F1: Dutch GP DRS zone extended, USA delegates to attend

Delegations from Miami and Las Vegas, among others, are coming to Zandvoort this weekend to learn from Dutch GP on how they handle ingress and egress for huge crowds using mass transportation, and play off the large throng of Max Verstappen fans.

Formula 1 will revisit the use of DRS through Zandvoort’s banked final corner in practice for this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.  The DRA activation zone will be extended to 300 meters before the final 18-degree banked corner.

Last year’s Friday crowd. The Saturday and Sunday crowd at Zandvoort will be bursting at the seams

Originally, Zandvoort’s second DRS zone was planned to start before the flat-out right-hander to boost overtaking possibilities on the main straight, but due to safety precautions the FIA decided to shorten the zone until after the banked corner.

Following the lack of action in last year’s race, F1 will revisit the idea later this week, with a full-length DRS zone to be tested during Friday practice 1.

“The current position is that we are going to have the DRS ahead of the final corner, so early on, to improve a bit the racing in Zandvoort,” Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s Single-Seater Technical Director, told Viaplay.

“But we are keeping an open mind on that, and we will be asking teams for their feedback. We’ve asked them already in simulations, but also after FP1 we will be asking teams for their feedback.

“And if we feel that there is any, even a remote, risk for the safety than clearly we would have to take action and change it after FP1.”