What is DRS in F1 and how does it work?

F1 fans will often hear the word ‘DRS’ thrown about while watching a Grand Prix. But what is ‘DRS’, and how does it work?

The Drag Reduction System, or DRS, was introduced in Formula 1 in 2011 with the intent of improving the on-track action by increasing the chance of an overtake.

It works by the driver operating a button in the cockpit which triggers the rear wing to ‘open’ when running within one second of the car ahead at certain points of the circuit.

Until the introduction of ground-effect machines for 2022, F1’s reliance on over-body downforce caused a pursuing car to race in ‘dirty-air’, leading to a massive loss in downforce due to the extent of the turbulence or ‘wash’ created by the car in front.

This meant that overtaking was always very difficult unless there was a significant pace difference between the cars – the pursuing driver simply couldn’t get near enough to the car in front to attempt a move.

A shining example of this would be the 2010 title decider at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when title protagonist Fernando Alonso pitted and emerged behind the Renault of Vitaly Petrov. For lap after lap, the quicker Alonso hounded Petrov but the dirty-air effect meant he couldn’t get close enough to pass despite the long straights of Yas Marina. Alonso would lose the title fight to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel as a result.

What is DRS in F1?

For 2011, F1 introduction of a Drag Reduction System, or DRS.

The concept was designed as a means to aid overtaking – albeit something of a sticky plaster, rather than an ideal concept change, to deal with the dirty-air effect when pursuing a rival closely.

When the system is activated, a flap on the pursuing driver’s rear wing opens up and flattens out. This is done via a mechanism activated by the driver on the steering wheel, and is manually triggered.

Once activated, the opening in the rear wing, sometimes referred to as the ‘letterbox’, reduces the amount of aerodynamic drag the rear wing produces, as the air simply passes through the gap that is opened.

The resulting lack of drag has the effect of increasing a car’s top speed and allows the pursuing car to more easily get into a position to attack, and perhaps get alongside, the car ahead.

By design, DRS deactivates automatically, the rear wing flap snapping back to its original aerodynamic downforce-generating position the instant the driver lifts the throttle or touches the brake.

DRS de-activation is crucially important for restoring downforce before the next corner as, with DRS active, the aerodynamic balance of the car shifts dramatically forward, making cars dangerously unstable.

At the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, Alpine driver Jack Doohan entered the first corner with DRS activated, and his car violently spun as he entered the fast right-hander before dramatically crashing into the tyre wall at high-speed.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz opens his DRS at the Spanish Grand Prix. Barcelona, May 2022.

When can DRS be used?

DRS can’t be used freely during a race, there are several stipulations as to how drivers can use this extra weapon with the first being within a second of the car ahead a a pre-determined point on the track – termed ‘DRS detection points’

Separately, there are ‘DRS detection points’, where the gaps between the drivers on track are measured. The number of these detection points varies for each circuit, with most venues boasting three. There is no hard and fast limit; Monaco has just a single zone while Albert Park, host to the Australian Grand Prix, boasts four.

Ahead of each Grand Prix weekend, the FIA confirms the ‘DRS zones’ for that race track. These are defined sections of the circuit where it’s safe for a driver to have significantly lower rear downforce.

DRS zones are typically a few hundred metres long, circuit-dependent, and are the only areas of the track in which drivers can open up their rear wing.

These are typically on the approach to a braking zone where the DRS system will naturally deactivate safely. However, there are a handful of instances where that is not the case, and driver intervention is needed to close the DRS flap – the opening corner at the Japanese Grand Prix a prime example.

Throughout practice and qualifying, which are non-racing scenarios, drivers can use the DRS freely, even when not following another car, in the defined DRS zones.

However, the rules change for race conditions. In an average Grand Prix, not affected by wet weather, the DRS system is remotely activated for use by Race Control. This occurs at the end of the second racing lap – or at the end of the first racing lap in a Sprint.

Once activated by Race Control, the gaps between the drivers defines who can open up their rear wing and make use of the overtaking weapon.

If a car is within one second of a car in front – the system doesn’t discriminate between lapped cars or otherwise – as the cars pass the ‘DRS detection point’, the pursuing car will have access to the system in the next DRS zone.

The system is disabled in wet conditions, with the timing of switching it back on being at the discretion of Race Control.

A Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car intervention also results in the DRS being switched off until the end of the first racing laps after return to green flag conditions.

Put simply – just watch the gaps. If the gap between two squabbling drivers is exactly a second, or below, the driver behind will have access to the drag reduction system. But the nature of the system means there is the potential for tactics to be used in battle, such as using lapped cars to get DRS assistance in defence.

Another example of DRS tactics was seen at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, when Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen each attempted to let the other cross the detection point first.

Knowing that the other driver would get access to the DRS and render the leading car virtually unable to defend down the long straights of Jeddah, it led to the bizarre sight of seeing the rivals braking in unusual places to let the other driver through!

Does F1 still need DRS?

Given that DRS was introduced as a means to help facilitate overtaking moves, it’s become de rigeur to see drivers simply sailing past the driver in front at tracks where the air density means the effect of lower drag is more powerful, or simply that the zone is too long for the lead driver to have any defence.

Criticisms of the overtaking aid remain, with the system seen as a necessary evil under the old regulations.

When F1 moved into the ‘ground effect’ era from 2022, with more downforce generated under the car, allowing drivers to race more closely without the same turbulence and lack of downforce for the following car, the system was questioned by four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

“The interesting bit would be to take the DRS off and see how the racing really is, if you are able to overtake a lot better than in the past,” he said, following the introduction of the 2022 regulations.

“I’m only a bit cautious for the DRS, because it was brought in as an assistance to help overtaking but now it feels a bit like it’s the only thing that allows you to overtake at times.

“So ideally, we have a set of regulations that allows us to follow and race without DRS. You know, DRS hasn’t been there for 70 years. It was brought in 10 years ago to help, as an experiment.”

Is F1 getting rid of DRS in 2026?

Sweeping new regulations will be introduced for the F1 2026 season with the introduction of ‘active’ aerodynamics for the first time.

That, coupled with a push to pass style boost system, will render the DRS obsolete.

In normal racing conditions, cars will operation in Z-mode, with front and rear wings in position to deliver optimal grip while cornering.

Drivers will then be able to trigger X-mode, a low-drag configuration that reduces the angle of both the front and rear wings – akin to what DRS has done.

On top of X-mode, drivers will also be able to deploy short bursts of additional power, in effect a push-to-pass system, to help improve overtaking opportunities.

Those systems are complemented by revised aerodynamics aimed at improving the wake behind a car, allowing a rival to follow more closely.