F1 news: FIA shortens DRS zones ahead of Miami Grand Prix

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Method 1 is again in america this week, down in sunny Florida for the Miami Grand Prix.

However followers hoping to see extra motion and overtaking on the monitor could possibly be overlooked within the chilly.

FIA outlined the monitor setup for the Miami Grand Prix on Thursday, and astute observers instantly famous that two DRS zones had been shortened from final 12 months’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix.

This 12 months the primary of three DRS activation zones begins 105 meters after Flip 9, whereas the second DRS zone begins 525 meters after Flip 16, halfway by way of the lengthy straight heading again in direction of the beginning/end line:

For comparability, in final 12 months’s Miami Grand Prix the primary DRS zone started simply 30 meters after Flip 9, whereas the second started 450 meters after Flip 16:

F1 launched DRS zones — brief for drag-reduction system — for the 2011 season in an effort to extend overtaking on the monitor. Every circuit has designated “DRS zones,” the place drivers can open a flap of their rear wing supplied they’re inside one second of the automobile in entrance of them.

The third DRS zone, on the apex of Flip 19, stays unchanged from 2022.

Whereas it’s but to be seen how the 2 smaller DRS zones will impression the Miami Grand Prix, simply final week a DRS zone was made smaller for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the end result was a race with out a lot motion on the monitor. Whereas the Baku Metropolis Circuit is thought for overtaking, the shortened DRS zone main again to the beginning/end contributed at the very least partly to the dearth of motion on the monitor, at the very least in line with some drivers.

“They shortened the DRS this 12 months down the straight,” stated Lewis Hamilton following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “I don’t fairly know why they did that, we’ve all the time had nice racing with the place the DRS was. However by the point you turn the DRS, it was too late.”

Lando Norris stated he discovered it “just about unattainable to overhaul” throughout the race, which we noticed on the monitor because the McLaren driver needed to stay affected person behind each Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg, whilst each drivers have been working on the identical laborious compound they started the race with. “Particularly with our straight-line pace. It’s not helped by how a lot shorter the DRS is now in comparison with the place it was final 12 months.”

We’ll wait and see if the modifications made to Miami Worldwide Autodrome have the identical impression this weekend.