Verstappen: 'DRS too short? Following too difficult? Combination of both!'

Fewer longer DRS zones in Miami too

The FIA did not necessarily look at Red Bull's dominance, but more at previous editions of the GP. In 2022, overtaking was relatively easy in Baku and Miami, so the governing body felt that overtaking could be made a little more difficult. Not all drivers are happy about that, as in Baku, for example, DRS trains formed and the number of overtakes was disappointing. Verstappen is keeping a low profile about it.

"Well, I would prefer, of course, that we could race without DRS, but that's not possible," Verstappen said in the press conference. " I think for us, of course, it's a little bit different. I mean, if the car is faster than the one, let's say when you have to come through the field from the back, it doesn't really matter how long the zone is, you will get the car ahead. But when the pace is within a tenth, you could see that in Baku. I think once you're a bit of a DRS train, there's no chance."

So what is the issue? "Is that the DRS zone is too short? Are the cars not good enough to follow closely? I think it's a bit of a combination of both where the cars are probably too heavy. They're too stiff. So you can't really run a kerb to try and find a bit of a different line because everyone is driving more or less the same line nowadays because of just how the cars work and how stiff the suspension is."

Gets harder and harder

And there is another thing that comes into play, according to the two-time world champion. At the beginning, when the regulations had only just been introduced in 2022, all teams were still searching and seeing how to unlock more potential. In other words, finding more downforce. "And yeah, probably now with people are finding more and more downforce in the cars, it probably becomes a bit harder to follow as well."

Verstappen, who expects a physically tough race, himself will hope not to need DRS at all, as that would mean he is in the lead after three laps in the Grand Prix (only then is the use of the open rear wing allowed, ed.). On Sunday, he mainly expects another battle with teammate Sergio Perez.

Team orders will not be given, if Red Bull is to be believed. Perez says he gets equal opportunities from the Austrian racing stable and Helmut Marko and Christian Horner also expressed their preference for hard but fair racing.