Lewis Hamilton unsure DRS can make difference at Spanish Grand Prix
According to a recent statement by the 2008 Formula 1 champion, Lewis Hamilton, he is unsure whether the Drag Reduction System (DRS) is going to make much difference at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Circuit de Catalunya is considered as a benchmark for testing the new 2011 regulations since the circuit has not been the best track for overtaking since the past couple of years.
As a result, Lewis Hamilton believes that DRS is not going to affect the overtaking rate at all as the first corner of the track is the main issue for the drivers and their respective cars.
“It will be interesting to see how the DRS affects the racing. Typically, it's been very tough to overtake at Barcelona because the best opportunity - into the first corner – is too fast to make a pass stick. It's always been too hard to really get alongside
another driver into the corner”, said Lewis.
Other than that, he believes that DRS has proved to be very affective up until now as most of the overtaking took place at the DRS zone at both the Turkish and Chinese Grand Prix. The DRS zone at both of these venues was followed by a heavy breaking zone,
as a result of which the drivers benefitted from this device, as much as they could.
“In Barcelona, it's likely to be less clear-cut”, he added.
On the other hand, Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi is quite optimistic about the device’s use in Barcelona, as he believes that DRS will prove to be as beneficial as it has been since the past couple of races.
“In the past overtaking was particularly difficult on that circuit, but I believe the Drag Reduction System will help to make it an exciting grand prix. I'm happy with the system and I think it will be a real benefit for the Spanish Grand Prix's audience”,
said Kobayashi.
Nevertheless, Hamilton is currently in 2nd place in the drivers’ standings, as he is just 34 points adrift of the leader and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is leading the pack with 93 points.
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