this data not only for the timing but also to generate the Driver Tracker.

          For DRS use all its able to do is detect when a car is within 1 second at the loop where the detection point is & then send a signal to the cars Timing delta which allows DRS use in the DRS zone.

          I’ve been told that they did test different system’s & different detection/activation software & found what we currently have was the most reliable system.
          The initial plan was for DRS to be disabled once a car got half way alongside the car he was passing, However that system proved unreliable & they coudn’t find a way to get it any more reliable.

          I believe the DRS software is developed by McLaren Electronics since its there ECU systems everyone uses.

          I also understand that more people within F1 dislike the current system than actually come out publically, Most discontent has been kept private. I’ve also been told that at least 5 drivers have told FOM personnel they hate DRS only to then support it publically.
          Same with the Pirelli tyres, Privately most the drivers complain about them, Publically these same drivers say they support Pirelli.

          1. Good info, thanks for that. Hadnt heard that McLaren was at all involved in the DRS software/implementation.

            Nonetheless, a very simple computer program could introduce logic that would simply consume the data they already get from these timing loops, and reliably deduce if a driver is lapping a car vs passing a car for position, as well as correlate multiple detection and activation zones with one another.

            I think the problem is that nobody cares enough to fix it. Top teams might even like that they can use DRS on lapped cars, since it makes it even easier to get by blue-flagged traffic. It’s just emblematic of the whole DRS approach. It was meant to be a temporary, stop-gap solution at first. After a (relatively) warm reception from the fans and media and some (arguable) degree of success, the band-aid is now seen as the silver bullet. Meanwhile I’ll keep hoping for some wholesale changes to the technical regs that will allow us to be rid of such gimmickery.

    14. I look at DRS as a work in progress like new cars in pre season. After 1 years race you can alter the length for the desired effect. What I don’t get is using it in qualifying as much as you want. Since it’s introduction I get a sense that a car suffers in a race relative to qualifying and vice versa and I beleive the balance of DRS to be the culprit. If it was put in to improve overtaking in races or not allowing a faster car being stuck for a critical period of the race due to differing strategies why use it in qualifying when you do not overtake. Atleast use it only where it’s used in the race. This will bring more transparency to the casual viewer as to why a car qualifies well but it’s relative race pace is not as good. Possibly helping viewers understand the race weekend better and not leading to the lottery feel some complain about come race day?

    15. Rain looks likely for Saturday qualifying. Hopefully things will improve this week. I cannot wait for the 2012 Grand Prix du Canada!

    16. Hopefully it’s on the start/finish strait so they can overtake without it on the long strait.

    17. All I will say about DRS is that every single poll thats been done on DRS shows that a huge majority of Formula 1 fans dislike the way DRS is been implemented.

      Fan opinion on DRS itself is split about 50/50, However as I say every poll I have seen showed that the majority don’t like the whole system of detection points, 1 second gaps & activation zones with only a following car been allowed to use it.

      DRS either needs to be dropped completely or the way its used needs to be changed.

    18. Good idea. It’s good to see that they’re still experimenting with the idea and that it is open to change. It goes some way towards showing that F1 is listening to the fans.

      1. If F1 was listning to the fans then the entire DRS concept would have been changed a year ago.

    19. Do we know if the zone will be on the main straight only, not the start finish straight?

    20. @mattynotwo

      Alonso and Vettel attacked DRS, but that has nothing to do with teammates. Your off topic attack on them for being favoured is what I was calling out in the first place.

      If drivers do not like DRS because it affects the ease with which overtaking and defending happens, then yes they are being resistant to it. And I agree with them, as they are in a better position to judge the quality of the racing.

      If you didn’t say that overtaking wasn’t a skill, then why say “That’s just a gimmick” when I told you it was?

      I did not once say that I found 2011 more exciting than other seasons. FYI, Vettel won because he was the best driver in 2011. His teammate didn’t challenge him because he wasn’t fast enough. The “Rate the race” results on this site were pretty good last year if I recall, so the individual races were enjoyable for a lot of people.

      “Dirty air” is the air that passes over a cars aerodynamics and affects the car following it. It’s pretty ignorant to be discussing DRS and not even know about one of the reasons it was introduced in the first place. DRS doesn’t allow cars to follow each other closely in corners, but instead gives an insane slipstream on straights, where passing was never a problem. Here’s some reading material:

      http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/5281.html
      http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/5293.html

    Comments are closed.