Formula 1 owners hate racing. There is no other way to explain the fact that they continue to invent various nonsense to increase entertainment.
The historic finale of the 2021 season, albeit provoked by the race management lost in the rules, was not enough. The technical revolution of the 2022 season, the brilliant world champion who will be compared with Schumacher and Senna, the dramas at Ferrari, Hamilton’s fight with Russell, Alonso’s transition, Vettel’s departure – it’s all not the same.
The problem is that in some races the drivers win by too large margins. Promoters are bored. Let’s, they say, come up with something to make the fight tighter. So what? It’s really a good thing – a tight fight.
This issue has been occupied in the paddock for more than a quarter of a century: back in the mid-90s, experts argued that it was necessary to reduce the turbulence behind the car to make it easier to follow. As a result, in the 2010s, the DRS system appeared in Formula 1 – a measure as insidious as it is anti-sport.
For a rider who, in theory, should look for overtaking opportunities, take risks, weigh the pros and cons in a split second, DRS allows you to wait for a straight line and drive past. This is not overtaking, but its imitation. Liberty Media didn’t come up with it, but they like it. Come on, says Ross Brown, who until a year ago was hoping that the 2022 chassis would get rid of this bad idea, let’s try “reverse DRS”.
Formula 1 is preparing a new technical regulation for 2026, and one of its novelties could be aerodynamics controlled in the direction of travel. At the right moment, the pilot will be able to increase the angle of attack of the wing to get more grip in corners, and then reduce it and accelerate more efficiently in straight lines.
