An extension of the DRS zone at Zandvoort will be tested on Friday
The DRS zone would start earlier, in the corner before the final straight. For now, this remains only a test that will take place during the first Free Practice session.
Following the growing popularity of Max Verstappen, Formula 1 returned to Zandvoort last year for the first time since 1985.
As part of the redesign to welcome Formula 1, the final turn of Zandvoort – the sweeping Arie Luyendyk Bocht – has been banked at an 18 degree angle to increase speed in the corners.
Originally, the second DRS zone at Zandvoort was supposed to start before the right turn to increase overtaking opportunities on the main straight, but for safety reasons, the FIA decided to shorten the zone until after the elevated turn.
The current position is that we will have DRS before the final turn, as early as possible, to enhance the racing at Zandvoort, stated Nikolas Tombazis, FIA’s single-seater technical director.
« But we keep an open mind about this matter, and we will ask the teams for their feedback. And if we believe that there is any risk, even minimal, to safety, we will clearly have to take action and change it after the first Free Practice session. »
A direct effect on the tires?
Activating the DRS in the turn could have a direct influence on the behavior of the cars.
“Usually, when you activate the DRS, you transfer the load to the front, so you put a lot more load on the front tires than the rear tires,” said Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Motorsport director, in an interview with Motorsport.
Translate:
« Then, we need to check the data after this test to understand if in this configuration, the rear tires are slipping, for example. We may have some surface overheating, but it is a bit difficult at the moment to make an accurate prediction.
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According to Mario Isola, the hard tires will not be a suitable choice for the race, and teams will have to focus on the mediums and the softs. This should lead to two-stop strategies.
