A single DRS zone in Singapore
Back to normal for this first stop of the F1 Circus tour in Asia: there will only be one zone where the adjustable rear wing can be activated.
Race weekends follow one another, but they are not alike: after spending three days on the ultra-fast Monza circuit, where two DRS zones – drag reduction system – had been set up, the drivers will only have one zone on the urban circuit of Singapore.
Nothing surprising, however, the Marina Bay circuit consists of 23 turns and has only one sufficiently long area to allow the implementation of this mechanism: the full throttle between turns 5 and 7. This segment of the urban track, composed of two straight lines connected by a slight right turn, is where the highest top speeds are reached. As for the detection zone, it is located before this sequence at turn 3, which comes right after the left-right following the pit straight.
Singapore is a winding track that requires a fairly high level of aerodynamic downforce, unlike Monza. Therefore, the DRS should regain its full strength and make overtaking more significant than in Italy, a Grand Prix during which, despite using the DRS for over 25 laps, Lewis Hamilton was unable to overtake Michael Schumacher, whose Mercedes was as fast or even faster than his McLaren on the straight.
The nature of the circuit does still raise some concerns regarding the number of overtakes. It’s James Key, Sauber’s technical director, who commented on this point: « After Spa and Monza, here we have another unique circuit. It is long, windy, requires a strong downforce, and is quite bumpy. It demands good mechanical grip. Traction and braking stability will also be important. It’s a tough circuit for brakes. Even with DRS, it will be difficult to overtake ».
Update: The DRS detection zone is actually located between turns 4 and 5, contrary to what the image above shows.
