F1 considers DRS ban at famous Eau Rouge corner in Spa
Page last updated at 10:26 GMT, Monday, 22 August 2011 11:26 UK
By Andrew Benson
BBC Sport
Webber goes through Eau Rouge as he takes pole position in 2010 for Red Bull
Formula 1 bosses may ban the use of the DRS overtaking device in the famous Eau Rouge corner at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.
Governing body the FIA is concerned that using the device in the flat-out 180mph sequence of corners could be a safety risk.
DRS increases top speed by reducing downforce by about 10%. It is mainly used on straights but drivers could try to use it in Eau Rouge to boost lap time.
Race director Charlie Whiting is worried this may increase chances of a big crash.
DRS use is limited in races, when drivers can only deploy it on a designated straight if they are less than a second behind a car in front.
THE SPA FACTS
- Spa is considered one of the classic circuits, and, along with Suzuka in Japan and Monaco, the biggest driving challenge still in F1
- The original track was taken off the calendar on safety grounds after 1970
- A shortened version returned in 1983 and has held the Belgian GP ever since, apart from 1984, when it returned to Zolder
- Eau Rouge has been a feature of the Spa track since it first held the GP in 1925
But its use is free in practice and qualifying, when drivers are experimenting with car set-ups in pursuit of the best performance.
The FIA is concerned that in pushing the limits, some teams and drivers may take too big a risk. And although safety has improved at Eau Rouge in recent years, the high-speed nature of the track there means any loss of control risks a big accident.
It has emerged that some drivers have been finding DRS complicated to use, and have occasionally become confused as to whether it is being deployed on their car or not.
The FIA has learned of times when drivers have headed into corners thinking the DRS was not deployed when it fact it was, causing them to battle to keep the car on the track.
The consequences of this happening at Eau Rouge are of significant concern.
Likened to a roller-coaster ride, it is perhaps the most famous corner in F1 because of its extreme challenge.
Drivers head downhill into it flat-out in top gear. It is a left-right-left sequence of bends that crosses the bottom of a steep valley.
Alonso uses DRS to split the rear wing on his Ferrari
They turn left, then experience huge compression as they turn right at the very bottom of a steep hill, which the cars then have to climb, turning left as they go light over the brow.
Lateral G-forces are in the region of 5G as drivers flick through the direction changes at about 180mph.
The corner is not as big a challenge as it was, as the high levels of aerodynamic downforce of the current cars mean most can take it flat out - at least without DRS deployed.
But Red Bull driver Mark Webber still describes it as an "awesome experience" in his BBC Sport column, which will be published on Thursday.
The Australian says: "The reason it's so massively rewarding for the drivers is there is a huge plunge down into the bottom of the corner at full speed - we're in top gear approaching 200mph - and then you climb the wall on the other side and pop out of the top.
"Irrespective of how comfortable it is, that's still an amazing sensation, and you need total concentration to make sure the car is positioned correctly - it's three kinks that you need to line up and get right.
"You really don't want to be going off there, even with the increased safety we have these days."
The DRS was not introduced into F1 until this year, but last year many cars were fitted with a device called an F-duct that had a similar effect.
These were operated in many cars by the driver taking his hand off the steering wheel, and the FIA was concerned to discover that many were negotiating Eau Rouge with the F-duct deployed.
Credit: BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)
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