Formula 1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn says the DRS failure in Abu Dhabi highlighted the need for change in F1 and believes the 2021 rules will deliver that.
The drag-reduction-system was unavailable for the opening third of the grand prix following a server crash, which meant there were fewer overtakes in the opening 18 laps than many would have expected, save for a charging Valtteri Bottas who started at the back of the pack.
Brawn isn't a fan of DRS and wants it to be scrapped, but it's not yet known if it will be retained under the new-for-2021 regulations. They have however been framed to reduce its impact by improving how cars follow one another and Brawn believes the Abu Dhabi race is proof that change is needed.
"We are particularly pleased with the largely positive response to the new rules, especially from the fans," said Brawn.
"In [Sunday's] race, no DRS was available for almost 20 laps because of a technical problem and that only served to emphasise the need for the cars to be able to fight at close quarters.
"In addition, the performance gap between the teams needs to be reduced, because looking at [Sunday's] race, once again only the top teams completed the full race distance, every other team was lapped.
"These goals are shared at every level by the stakeholders in the sport, especially the fans. An important step has been taken, but there is more to come and we are definitely moving in the right direction."
