Verstappen and Hamilton: F1 should 'move away' from 'band-aid' DRS

While the jury is out on the effectiveness of new front wing regulations to allow cars to follow eachother more closely, drivers have no doubts that the bigger DRS in 2019 has boosted its effectiveness in battle this year.

But Verstappen thinks that while it is good drivers can fight, ultimately Formula 1 needs to find solutions that allow more traditional overtaking moves.

"With the DRS, that was the big positive," said Verstappen about his views on the new rules to help racing.

"They did that well.

"But of course in a way maybe you don't want the DRS overtakes.

"I would be a fan of trying to go away from DRS overtaking. But at the moment that is a good solution, I guess, on some tracks where you normally can't really get by."

Verstappen's views have been backed by Lewis Hamilton, who says that DRS is needed because of the lack of enough overtaking opportunities that modern F1 allows.

"Obviously DRS is a band-aid for the poor quality of the racing that we get with the cars that are designed," said Hamilton.

"You can't change the fundamental structure of how these cars are and the wake that they create, so they've got to find a way of making racing easier."

Speaking about how well the new regulations have worked, Verstappen added: "Well following is still difficult.

"But for me, the main problem was - in my first stint for example, I felt I was quicker than Sebastian [Vettel] but I couldn't run close because my tyres were overheating. I had to back out.

"And then of course with the turbulence you get from the cars it's not ideal."

Both Verstappen and Hamilton are clear that the improved DRS, plus an extra zone in Bahrain, could lead to much more overtaking this year.

Verstappen said: "Here you can overtake more, so you will definitely see a lot more overtaking going on.

"Also I think even if people go by with the DRS, because it's such a big slot, even when the guys then go behind again, I think the turbulence of the car means you can have a fight again. It will be interesting.

Hamilton added: "I think it's going to make it more exciting. You'll have to be more tactical. Here there's always such a big delta time that you have to have to the car in front to have a chance of overtaking.

"Increasing the DRS reduces that per lap, which I think is a positive thing."

Verstappen has suggested that if DRS overtaking opportunities become too easy then the FIA should shorten the zones.

"You can always then make it shorter, the zones," he said.

"I think over the years we've made it longer, maybe now you can make it shorter."

How DRS has become so influential

Jake Boxall-Legge, Technical Editor @JakeyyBL

For 2019, the DRS flap opens up by an extra 20mm compared to last season's, increasing its effect even further. With a larger set of rear wings too, the larger opening of DRS has a much more pronounced effect relative to the car in front.

This will perhaps create the difference between a successful and a failed pass on the driver ahead - and the abundance of extra DRS zones will ensure that a driver's able to benefit from the reduced drag advantage in more areas across the circuit.

When DRS was first introduced, it was incorporated into the taller, skinnier wings mandated by the 2009 set of aerodynamics regulations. Now, it's part of a much larger wing, meaning that more frontal area is removed once the DRS is activated.

Arguably, the aero regulations from two years ago increased the reliance on DRS, making it more powerful to patch up the difficulties in following the car ahead that the wider formula created.

One problem with DRS that engineers frequently have to monitor is the reattachment of airflow once the flap closes. If this doesn't happen fast enough, the wing may briefly stall in the braking zone for a corner - which could lead to a lock-up or something more catastrophic.

To combat this, teams frequently employ CFD simulations with transient airflow properties, where the effect can be monitored over time. To boost the effectiveness of the DRS, teams are also looking into shaping the actuator housing on top of the mainplane to ensure the flow remains laminar when passing through the slot gap.

Any unwanted drag in this area would certainly be something of a contradiction!