DRS - Exciting Tech or Burning Wreck?

DRS has quickly turned from hero to zero in the eyes of F1 fans as the 2011 season has begun to take shape. Forgive the nice rhyming (but probably awful) title but I think it well represents the two sides to the DRS debate - fans are torn over how successful the device has been with regards to contributing a better spectacle, with many arguing that DRS is an effective tool which has helped mix things up across the field amongst contrasting views that DRS has generated false overtaking and, as a result of Formula One trying to make races unpredictable, made overtaking very predictable. So far, however, the only thing that is predictable is that the debate looks set to rage on all season long.

Formula One 2011 is most certainly an active and ongoing experiment and therefore things are going be exaggerated or some things are not going to be as effective as first thought. The Pirelli tyres can be marked under both of these categories, for instance. The aim of exaggerating the degredation on the tyres has achieved a high number of pitstops which really mixes things up, and that, for me, is exciting. However, as evidenced by Pirelli trying out more durable compounds in Friday Practice in Istanbul and using them at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, the prime tyre has clearly not produced Pirelli's ambition of producing a slower, but more durable tyre to give teams more flexibility in race strategy.

DRS has contributed to spectacular races but is it too exaggerated?

The same can be said of the DRS system. Three of the four opening Grand Prix has featured at least one long straight where DRS has been extremely effective and, arguably, exaggerated to such an extent that an outbraking duel is not even required by the end of the straight. For example, at Istanbul and China we saw cars sailing past each other which hints that the system may be too strong. However, as seen in Melbourne, a shorter straight still saw overtaking but it still gave the defending car a chance to maintain track position. Melbourne demonstrated that DRS was balanced and fair to both drivers involving in a fight. But a shorter straight meant that most of the time the drivers needed to be a bit closer than 1 second to the car in front. I remember watching the TV, seeing a car pop it's wing open and not even challenge the guy in front. Therefore, you could suggest that DRS is underperforming on tracks with a shorter straight such as Melbourne. As I previously suggested, DRS is part of the F1 2011 Experiment, and it's going to take a full season to understand how effective DRS is at each circuit. As a result, we're going to get races like we had at Turkey where cars sailed past each other and races like Melbourne where DRS won't have as much of an impact.

The fans need to take into account the other rules that have been in the spotlight in 2011 which could also possibly contribute to the effectiveness of DRS. The Pirelli tyres have definitely added something special to the racing and strategy finally plays a big part in a Grand Prix again after a 2010 season where (with the exception of Canada) refuelling was banned and one stop was the norm. The difference in compounds is also clear and degredation has been a massive factor in the races as the results are not set in stone until the chequered flag falls. The difference in speed between a car with fresh tyres and a car with worn tyres has been demonstrated time and time again this season. We've seen Sebastian Vettel make a bold move around the outside of an ailing Jenson Button at Melbourne, Button and Hamilton struggling at Turkey and Malaysia respectively and, most notably, Hamilton catching and ending Vettel's unbeaten start to the season at China. Overtakes alone have been generated by cars struggling on old tyres and being caught out, which is exaggerated further by DRS. Cars struggling on the exit of turns 9 and 10 at Turkey tended to be on the backfoot which made DRS usage easy.

Let's also not forget the use of KERS and it's strategic use in Grand Prix. A combination of KERS and DRS can also be a reason why we've seen cars passing each other for fun. But it's not just on a DRS straight where KERS has been a useful tool in racing. Drivers used KERS to great effect down the start/finish straights at China and Turkey which just goes to show that DRS isn't necessarily being relied on by the drivers to get by each other. It's simply just a tool to enhance the racing on one point of the track.

KERS strategy was important in the battle for the China lead

My personal feeling is that DRS is fantastic and that it keeps the fans (I can only speak for myself really) on the edge of their seats all the way through the races. The battles have been frantic and exciting and cars passing and repassing each other is great fun to watch. Results are unpredictable until they are set in stone and the drivers, in particular Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso, believe that the system is a step in the right direction to improve the spectacle. Yes, the system does need finetuning but that can easily be done by making the slot gap smaller or the DRS zone shorter. Also, consider what DRS would be like if KERS and Pirelli tyres were not in - I think with DRS on it's own, races would not be as exciting and overtaking would be very processional, predictable and always in the same part of the track. DRS, combined with KERS and Pirellis, is part of the F1 2011 package which has made races even more fascinating than F1 2010 and the sport has generated a sense of unpredictability. It's just a shame that the only thing predictable right now is the winner.