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GP2 to adopt DRS in 2015

The DRS on the Red Bull RB10 © Sutton Images

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The GP2 series has announced it will adopt the Drag Reduction System (DRS) which has transformed overtaking in Formula One in recent years for the 2015 season.

DRS sees a flap on the rear wing activated by a driver when within a second of the car ahead when in pre-defined zones, reducing drag and gaining a speed boost. It was introduced to F1 for the 2011 season to increase overtaking opportunities and therefore improve the racing spectacle.

GP2, which had previously vowed to avoid "gimmicks" such as KERS and DRS in 2011, will adopt the innovation for next season to make the series an even closer replica of F1 for young drivers.

"We've always said that GP2 was able to produce some amazing races without the addition of DRS or any other devices, and once again the 2014 season has proved that with some close racing and exciting on-track battles," said GP2 CEO Bruno Michel in a statement.

"However, we also have to make sure that we keep in line with our mission statement: preparing the drivers for the next step, F1. Since the inception of the Series, we designed a car for a three-year cycle, but for the first time this year, we decided instead to keep the third generation car for six seasons, in order to cut the costs and support our teams. Therefore, the next generation car will be introduced in 2017 and our current chassis is already four years old.

"But, it is important to keep adding modifications - at a reasonable cost - that will slightly tweak the technical features of our car. F1 is constantly evolving. It is impossible for GP2 to remain with the same car over a long period of time when its philosophy is to prepare the drivers for F1. Bearing this in mind, we thought that DRS was the best technical development to introduce and we discussed it with the teams over a year ago."

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