Carlos Sainz urges F1 to overhaul the DRS system for safety after Jack Doohan’s dramatic Suzuka crash highlights a growing risk.
Carlos Sainz, the new director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), is calling for changes to the Formula 1 DRS (Drag Reduction System) for safety reasons.
The issue came to light after Jack Doohan admitted that he intentionally left his DRS flap open at 300 km/h while entering Turn 1 during free practice at Suzuka. This decision resulted in a violent crash.
“Honestly, after trying that, I just want to leave it in the past and move on,” said the young Australian when asked about his intentions.
However, Sainz believes that the way DRS is used in F1 should not allow drivers to leave the flap open in such high-risk corners.
“In any other era of Formula 1, Jack wouldn’t have been able to drive the next day after an accident like that,” said the Spanish driver.
“If we want our cars to be as fast as they are today, we need to take every step necessary to improve safety. We could see something similar to what happened to Jack at Turn 1 in Shanghai or Turn 9 in Australia.”
“We have too many corners where the driver is responsible for closing the DRS themselves. Hopefully, this incident highlights the need for a system that automatically deactivates DRS 50 or 100 meters before the braking zone to avoid mistakes.”
Not all drivers agree with Sainz’s stance, however. George Russell, the other GPDA director, is on a different page.
“Obviously, what happened to Jack was a huge crash, and it’s very unfortunate, but I think it’s one of those things that only happens once, and everyone will recognize that. It’s probably the only corner on the calendar where this is an issue.”
“I don’t think we really need to act on this… as drivers, we have responsibilities. We’re supposed to go full throttle down the straights and approach corners, and simply pressing a button to deactivate the DRS is part of the job.”
“We don’t want it to be automated. We want the drivers to handle it. There are already too many gadgets and systems.”
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Sainz Calls for DRS Reform After Suzuka Crash Sainz Calls for DRS Reform After Suzuka Crash