Brawn not convinced of the usefulness of DRS for 2012
The FIA has decided to implement a new system on single-seaters for the start of the season, an adjustable or movable rear wing - Drag Reduction System in English, abbreviated as DRS. This system has increased the number of overtakes in races - a record for many years. But Ross Brawn is questioning whether it's useful to allow this system for another season.
The DRS consists of a rear wing with two flaps. One of the flaps can be adjusted horizontally to reduce the car’s drag and thus increase its speed. This activation is free during free practice and the qualifying session but is regulated during the race. Drivers can only use it in the zone(s) defined by the FIA and if they are within one second of the driver ahead of them.
Thanks to this system, there have been many more overtakes since the start of the season, even if some feel they are too artificial. However, it must be acknowledged that the goal of improving overtakes to enhance the spectacle has been achieved.
However, Ross Brawn, the director of the Mercedes GP team, wonders if the system should be retained next season as he believes that the tires—and their greater degradation compared to Bridgestone—have contributed more to this resurgence of spectacle than the DRS.
It’s very difficult to judge its value because the influence of the DRS is not as significant as that of the tires. I think the tires have been the key element, Ross Brawn stated in Korea.
The DRS, from what I believe, was introduced to avoid having processionary races and it wasn’t because of the tires, so I think at the end of the season, with the FIA, we should look back a bit, see what is still problematic, see where it helped, and see what we gained, and see if we met all the objectives set.
Ross Brawn thinks that fans should be able to give their opinion because he knows that some find overtaking too easy and therefore less interesting now.
«It’s frustrating, but we need to understand from the fans whether they feel that overtakes with DRS are interesting to watch or not, or if they prefer overtaking to be more challenging, so we might, for example, work on the tires and other factors.»
I think that if we had retained the durability of Bridgestone tires, which were really very durable, then the DRS would clearly have been an important element. But it has been less crucial with the (new) tires, Brawn added.
