Two DRS detection points for Chinese Grand Prix

2013 Chinese Grand Prix

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The Chinese Grand Prix will feature two DRS zones with separate detection points as was used at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Only one DRS zones has been used at the circuit in the previous two seasons. That has been increased to two this year in line with most circuits on the 2013 calendar.

The previous DRS zone on Shanghai’s long back straight remains unchanged from previous years, with the activation point 752m before the turn 14 hairpin and the detection point in turn 12.

The new DRS zone will be on the start/finish straight with a detection point before the final corner and activation beginning 98m after it.

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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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41 comments on “Two DRS detection points for Chinese Grand Prix”

  1. Pretty obvious what the second DRS zone was going to be. Why not have one goign through turns 7, 8, 9 and 10?

    1. bah *going

      1. because they would spin out or just go slower due to less downforce?

        1. I have a feeling he was being sarcastic..

    2. DRS is an overtaking mechanism and not a slipping and sliding tool

      1. is it?

  2. Motor_mad (@)
    10th April 2013, 10:03

    So we’re not going to see anybody overtaking down the back straight then…

    1. Exactly my thoughts.
      I was wondering if it would be feasable to have a detection point in turn 3 and activation in turn 4. But the straight might be a tad bit too short for that.

      1. @dennis depends ! we’ve seen plenty of overtaking coming into turn 6 anyway.

        1. Motor_mad (@)
          10th April 2013, 10:46

          This track just doesn’t need a DRS zone. There are plenty of overtaking places. When will the FIA learn that most tracks don’t need DRS. I think 2 DRS zones on one track is flawed regardless of 1 or 2 detection points. If there is the 1 detection point the driver who wishes to overtake will overtake in the first DRS and will then just pull away in the second DRS zone, leaving the driver who just lost a position no chance to fight back. If there are 2 detection points, the driver who wishes to overtake will wait till the second zone to overtake to avoid being re-overtaken in the next DRS zone.

          1. Hear hear!
            If aero-wake is too political to solve, smart DRS is a solution. But it should be kept away from Spa, to name one.

    2. @motor-mad, except on the LAST LAP.

      1. (@verstappen)

        But it should be kept away from Spa, to name one.

        God I couldn’t agree with this more. Spa is such an utterly wonderful circuit, it needs no DRS.

        1. That 2nd DRS zone is a joke, considering how short it is, and turn 1 doesn’t even have much of a braking point. It’s hardly gonna make a difference.

  3. Considering how ridiculously easy DRS has made passing down the long straght the past 2 years its frustrating that it hasn’t been at least shortened.

    In all honesty this is one track where I don’t think we need any DRS, Watching the classic f1 races on sky there was already lots of good racing & overtaking on this circuit before DRS. ON this track the last 2 years all DRS has done is made passing here so easy that theres no fun in watching it.

    As much as im not fond of DRS I will admit that it does help on some tracks, On others however I think it hurts the racing & this is one of them.
    If there going to stick with the current DRS formula then I really feel they should not use it on every track as tracks such as this will always only ever see it make things way too easy.

  4. DRS on the start straght might not be too bad, May actually see DRS work like its supposed to and offer an opportunity rather than produce a free pass.
    Still think they should remove it from the long straght, Done nothing but made passing there too easy the last 2 years.

    Thats been one of my biggest issues with DRS since 2011, Why put it on long straights where we saw good racing & a decent level of overtaking anyway. You see DRS put in these places & then everyone wonders why passing is suddenly made too easy in the DRS zone.

    If the detection points & zones were placed more sensibly & if DRS worked like it was supposed to & simply helped cars get alongside providing them an opportunity to try & overtake the car ahead rather than simply driving the car behind clean by with relative ease, I’d be less critical of the damn thing even if I’ll never think of it as anything other than a stupidly artificial gimmick.

    1. Passing on the straight is much kinder to the tyres!

  5. I don’t think DRS on the front stretch will have a big effect – cars were barely hitting the rev limiter without DRS on that straight before.

  6. I reckon they could probably get away with putting the activation point on the exit of Turn 3, to try and give drivers a bit of a boost into Turn 6. They could probably take Turn 4 and 5 with the DRS wide open without much of a problem.

    1. yes i agree. i think it’s crucial to have the 2 zones as far away from each other as possible.

      1. exactly this, if they’re going to add 2 zones, there needs to be enough of a gap between zones for there to be a chance of pulling out a lead and preventing people getting straight back past.

        personally, I’d rather they just scrap DRS

    2. Yeah I think that would’ve been a good idea. Turn 6 is a nice passing place, not too easy, yet not too difficult..

    3. Yeah I would have preferred if they used the mini straight between turns 3 and 6 that way there would be a good overtaking opportunity at the hairpin 6. The detection point could have been somewhere around turn 1. With the current setup I don’t think it will promote overtaking at turn 1 because that is not a typical overtaking corner, it will be just passing on the straight which is kind of boring.

    4. Must agree on that, makes it more challenging

  7. I’m really looking forward to this weekend’s race and to see how 2 DRS zone’s works out. I don’t think thier will be any major issues with DRS. Should be an action packed race I think.

  8. DRS always works too well here so i don’t think i’ll bother watching this weekend, I don’t want to watch another DRS-fest with 80+ boringly easy & totally unexciting highway passes.

    In 2011 DRS made passing too easy & in 2012 it was exactly the same, Cars hit there DRS button & were driven clear past the other car & were able to pull back onto the racing line before the braking zone with 100m+ to spare.

    At least fan opinion is starting to change, Im seeing a lot more Anti-DRS comments from fans now compared to a year ago & DRS is starting to poll lower when fans are asked what they think of it. Also interesting how this trend is the same in places where DRS got a lot of support in the past & even some people I know who were firmly in favor of it are now firmly against it.

    Hopefully in another year the Anti-DRS feeling finally reaches F1 & the ridiculous thing is banned for good!

    1. According to Mercedes, There were 38 non DRS passes vs 27 DRS passes last year.
      (exc. passes for damage/first lap passes etc i imagine).

      1. proving its not needed. 38 passes is plenty for one race. And without DRS there would of been more non drs passes too. more like 50+

        1. I agree that it’s not needed.. I think DRS would of been better suited during the Bridgestone tyre era (2009-2010).. The Pirelli tryes pretty much do exactly what was wanted from DRS anyway..

      2. You know the thing with me isn’t so much the number of DRS passes, Its the fact that there all such low quality & so easy that there’s no entertainment or interest value in them for me.

        OK last year there was 27 DRS passes, Well how many of those 27 passes were even a little fun to watch? 95% or more of the DRS stuff is too easy & done in a way that makes watching the pass occur boring.

        I don’t like how extreme the Pirelli tyres are right now as I dislike the drivers running around at 80% tyre saving all day, However at least the racing & passing generated by tyres is somewhat entertaining to watch as you tend to gets cars racing into the corners.

        With the DRS it just makes the ‘racing’ so boring to watch as much of the time there is no battling into the corners or no decent racing, Driver simply hits a button & cruises past half way down the straght & that to me is about as fun as watching paint dry.

  9. Wake me up when they realise that running no DRS with these tyres might be a good thing to try.
    In fact, given the recent DRS communication problems any time about now would suit quite well. Unfortunately absolutely no one in F1 seems to be listening to these (I believe) sane suggestions by the fans.

    1. @john-h, that is it exactly, 2 artificial changes to make more passing but they tend to cancel each other out. We will have to live with it a couple more years so Bernie can get away with saying he was allways against it when he decides to try something else.

  10. Up until now I still can’t seem to get what the DRS for. I know its to aerodynamic drag reduction that promotes overtaking by the cars, but I cant relate it to the track and the purpose. Is it a safety feature to make the drivers aware that overtaking is better done here or is it a mediating factor to all the other drivers? Why is it positioned their and can’t tell the difference if positioned in another place.

  11. the drs is good if all you care about is the number of passes you see in a race.
    however the drs is bad if you like to watch competitive racing & good,exciting overtaking.

    the drs puts quantity over quality so all you end up with is a load of low quality passes which are not competitive nor exciting to watch for fans of racing.

    this is why i do not like the drs & why i will never like the drs.
    i also think its a tragedy that other series are now looking at using drs. renault world series, dtm & next year the japan formula nippon series have all implemented drs despite there series already producing fantastic racing just because they want to be like f1.

    soon there will be nothing left for fans of close, competitive racing & ‘real’ overtaking to watch :(

    1. Here’s hoping IndyCar stays DRS-free. Some of the best racing I watched last year was in that category. Last weekend’s race at Barber was a cracker – proper track, no DRS, yes please!

  12. drs is as bad as that stupid rule champcar & indycar had which banned the car infront from moving off the racing line at all to defend his/her position. they even started painting lines down the middle of the track to let drivers know where they could/couldn’t place there car.

    the no blocking rule did increase passing, however it hindered the racing & it was universally hated so it was ditched at the start of last year & the racing has been a lot better since.

  13. watching the 2010 race on sky f1.
    no drs & very durable bridgestone tyres & the racing was brilliant in the dry part of the race.

    some simply fantastic racing down the long straght, cars running wheel to wheel & actually having to work hard in the braking zone to overtake the car ahead there racing with.

    Just shows that the racing & overtaking was so much more exciting on this track Pre-DRS/Pirelli!!!

  14. I think they made the wrong move. Should’ve been in between Turn 4-6 IMO

  15. Ok, so based on what every just said, whats the point even in bringing this DRS into play? I just keep on hearing this as I watch a race and just imagine about airplane wings. Based on what I have read, it all looks like safety guidelines. Is it the only function they have? Though I know most of us hate this, and I’m beginning to hate it as well. lol.

  16. The fact the FIA keeps using those same two DRS zones shows thei inability to learn really.

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