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We were promised that cars can follow closer this year (which seems to be true) and still the overwhelming majority of passes are DRS assisted. Are we okay with that? Do we want to see it go or are we just enjoying the racing (which is awesome).

The detection lines and zones should be placed smarter to avoid situations like yesterday. How stupid is it that they refuse to pass each other because otherwise they are screwed in the next zone?

Give them a dozen presses per race, can't be used for the first 3 laps after the start or VSC/SC restarts

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This is the best idea, I feel. Limit it, like IndyCar's push-to-pass.

The number of deployments limit seems a good idea if you only look at a battle once engaged, but be careful what you wish for. This would negate the advantage of keeping the pursuit car in attack range, like it did for Verstappen at Bahrain. Without it, Leclerc would've pulled away after a one-lap battle instead of 3. Same in Saudi Arabia, the DRS in the mid-sector allowed to come back in contact after the fast sweepers, and then race in the overtake opportunity section.

Apart from the RedBull massive top speed advantage, it works. People arrive side-by-side, or not too far, in the braking zones. The "easy" passes we saw were the result of the car in front botching the exit in the first place. Adversely, in the first non-DRS laps, with the field close-by, there were little attempts as slipstream is less powerful in theses cars (less dirty air also means less slipstream, they go hand-in-hand).

I would say give it more races to see how it develops, tweak it depending on the track, but why change a formula that has given us back-and-forth passing for the lead in two very different tracks so far?

it could be limited considering the number of laps, but you still must be within 1 second to activate

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Crap to begin with and still crap now. We were all sold that these cars will be easier to follow, meaning more chances for overtakes, yet seems like all the passes are DRS, and worse still they are easier DRS passes. Granted, it has only been two races that don't have any passing zones to begin with. But it seems like it is just way way too powerful.

One of the biggest mistakes ever. And it's like cancer, taking over other motorsport series as well. Overtaking should be a challenge, a testament to the cleverness and skills of a driver, not a routine procedure.

I've been proposing for years the idea of reverse DRS, make it open during the whole course, and you can close within a small gap in selected corners. Cars will be more challenging to drive and overtaking will be a matter of who can brake later

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Get rid of it. DRS requires no skill and no race craft to utilise, and is quite frankly boring to watch. If I wanted to see cars just breezing past each other, I'd go and watch the traffic on my nearest motorway.

I bet the people who only watch F1 and know nothing about motorsport love it.

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It's a difficult one because every scenario is different.

If the car behind has a straight line speed advantage and/or much fresher tyres, the pass can be way too easy.
If the car behind doesn't have the straight line speed (see LeClerc in the final laps yesterday), it can be a useful tool to try and get closer.
If two cars are evenly matched, it can allow a battle to go on for a few laps, with several place changes. Under the old regs, you would usually be 1.5 seconds behind the car in front after a lap of being overtaken. Now you might be able to keep that under 1 second.

It may be an idea to trial some races without it, at venues where overtaking isn't too difficult (remove it on the Kemmel straight, for example). Even with the new cars, it may be very difficult at somewhere like Hungary, however. It's great that these cars can follow more closely, but is the slipstream too weak?

So yeah, I have no idea. I like circuits where there are two zones back to back, so the driver being overtaken can fight back. But I do dislike easy drive by passes. It's a tough decision. It would be cool if they could use DRS within a second of the car ahead, but the wing closes once they're a couple of tenths behind, or the defending driver can use DRS as soon as the attacking car has drawn ahead.

The trouble is, the cars are designed with the knowledge of having it, you probably now can't get rid of it until the next rules cycle

They'd have completely different DF levels if they knew they couldn't put a big wing on for the corners and use the DRS in the straights to pass

I agree though that these rules are a great step in the right direction, and it might be worth the FIA trialling less of it in a race, say different "DRS windows" like Formula E has it's attack zones which you have to use twice
You can use it from lap 20 to 30 and 50 to 60 at the end of the race, but that's all

OR just phase it out gradually, no DRS until lap 10 now, and not for the last 10 laps to make those even tenser.....

Everything I've read about DRS though was people like Ross Brawn saying to wait to see if these 2022 rules were a success and then they'll make a decision from there...
Well, they are a success, and even though this is literally the BEST it'll ever be, downforce/dirty air wise (The teams WILL find tricks before too long to bring back DF and dirty air in the name of performance) it's hopefully good enough for the powers that be to think about removing the sticking plaster solution that DRS always was.

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Some tweaks can be made, but it's still to early to make any assumptions, both tracks had a lot of long straights, let's see more before doing this.

Get rid of it and you'll see more non-DRS passes. Drivers aren't avoiding passing attempts because it's impossible without DRS, they're avoiding them because it's easier and safer to wait for the DRS pass on the straight.

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I'm not sure willpower can do much against the laws of physics. Drivers always waited for overtaking opportunity sections... usually located at the same places the DRS was added. Smart attacks in unexpected places have always been the exception, not the rule

We just simply don't know how many of the now DRS passes would also be possible without drs.

That should be the way to go. Use to it make a gap, close in, defend, overtake. But must be managed, and usable at any part of the circuit.

I'd go for a time limit. And that if you open it, it can only be closed by using the brake.

With the number of zones increasing there's not many real passing places where there is no DRS zone. With the two raced held so far, Bahrain has only last corner. And with detection zone in the braking zone last corner it's not alwaysOK, some battles through 5/6/7 but all those start with DRS zone into 4.

Arguably Jeddah has similar place into 13.

and no “zones” just let them have at it wherever they’re brave enough to use it.

I've never seen anyone overtake into the last corner in all the years F1 has been there, 7 of them pre-DRS

It's probably too fast and people are more interested in getting a run onto the straight rather than try to overtake there

This applies to all the ladder series and other series that race there too

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RIP Birmingham Wheels: here's some of the crash videos I recorded when it was there:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaKIE ... 5t9d5PvoHA

Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/paulhadsley