Zak Brown (McLaren): “A good idea” to keep the DRS for the 2022 cars
Is it a good thing to keep the DRS? According to Zak Brown, yes. He insists that we must test the car before judging. The DRS should still be present for at least another year.
The 2022 season is fast approaching and all eyes are already on the new era of F1. While new rules will be introduced for the next season, the DRS will indeed be present. It was not featured during the presentation of the 2022 car model at Silverstone, yet the F1 bosses have still decided to keep it for at least another year, even though the plan is to remove it in the future.
He does not have unanimous support from everyone. However, Zak Brown, the director of the McLaren team, believes that it is a good idea to keep the DRS in case the cars do not behave as expected on the track.
« I think keeping the DRS at the start is a good idea. Just like in the sprint race, let’s put the cars on the track and observe. Did it work exactly as intended? Do we need to make any changes? Do we need the DRS? For a more or less long period of time? »
Brown prefers to wait and see the behavior of the single-seaters on the track before judging. Although there are theoretical concepts, teams cannot obtain data without conducting tests. Therefore, it will be necessary to wait a few more months.
« Everything we work on is data, drawings, and visuals. Everyone thinks that what has been designed should work, but we won’t know until we put it (the DRS, editor’s note) on the track.
Toto Wolff finds the DRS appealing for F1
Toto Wolff, the boss of the Mercedes team, supports his counterpart regarding the question about the future of the DRS. Although he believes that this aerodynamic device has not yet been very well understood, he thinks that it has nevertheless helped to provide a great show for the fans.
« I think that the DRS was put in place because the cars were so effective in terms of downforce and so equal in terms of performance that you were not really able to follow them. It is an aerodynamic device. I find it quite attractive for the sport. But if you can follow more easily in the future, it could make the DRS obsolete. Today, it is a fantastic part of the show. »
