F1 leaves DRS zones unchanged for Bahrain GP

Formula 1 has kept its DRS zones unchanged for next week's Bahrain Grand Prix, the first race of the sport's new generations cars.

F1 has relied on the same three DRS zones for several years now, with the system covering the areas between Turn 1 and Turn 4, Turn 9 and Turn 11 and finally on Sakhir's main straight.

Grand Prix racing's new technical regulations were devised to help cars follow each other more closely, which in turn should help overtaking.

In pre-season testing, most drivers gave F1's new regs a thumbs up in this regard. But only a full-scale test conducted on a race weekend will validate, or not, F1's new design concept.

For now, F1 has retained its Drag Reduction System, but the system could be dropped in the future if F1's ground effects aerodynamics prove successful in producing sling-shot passes and boosting the spectacle on the track.

Interestingly, several drivers reported during testing a reduction of the slipstream effect when running close to a rival car

"We can follow closer but from what we have seen, the slipstream effect is definitely less effective," commented Mercedes' George Russell. "We will have to wait and see."

Indeed, the proof will be in the pudding next weekend in Bahrain for F1's 2022 curtain raiser and the dawn of its new era.

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