Formula 1 teams agree with FIA to deem double DRS illegal for 2013 – Formula 1 news
Formula 1 teams have agreed to ban double DRS for the 2013 season.
Autosport has learned that double DRS has been termed illegal for next year after all the teams agreed to the concept.
Mercedes have been the team who are using the double DRS most effectively in the current season. They have gone with a radical design that feeds air via holes in the rear wing endplate resulting in the stalling of the front wing whenever the DRS is activated.
The double DRS gives a straight line speed boost and Mercedes have utilised this to good effect especially in the qualifiers of the season.
Lotus during the Chinese Grand Prix was the team that lodged a complaint against the double DRS that Mercedes brought in and even threatened to protest and not participate in the race. The stewards though maintained that the channelling of air through the
hole that is opened when DRS is activated was not going against the regulations of FIA.
After Lotus found out that their protest did not have any impact they decided to develop their version of the double DRS, which was later tested at the German GP. The team is looking to run it at the Belgian GP after the summer break.
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn was adamant that the double DRS was cost-effective despite most teams claiming that it was an expensive avenue of development.
Speaking earlier this year he said, “People talk about the huge cost, but there isn't really a huge cost. You all know that there are a couple of carbon pipes running down the car, and the man on the street will tell you that they cost a few thousand pounds
– they are not millions of pounds.”
The competitiveness in the season is very high and teams are not giving away anything in the season to keep up their campaigns. Lotus have decided to keep on working on the double DRS even though it has been deemed illegal for 2013. It shows how competitive
the team wants to remain in the current season.
It will be interesting to see what other technical strategies teams come up with for 2013 after the banning of double DRS. 2012 has seen off-throttle blown diffuser banned after it played a major role for Red Bull to claim both the titles in 2011.
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