
FIA clamp down on 'cat-and-mouse' games with DRS change
FIA clamp down on 'cat-and-mouse' games with DRS change

The FIA has confirmed a change to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit that should end the dangerous cat-and-mouse DRS antics of recent years.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix venue features some of the highest speeds of the year as drivers navigate between the unforgiving walls that will punish even the smallest mistake.
Safety is always at the top of the FIA's priority list with every incident investigated to see where potential improvements can be made.
In this respect, the governing body has not taken kindly to the antics of the past two years involving Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in Saudi Arabia.
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Saudi Arabian DRS problem
The problem specifically relates to the final DRS detection point on the circuit that was previously positioned just before the braking zone for the final hairpin.
Leading onto the main straight previously carried the significant risk that the car following at the detection zone would have a relatively simple overtaking opportunity when braking into the tight left-hander that follows the long main straight.
When battling for the lead in 2021, Verstappen broke to allow Hamilton through at this point on the circuit and the pair made contact.
Last year, the Dutchman attempted this trick again, with Leclerc getting involved in the action.

The solution
In order to prevent the same situation from happening for a third consecutive outing, the FIA has now elected to move the DRS detection zone to a point 170m beyond the corner exit.
This means there is nothing to be gained by playing cat-and-mouse and the issue - one that was seemingly exclusive to Saudi Arabia - should be negated.
Commenting after Verstappen's victory in last year's race, Horner said: "The DRS is so powerful, you could see there was a game of cat-and-mouse going on between the drivers where they would actually brake to a point where they accelerated into the corner."
The activation point for the system remains the same, as do the locations and activation points for the other two DRS zones on the track.
READ MORE: Saudi Arabia Grand Prix 2023: Date, start time, TV channel and live stream
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F1 Standings

Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
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Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Australia 2023
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Grand Prix of China 2023
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Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
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Miami Grand Prix 2023
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Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
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Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
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AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
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Grand Prix du Canada 2023
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Grand Prix of Austria 2023
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Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
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Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
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Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
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Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Italy 2023
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Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
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Grand Prix of Japan 2023
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Qatar Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of the United States 2023
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Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
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Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
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Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
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