Lewis Hamilton called out the Formula 1 teams that opposed the setup of an additional DRS zone at Marina Bay Circuit ahead of this year’s Singapore Grand Prix.
The elimination of four turns in the final sector of the Marina Bay Circuit, which led to the creation of a longer straight ahead of turn 16, changed the layout of the street circuit this year. Hamilton lauded the track’s reconfiguration and some of the newly built surfaces.
“The changes to the track have been great,” said the four-time Singapore Grand Prix winner. “I think they have really opened up the circuit to be even greater than it was before.
“The change they’ve done with the surface, the new Tarmac that they’ve put down, has made it so much more enjoyable to drive.”
To make it simpler for drivers to get around each other, Hamilton along with other drivers suggested adding a fourth DRS zone to the new straight in alongside the three currently present around the track.
“I don’t think at the moment there’ll be more overtaking,” the Mercedes driver said. “Maybe there’ll be slightly better overtaking into seven, just because the track is better through that first couple of corners.
“But I think we need DRS in that new last section.”
The FIA made the decision not to add a fourth DRS zone to the course in this year’s Singapore Grand Prix event after asking teams for their opinions.
“All the drivers, we all requested it from the FIA,” Hamilton added. “The FIA asked all the teams and there’s a couple of teams that turned it down.
“So in the drivers’ briefing we’ll try to bring it up. But the teams should be for more racing, not against it.
“It’s interesting to have a few teams that are against it. But we’ll discuss it and try.”
The Grand Prix Drivers Association is advocating for an additional DRS zone, as Sergio Perez stated yesterday, because they believe it can be better for racing.
But according to Esteban Ocon, the FIA was hesitant to include a zone that would cover the turn 15 flat-out left-hander.
“The FIA is concerned about safety in that little left kink, I think,” Ocon said. “I reckon personally, and the other drivers too, that it’s not going to be an issue.”
