The absence of DRS in 2026 Formula 1 could be the decisive factor that prevents two of the sport’s greatest drivers from repeating their Interlagos recovery heroics.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will line up 20th and 21st respectively on the grid for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.
Both men have famously charged through the field at this circuit before, but they openly admit the technical regulations have fundamentally changed what is possible.
Hamilton pointed directly at the new power unit’s overtake mode as the core problem, warning that passing at Interlagos will be far more difficult than fans might remember from previous years.
“I think overtaking will be very, very, very hard. I’m not sure you’re going to see the same sort of races that you’ve seen in the past. But maybe the wet conditions will change that,” the Ferrari driver said.
Verstappen echoed those concerns, explaining that the long Interlagos straight actually works against drivers trying to attack, because both cars drain their batteries simultaneously.
“Now we don’t have DRS anymore. And the overtake mode is very limiting around here because of the long straight, everyone is draining the battery. So, your speed difference on the straight is going to be a lot less – a bit like Mexico, really. So, it will be quite a lot harder to pass than normal,” the Red Bull driver said.
History does offer both men genuine grounds for optimism, with Hamilton winning the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix after starting 10th following an engine penalty, defeating Verstappen in a closely fought battle.
Verstappen matched that feat in 2024, rising from 17th on the grid to take victory in wet conditions, comfortably passing Esteban Ocon along the way.
Yet the broader statistical picture from this season provides a sobering reality check for anyone expecting a straightforward charge to the podium.
Across 19 races in 2026, only two victories have been claimed by drivers starting outside the front row, with Verstappen winning from fifth in Mexico and Antonelli remarkably triumphing from 19th in Italy.
When asked to outline his race strategy, Hamilton was characteristically blunt about the difficulty of the situation he faces on Sunday.
“I don’t have one,” he admitted. “Try to win, somehow.”
Verstappen is placing his hopes on the race being disrupted by multiple safety car periods, which would keep the field compressed and give him a realistic chance of featuring at the front.
Rain is forecast to play a role in Sunday’s race, and if conditions turn wet, the established dry-weather patterns of the 2026 season may count for very little.