DRS, the breakdown in Abu Dhabi

It’s a bit like having part of your Internet service cut off at your office for half an hour. You are still able to work but it is more complicated to complete the files.

For 17 rounds at the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 20 drivers on the field were thus deprived of their removable rear wing system. This necessary evil of F1 modern which reduces drag in a straight line and makes overtaking (too much) easier.

After the race, Michael Masi, FIA race director, explained that this momentary interruption was caused by the crash of a data server. The latter makes it possible to provide single-seaters with the necessary information to know if a driver is less than a second from a competitor and in the activation zone of the famous DRS.

“The timing service was still working but as soon as we noticed this server issue, we immediately disabled DRS, Masi explained. We then carried out several checks jointly between the FIA ​​and the F1 Group to ensure that everything was back to normal. We didn’t want to take any risks.”

A backup system was used to restore the data and ensure its proper transmission to the cars. “We first had to precisely identify the nature of the problem, continued the Australian. Then it always takes a little time for the alternatives to fall into place.”

But then, what would have happened if the DRS had remained active after this computer bug? “It wouldn’t have been open bar, replied Masi. But I prefer not to imagine what the exact impact would have been. In these cases, we cut everything as a precaution.”

After 21 races, maybe it’s not just the men who are tired. In any case, this DRS failure will have allowed us to rediscover the joys of shoehorned and elbow grease overtaking. A certain idea of ​​motorsport in short.