FIA shortens 2 DRS zones ahead of Miami Grand Prix

F1 fans looking for more overtakes in the Miami Grand Prix could be left out in the cold

Formula 1 is back in the United States this week, down in sunny Florida for the Miami Grand Prix.

But fans hoping to see more action and overtaking on the track could be left out in the cold.

FIA outlined the track setup for the Miami Grand Prix on Thursday, and astute observers immediately noted that two DRS zones had been shortened from last year’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix.

This year the first of three DRS activation zones starts 105 meters after Turn 9, while the second DRS zone begins 525 meters after Turn 16, midway through the long straight heading back towards the start/finish line:

For comparison, in last year’s Miami Grand Prix the first DRS zone began just 30 meters after Turn 9, while the second began 450 meters after Turn 16:

F1 introduced DRS zones — short for drag-reduction system — for the 2011 season in an effort to increase overtaking on the track. Each circuit has designated “DRS zones,” where drivers can open a flap in their rear wing provided they are within one second of the car in front of them.

The third DRS zone, on the apex of Turn 19, remains unchanged from 2022.

While it is yet to be seen how the two smaller DRS zones will impact the Miami Grand Prix, just last week a DRS zone was made smaller for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the result was a race without much action on the track. While the Baku City Circuit is known for overtaking, the shortened DRS zone leading back to the start/finish contributed at least in part to the lack of action on the track, at least according to some drivers.

“They shortened the DRS this year down the straight,” said Lewis Hamilton following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “I don’t quite know why they did that, we’ve always had great racing with where the DRS was. But by the time you switch the DRS, it was too late.”

Lando Norris said he found it “pretty much impossible to overtake” during the race, which we saw on the track as the McLaren driver had to remain patient behind both Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg, even as both drivers were running on the same hard compound they began the race with. “Especially with our straight-line speed. It’s not helped by how much shorter the DRS is now compared to where it was last year.”

We’ll wait and see if the changes made to Miami International Autodrome have the same impact this weekend.