DRS

[MarkG]

Not sure I agree with myself here but interested in views as to whether I'm talking b******s.
This is only relevant to existing car rules I think, but how about the use of DRS being allowed whenever you want, BUT NOT at any time you are within 1 second of the car ahead ?? This would prevent the rather silly easy overtakes of a sitting-duck that we see and would give a driver the challenge of speed versus tyre wear.
I'm not sure, just "thinking aloud".

[Pure Fiater]

If you allow it to be used at any time you might as well not have it and save the money. I agree it allows for sitting duck over taking so I go and watch another formula that is based on driver skill. We all know what changes need to be made in F1 to allow overtaking.

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Outside of the F1 echo chamber media, has anybody actually found DRS makes it more exciting? If anything it makes it more boring and ruined what could have been a classic race at Montreal last year. How is some boring pass-by on the straight any more interesting than watching no overtaking at all?

It also does not improve F1's image to casual fans, most casual fans I've talked to now refer to F1 as 'Rich Man's Mario Kart' whenever I attempt to explain DRS to them.

This is coming from somebody who defends Pirelli and KERS.

[Paradise City]

No race control switching it on or zones..etc. I just hate it. Magic carpet racing. It's 'orrible scaletrix stuff. It's sad to see DTM getting infatuated with the idea. Is there any way we can contain the infection?

[JeremySmith]

It's crap...

[fourWheelDrift]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

It's crap...

It would be a lot better if they'd stuck to the original premise that the zones would be adjusted so that you still had to work for your pass and it wouldn't just waft you by. These days the DRS zone seems to be so long you can pass the entire field in one straight.

[Gary C]

The idea of it is good but how it happens on track is taking from the racing i think they should shorten the length of the drs zone so the drivers still have to make the overtake on the brakes, just use the drs to get out of the turbulent air.

[GT6]

how quickly people forget the boring days of F1 when overtaking on the track was so rare that people kept screaming for something that would help, DRS might not be perfect but by comparison to the time before it came in it is the only decent change that has been bought in.

[chunder]

I agree with GT6 actually

There a lot of ourist ahters who dont like anything really new or different.

I do agree that the zones at some tracks need to be improved, but that might simply be that the venues are rubbish, anyone who ahs played a sim will tell you that places like China, Korea and Turkey are great to drive, but awfully dependant on aero grip, so theya re still gonna be like a Catalunya or Valencia and hard to pass at.

I dont think DRS is bad, maybe a track designed with it in mind would be interesting

I dont know how possible that is but I would love to see a DRS zone on a bend where you can use it, somewhere like Curva Grande!!

But again safety wouldnt allow that sadly.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by GT6

how quickly people forget the boring days of F1 when overtaking on the track was so rare that people kept screaming for something that would help, DRS might not be perfect but by comparison to the time before it came in it is the only decent change that has been bought in.

DRS .. The reason I don't care for it is simply that it makes passing so contrived . For all the reasons I have explained before, the driver in front might as well just pull over and let the pass happen. There is little that he or she can do, you become a sitting duck ...

The drivers are able to make passes in a GP 2 car, why not a F1 car

[chillibowl]

aero, tires whatever the reason cars are just too far apart on track to be in a position to overtake at the natural spots.

i have been pretty anti DRS from the start but i am coming around a bit. its one of those things where it is hard to get the length and spacing of the zones right and when the cars change each year how can you possibly get it right before the cars show up. that would be my problem.

that said Massa was able to prevent Alonso from using DRS to pass him at OZ this year so im starting to think if they get the zones right it does work in the sense that it kept them much closer for the remainder of the lap and that did create some good tension until Massa/pitwall blew it by keeping him out for two long.

cant have everything i guess!

[Born Racer]

DRS is an absurd solution to the silly predominance of aero in F1. It is a slightly flawed, but not always badly-executed necessary evil that reduces the aero dominance. At some circuits, it doesn't guarantee an instant pass at all. It depends on the zones and circuit.

[MarkG]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

DRS is an absurd solution to the silly predominance of aero in F1. It is a slightly flawed, but not always badly-executed necessary evil that reduces the aero dominance. At some circuits, it doesn't guarantee an instant pass at all. It depends on the zones and circuit.

Good to see someone else feels the same about F1 aerodynamics. My impression is the majority prefer aero cars and want more and more downforce.

[formerf1champ]

DRS should be used by all competitors, everywhere, all the time.

[Knowlesy]

It should just be switched off.

Using it all the time is downright dangerous. Using it as now is simply artificial.

[Paradise City]

Next time I'm at a GP, I'm going to sneak into the paddock with a concealed hacksaw and just saw off the offending DRS stuff whilst the crew are distracted.

DRS=garbage.

[wimiu012uk]

ban carbon fibre brakes, which would increase the length of braking zone thus allowing the last of the late brakers to have chance to overtake.

[Born Racer]

It would theoretically make more sense to have DRS allowed everywhere if you follow my viewpoint on this (and naturally many don't). As I am saying it is too negate the extreme aero effect, this would make more sense if it was allowed anywhere. As others have said it does get magic carpet-esque if it's not judged perfectly, but at some circuits we have seen a pass become more a possibility instead of an unlikely occurrence.

KERS I don't mind so much because of the strategic element of how much to allocate to each part of the lap, but it's a pity when we miss whether a pass was KERS-assisted or not. At least with DRS it's known.

[Kempi]

Originally Posted by wimiu012uk

ban carbon fibre brakes, which would increase the length of braking zone thus allowing the last of the late brakers to have chance to overtake.

It does not. All steel brakes do is put more weight on the car. Stopping distance would be the same (Zanardi was using steel brakes in the 98 (99?) Williams and had no different braking distances than Frentzen with carbon brakes.

[formerf1champ]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

It should just be switched off.

Using it all the time is downright dangerous. Using it as now is simply artificial.

Can you explain what you mean? The cars would be going slower around corners on circuits that nowadays don't punish you for going off track.

[luke g28]

Make the tyres suck.

Tyres are pretty much the reason the cars are faster now than they were in the 80s when they had double the power.

Everybody knows tyres are the only thing that connect you to the road. Theres enough moaning about tyres as it is but realistically thats the way to make the track more slippery, more oversteer, more overtakes under braking etc.

[Greem]

There are a number of national & international single seater series that have a similar concept to DRS which is used quite successfully and is rather popular amongst the watching public.

DRS came from within F1; push-to-pass didn't.

Why the teams didn't just go for a big but time-limited power bump is beyond me. Yes, I know KERS does something like it, but not to the same extent.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by wimiu012uk

ban carbon fibre brakes, which would increase the length of braking zone thus allowing the last of the late brakers to have chance to overtake.

Ban wings if you really want braking distances to increase.

Ban all those things to make it like the old days. Engines in the back, pah!

[Born Racer]

I would happily ban wings and have yet to see a convincing argument in their favour.

[MarkG]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

I would happily ban wings and have yet to see a convincing argument in their favour.

I second that.
Keep wings/aero in long-distance sports-cars, no prob, but not in single-seaters.

The option to drastically reduce aero MUST have been discussed by the rule-makers etc. I can only deduce there are some vested interests involved and by people with enough power to keep it that way.