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FIA official’s damning verdict on the future of DRS in F1
FIA official Nikolas Tombazis believes removing DRS in the future would be risky for F1, despite a push from people within the paddock for the removal of the technology.
The Drag Reduction System was introduced in 2011 as a tool for drivers to overtake each other with more ease. However, the technology has received considerable backlash for killing the prospects of fair and hard racing.
Drivers reportedly benefit too much from the DRS advantage, making them too dependent on the technology.
Speaking about the technology, the FIA’s single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis, believes that removing DRS might harm the future of F1.
He told Corriere della Sera:
“In an ideal world it is conceivable to remove DRS, but in the short term it will not happen because otherwise overtaking would be very difficult. We are no longer in the ’80s, when simulations were not so advanced and the differences between one car and the next were great. With the current level of technology, of science, removing the DRS would be a risk for the sport.”
Many drivers, such as four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, have been critical of DRS technology, with the German claiming that DRS is the only thing that allows drivers to overtake at times.
F1 will not slow down Red Bull to improve the fight at the front
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali claims the sport will not partake in ‘manipulation’ to slow down Red Bull in 2023. The Milton Keynes-based team is currently running away with both championships, with no other team close to their dominant form.
Red Bull is the clear class of the field at the moment, with the RB19 having won each of the races so far this year. Max Verstappen is currently unstoppable and is storming his way to a third consecutive title in the sport. Verstappen’s and Red Bull’s advantage has raised speculation about possible intervention from the FIA.
Domenicali recognized the importance of maintaining the integrity of the sport and avoiding artificial interventions to manipulate the competition.
Speaking to the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast, he said:
“I think it is not fair to say that. It’s not correct because we cannot be seen as part of manipulation. This is not correct, and this is not fair. I am not [imagining] at all this kind of approach.”
With the Austrian F1 team running away with both titles so far in 2023, it will be interesting to see who can stop them.
