ABU DHABI // Claims that Yas Marina Circuit was an overtaking free-zone were disproved yesterday by a series of spectacular passing moves at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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A lot of the intrigue in the build up to the race had been on what impact the two DRS (Drag Reduction Systems) zones would have on the race and whether they would create more chances for changes in the order after two largely processional affairs previously.
To the delight of the 50,000 spectators in the grandstands the DRS worked in making passing possible, leading to a number of exciting duels up and down the running order as cars raced wheel to wheel.
Jenson Button, the McLaren-Mercedes driver, had been quite sceptical on Saturday about whether DRS, which sees cars able to adjust their rear wing to gain straight line speed when within a second of the car in front, would work.
But after enjoying a tussle in the opening laps with Mark Webber's Red Bull Racing car, when the pair trade positions a number of time, the Briton, who finished third, was happy to eat his words last night.
"DRS was actually quite good round here, which was a pity for me," he said. "I had a couple of good battles out there during the race."
Having the two DRS zones close together proved to be a headache for Webber. He out braked Button, and then Felipe Massa's Ferrari later in the race into Turn 8 after using his speed advantage to close in. But both Button and Massa, were able to blast back past the Australian in the second DRS zone.
Webber said: "The two DRS zones are tricky here; in the first one it was easy to get the move done, but in the second you couldn't, so if I passed Jenson there, he could just get you back again."
Overtaking occurred throughout the race, but it was not a given that activating the DRS was an automatic overtake.
Paul di Resta's Force India was able to keep Sebastien Buemi's faster Toro Rosso behind him for much of the opening stint, and while he said he thought the system had helped make for an entertaining race, he believed it was more about the characteristics of each car.
"It depended on how your car was set up," the Briton said. "I seemed to be able to keep the Toro Rosso [of Buemi] behind me for quite a long time and he was on the option tyre, which was a second and a half quicker, and we held him up for about 16 laps with him having the DRS."
Daniel Ricciardo, who was racing in F1 at Yas for the first time this year, found passing tough, even with DRS, but he believed it was a step forward for good racing.
"I can imagine without DRS overtaking last year was very difficult," the Hispania driver said. "Because even behind Vitantonio [Liuzzi, his HRT teammate] it was difficult to get close with the DRS. I could have made a big lunge, but I didn't as I wasn't so sure it would work."