Formula 1 drivers have urged the FIA to reverse its efforts to shorten DRS zones this year.
The series introduced new technical regulations last season aimed at making it easier for cars to follow and overtake. After seeing some improvement, the FIA shortened DRS zones at three of the first five venues the series races at this year.
The shortening of the zones to prevent overtaking from being too easy was taken by some as a sign the new regulations had worked as planned. But some drivers have warned passing has become more difficult in the second season under the rules.
After the FIA announced it would shorten two DRS zones at the Miami International Autodrome this weekend, several drivers criticised the decision. The matter was discussed in the drivers’ meeting ahead of the grand prix.
While the FIA said the length of the DRS zones used this weekend could not be changed again at short notice, some drivers urged them not to abandon their efforts to shorten them elsewhere.
“I appreciate the FIA’s viewpoint that it’s not quite as simple as just changing something overnight and there’s other elements to take into consideration,” said George Russell, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.
“I think it’s going to be another challenging race. I think the reduction by the 75 metres is [worth] three or four metres which is one car’s length and that can be the difference of overtaking or not.”
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Russell said drivers want FIA to err on the side of making DRS zones longer. “All 20 drivers sort of came to the conclusion that we’d prefer it to be slightly too easy than slightly too difficult.
“Having it slightly too easy creates a bit more of an exciting race, slightly too difficult creates a very boring race. So better being on the safe side in that regard.”
Lando Norris said there has been a clear change in how cars behave in turbulent air this year which makes it harder to follow rivals and overtake them.
“More and more often you’re running lower downforce set-ups because that seems more like where the downforce is coming from. So you can get away with running smaller rear wings and things which makes slipstreams less, cars are way more efficient. Cars are harder to follow as well because generally the way you produce downforce makes the dirty air maybe a little bit worse.”
The FIA’s justification for shortening the zones in Miami was that passing was fairly easy in its…
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