DRS in Zandvoort banking? F1 will do a test during EL1

The idea had already germinated last season, it will finally be implemented this year. There Formula 1 will test the activation of the DRS in the banking of the last corner on the Zandvoort circuit. The experiment will take place during Free Practice 1 of the Dutch Grand Prix (September 2-4).

Ross Brawn, F1's sporting director, had submitted the idea of ​​moving back the activation zone before the start of this impressive banked bend last year and the return of Zandvoort to the calendar after 36 years of absence.

For Viaplay, Nikolas Tombazis, technical director car to the FIA, revealed that F1 will experiment with this measure during EL1 on Friday. “The current position is that we are going to have the DRS before the last corner, so earlier, to improve the race a little bit at Zandvoort. We remain open on this subject and will seek the opinions of the teams. We have already asked them during the simulations and we will also question them after FP1. If we think there is even a small safety risk, then we will clearly have to take action and change things after FP1."

DRS in banking: a good idea for overtaking at Zandvoort?

During the 2021 edition of the Dutch GP, the DRS activation line was located at the exit of turn 14. The objective of moving back the trigger zone before the start of banking is to encourage overtaking, so that the start-finish straight line is one of the shortest on the calendar (700 meters). With the new 2022 single-seaters, which are able to follow each other more easily in the turns, the race could therefore be, in theory, more spectacular.

Formula 1 will decide after FP1 whether the DRS zone can remain in banking. Be careful though, since using DRS in turns is often synonymous with danger. In 2018, Romain Grosjean had violently hit the wall in turn 1 at Silverstone, while the DRS zone had been extended after Abbey. In the event that safety is not ensured for the drivers, the stewards reserve the right to set the DRS zone in the same place as in 2021.

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