Formula 1 drivers had already warned on Friday that following other cars would be particularly difficult around the Losail International Circuit, and that fear became reality on Saturday.
The 19-lap race featured very few overtaking moves, with even drivers in the midfield – including Oliver Bearman – calling the sprint “uneventful.” It was backed up by Isack Hadjar, who even compared Qatar to Monaco: “It’s incredibly satisfying to drive in qualifying, just like Monaco is. In the race, it’s incredibly boring.”
FIA explains: Why DRS is not extended for the main race
George Russell was one of the drivers who had already predicted this scenario beforehand, and who pleaded on Friday for a longer DRS zone to potentially create more overtaking. However, when asked by Autosport after the sprint whether that could still make the main race more interesting, he was sceptical.
“I didn’t even get DRS one single lap,” the Mercedes driver said. “So it doesn’t matter if it was three times the length or shorter. I didn’t even get within DRS!”
The FIA told this website that the DRS zone will not be extended for the grand prix. In theory, it would be possible, but there are several reasons not to do it. First, a longer DRS zone could create safety implications.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
In addition to that, the federation already sent the full DRS lengths for all F1 races to teams in February. No complaints were raised at the time, and the issue was only brought up again at the beginning of this race weekend – including during the drivers’ briefing. The FIA is not keen on making adjustments during an event, partly because rebooting all systems carries risks.
Moreover, it is questionable whether extending the DRS would be the solution anyway. Russell notes that the main problem lies elsewhere: in following another car through the sequence of fast corners in Qatar.
“Obviously, when you go around a corner almost flat out with three high-speed corners before the straight, it’s challenging to stay close,” Russell added. The lack of heavy braking zones forms another issue.
“And then Turn 1, we’re braking, let’s say, around 40 metres before the corner, whereas at other tracks we’re braking at 100 or 110 metres,” he said. “So yeah, it’s definitely one of the best tracks on the whole calendar to drive. Overtaking? It’s one of the toughest.”
The current ground-effect cars come alive in all these high-speed corners, making it enjoyable for drivers, but the very same layout makes following almost impossible – especially with this year’s cars and dirty air becoming more of a problem again.
Lando Norris shares the same view. “At this track it’s almost impossible to follow,” he said. “If you get within three seconds of a car ahead, you’re already starting to struggle.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Verstappen points to combination of factors
Max Verstappen adds that the lack of excitement is also related to the extreme loads on the Pirelli tyres.
“There’s a lot of grip everywhere, and that means that everyone has good traction out of the corners,” he told Dutch media in the paddock. “But the biggest problem is for sure that the left-front tyre just overheats and wears so much.
“After three or four laps of following, that left-front is already gone and you can’t stay close anymore. Plus, in the last sector, there are a lot of high-speed corners indeed, and the DRS zone isn’t long enough. All of that together is a bit of the problem.”
Since nothing will change on Sunday, it doesn’t promise much for the main race of the weekend. However, Verstappen doesn’t want to be too negative just yet.
“Well, you never know what will happen, right? That’s always hard to say. A lot can still change around the pit stops, and we’re limited on the number of laps per tyre set as well. So, if you stop a bit too early and a safety car comes out, then the race can still turn around. So yeah, you can’t say now that it will be as boring on Sunday as well.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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