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Drivers ask for "risky" additional DRS zone in Japan

11:01, 04 Oct 2018

byNicolás Quarles van Ufford

Force India's Sergio Pérez believes that Suzuka, host of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, should add another DRS zone on the back straight of the circuit, allowing drivers the risk of taking the 130R with the rear wing open.

The FIA experimented with a DRS-zone in a corner earlier this year at Silverstone, as the first corner could be taken with the flap open. Many complaints were flung the FIA's way after that experiment, but Pérez thinks that the 130R corner at Suzuka is a different can of worms.

"Turn one at Silverstone is a lot harder than 130R," the Mexican said at the press conference.

"If you want to have a lift and then come back to DRS, it is really down to you.

"There will be drivers that take more risks than others but you leave it down to the driver and I think we are good enough to do that."

The track currently has just one DRS-zone, which should mean a decrease in overtaking this weekend. Lance Stroll agrees with this statement.

"I think it can only help overtaking," the Canadian teenager said.

"It is already a track where due to the nature of the track it is very difficult to follow in the high-speed corners."

With the rain forecast for this weekend, maybe it's a wise decision from the FIA to not have included the second DRS-zone. It would be hard enough for drivers to keep their cars on the track in dry conditions, let alone when it's slippery at Suzuka.

Force India's Esteban Ocon admitted that the turn wouldn't be flat-out, on Sunday at least, but he would like to see the zone being added.

"In the race it would probably not be flat, especially following other cars, but in qualifying it could be an interesting challenge."