For fifteen seasons, DRS — the Drag Reduction System — was one of the most recognizable pieces of Formula 1 terminology. In 2026, it disappeared from the sport entirely, replaced by a new system built around the same goal: making overtaking easier without turning racing into a gimmick.
**How DRS used to work**
Introduced in 2011, DRS allowed a rear wing flap to open on demand, reducing drag and boosting straight-line speed. Its use was restricted to specific zones on track and only available to a driver running within one second of the car ahead at a designated detection point.
**Why it’s gone in 2026**
Under this year’s sweeping [technical regulations](new-formula-1-rules-explained), Formula 1 introduced active aerodynamics across the entire lap rather than a single button-activated system limited to certain straights. That made a standalone DRS system redundant, and it was retired in favor of a broader package of overtaking tools.
**Meet Overtake Mode**
Overtake Mode is the closest replacement to old-school DRS. It gives a driver within one second of the car ahead a strategic burst of extra electrical power, usable in one go or spread out across a lap depending on how the team and driver choose to deploy it. Unlike DRS, this isn’t just about reducing drag on a straight — it’s tied directly into the car’s energy deployment and [Recharge systems](new-formula-1-rules-explained), adding a genuine strategic layer that didn’t exist under the old wing-flap system.
**What this means for race-watching**
Overtaking under the new system still favors the chasing car, preserving the basic principle DRS was built on. But because Overtake Mode is powertrain-based rather than purely aerodynamic, it interacts with a driver’s energy management across an entire lap or stint — tying directly into the strategic decisions covered in our guide to [F1 tyre strategy](formula-1-tire-strategy-explained) and energy deployment.
DRS may be gone, but its underlying mission — closer, more exciting racing — lives on in a more sophisticated form for the 2026 era and beyond.