Formula 1 drivers had warned earlier on Friday that chasing other cars around the Losail International Circuit would be particularly difficult, and that fear became reality on Saturday.
The 19-lap race featured very few overtaking moves, so much so that drivers in the midfield – including Oliver Bearman – called the sprint “uneven”. This was supported by Isaac Hadjar, who also compared Qatar to Monaco: “It’s incredibly satisfying to drive in qualifying, just like in Monaco. In the race, it’s incredibly boring.”
FIA explains: why DRS is not extended to main races
George Russell was one of the drivers who had already predicted this scenario, and who had requested on Friday for a longer DRS zone to potentially create more overtaking. However, when asked by Autosport after the sprint whether it could still make the main race more interesting, he was skeptical.
“I didn’t get DRS even for one lap,” the Mercedes driver said. “So it doesn’t matter whether it was three times longer or shorter. I didn’t even come under the purview of DRS!”
The FIA told this website that the DRS area will not be expanded for the Grand Prix. Theoretically, this would be possible, but there are many reasons not to do it. First, a longer DRS field can create security implications.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Jack Mauger/LAT Images via Getty Images
Furthermore, the federation had already sent the full DRS lengths for all F1 races to the teams in February. No complaints were made at the time, and the issue was raised again at the start of this race weekend – including at the drivers’ briefing. The FIA is not keen on making adjustments during an event, partly because of the risk in rebooting all the systems.
Furthermore, it is questionable whether expanding the DRS would be the solution anyway. Russell says the main problem lies elsewhere: chasing the other car through a sequence of fast corners in Qatar.
“Obviously, when you go into an almost flat corner with three high-speed corners before the straightaway, it’s challenging to stay close,” Russell said. The lack of heavy braking zones poses another issue.
“And then Turn 1, we’re braking, let’s say, about 40 meters before the corner, whereas at other tracks we’re braking 100 or 110 meters,” he said. “So yes, it’s definitely one of the best tracks in the entire calendar to drive on. Overtaking? It’s one of the hardest.”
The existing ground-effect cars come to life in all these high-speed corners, making it enjoyable for drivers, but the same layout makes it almost impossible – especially with this year’s cars and dirty air becoming a problem again.
Lando Norris shares the same sentiment. “It’s almost impossible to follow it on this track,” he said. “If you’re overtaken by a car within three seconds, you’re already starting to struggle.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Jayce Illman/Getty Images
Verstappen points to a combination of factors
Max Verstappen says the lack of enthusiasm is also related to the excessive load on the Pirelli tyres.
“There’s a lot of grip everywhere, and that means everyone has good grip through the corners,” he told Dutch media in the paddock. “But the biggest problem is of course that the left-front tire gets too hot and wears out too much.
“After three or four laps, that left-front is already gone and you can’t stay close anymore. Also, in the last sector, there are a lot of really high-speed corners, and the DRS zone is not long enough. All this together is a bit of a problem.”
Since nothing will change on Sunday, it does not 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? It’s always hard to say. A lot can still change around the pit stops, and we are also limited on the number of laps per tire set. So, if you stop a little early and a safety car comes out, the race can still turn around. So yes, now you can’t say it will be as boring on Sunday.”
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