24/08/2011
NEWS STORY
FIA race director Charlie Whiting has revealed why the sport's governing body has outlawed the use of DRS in Eau Rouge this weekend.
Earlier in the week, in reaction to concerns raised by teams and drivers, the FIA ruled that use of the controversial device in the notorious Eau Rouge section would not be allowed at any stage over the course of the weekend.
Speaking ahead of the Spa event, Whiting explained: "We're not going to allow DRS to be used through Eau Rouge. We want to avoid drivers going through thinking that their wing is in the right position, when it might not be. We think this is the correct safety measure to have taken at such a fast, demanding corner."
There have been a number of incidents this year when drivers have become confused as to whether their wing was open or not, an absolute nightmare in Eau Rouge where the car experiences a vertical force of -1.7G in the compression at the bottom of the hill and +1G over the crest. In other words, as the car goes over the crest it is only its aero downforce keeping it on the track.
At the same time, Whiting referred to the problem of crowd control at the Belgian track, recalling a moment last year when a session had to be red flagged when spectators were spotted close to the track after climbing over safety fencing.
"Spa's obviously a great challenge for the drivers," said Whiting, "but it can be quite a challenge for the circuit officials, also, mainly on account of its length. Any long circuit is harder from a security point of view and it can be hard to get the crowds under control. We always have to watch out for spectators climbing fences."