DISTANCE TO THE NEXT CAR
Being within one second and having DRS enabled does not automatically mean a
car will be able to overtake the one in front. DRS zones are designed to help a driver catch up with
the car in front, but the actual passing moves are often still made under braking for the following
corner.
USE WITHIN THE TRACK
Every circuit has DRS detection points and
activation zones . If a driver is within a second at the detection
point, they can open the DRS for the entirety of the following DRS activation zone. Different
circuits have different numbers of zones depending on how easy it is to overtake at each venue and
the length of straightaways around the track.
The famous Monaco Grand Prix circuit has only one
DRS zone despite the race being infamous for a lack of overtaking. This is because the
start-finish straight is the only straight deemed safe enough for DRS use. Use of DRS in the famed
tunnel was outlawed in 2011 amid safety concerns.
The Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park has the most
DRS zones of any circuit with four . However, the four zones are served by just two
detection points, meaning a driver who overtakes with DRS in the first of the two zones after the
detection point will still have DRS available in the second zone.
Red
Bull has a particularly effective DRS this season, which was underlined at the Saudi Arabian
Grand Prix when Max Verstappen gained a top-speed advantage of 20 mph over Lewis Hamilton while
overtaking with DRS.
Such a speed advantage made it impossible for Hamilton to defend his
position against the Red Bull. The advantage led Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur to conclude Red Bull
has a "mega big" DRS and "are doing something different ... doing something better, for sure."
There are rules governing the size of the DRS opening, which added to the
drama of the 2021 world title
battle between Hamilton and Verstappen. Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, qualified ahead
of title rival Verstappen for the sprint race in Brazil but then his time was disqualified because
his car had a DRS opening that exceeded the 85 mm gap permitted when the DRS is activated. It meant
Hamilton had to start the sprint race from last place. He finished fifth, recording zero points,
while Verstappen earned two points for finishing second behind Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas.
QUALIFYING
Drivers can open DRS in DRS zones by pressing a button on the steering wheel
during a qualifying or practice lap without the presence of another car in front. When DRS was first
introduced in 2011, it could be activated at any point around the circuit during practice and
qualifying, but its use through high-speed corners created safety concerns, so it was limited to
zones on straights.
OTHER RESTRICTIONS
DRS is not available for the first two laps of a race or the first two laps
after a safety car or red-flag restart. It is also deactivated in the rain if the circuit is deemed
"wet" by race control and when an incident has occurred in the same area of the racetrack.