Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz & Sergio Perez Deliver Unanimous Verdict on Raging DRS Debate

DRS was introduced back in 2011 as passing the car ahead became increasingly difficult in F1. It wasn’t just down to aid the drivers but also to make racing a better spectacle for the fans. While the spectacle of the race is given even more importance since the Liberty media takeover, questions are being asked about the DRS. Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and Carlos Sainz surprisingly delivered a unanimous verdict on the DRS debate. What was the verdict?

Ever since 2011, the cars have changed a lot. While the major changes in 2014 made sure that DRS was still needed, the new ground effect regulation introduced in 2022 means that the wake of the car i.e. the dirty air has been reduced significantly. Also, DRS does look a bit overpowerful, especially in the Red Bull. We saw Max Verstappen overtaking on the fly at the Miami GP. 

Hence an argument has been going around the F1 community on whether DRS is necessary now and/or if the effect of the DRS should be reduced. The same question was put forward in front of the Top 3 from the Italian GP during the post-race press conference. In reality, there might be very few things that Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and Carlos Sainz would agree on but here the trio gave a unanimous decision. 

When the question was asked, Max Verstappen said, “No, I think in most tracks, we still struggled to follow or pass.” Agreeing with his teammate, Sergio Perez said, “Yeah, I really agree. I think, definitely less DRS is not the way forward.” He added, “If anything, we needed the DRS more in some places to be able to have better racing.” Carlos Sainz also agreed with the fact and added, “In 99% of the tracks, I think we’re going to need DRS and we’re going to need a powerful DRS because these cars from the beginning of the year, like Max said, it’s starting to become a bit like 2021 or 2020 where it is difficult to follow.”

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Regardless, both Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen found it hard to overtake Carlos Sainz during the race despite having a better car. Carlos Sainz, later explained why this situation arose.

Why did Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have difficulty overtaking Carlos Sainz?

The difficulty in overtaking was not because of a less effective DRS but because of how the cars were set up. Red Bull brought a higher downforce package compared to Ferrari. While the Ferrari was fast in the straight line speed, the higher downforce package of the Red Bull helped them during the corners and with the tire life as they were not sliding around the corner like the Ferrari. Sainz went into the details and explained the situation.

According to FIA.com, Carlos Sainz said, “I think what you saw today is a bit of a coincidence where we had a lot of top speed with no DRS. And Red Bull had just enough top speed with DRS and slipstream and battery to get to us under braking and that generated a good fun battle.”

What do you think about the DRS debate?

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