What is DRS?
DRS stands for Drag Reduction System, the name given to a moving flap on the rear wing. Normally the flap sat at a steep angle. On a straight the driver opened it: drag dropped, the car picked up speed, and it was easier for a chasing driver to attack.
The flap rotated about a fixed axis and had only two positions, normal and open. Under the 2025 Technical Regulations, switching between them had to take less than 0.4 seconds, and if the system failed, the flap had to return to its normal position by itself. With the flap open, the gap between the two rear wing profiles had to stay between 9.4 and 85 mm along the whole span.
The driver opened DRS, but only when the electronics allowed it. In a race it couldn’t be opened until the system had told the driver that DRS was enabled.
When could drivers open DRS?
The main rule was one second. In the race and the sprint, DRS went to a driver who was less than a second behind another car at one of the detection points. The FIA set the detection points and the zones where the flap could be opened in advance for each circuit.
The detection point came before the zone. For example, for the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix the FIA added a third DRS zone at Marina Bay, with detection just after Turn 12 and activation on the exit of Turn 13. The two existing zones were on the circuit’s longest straight and on the start/finish straight.
The rules in the last season, 2025, under the Sporting Regulations:
- DRS could only be opened in the activation zones, in practice, qualifying and the race alike.
- In the race and the sprint, it could only be used once the driver had completed one lap after the start or after a safety car period.
- In the race and the sprint, the flap could only be opened once the electronics had told the driver that DRS was enabled.
- The first time the driver used the brakes after opening it, DRS was switched off.
- In poor visibility, or if yellow flags were shown in the activation zone, the Race Director could disable the system.
In qualifying the one-second rule didn’t apply: drivers could open DRS in the zones on any lap. If the Race Director disabled the system during Q1, Q2 or Q3, it stayed disabled for the rest of that segment.
The one-second clause simply says “behind another”, without saying that the other car has to be on the same lap. If the system that told the driver about the one-second gap failed, the team could ask the Race Director for permission to use DRS without it. The onus was then on the team to make sure its driver only opened the flap within a second.
How the DRS rules changed
DRS arrived in 2011. The one-second gap and switching off under braking were already in the first rules, but drivers had more freedom in practice and qualifying and less in the race. This is how it looked in the editions of the regulations we checked:
| Season | Practice and qualifying | Race and sprint |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | At any time before the start of the race | After two laps from the start or after a safety car period |
| 2023 | Only in the activation zones | After two laps in the race, after one in the sprint |
| 2024–2025 | Only in the activation zones | After one lap, in both the race and the sprint |
In 2011 these rules were in the Technical Regulations; later they moved to the Sporting Regulations. The last season with DRS was 2025: by the FIA’s count, the system lasted 15 seasons.
Why did F1 get rid of DRS?
Because in 2026 the FIA overhauled the rules completely and made both wings movable. As the FIA explains, DRS was primarily an overtaking aid, while the new active aerodynamics are there first and foremost to save energy.
The 2026 power units rely much more on electrical energy, and cutting drag on the straights has become essential to use that energy efficiently. So now any driver can open the wings in the marked zones, and the FIA has moved the overtaking aid over to electrical energy: Overtake Mode.
Why the 2026 cars don’t reach the top speeds of their predecessors on the fastest circuits is explained in the top speed article.
What replaced DRS in 2026?
DRS has two successors: Straight Mode took over cutting drag, and Overtake Mode took over helping the chasing driver.
| What | DRS, 2011–2025 | Straight Mode, from 2026 | Overtake Mode, from 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Opens the rear wing flap | Opens the flaps on the front and rear wings | Gives up to 0.5 MJ of extra electrical energy per lap |
| Who can use it | In the race, a driver less than a second behind the car ahead at the detection point | Every driver, in the zones marked out by the FIA | In the race, a driver less than a set gap behind the car ahead at the detection line; the FIA describes the gap as one second |
| What for | To help overtaking | To save energy on the straights | To help overtaking |
Both modes are covered in detail in the 2026 regulations article, and how the new wings work in the article on the 2026 car. A short overview of the changes is in the chapter “What changed in 2026”.
FAQ
What is DRS in F1 in simple terms?
A moving flap on the rear wing. On a straight the driver opened it, drag dropped and the car accelerated faster. In a race this was only allowed for a driver less than a second behind a rival at the detection point.
Is there DRS in F1 in 2026?
No, DRS was scrapped from 2026. Drag on the straights is now cut by Straight Mode, which everyone can use, and overtaking is helped by Overtake Mode — extra energy for a driver who is close to the car ahead.
How is Straight Mode different from DRS?
DRS opened only the rear wing flap, and in a race only a driver less than a second behind a rival got it. Straight Mode opens the flaps on both wings, and every driver uses it in the zones the FIA marks out, above all to save energy.
How long was DRS in F1?
For 15 seasons: DRS arrived in 2011, and the last season with it was 2025.
Could DRS be used in qualifying?
Yes, and without the one-second rule. In 2023–2025 drivers opened it in the activation zones on any lap, and in 2011 the regulations allowed it at any time before the start of the race.
When was DRS not allowed even within a second?
On the first lap after the start and after a safety car period, in 2024–2025; in 2011 and 2023, drivers in the race had to wait two laps. The Race Director could disable the system in poor visibility and when yellow flags were shown in the activation zone. And the first touch of the brakes closed an open DRS.
Why was DRS only given within a second?
Because DRS was only there for overtaking: in the race and the sprint, the regulations allowed it for that purpose alone. So the flap only went to a driver who was already close to a rival, less than a second behind at the detection point. The FIA could change the threshold after consulting the teams, to make sure DRS served that purpose. But both in the first rules of 2011 and in the last, of 2025, it was one second.
Sources
- FIA 2025 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, Art. 22.1, Issue 5, 30 April 2025
- FIA 2025 Formula 1 Technical Regulations, Art. 3.10.10, Issue 3, 7 April 2025
- FIA 2011 Formula One Technical Regulations, Art. 3.18, edition of 8 March 2011
- FIA 2023 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, Art. 22.1, Issue 8, 6 December 2023
- FIA 2024 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, Art. 22.1, Issue 7, 31 July 2024
- FIA: F1’s new era — everything you need to know about the 2026 rules, 17 December 2025
- FIA 2026 F1 Regulations, Section B (Sporting), Art. B7.1, Issue 08, 5 August 2026
- FIA 2026 F1 Regulations, Section C (Technical), Art. C5.2.10, Issue 20, 5 August 2026
