DRS (the Drag Reduction System) was Formula 1’s main overtaking aid from 2011 through the 2025 season. The 2026 rules replaced it with active aerodynamics and a manual electrical override, but you will still hear DRS referenced constantly when watching earlier races and in the commentary box, so it is worth understanding how it worked.
DRS (the Drag Reduction System) is the overtaking aid you will hear commentators mention on older footage. It was a clever, tightly regulated way of giving a following car a temporary speed boost on the straights.
What it actually does
A flap in the rear wing hinges open when DRS is active. Opening it reduces aerodynamic drag, letting the car reach a higher top speed on the straight. When the driver brakes for the next corner, the flap snaps shut and full downforce returns. It is purely a straight-line tool: there is no cornering benefit.
The one-second rule
In a race, a driver can only use DRS if they are within one second of the car ahead at a fixed detection point on the track. If they are inside that gap, the system arms, and the driver can then open the wing once they reach the following activation zone, a designated stretch of straight marked by a DRS line, where overtaking is most likely. Most circuits have one to three of these zones. Crucially, DRS helps you attack but offers no defence: the car in front cannot use it unless it too is within a second of someone.
When it is free, and when it is off
In practice and qualifying there is no one-second requirement, so drivers can use DRS freely in the activation zones to chase a faster lap. In the race it is only enabled a couple of laps after the start, once the field has settled.
DRS is disabled whenever conditions are unsafe: under yellow flags, in wet conditions, and during safety car periods. Race control re-enables it once the track is clear and dry again. Because it depends on staying within a second of a rival, DRS is closely tied to the slipstream and dirty-air effects covered in overtaking.