A DRS proposal. (be gentle on me please!)

[Mad_Scientist]

So I understand the motivation for DRS. You use it within a second and hopefully it gives enough speed advantage that you beat P+ to the corner. Now the essence of this rule negates horsepower advantage of a stronger car. Also, you already have an advantage if your close behind on the straightaway from the draft. I propose F1 use DRS to tighten up the entire field. I loath races with 20 second gaps between cars. I also cant stand the front guys racing, and then the leader gets a DRS boost from a back marker. I just think this asset could be used better. I have worded my suggestion as a rule would be worded below, and I'm interested in your thoughts on the matter.

F1 DRS Rule Proposal:

"DRS shall be enabled for any car whose interval behind the next highest position exceeds 2% of the current best lap set by any car. Except during the last 10 laps of the race, the interval requirement shall be 1%. DRS shall be available any time a car exceeds its interval requirement and is not under braking.

Example 1: Lap 3 of 50. Current fastest lap time is 95 Seconds. Any car with a interval greater than 1.9 seconds to the next position shall be allowed DRS.

Example 2: Lap 41 if 50. Current fastest lap time is 88 Seconds. Any car with an interval greater than .88 seconds to the next position shall be allowed DRS."




a few points to my proposal.

#1 DRS usage over the entire circuit should lead to less fuel usage. Saving fuel for the end of the race when engine control settings can be Max Horsepower for longer.

#2 This usage of DRS forces drivers to get closer with skill and horsepower. sure your mid pack car is slower. but if DRS take you JUST to the interval limit and you cant close the gap the rest of the way, well.. that's on the driver.

#3 worded this way, this DRS rule would allow for the race to get more and more competitive as the race moves on, due to quicker lap times being set, and the 10 lap remaining rule. If a driver is floating on the edge, and cant quite use DRS, then all of a sudden someone sets a quicker lap, or the 10 lap barrier is crossed, well now they may have just enough to get into the slip stream on the long straightaway.

#4 I would think that interval would need to be updated multiple times per lap and broadcast directly to the car for Electronic management. Take out any requirement for the driver to activate the system.



your thoughts? Im willing to sacrifice straightaway and turn 1 passing for a much tighter field and the potential stress it puts on the driver to watch his mirrors.

[AJI]

Okay, I'll open myself up to abuse too. Mine version is simpler.

Qualifying: DRS banned.

Race: vAll cars, no matter the gap to the car in front, are allowed to use DRS in the DRS zones at any time in the race (once race control has deemed DRS active) with one exception. The leader may only use DRS when passing backmarkers.

[Mad_Scientist]

Full time Drs to be used any time the driver would like would be nice. ...but do nothing to increase passing and pack racing. If we're going to use movable aero for situational advantage, let's use it for one that makes the racing better. Seeing someone open a flap and pass on a straight is not exciting.

[Stormy]

Ban DRS and put less aero on cars so cars are easier to follow, it's that simple.

[Mad_Scientist]

why would you do that. they are supposed to be the pinnacle and you will never be as fast without as you are with.

[santos]

You lost me at "DRS shall be enabled for any car whose interval behind the next highest position exceeds 2% of the current best lap set by any car."

[Mad_Scientist]

why? is it hard to comprehend or you dont think it would work?

[zac510]

It seems difficult to follow. For example I don't use live timing so I don't know what the fastest lap is unless it's announced on-screen. Even if I know the fastest lap time I'll still have to calculate whatever 2% is. At the moment 1 second is clear and easy to understand. If you want to make it have more effect, just make it 2 seconds flat.
However if you want to bring the field closer together then wouldn't you want to increase the DRS duration when the fastest car gets faster?

On the whole I don't think DRS needs to be changed anyway. Stormy's solution is superior (except for the fact that he/she thinks it will be easy!).

[krisfx]

DRS when 1.5S behind the car in front, can be used anywhere on circuit, but only once per lap.

I think they did something similar in DTM, dunno if it'd work realistically.

[Mattchu]

A choice Some clever boffin can surely work out what sort of extra power [relative] DRS gives to a car. Then the driver behind can either use DRS in the "active zone" as he does now or otherwise gets an extra X amount of HP [battery delivered] from pressing a power boost button.
This can only be used for up to a certain amount of corners/distance after the DRS zone. To me this would make the drivers think a bit more as the guy behind could use either ploy. Also maybe if a driver gets passed by a DRS enabled car he then gets the power boost to be able to have a go back.

At the moment it`s that hard to follow within 1 second on some tracks DRS becomes redundant...

[santos]

why? is it hard to comprehend or you dont think it would work?

The people that watch every single race finds hard to get how the penalty grid Works... the people that watch once in while, doesn't even get why do they have penaltys. If you want to change the rules, you have to keep it simple.

[Mad_Scientist]

The basic bottom line is that if you get too far behind you get to use drag reduction to catch up. Again the primary purpose is to decrease the distance cars get behind each other as they currently do.

In regards to what that gap needs to be in order to be allowed DRS, well.. that's where the percentage comes from. and it doesn't have to be a percentage, it could be a cut and dry time. 1, 2, 3, seconds etc. I just worded it the way I did, so the race would get tighter and tighter as it moved along.


if p1,2,3 are in a pack, and p4 is 6 seconds back, and P5,6,7 pack is 16 seconds behind P3, then 4,5,6,7 should be allowed drs. When 4 catches up, hes now joined the pack within his interval and drs is off for him. P5,6,7 are still able to use it to catch up because they are still 10 seconds back. if 5 pulls away eventually he will catch up and not be allowed drs so on and so forth until you have everyone in a pack. NOTE... if everyone is in a pack and inside their Interval, the DRS is no use, and is effectively disallowed..

Now lets say we got everyone in reasonable close distances, and its 15 laps to go, and no one can really pass anyone. but all of a sudden, with 10 laps to go, the interval requirement is cut in half and now you might get just that extra bit you need.


if its done correctly, and depending on the number of stations where interval is recorded, a cars DRS interval requirement could be 1 second, but using DRS gives you 1.4. in other words, there would be occasions drivers would slow down, just because they know they are going to get a drs boost if they are far enough behind. but if you slow down, and the next position is not far behind you... well.. what do you do?


again this would have to be electronically managed. it could either be automatic based on accelerator and brake inputs, or simply turn on a light letting a driver know its available (id leave it up to the driver)

[notsofast]

Automatically close the DRS when the car is no longer directly behind the car in front. In other words, as soon as you leave the dirty air, you need to make the pass without DRS assistance.

[NL_Fer]

I does not add anything, the cars would follow eachother in one large train and no overtaking. We have this now already, when a following car is overheating for running to close and the driver just backs off to a 2s gap and waits for an undercut of later/better choice.

[Mad_Scientist]

I disagree. there cant be LESS passing by grouping the cars together.