First, only Mercedes was there. The silver arrows move since the beginning of the season, a double DRS. Front and rear. Then came Lotus. Until now, the system is still in the experimental phase. Since Mercedes has unpacked again the next step: a triple-DRS. Even Red Bull and McLaren are in the topic off.

Mercedes pioneered. Derived from the F-duct principle, the engineers developed a system in Brackley, in the flats of the rear wing flaps synchronized breaks with the front wing the flow. Via a line system air is transported from the rear wing in the front wing. Lotus protested to the Chinese Grand Prix, however, and flashed off.

Instead of behind closed doors to fret about the legal defeat, the engineers made directly from Enstone fact plagiarize the trick. Instead of stalling the front wing, the flow in the lower rear wing element is disturbed. Experts call it a super-DRS. In Hockenheim and Budapest, the system was first tried. Because all tests took place in bad weather, Lotus has postponed the scheduled first race at Spa.

Rosberg testing triple-DRS in Spa

In the meantime, put on Mercedes. Nico Rosberg tried in Friday practice for the Belgian Grand Prix 17 laps long a triple DRS. It tears at the same time at three points from the flow. The rear wing up through the flat spots of the flap. The front wing as usual by blowing air under the main element. And then at the lower rear wing element on the model of Lotus. Everything is simultaneously activated when the driver pushes the button DRS.

Photos show what Mercedes wanted to keep secret. At the end of the air box emerges a tube does not see a tailpipe dissimilar. There is bundled air blown onto the lower rear wing element to the center of the wing to create more downforce. At this point, there is usually a zone of lower Drucks. The wing diffuser helps the extraction process.

Mercedes system was not ready for racing

The tube is fed with air. Either by the addition to both ears of the airbox or new additional inlets that are later attached to the airbox Ross Brawn will give no information about it: “The remains of their imagination.”

After all, Brawn admits that working on a triple-DRS. “We’ve looked at the Lotus system and drawn our conclusions. Spa was a test in that direction.” Complete the system is not yet. Still lacked the connection to the rear wing. Above mentioned tube sees a channel leading to about 20 centimeters into the void.

Once everything is ready, it will be associated with Lotus as the main element, and as an additional rear wing support look. This support extends an air channel. DRS is activated, interferes with the air flowing into the Heckflügelendplatten the air that is blown in the normal operation to the lower Heckflügelement. Suppresses the thus generated additional pressure. One provoking in three places stall and a reduction of the air resistance: front, rear top and bottom rear.

McLaren and Red Bull are working on DDRS

McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe is to also to work on a double-DRS. He remains skeptical: “Until now, Mercedes has just found an imitator, and that’s Lotus This shows how difficult it is to get significant benefits from such a system we are working on and if our ideas work the way we do.. we imagine, we will use it. Certainly not. in the next two races “

Even when Red Bull is rumored that an expansion of the DRS in the development stage. Some even say that Mark Webber at Spa for the first time wanted to test it. In the rear of the Red Bull, but nothing unusual was seen. Maybe Adrian Newey has called off the experiment because of the rain again.