Second DRS zone added on pit straight in Korea

2013 Korean Grand Prix

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The Korea International Circuit will have a second DRS zone this year on the pit straight, and the configuration of the original DRS zone has been changed.

Drivers will still be able to use DRS on the longest straight on the track but the length of the DRS zone has been shortened by 40 metres. The detection point for it has also been moved – having previously been on the entry to turn one it is now after turn two.

The new DRS zone on the pit straight has its detection point between turns 15 and 16. Drivers can then open their rear wings 95 metres after the high-speed turn 18.

Sergio Perez said teams will set their cars up to take maximum advantage of these overtaking opportunities: “The aim is also to have a car that works well in the principal overtaking areas – into turns one and three – which means making a little bit of a compromise to the set-up.”

“That’s particularly important because it’s very difficult to overtake once you get into the twisty section, as there’s really only a single racing line.”

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    Keith Collantine
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    44 comments on “Second DRS zone added on pit straight in Korea”

    1. They could add DRS zones everywhere, it doesn’t work. Give ’em push to pass or DRS free for everyone.

    2. More DRS zones… just what F1 needed…

    3. That’s a lot of DRS…

    4. Why they keep adding DRS zones one after the other I don’t know. As if anyone is going to use the first one just to be overtaken immediately after!

      It really is time to drop DRS. It’s ruining races now that are already spoiled by Red Bull dominance and stupid tyres!

    5. Dear FIA, please ban DRS from 2014 onwards.

    6. Chris (@tophercheese21)
      2nd October 2013, 9:50

      It seems they’re only adding DRS zones to compensate for the DRS restrictions in qualifying.

      Not sure if it will produce better or worse racing. I cant remember if DRS was effective or not in last years race.

    7. Is this the first time that the detection point is on the DRS straight?

    8. I would put DRS at the pit straight and after turn 3 – not sure why they keep having DRS on the long straights – especially when it creates back to back zones.

      1. +1 Exactly

    9. DRS= Destroy Racing Spirit

      1. DRS= Decimate Real Speed

      2. DRS = Driver-skill Replacement System

      3. DRS= Defense Rendered Sterile

      4. DRS = Does Racing Stupid?

      5. DRS = Discard Racecraft Skill

      6. DRS = Defensive Racing Sabbatical

      7. DRS = Damn ! Really Stupid !

    10. I don’t understand why they put DRS on the longest straight of the circuit. Now it’ll be to easy to pass. Why don’t they put the second DRS zone on the small straight between turn 3 and turn 4, Then you’ll have 3 opportunities to pass, and none of them is too easy.

      1. yep. the sad thing is that the postbox is open till the end of the straight . So if Vettel gets a DRS courtesy a backmarker , he will have a 2 second lead by the end of the straight :( .

        1. Granted the DRS zone will be good for Vettel in qualifying. But during the first 20 or so laps it will work better for Ferrari and the teams using Mercedes engines.

          1. People always say this, but Renault always seem to be the race winning engine supplier even at places like Spa and Monza. Seems people still clutch at straws like this to imagine Red Bull won’t be able to just walk away with it.

    11. surely no one will want to overtake on DRS 1 as the they would be overtaken again on DRS 2, kind of pointless apart from getting really close

      1. my mistake, switch 1 and 2 around and my statement makes sense

    12. I don’t know if I’ll be able to wake up to watch this race on Sunday. I mean, I’ve found Saturdays more interesting; qualifying have been far entertaining than the actual race lately… Also the demoralized fan inside me would enjoy a few hours sleep but the die-hard F1 fan wouldn’t comply LOL!
      Just craving for F1.

    13. DRS made passing too easy in many cases on this track in both 2011 & 2012 & given how DRS has been more effective this year anyway I don’t expect a shorter zone to change that.

      Besides the length of the DRS zones tends not to be what determines how effective or ineffective DRS is. DRS’s effectiveness is more down to outside factors like wing levels, wing speed, wing direction, how close the cars are, How many cars are lined up using DRS & differences between each teams DRS systems.

      The moving of the activation line to after turn 2 would have been a nice change though had they not added a 2nd DRS down the start straght as it doesn’t solve the problem we saw in the past where DRS down the long straght to turn 3 would undo overtakes done at turn 1.

      Just glad they didn’t add the 2nd zone to the straght after turn 3 as thats been where we have seen all of the real racing & all the proper excitement the past 2 years.

    14. More DRS… sigh. Let’s see how RBR’s top speed looks like, it could be their Achilles heal now that they could be out-qualified by the Merc Duo – on race day, Seb can find himself stuck behind the Mercs and prone to attacks from the back, the only chance for the “We’re bored with the same Winner” crowd to rejoice, maybe then they will stop booing DRS :D

    15. Um, guys, is it just me, or was the pit exit really reconfigured for this year after a handful of incidents in the past few weekends here?

      1. I haven’t heard about that..

      2. I hadn’t noticed that until you mentioned it. That is the pit-lane they wrongly used on the F1 2010 game before the first race in Korea.

        1. …And it turns out to be a better solution than the real initial one. But still not as good as @vettel1 suggested below. However, that would in turn make the pit stop time loss inexplicably high. Which makes me believe that the whole concept is just plain wrong, the ideal thing would have been to exit the pit lane on the inside of the T2 exit, have the pit lane on the S/F straight’s left, and switch the grandstand to the right. That way even the spectators would have had a better view of the circuit.

          An alternative method is, of course, the Abu Dhabi-style pit lane exit…

          1. *as the one vettel1 suggested below.*

          2. I missed a step: it would make pit stop time loss high by lining the exit all the way to the far side of the run-off area to provide enough room on the outside of T1. And THEN line it with barriers. If they do it as it is now, I’m sure they wouldn’t be satisfied with the size of the run-off area.

      3. The pit exit was always stupid: there should be crash barriers lining the entire length of the exit road, so it’s separated from the racetrack in the event of brake failure of somebody on the track itself.

        1. Yes, makes sense. Turn one is an overtaking spot, so there is bound to be more friction there as well.

      4. I wonder whether cars coming out of the pits will have better acceleration coming onto the long straight than those on track – or do they go through turn 2 at full throttle?

    16. I doubt it will make much difference if that Typoon arrives.
      Anyway, if it’s dry, this configuration simply wastes the first DRS as drivers will not want to pass into the hairpin, only to be re-passed under the 2nd DRS.
      Korea only needs a single DRS zone.
      We saw this happening all the time when they used a similar configuration in the past and it ruined the enjoyment in the race. I can’t see how moving the 2nd detection point round the corner will change this.

    17. “The aim is also to have a car that works well in the principal overtaking areas – into turns one and three – which means making a little bit of a compromise to the set-up.”

      “That’s particularly important because it’s very difficult to overtake once you get into the twisty section, as there’s really only a single racing line.”

      Sergio, overtaking isn’t supposed to be easy – especially in the twisty sections. Giving yourselves massive DRS zones to make your job easier is a shallow response to the challenge of a circuit. It also spoils a great track, undermines real racing, and bores your fans.

    18. DRS seems like some insidious godly test sent to measure my love for the sport. I’m still here but I’m losing faith.

      1. DRS seems like some insidious godly test sent to measure my love for the sport

        I think that might be the best description of DRS I’ve ever seen!!

      2. Can we please make this COTD?

      3. Excellent summary. To me, this is COTD !

    19. petebaldwin (@)
      2nd October 2013, 19:31

      This is the first race for years that I can remember where I’m choosing not to watch it live. I’ve fallen out with people, missed family meals and found places to watch during holidays in order to see races live but this weekend, I’m just not interested.

      F1 2013 is just so pointless now. The teams have given up and have diverted their top men to the 2014 team leaving Vettel to cruise around taking it easy knowing that if he runs into any issues, he can go 2 seconds a lap faster than the rest.

      I’ll tune in for the last 10 laps and watch the exciting spectacle that is Hamilton, Rosberg and Raikkonen battling for 3rd. We might even get to see them push to pass a few cars near the end if there is a variation in strategy. Fingers crossed eh?

      Sad times…. :(

    20. Isn’t the reason every track now has 2 DRS zones due to the FIA limiting its use in practise and qualifying, and if they didn’t add a second zone, teams wouldn’t see a point in carrying all the hydraulic arms/system as they’d be better off without it?

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