Mercedes AMG believe DRS still has significance in 2012 Formula 1 season – Formula 1 news
Mercedes AMG believe that DRS still has significance in 2012 Formula 1 season despite the reduction in number of DRS assisted overtakes in the first four races as compared to the preceding year.
Although, it is evident that there have been more normal overtakes than DRS passing in each race in the season so far and it seems that the DRS is losing its influence.
However, the Brackley based team has shared a different view in this regard because they think that DRS is still playing an important role in providing help to conserve tyres during the race by giving lap time benefit to the driver.
Moreover, they expressed that it allows deploying KERS in a different place in order to overtake outside the DRS zone on track.
It will be important to mention that DRS was introduced in the last year’s season opener held at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia and there were 17 normal and DRS overtakings which became double in this season’s first race.
In addition, even though there were two DRS zones in the track of the first race in 2012. However, there has been only a slight increase of 5% in DRS passing as compared to the previous year.
Besides, in 2011 Chinese GP, the normal overtaking constituted 45% of the total overtaking. Conversely, in this year’s race in China with the same track conditions, the non-DRS assisted overtaking constituted 59% of the total passing which represents a reasonably
large increase in the percentage of normal overtaking contrary to the previous year.
It will be notable that the Brackley based team has come up with the novel DRS-activated F-duct device which boosts up the car’s top pace on track and gives the driver a competitive edge during the race over his contenders.
Nonetheless, they have not been able to take much benefit from their innovative design of W03 in the season until now even after showing convincing performances during the qualifying of several races.
Over and above, it will be interesting to witness that whether the trend of more normal overtaking will continue in the season ahead.
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