DRS and active aero in F1 explained
How DRS worked in Formula 1 through 2025, where drivers could use it, when race control switched it off, and how 2026 active aero replaced it.
DRS lets a driver open part of the rear wing to cut drag and gain straight-line speed. In Formula 1, that system applied through the 2025 season, while the 2026 rules introduced active aerodynamics instead.
What DRS does
DRS stands for Drag Reduction System. On cars that used it, the system opened the rear-wing flap when the driver pressed the control and the car was in a permitted part of the track. Opening that flap reduced aerodynamic drag, which usually increased top speed on the following straight.
The effect was simple in principle: less drag meant the car lost less speed to the air. The trade-off was reduced rear downforce while the flap was open, which is why DRS was limited to specific zones and controlled by race direction rather than left available everywhere.
Zones and the one-second rule
Each circuit had one or more DRS zones, marked sections where eligible drivers could activate the system in the race. Before each zone, Formula 1 set a detection point. If a driver crossed that detection point within one second of the car ahead, that driver became eligible to use DRS in the next activation zone.
That one-second gap was measured at the detection point, not at the moment the wing opened. The car ahead could not use DRS simply because it was leading that battle, unless it was itself within one second of another car at the same detection point. In practice, this made DRS an overtaking aid rather than a permanent speed boost.
When DRS is disabled
DRS was not available from the start of a Grand Prix. Race control normally enabled it only after the opening laps once the field had spread, and it could also be re-enabled after a safety car or restart once the race director judged conditions suitable.
Race control could disable DRS for safety reasons. That included wet conditions or poor visibility, and it also applied in neutralised situations such as yellow-flag periods in the affected area. If conditions improved or the incident cleared, race control could switch the system back on.
From DRS to active aero
Through 2025, DRS was Formula 1's rear-wing drag-reduction system. It was a defined, driver-activated device used in designated zones under race-control conditions.
For 2026, Formula 1 introduced active aerodynamics under a new technical ruleset. That change was season-specific and replaced DRS rather than simply renaming it. The broad idea remained similar in one respect — altering aerodynamic surfaces to balance drag and speed — but the 2026 system belonged to a different regulatory framework and should be treated separately from the DRS era.