Between the Racing Lines 🏁| Formula One is complicated, confusing and constantly evolving. This story is part of our guide to help any fan — regardless of how long they’ve watched the sport or how they discovered it — navigate the pinnacle of motorsports.
One of the most commonly used words (or initialism in this case) in F1 racing is DRS, but what exactly does this mean?
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The term stands for drag reduction system, a controversial mechanism controlled by the driver. With the press of a button in specific zones the rear wing can open on F1 cars. DRS facilitates closer racing and helps with overtaking as the rear wing’s flap opens up, reducing drag to increase speed. Drivers can use DRS when they’re within a second of the car in front of them, which can sometimes create what is known as a “DRS train.” This occurs when multiple cars bunch closer together during races as each driver activates the system.
Its effectiveness varies based on the circuit with some tracks, like Monaco, being notorious for being difficult to complete overtakes. Changes to DRS zones were made to several tracks on the 2023 calendar: Bahrain, Jeddah, Melbourne, Baku and Miami.
The driver-controlled device was first introduced in 2011, and it has continued to garner criticism, even from the drivers. While it’s used to create wheel-to-wheel racing, some have pointed out that DRS may reduce the skill needed to achieve a difficult overtake.
What are the DRS rules?
F1 fans often hear the pitwall informing drivers about the time distance between their car and a rival, which is crucial for DRS. The cars need to be within less than a second of each other; however, they also need to be within a specific designated portion of the track (typically a straightaway) to use the device.
Most circuits have two DRS zones, but Bahrain is an example of one that has three. There are detection and activation points to indicate where the zones are, and there are signs labeled “DRS.”
There are other restrictions with DRS, as well, such as how it can’t be used during the first lap of the race or after restarts following a red flag period or safety cars. Additionally, the race director can decide to not allow drivers to use the device if track conditions are deemed unsafe.
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To simplify the explanation, let’s use two cars to break it down. The car behind is the one that can use DRS, not the car in front. There is a button the drivers push to activate DRS, but it’s not a guarantee the overtake will successfully happen. It comes down to whether they can pull off the maneuver.
What do the drivers think?
Juan Pablo Montoya famously once described DRS as “giving Picasso Photoshop.” He added in an interview with The Racer’s Edge that it was helpful for the spectacle side of the sport, but the ex-F1 driver (who left F1 in 2006) and two-time Indy 500 winner felt “overtaking is an art.”
However, DRS can create exciting battles, like the one that unfolded between Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix. The two exchanged leads multiple times over consecutive laps, and Leclerc discussed the role DRS had.
“I was trying to be as clever as possible using the DRS as much as possible, so I was trying to brake early into Turn 1 just to be behind him at the DRS detection, and twice it worked out,” Leclerc said at the time. He later explained how he braked early in Turn 1 to capitalize on the DRS range in Turn 4, which “worked out three times in a row.”
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This is an updated version of a story originally published in March 2023.
(Lead image: Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images; Design: Eamonn Dalton/The Athletic)
(Graphics: Drew Jordan/The Athletic)