Absolutely couldn't agree more cider_and_toast the sooner they get rid of this piece of crap the better, what is the point in driving a brilliant defensive race if you are going to get mugged in the DRS zone with no effort put in by the following driver?
Poll DRS - Your opinions on it now
- Thread starter landogeorgelewis1
- Start date
I don't bother defending DRS anymore, because nobody's gonna change their mind at this point anyway. But I will comment on the nostalgia of days gone by.
You often hear Jarama 81 held up as a shining example of the glories of defensive driving. And while Villeneuve deserves enormous credit for handling that pig of a chassis, he harbored an enormous advantage with that Ferrari powerplant. Couple that with the fact that the 126 was a very wide car on a very narrow circuit, and you've got the perfect conditions for a stalemate. In fact, for several years in the early 80's the Ferrari's were incredibly difficult to pass because of their width and their sheer power. Hunt (and others) would regularly refer to theses beasts as "mobile chicanes". In my opinion, it was the vastly different car strengths that led to some of the more notable examples of a "slower" car holding off "faster" ones.
To those that lived through the Turbo era, I can totally understand why they would view this period as a superior time in the pantheon on Formula One. But change and evolution was inevitable, and it led us to a point where the cars became so similar, with such similar characteristics in terms of acceleration and top speed, that there were very few opportunities to seize on a cars weaknesses or to exploit one's strengths. It got to the point where something had to be done.
One final note on DRS in 2013. Entering it's third year, its become quite clear that the technical gurus have mastered the art of Drag Reduction. DRS is more powerful than ever because the designers have made it that way. People say there's no innovation in F1, but the DRS is a shining example of how the geniuses of Formula One will maximize the areas of the car that are open for evolution. It appears as though DRS may be becoming a victim of its own success.
You often hear Jarama 81 held up as a shining example of the glories of defensive driving. And while Villeneuve deserves enormous credit for handling that pig of a chassis, he harbored an enormous advantage with that Ferrari powerplant. Couple that with the fact that the 126 was a very wide car on a very narrow circuit, and you've got the perfect conditions for a stalemate. In fact, for several years in the early 80's the Ferrari's were incredibly difficult to pass because of their width and their sheer power. Hunt (and others) would regularly refer to theses beasts as "mobile chicanes". In my opinion, it was the vastly different car strengths that led to some of the more notable examples of a "slower" car holding off "faster" ones.
To those that lived through the Turbo era, I can totally understand why they would view this period as a superior time in the pantheon on Formula One. But change and evolution was inevitable, and it led us to a point where the cars became so similar, with such similar characteristics in terms of acceleration and top speed, that there were very few opportunities to seize on a cars weaknesses or to exploit one's strengths. It got to the point where something had to be done.
One final note on DRS in 2013. Entering it's third year, its become quite clear that the technical gurus have mastered the art of Drag Reduction. DRS is more powerful than ever because the designers have made it that way. People say there's no innovation in F1, but the DRS is a shining example of how the geniuses of Formula One will maximize the areas of the car that are open for evolution. It appears as though DRS may be becoming a victim of its own success.
Blog Zbod
Podium Finisher
Once upon a time, when he was #2 to The Super-Rat, Clay Regazzoni was known as the driver of the world's widest Ferrari. The Scuderia never have been shy about ordering one of their drivers to serve the interests of the other, and Regazzoni felt no shame in being the best #2 on the grid. Or in invoking Heisenburg's Uncertainty Principle so as to make it impossible to predict both where his Ferrari would be, and how wide it would be, at any given moment in time.
Incubus
Champion Elect
Having a "wide" car or a prodigiously powerful engine couple with a disastrous chassis such as the 126C was entirely down to brilliancy on the part of the engine staff and shortage of talent in the aero staff. Both of which are entirely natural processes, come what may.
A device that temporarily allows the driver behind to enjoy a sudden straightline speed advantage over the car in front that is caused by the rules in place rather than engineering prowesses, isn't.
A device that temporarily allows the driver behind to enjoy a sudden straightline speed advantage over the car in front that is caused by the rules in place rather than engineering prowesses, isn't.
I don't see DRS as particularly innovative in technical terms and I feel it would be of little use fitted to the average family saloon but then again very few things in F1 filters down the car manufactures any more, which used to be a big part of formula one's innovation....
There are lots of production cars that have DRS with a reverse principal where a spoilers angle of attack is increased when the car is traveling over a certain speed. Porsche 911s of old had this as did the Mitsubishi 3000GT. Then of course there is the Veyron and I'm sure some car enthusiasts could name another 50 odd cars without too much thought. DRS is very much present in production sports cars but I do agree that it is not the case with family saloons and for reasons that are incredibly obvious.
Fenderman
Rooters Reporter
Veyron style aerofoils could be called Drag Induction Systems I suppose. Anyway, they predate DRS in F1 by some years. Their use on road cars is probably (although i don't know for sure) to improve stability at high speeds and prevent oversteer which, as we know, can be unpredictable and is highly undesirable for use on a public highway. Many a tail-happy Carrera, TVR or Lotus Elite owner will testify to that (most likely only in a private corner of the local pub!). Whether or not those wings are much use to sane road users is debatable.
TC, ABS, 4WD, 4WS and all sorts of other things were on road cars long before F1 tried them.
It's a fallacy that F1 is a breeding ground for technical innovations which filter down to family saloons.
Oh right, where did I get that load of old rubbish from..
One group conspicuously absent of complainers about DRS is the drivers themselves. They use the tools at their disposal, just as they always have. They've accepted the fact that its a part of F1 racing and that one race they may benefit from it while in another they might become a victim.
And as we've had excessive moaning about tires from several drivers for years, we know that if they feel something's a problem, they're not likely to bite their tongue.
And as we've had excessive moaning about tires from several drivers for years, we know that if they feel something's a problem, they're not likely to bite their tongue.
Fenderman
Rooters Reporter
Seem to remember some gripes early on. Maybe they don't say much because there's not a significant safety issue with the way the zones and usage being prescribed. They didn't really get exactly vocal about the tyres until they started falling apart and scaring them (apart from one bloke, that is).
Yes Schumey, we're talking about you!
Although the innovations do appear elsewhere, largely medical, the ECU being used to track patients vital signs, and sensors and telemetry being used due to the robustness and reliability.
It's still shite.....
Fenderman
Rooters Reporter
Mephistopheles will be on form tonight. It is said that a picture paints a thousand words. Well, a Meph' one liner paints a Sistine Chapel ... 
Fenderman's note. I didn't say what with ...
Even if the benefits aren't immediately obvious, anything that is pushing the limits of what is possible in a certain field has positive knock on effects elsewhere going in to the future.
Back to DRS. I've never really understood why the FIA decided to start with the current DRS regulations, namely the 1 second rule with the detection/activation zones. Surely they would have been better off trying a number of uses per race/lap system like KERS first to see if the reduction in drag still had the desired effect in overtaking even if both the following and leading car were able to use it. It seems odd to me that they just jumped in to what must be one of the most artificial rules in motorsport straight away.
Back to DRS. I've never really understood why the FIA decided to start with the current DRS regulations, namely the 1 second rule with the detection/activation zones. Surely they would have been better off trying a number of uses per race/lap system like KERS first to see if the reduction in drag still had the desired effect in overtaking even if both the following and leading car were able to use it. It seems odd to me that they just jumped in to what must be one of the most artificial rules in motorsport straight away.
Fenderman
Rooters Reporter
The FIA didn't like the F-Duct and coming up with the DRS was their compromise to allow a go faster aero' device into the rulebook. However, the FIA was determined to control how, when and where it would be used and how much of an advantage it would confer. The fact that that they barred defending drivers from using it at the outset says it all. As for the 1 second rule, that was their way to ensure that it is used only for overtaking. The exception to the rule is drivers using it to fly past and use back-markers to gain time on their direct competition.
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