Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says Formula 1 must be wary of the role DRS is having on racing, believing overtaking could be “too easy” in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.
The Albert Park circuit has been revamped ahead its first race since 2019 in a bid to produce more on-track action, and the FIA has increased the number of DRS zones to aid this push.
But after the tactical games between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in Saudi Arabia, when both tried to force the other to be first over the DRS detection line, there is concern a similar situation will play out again this weekend.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 about Verstappen and Leclerc’s tactics in Jeddah, Horner felt F1 needed to take note over how DRS is influencing how the drivers race.
“You definitely don’t want that,” Horner said. “I think in Jeddah for example, if the DRS line had been later, or actually in the corner itself, then there wouldn’t have been that tactical play coming in.
“I think what will be interesting here, with four zones. It’s pretty much the whole lap behind. What you don’t want is the DRS to be too easy, so it’s just a cruise past.
“What the DRS should be is it should enable you to get more of a slipstream effect. It should be a run but without just cruising past either side.
“So the distances of these DRS zones are going to be quite interesting in the race on Sunday to see how big an effect there is.
“It could be like a MotoGP race where you could be changing two or three times per lap.”
Asked if having four DRS zones was good or bad for the spectacle, Horner said: “Wait until Sunday. Reserve your judgement. But it depends on the length of those zones and how it affects it. If it’s just too easy to overtake, then that’s not good.”
Red Bull ended Friday’s two practice sessions behind pacesetters Ferrari, but Horner remains in good spirits over the team’s prospects in Melbourne.
“It was still very productive though,” Horner explained. “I think we made progressive changes that got the car more and more closer to the window, and the race run at the end there looked pretty decent as well.
“So yeah, bit of work to do tonight, a few things to tidy up. But I think we’ve got a good direction and the car is starting to respond nicely to those changes.”
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