FIA looking for ways to make overtakes tricky in F1 races with DRS in 2026 - Reports

The FIA is reportedly looking to change the DRS system in F1 for the 2026 season, essentially nerfing the system and making overtaking harder. The 2026 season will be a major milestone in the sport since all the teams will bring brand new power units and other new core parts for their cars. This will allow the governing body to change some of the major aspects of the single-seater series as well.

According to Motorsport.com, FIA senior Nikolas Tombazis recently spoke about DRS, amongst many other areas of the racing series. He claimed that the FIA does not want cars to simply overtake one another on the straight with the help of DRS. Instead, they only want the DRS system to help the driver close the gap and then encourage them to use their talent to actually pull off an overtake.

"What we don't want is for the cars to just pass each other on the straight. We want the cars to get close to each other to the braking point and for there to be a fight, and for the drivers to have to use their talent. We never want to make it too easy, but we also don't think we can say, 'Oh well, DRS is no longer necessary'," he said.

Tombazis explained that the aim is to find a middle ground between DRS making the overtake too easy and DRS not contributing to the spectacle whatsoever.

"We cannot risk reaching a situation where overtaking is again impossible, or something like that. So we want to have it prepared and use it moderately, but not excessively. Advancements must also be a struggle. We don't want cars to just move on to each other," he added.

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Carlos Sainz on how he deliberately gave his opponent DRS to win the 2023 F1 Singapore GP

Carlos Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in the entire 2023 F1 season. The Ferrari F1 driver drove brilliantly in the Singapore GP and clinched the only victory for the team in 2023.

Though Sainz was chased by Lando Norris and George Russell in the last few laps of the race, he admitted to the media that he deliberately kept it close to Lando Norris to give him DRS. This way, Norris kept George Russell at bay, who was on fresh medium tires.

“I had to get George slowing down, not to give him a Safety Car or medium tire opportunity, and it worked to perfection. It was just quite tight at the end, but we gave Lando a bit of the DRS to help him, and, in the end, we made it P1,” Sainz explained.