Drivers avoid DRS penalties
No further action has been taken against three drivers who incorrectly used the DRS during the BakuGP today, including third placed Sergio Perez.
The DRS is designed to give drivers a better chance of overtaking when they are within a second of the car in front providing they are in the DRS detection zone. At Baku, the system failed, meaning teams had to move to tell their drivers over the radio to activate the DRS manually.
Perez, Stroll & Magnussen all activated their DRS at some point during the race when they were not within a second of the car in front at the detection zone, which had lead to an investigation by the stewards. However, none of the drivers were punished for the incorrect use of the DRS and all three stewards reports gave the following explanation.
“The stewards examined DRS activation data. It is apparent that to move to the “default” setting if the DRS system malfunctions, requires the team to convey to the driver, by radio, a series of steps to adjust various settings.
“In this case, the DRS light came on and as this was the first time the driver had experienced a default operation for the DRS, there was some misunderstanding of the procedure and the driver incorrectly activated the system manually. The system however, was only activated twice, each time for a short distance before the driver and team recognised the error.
“The stewards are satisfied that no car was overtaken through this incorrect use.”