George Russell and Carlos Sainz at Odds Over DRS Change After Doohan Shunt

Nelson Espinal | Apr 8, 2025

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas driver George Russell (63) and Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz (55) celebrate their podium finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Carlos Sainz and George Russell both serve as directors of the Formula 1 Grand Prix Drivers' Association, providing them with a direct line to the FIA for any driver-related issues.

During the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Alpine's Jack Doohan suffered a serious accident after failing to manually close his DRS while approaching Turn 1.

Doohan reportedly navigated the turn in the simulator without deactivating DRS; however, he was not as fortunate in the real car.

The crash left his Alpine split in half during Free Practice 2 on Friday, and the driver seemed shaken after exiting the car.

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According to reports from the Race, several drivers raised concerns about the potential danger during the drivers' briefing.

The drivers proposed a potential mechanism that automatically turns off DRS when a driver enters a corner, just in case the DRS is not closed by the driver for whatever reason.

Williams driver Sainz advocates for the change to an automatic closing of DRS for the driver's safety.

“Safety's still the main priority always with these cars, especially with the speeds we're doing - any other era of F1 Jack is not walking today,” Sainz said

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“I felt I was quite vocal [on Friday] in saying 'I'm surprised this hasn't happened more often' - because I've had moments where I mis-pressed the DRS button and it stayed open and it gives you a massive snap and a massive fright going into a corner like Turn 1 here, Shanghai Turn 1, Australia Turn 9."

“We have too many of these corners where it's down to the driver almost to close it, and down to the DRS to do a good job on recovery.

“I'm afraid there haven't been enough of these crashes in order to prove that maybe we need to work on safety in this item."

P5 in Japan 🇯🇵 Not the weekend we would have hoped for but solid points for the team. I love racing on this iconic circuit and it’s always a pleasure seeing the incredible fans too. Onwards to Bahrain!! 👊 pic.twitter.com/7mweF9oHt0

— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) April 6, 2025

“But I hope [Doohan’s] crash shows that we need to make something that automatically- 100 metres, 50 metres before the braking, it shuts, so you don't get the chance for the driver to make a mistake or for DRS to fail, if it doesn't close."

“So, also going into next year with all this downforce thing that they want to adjust, it's important, I think, for us that they come up with [a solution that's] automatic.”

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On the other hand, Russell believes it should come down to the drivers rather than creating room for another "gadget."

“Obviously what happened to Jack was a big shunt and very unfortunate, but I think it's one of those things that you see happen once and everybody will recognise, and this is probably the only corner on the whole calendar that it's a problem [at],” Russell said.

🇯🇵 Unfortunately, as expected, difficult race today stuck in traffic after a costly Saturday, but I think the pace was there. I was comfortable with the car and managed to do good overtakes. We’ll keep building from here. On to Bahrain!

👉https://t.co/WAP0l47v0D

-#CarlosSainz pic.twitter.com/Khul0DpAaM

— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) April 6, 2025

“I don't think anything really needs…as drivers, you have responsibilities; we've got to go flat-out down the straight and turn into the corners, and a flick of the button to turn the DRS off is part of the job."

“There's already too many gadgets and systems.”

The FIA is still open to potential changes and adjustments to the 2026 regulations, as V10 engines have been considered due to concerns about kinetic energy power, which could lead to a DRS change if the push continues.

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