Formula One have confirmed plans to place four DRS zones around Albert Park for the upcoming Australian Grand Prix.
One of the subplots of the new season has been the Drag Reduction System, which allows drivers within one second of the car ahead to open a flap on their rear wing, thus reducing drag, at certain points on the track.
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs have seen the system provide a significant advantage to overtaking in comparison to previous years, with the 2022 rule overhaul increasing each cars’ ability to follow the one in front.
But the use of DRS will be pushed to the extreme on Sunday with F1 announcing four DRS zones for the track in Melbourne.
The first will be placed down the start-finish straight with another on the long straight following the first chicane. The third comes down the back straight into Turn 9 before another short burst into Turn 11.
Interestingly, F1 have only implemented two detection zones, at which the time-gap is measured, which will allow one car to rely upon DRS through a larger portion of the lap - potentially reducing the “cat and mouse” overtakes seen so far.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner called on the FIA to adjust the system following Max Verstappen’s victory in Saudi, which saw overtaking under DRS become a more tactical manoeuvre.
“The DRS is so powerful you could see that there was a game of cat and mouse going on between the drivers, where they'd actually brake to a point that they actually accelerated into the corner,” Horner said.
“I think maybe we should look at where that DRS detection zone is for future years. You definitely want to avoid being in that situation.”
