The end of DRS in F1 in 2026, even if the “boost” mode adds an unknown

The FIA, in announcing the technical details of the 2026 F1 regulations, revealed the discontinuation of the DRS, a tool used to “reduce drag” introduced in 2011. However, the principles it brought, that is to say, having a movable rear wing and an improvement in straight-line speed, will be maintained in two distinct forms.

The DRS was simple to use: If you are close enough to the driver in front of you, you press a button on the steering wheel to open a DRS mechanism. This changes the angle of a portion of the rear wing to increase the top speed and thus help with overtaking.

The concept, though interesting, showed major weaknesses in terms of the show. In fact, a DRS train regularly formed during the race with drivers all close to each other, but all unable to overtake, each driver being sucked in by the driver in front of him. The other negative effect of the DRS, which has often been criticized, is the too great difference in top speed between the driver who could activate it and the predecessor, thus canceling out any battle during overtaking when it occurred.

Dissociate the effects of DRS on two distinct concepts

The FIA will therefore keep the two principles of the DRS but they will be divided into two plans: on one side the use of active aerodynamics with a movable rear wing as currently, but also at the front. This first point will improve straight-line speed and increase the autonomy of fuel tanks and battery since drag will be reduced.

Thus, all single-seaters will be composed of the same principles. Not just the followers within one second. The use of active aero will therefore not be in the interest of overtaking in a straight line, but only from a performance perspective.

The “override” boost mode to compensate for the loss of DRS.

The FIA has therefore used differently the second concept of the DRS, that of improving the overtaking capacity. It will be implemented thanks to the introduction of an override. A “boost” mode. This additional power will be given only to following cars, although the exact technical details are not yet known. The DRS could only be activated in certain zones and only if the following F1 car was less than 1 second behind at the entry of these zones. In 2026, the boost mode will therefore be usable under conditions, probably limited in time to a few seconds per lap and probably limited in quantity per race.

This boost mode will allow to concretely obtain half a joule of extra power delivered by the electric motor than the driver we are following. This mode should thus allow to gradually reach a higher top speed, without giving too much advantage all at once.

« While the deployment [of the energy from the electric motor] will decrease after 290 km/h, reaching zero joules at 355 km/h, the following car will benefit from the MGU-K providing 350 kW up to 337 km/h and an additional +0.5 MJ of energy.

Practically, from 290 km/h, the single-seater in front will see its electric motor gradually lose power, requiring more and more from its thermal engine, while the car behind will still be able to use the full power of its electric motor, with even an additional 0.5 MJ compared to the car in front.

Thus, at 300km/h, the car in front will progress less quickly at 310 km/h than the car behind. This override mode