Season opener in Bahrain

This new F1 rule could cause crash chaos

Lewis Hamilton (left) and Max Verstappen(Bild: AFP)

24 races in 21 countries - Formula 1 is staging its longest season to date in 2024. This also includes three events on a Saturday, starting with the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain this weekend. There is also a new rule that could cause a lot of crash chaos after the start.

This is the new rule for the Drag Reduction System - DRS for short. By pressing a button, the drivers can flatten the upper cross plate of the rear wing to reduce drag and thus achieve more top speed. This in turn makes overtaking maneuvers easier.

Max Verstappen(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

What is new in 2024 is that the DRS button can now be pressed one lap after the start or restart of the race - one lap earlier than last year. The reason for the rule change is to keep the field of drivers together for longer, encourage overtaking maneuvers and thus guarantee more exciting racing. The other side of the coin: the drivers will take more risks and there will probably also be more accidents.

More power units
At least the teams will be allowed to swap their power units more often this year. All drivers are now allowed to use four instead of three power units. This means that there will only be a penalty on the fifth change of power unit, should there be more accidents after all. The background to this is, of course, the record-breaking season with 24 races.