The FIA’s single seater director Nikolas Tombazis has ruled out Formula 1 scrapping DRS “in the short term”, due to the Greek engineer believing it to be too big a “risk for the sport”.
DRS was introduced to the pinnacle of motorsport in 2011 and makes overtaking easier, due to a car’s top-speed being increased as a result of a slot in the rear wing opening, reducing drag.
The system has become a well-known feature of F1; however, there have been calls from both within and outside the paddock for it to be scrapped.
Whilst the system can only be used when a driver is within a second of the car in-front, it has resulted in some boring races.
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When a series of cars are within a second of each other it forms what is called a ‘DRS train’.
In this instance, the DRS system is effectively cancelled out as the other surrounding cars also have the system in use, meaning a speed advantage isn’t gained.
With the current cars being so big and heavy, the only overtakes which tend to be seen during a Grand Prix are completed using DRS, something which was noted by Sebastian Vettel last year.
The retired four-time World Champion admitted last season that DRS is at times the “only thing” which allows drivers to overtake, resulting in him to question what it’d be like for the system to be scrapped.
“The interesting bit would be to take the DRS off and see how the racing really is, and if you are able to overtake a lot better than, let’s say, in the past,” Vettel said following last year’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, as reported by PlanetF1.com.
“I’m only a bit cautious for the DRS, because it was brought in as an assistance to help overtaking, but now it feels a bit like it’s the only thing that allows you to overtake at times.”
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According to Tombazis, DRS isn’t going anywhere just yet, with him believing that overtaking will be “very difficult” if the system is removed.
“In an ideal world it is conceivable to remove DRS, but in the short term it will not happen because otherwise overtaking would be very difficult,” Tombazis told Italian outlet Corriere della Sera.
“We are no longer in the ’80s, when simulations were not so advanced and the differences between one car and the next were great. With the current level of technology, of science, removing the DRS would be a risk for the sport.”