Overtaking wanted
For the second consecutive weekend, the FIA has decided to extend the DRS zone of a circuit in an attempt to facilitate overtaking by Formula 1 cars. After the area of use of the mobile wing was extended by 103 metres on the main straight in Monza, a similar situation will occur this weekend on the Baku track.
The DRS zone on the Azerbaijani track has been extended by exactly 100 metres: this year, drivers will be able to activate the wing to try to overtake the car in front of them 347 metres after the exit of the final corner, Turn 20. Last year, the wing’s deployment point was 447 metres after the exit of the corner.
Step back
In reality, however, this adjustment represents a return to the past: last season, in fact, the federation had briefly experimented with reducing the length of the DRS zones on some circuits, including the city circuit in the capital of Azerbaijan. The same thing happened this year on the Barcelona and Spa tracks, but the results seen in the race of these changes were not appreciated by the drivers who complained of excessive difficulties in overtaking. This led to a step backwards
In view of the new regulations that will come into force in 2026, there was also talk of the possibility of evaluating the elimination of the use of DRS, but these adjustments clearly indicate that those who manage F1 still believe that DRS is a necessary tool to make overtaking possible.
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