Aston Martin technical director Andrew Green is optimistic Formula 1 may be able to reduce DRS zones and even remove some entirely if the new regulations work as intended.
The drag reduction system (DRS) is a controversial overtaking aid that has led to several drive-by passes on straights when drivers are able to deploy it and open the flag in the rear wing.
It has previously been described as a “necessary evil” because without it, F1’s downforce-laden and aero-sensitive cars have been so difficult to overtake with.
Although the new era of technical rules beginning this season intends to make it easier for cars to follow one another, the DRS is still present on the cars for now.
Green reckons the DRS is going to be “just as powerful” when used but he is optimistic it will not be essential.
“It’ll be up to the FIA to look at the track layouts and see whether they need to modify the DRS zones accordingly,” Green said at the launch of Aston Martin’s 2022 car, the AMR22.
“I suspect they will do. If it plays the way that they think it’s going to play, with the cars being able to follow more closely, they shouldn’t need as much DRS assistance.
“I think we might see the DRS zones reduced over time and some of them may even be removed. I think that’d be a good thing.”
Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel said the “artificial” component has “helped” in F1 in recent years but he is also hopeful it can be phased out.
“You can always play with how long the DRS zones are and how many they are,” Vettel said.
“But ideally you don’t need them at all.”
The 2022 cars are expected to be faster in a straight line and through faster corners because they have less drag.
This is because the bid to make them more ‘raceable’ has focused on increasing the dependence on ground-effect aerodynamics.
Green reckons this change will also impact how the cars behave and are driven in a way that also contributes to a better spectacle.
“I think we’ll find that the cars are obliged to run close to the ground – it’s in the name, really – and I think they are going to be running quite stiff,” he said.
“They’re going to be quite agile. The drivers are gonna be working hard. And I think the cars will probably bite the drivers as well when they let go.
“So I think we’re gonna see some really interesting racing and driving.”
