The FIA has confirmed that drivers will be banned from using DRS whilst driving through Eau Rouge during practice and qualifying on grounds of safety.
As previously reported in May by The F1 Times, the FIA chose to ban the system in the Monaco Tunnel as well as Eau Rouge due to driver concerns that it could cause unnecessary accidents as the cars reach speeds of over 180mph through the tight S-bend.
The FIA wrote to the teams on Monday to make them aware of the final decision.
The ban only effects practice and qualifying because the four sessions provide the drivers with unlimited use, whereas the race is limited to a single pre-decided zone situated after the famous corner.
Hispania driver Vitantonio Liuzzi, speaking prior to the FIA’s final decision, believes a ban through the corner isn’t necessary as it doesn’t pose the same threat as the Monaco tunnel.
“For us it will be on the edge with the DRS, but the tunnel situation was a bit different,” he told Autosport. “The reason I was asking to ban it there was because of a crash, wheel-to-wheel in the tunnel, which could be a really critical situation.
“In Eau Rouge it is different. It is open air there, there is no roof, with no pylons – so it could be a normal racing accident as at any normal place. It is an easier decision for the FIA, because Monaco was a bit more risky. But I will take it as it comes, I like a challenge.”
