A more fair DRS?

[i70q7m7ghw]

There was pretty much an entire thread on why that didn't work in 09 & this concept

That doesn't mean it cannot work in future if adequate changes are made to the system.

Simplicity is the key. DRS is the closest F1 has got to promoting overtaking and overcoming the issue of turbulent air impacting overtaking, and that's because DRS is quite simple.

If DRS was to be changed, I would like to see a few changes:-

1. DRS is enabled for all cars, i.e. you don't have to be within 1 second.
2. More DRS zones at each track.
3. DRS is enabled for a set amount of time per lap, for example 5 seconds, and you can use it for up to 5 seconds in total per lap through any of the DRS zones. The amount of DRS time per lap would need to be fine tuned per track to make sure it gives the correct amount of advantage.

What I would hope to see from these changes is a more tactical use of DRS for attacking and defending, much like KERS was used when it was available. The alternative is ditch DRS and make more power available from ERS to bring back the kind of tactical use we had with KERS.

[zac510]

One thing that was good about DRS being able to be used all through the lap in qualifying is that it gave the engineers the possibility to tune the car with a bias towards speed in qualifying or the race. In those seasons some teams would run with a large chord DRS flap and others with a small one, depending upon whether they focussed their setup on qualifying or race and we used to chat about it in the tech forums.
Since that rule change they basically all run the same size flap and nobody pays any attention.
But my point here is not DRS really, it's about having cars on the circuit with different performance charateristics at the same point of the race, which introduces an element of unpredictability in the race weekend.

Thus I agree with the others that the rule should be loosened up a bit more. If the engineers and drivers have more control over how they use DRS then it's not a matter of DRS being fair or not because the effectiveness of DRS is a consequence of the team's decision making process.

[mrluke]

I cant see a good reason not to have DRS available for qualy across the whole lap.

DRS was fully available during free practice and qualy in 2011 and 2012. However, some drivers complained it was a bit dangerous, so the FIA banned in 2013 any use of it outside the normal DRS zones, during all the sessions.

A little bit childish though. I don't remember any DRS-related accidents during qualy in that period. Back in 2010 they were apparently happy with drivers taking eau rouge with a stalled rear wing and only one hand on the steering wheel.

I feel like some of this was due to RBR complaining about the impact it had on gear ratios due to the difference between qualy and race laps.

Thats no longer an issue so lets bring it back.

[lombers]

There's been a lot of commentary on this so why not increase the undercar downforce and place restrictions on wings and bodywork to simplify airflow over the car, thus creating less dirty air. If the cars can follow each other closely enough DRS won't be required as they can make effective use of slip streaming. No timing points required, no moveable bodywork, just pure racing.

The key point here is just because you're faster doesn't mean you get a free pass, which unfortunately happens quite a bit with DRS. There still needs to be a challenge for the driver to pass, either in courage or car positioning...

[theblackangus]

From the beginning DRS was designed to mimic the drafting/slip-streaming that used to happen when following the leading car. This was a big contributor to passing and the lead car never had the advantage. So allowing for open use by cars any time completely defeats the purpose completely. I would like to see the following car have more freedom in where to use it, and would not disagree that there needs to be more balance in its use, IE not make it so easy to pass in some scenarios. However that is not an easy task for a variety of reasons.

I like the idea of deployment anywhere by a car following with-in 1 second of another car 1-2 times per lap, but limit the time to say 5 seconds outside the marked DRS zones. So you can deploy for a short time outside the DRS zones or a longer time in the DRS zones (straights). However the 1 second mark should be at any given time, not just where measured at given points on the track. This would enable the person passed to quickly jump on their DRS to try to re-pass the person who just passed them in the next corner, allowing for a more tactical DRS use.

Ultimately the formula should take care of this by introducing cars that generate more down-force in ways that are not so easily disrupted by following another car, a huge part of alot of racing/overtaking is slip-streaming.

And FFS no crowd boost!