DRS & Active Aero
VerifiedHow cars are helped past each other, from the DRS flap of 2011 to 2025 to the active aero and energy boost of 2026.
The Drag Reduction System (DRS) ran from 2011 to 2025. It let a chasing driver open a flap in the rear wing on set straights, cutting drag for extra straight-line speed when within one second of the car ahead at a detection point. It was disabled in wet or dangerous conditions, and the zones were fixed per circuit. The 2026 rules retire DRS.
In its place, 2026 cars run active aerodynamics. The driver switches the front and rear wings between a high-downforce mode for the corners and a low-drag 'straight' mode for the straights. Overtaking is helped instead by a manual override boost, an 'overtake' mode that hands the chasing car extra electrical power. With the new power units drawing close to half their output from the battery, recovering and deploying that energy ('regen') over a lap becomes a big part of both attack and defence.