When is drs allowed

The rear wing of an F1 car is designed to generate downforce pushing the car down but as a consequence it also produces massive turbulence called drag.

And drag reduces the top speed of the car. The DRS allows the flap of the rear wing to move horizontally, reducing drag, increasing top speed and therefore facilitating the passing manoeuvres.

During the free practice sessions and qualifying, the drivers can use DRS as they wish. The driver must activate it everywhere with the obvious exception of the corners. During the actual race, the DRS cannot be used anytime.

You May Also Like. Win a signed Toro Rosso F1 team cap! This means the leading car can cut through the air with ease, while leaving very volatile air behind it. Cars chasing this car now have to drive through this turbulent air. The clean air in front of the leading car is so easy to drive through, and it allows the car to generate maximum downforce as well. This means that when cars are chasing others through corners, they cannot go as fast as they have less grip.

This is not as much of a problem on the straights, but through corners this means vital time can be lost due to the dirty air they need to drive through. This is why DRS was introduced. As the two cars emerge from the corner onto the straight, the car behind has now lost a lot of time due to lack of downforce. Thus, when it gets to the straight, the gap between the two cars increases.

With the DRS zone however, as long as this gap is within a second , the chasing car can gain the advantage back. With DRS open, they can catch up to the car in front with more ease, levelling the playing field and giving them a better chance to overtake. This makes the racing fairer and less reliant on clean air, while also making it more exciting for the fans with more overtakes. Obviously, DRS is not the magic overtake button that many people perceive it to be.

Not only is it only useable in certain situations, but whether the car can overtake the car in front depends largely on the actual abilities of each vehicle. The car needs to have enough power and speed to get past, and then when they get to the next corner the driver needs to try and defend his new position.

Many people do not like DRS and believe it to be an artificial way of overtaking. But with so much downforce generated by the modern F1 cars, it is very difficult to overtake otherwise due to the massive difference in advantage through clean air versus dirty air.

And this is the main reason that DRS is still in F1, and will be until the problem of dirty, turbulent air is solved. DRS is used to try and make the playing field as level as possible in F1 without taking away the need for skill on the part of the drivers. A lot of strategy is needed to maximize the effectiveness of DRS, and it presents a decent solution to the problem of turbulent air.

The conditions that need to be met to use it prevent it from being abused, and it helps to make races more exciting to watch. Flow Racers is a reader-supported site. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. More about Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen.

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