How a DRS actually works on a formula 1 car

what is DRS ?

The term stands for drag reduction system; a controversial mechanism controlled by the driver. The rear wing of F1 cars may open at the push of a button in particular zones. Because of the rear wing’s flap opening up to increase speed while decreasing drag, DRS makes racing closer and aids in overtaking. When drivers are less than one second behind the vehicle in front of them, they are permitted to utilize DRS, which occasionally results in the formation of a “DRS train.” As the drivers of the cars engage the device, this happens when several cars crowd together during races.
Its effectiveness varies depending on the circuit, with some, like Monaco, being infamous for making overtakes challenging. Several circuits in the 2023 schedule, including Bahrain, Jeddah, Melbourne, Baku, and Miami, have DRS zone changes.
The driver-controlled device was initially presented in 2011, and even drivers have continued to criticize it. DRS is utilized to produce wheel-to-wheel racing, but some have noted that it can lessen the talent required to make a challenging overtake.
DRS is a significant break from established F1 rules, which have sternly forbade the use of vehicle components intended to be moved or altered in the middle of a race.
How DRS works
For the DRS to open, Hydraulic fluid will be injected at high pressure — possibly 200 bar — into the actuator’s end (see gold/brown arrow). The space between the actuator shaft’s external diameter and the internal diameter of the actuator body will be filled with this fluid (yellow arrow).
With the rocker being pulled along with it, this pressure will shorten the actuator’s actuator where the shaft is visible (yellow arrow). The team can put a thin spacer around this shaft to lessen the stroke if the DRS is expanding too far for whatever reason or if it enters an aerodynamic flutter, which we have observed frequently with different teams.
The pressure will be released to close the actuator, and the opposite side of the internal actuator piston will then be injected with hydraulic fluid under high pressure once more.
By using this method, the DRS is closed with a stronger force than it is opened, even though the hydraulic pressure is the same. This is because the area of the actuator shaft causes the piston’s surface area on one side to be larger than the surface area on the other side.