As he prepares to leave the sport, Ross Brawn admits to sharing the same view as many long-standing fans when it comes to DRS.

When DRS was first introduced in 2011 it was with the aim of giving a pursuing car an overtaking advantage at a time many were complaining about the lack of overtaking. (Weren't we always?).

However, from the outset there was doubt, for while fans wanted to see more overtaking - any overtaking at some tracks - some felt it made things too easy. Indeed, it was argued that the system totally disadvantaged the driver in front who had limited means of defending his position.

Among the critics was Juan Pablo Montoya, one of the sport's true 'hard men', who described DRS as "like giving Picasso Photoshop".

Since its introduction, the criticism has continued, especially as some tracks featured as many as three DRS zones, and earlier this year, despite the introduction of a raft of new rules aimed at improving the racing by allowing cars to follow more closely, commentators were still calling for DRS.

Indeed, it is planned that in 2023 at Sprint events, DRS will be available from the start of races rather than after a couple of laps, this being trialled ahead of a possible introduction at the Grand Prix in 2024.

At circuits like Spa-Francorchamps DRS has come close to making a mockery of the sport with a driver passing a rival in one zone only to lose the position in the next.

What started out as means of improving the racing by increasing the opportunity for overtaking has slowly had the opposite effect with DRS making it all too easy, leaving the onus on the defending driver.

As he prepares to leave the sport, Ross Brawn admits that the sport's powers that be have their doubts also.

"The one thing we know is fans, and we know this because we don't like it, they don't like the 'go down the straight, pop the DRS, overtake, drive fast, pull a gap' all of that," he tells Motorsport.com. "I think in an ideal world DRS is used just to get on the back of someone, so you can really have a decent attack."

The Briton believes that DRS zones should be where drivers can close in on a rival as opposed to being where drivers are virtually guaranteed a pass.

Citing this year's race in Melbourne, he says: "If you remember, they had four DRS zones and someone managed to persuade them to take one of them off, which was very annoying.

"Those DRS zones were not about overtaking there and then it was about getting on the back of someone to be able to attack them in the next complex. And that's the ideal world.

"I think we shouldn't be afraid to reduce the DRS in places like Monza, because it does seem a bit 'you get on the back of them, press the button, overtake'," he adds "It's a bit ritualistic, isn't it? It's not very impressive.

"So we shouldn't be afraid to reduce the use of DRS where it's clearly proving to be too powerful."

However, despite the rules overhaul, and his claims that they have improved the racing, Brawn admits that DRS remains a necessity.

"DRS is a useful tool where we want to get cars on the back of another one and them be able to get alongside in a corner and have a wheel-to-wheel battle.

"It's just judicious use of DRS," he adds. "That is what's needed. It will still be a tool we'll have to use. Maybe with active aerodynamics that will change."

Surely that was the point of the 2022 aero rules, wasn't it?

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by MossMan, 13/12/2022 12:46

"@Max Noble:

"reasons for buying an SUV as “I can see over cars, making me safer, and I’m bigger than other cars, making me safer…”"

They were NEVER safer - the whole thing has been a cynical marketing exercise by the auto-makers from day 1 - first the US companies, since the light truck rules over there allowed them to get away with less safety and less tax... hence huge black SUVs in every movie, TV show and rap video from the late nineties onwards, then the Germans saw what was happening in the US market and decided to push the "luxury" SUV thing starting with the X5, then the East Asian manufacturers took it up and cross-overs became a cheap way to build SUV-like versions of the normal cars so that everyone in Korea, China and elsewhere now think they are somehow "better".

“I can see over cars" means: I have a higher centre of gravity which makes road handling worse, increases risk of an accident, increases risk of roll-over, increases pedestrian fatalities.

"I’m bigger than other cars" means: I cause more serious damage to other vehicles and pedestrians and even occupants due to more serious impacts.

Sorry - SUVs have been a bug-bear of mine since they first appeared. :-)"

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2. Posted by kenji, 09/12/2022 13:26

"@ Bill Hopgood....but all that would do is form longer trains much quicker."

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3. Posted by BillH, 08/12/2022 17:14

"If the DRS is supposed to get the cars closer to each other yet not execute a guaranteed pass, then why not use DRS until 1 or half a second behind the car in front?"

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4. Posted by ffracer, 07/12/2022 17:33

"My kids think that the Viper GTS Tomahawk on their simulator game is awesome ... but not for F1. The rate of acceleration/deceleration is obscene. We have enough with brittle endplates, no thanks. Could you imagine if one of these peacock tails lol break off? they'd kill someone. Even so, the compromised car would be ridiculously slower so... Moveable wings/bodywork should be treated like illegal driver aids: BANNED

Also, with all the cracked floors, maybe the FIA should consider a test where they would test the strength of floor sides and bottom?
"

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5. Posted by ffracer, 07/12/2022 17:16

"So agree with so many here. First off: Why Ross, why now? It's like a manufacturer, after spending millions defending/denying culpability after their product is approved by government, to open the pandora's box when the parting CEO finally confirming the public concern was right all along and their product is dangerous. Like the FIA overspending leak, I can only surmise that it as someone else trying to clear their conscience and so that we can all do the right thing.

After that admission, is DRS here to stay? Most likely. I propose that the DRS travel (angle of full open) should be determined after FP1 at at venue, and only after full throttle is confirmed by sensor. The rate of acceleration is most ridiculous (and unfair) to the preceding car at some tracks, like Spa for example.

Also, please eliminate the aviary / reptilian effect lol: ban all the extra winglets/ boards. We can absolutely confirm that the endplates, winglets, boards, slight variances ARE directly affecting the show (remember when drivers were using their endplates to slice the preceding car's rear) and all this vortex inducing, multi plane, uber brittle, wind tunnel bottomless expense should be banned. Two plane front wings, two plane rear wings with DRS gurney flap and side pods without all/any board, winglet, earlet, dragon claw lol . Wait, some bodywork like out of Vettel's car garage: the 1992 FW 14 lol"

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6. Posted by Paulinho, 07/12/2022 8:46

"Maybe they could disable it for the sprint races :/ "

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7. Posted by overdriver, 06/12/2022 21:34

"OK, here's my twopenn'orth. Aerodynamics is the fundamental issue determining overtaking, close racing et al. It seems the competitiveness of a current F1 car relies upon crucial settings of wings, winglets, spoilers, turning vanes, ducts, venturi, flaps etc. etc. above all other performance producing criteria. The by-product of the pursuit of downforce manifests itself in 'dirty air' resulting in tyre degradation, overheating brakes and all manner of woes for he who doth follow and brings about nonsensical gimmicks like DRS.
Added to which, to my eye at least, the current crop of Grand Prix machinery, festooned as it is with fin and feather like appendages, has taken on a rather avian or reptilian appearance. I admit to finding them rather ugly.
So I offer this as a solution (pre-supposing, of course, that we agree there is a problem). All cars should have sufficient bodywork to entirely sheath the driver and engine (including ancillaries such as radiators, fuel tanks etc.) We would need to travel back to c.1967 to identify examples of pre-winged cars with the prescribed minimum body work - Brabham BT24, Ferrari312 etc. (Lotus 49 doesn't count as it exposed the engine). So let us take the total swept area of, say, the BT24's bodywork as a proportion of its wheelbase and track and call it 'X'. It is then possible to apply a control element (so beloved of the FIA) of aerodynamic aspects within the regulatory specifications by allowing an additional percentage of swept area - let us say X + 15% as an example. In this day and age there should be no problem with measuring and monitoring each and every surface no matter how minute.
Well, it works for me at any rate. If today's machines looked more like slightly be-winged Eagle-Weslakes I might start watching again."

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8. Posted by Hobgoblin, 06/12/2022 16:07

"making cars smaller would probably help too - just watch old footage of Monaco"

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9. Posted by Max Noble, 06/12/2022 4:17

"It is such a complex topic! The only constant is after the unleashing of the new cars following a rule change the chorus of “…oh, we didn’t think of that.” From the FIA brains trust.

Just as people (years ago…) gave the reasons for buying an SUV as “I can see over cars, making me safer, and I’m bigger than other cars, making me safer…” which after 20 years of “everyone” buying the darn things has negated both advantages!

So we have DRS available all race long… and suddenly it is useless to all! Drivers, as we have recently seen, will game the system, and jam on the brakes to force their opponent to hit the detection point in the lead… it wil result in a whole series of unexpected driver behaviours.

As for moveable aero… given the complexity of items on top-grade road going cars, this is a topic that is 20 years late in being considered…

"

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10. Posted by kenji, 05/12/2022 23:53

"If aero plays such abig part of a cars performance why not go further and allow extendable body mounted flaps, active aerlirons for directional cornering and air brakes. That would be awesome to watch and driving them would be a real test of a driver's overall ability...afterall they are designated 'pilots' in some languages. "

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11. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 05/12/2022 19:18

"Unfortunately DRS is here to stay, the argument is it is to easy on a lot of circuits to pass someone way before the corner using DRS, obvious solution would be to shorten the lengths for the DRS zones where appropriate."

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12. Posted by KKK, 05/12/2022 16:42

"Never mind DRS which is an "artificial" way of make it it spicy. Get rid of curved wings, front and rear, no trims here there, everywhere and bring back steel brakes to lengthen braking distances. Then it will be all down to the driver's talent and there will be overtaking. The problem now is that the cars are so fast there's not much chance to overtake unless you use the BTCC way of overtaking....push to pass...."

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13. Posted by Tardis40, 05/12/2022 16:30

"IMO DRS is ridiculous.Being in the lead is supposed to be an advantage."

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14. Posted by Fambank, 05/12/2022 15:19

"I respect the man and his accomplishments, but ffs, he of all people had the chance and the power
to [b] change it before he went into retirement. [/b]

Just let that sink in.
"

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Brawn admits doubt over DRS

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