Formula One intends to tweak the sprint race structure for next year, but not the race duration or qualifying format. It genuinely aims to tweak the DRS regulations to allow drivers to use it sooner in sprint races in order to promote more early overtakes.
Overtaking is the continual focal point of current F1. Because overtaking has been a challenging strategy game for most of F1’s history, much of the 2022 rule framework was devised and built expressly to facilitate overtaking and close racing. F1 adopted DRS in 2011, which may only be used in pre-determined zones and under particular situations. DRS is responsible for the majority of the spectacular overtakes witnessed in the previous 11 years. According to Motorsport.com, F1 aims to make DRS accessible for sprint races one lap early.
The presence of DRS has also been a thorn in the side of F1 fans. People claim that the technology makes the race too synthetic, and they contend that the underlying problem of overtaking remains in F1. The fact is that F1 vehicles manage and energise air in such a manner that it is almost impossible to escape the influence of unclean air, which is why overtaking is rare. Cars produce a wake that may last seconds and can lower the downforce of the following vehicle by 50% at its peak.
The availability of DRS in a single lap poses certain complications. To be honest, I believe this may be an intriguing variation on sprint events, but it could also be another diluting factor in Sunday’s major race. The main concern here is that using DRS early puts the polesitter at a severe disadvantage if they do not create a distance of more than one second to the vehicle in front within a lap. Second and third-placed drivers may definitely benefit early in the race by saving their tyres in the pure air.
DRS seems to be here to stay for the foreseeable future. For what it’s worth, the system is functional, and fans are used to it. With the 2022 cars being able to battle each other so furiously, things are looking good for F1 fans, and sprint weekends like the one in Brazil will only become more regular.
