F1 plan to restrict DRS would hit Red Bull hardest amid top speed superiority
A new rule is being considered by F1 that would only allow the use of the Drag Reduction System during races and not in qualifying, according to a report by German publication Auto Motor und Sport.
The report does not state whether F1 is looking to change rules surrounding DRS imminently, or implement it in the future, though it suggests that Red Bull would be hit the hardest given the RB19’s top speed superiority this season.
Red Bull have been optimising their DRS like no other F1 team this season, resulting in a huge straightline speed advantage that has raised eyebrows among their rivals in the paddock.
Sky’s pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz dubbed Red Bull’s DRS as “super-duper”, while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton branded the RB19 as the most dominant F1 car he has ever seen after Max Verstappen blasted past him with ease in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
Verstappen once again breezed past his competitors including Hamilton when his DRS was activated along the Kemmel Straight on his way to completing a fightback victory last time out at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Data gathered by AMuS revealed the margin of Red Bull’s top speed advantage at Spa-Francorchamps, with their drivers clocking 340.8km/h and 338.8km/h respectively with DRS activated, while Hamilton passed through the same point at only 333km/h.
The figures left Mercedes stunned, with chief technical officer Mike Elliott commenting: "It's unbelievable how much lap time Red Bull wins as soon as the rear wing is open. If we superimpose the speed curves, we can hardly believe it ourselves.”
Even without DRS during the rain-hit Saturday in Belgium, Red Bull still reached 320.5km/h, though their advantage over the field was significantly less, with Hamilton’s Mercedes recording 319.8km/h and Ferrari hitting 318.3km/h.
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