The sad truth Abu Dhabi's DRS loss exposed

Last weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix offered Formula 1 fans that have long lamented the presence of DRS a glimpse of what grand prix racing would be like without it.

A computer server problem caused the FIA to disable its use for the first third of the race - and suddenly much quicker drivers were being trapped behind other cars.

The TV coverage caught Valtteri Bottas's charge from the back being stalled, and the time he lost stuck behind Nico Hulkenberg was a crucial factor in him losing a shot at a podium finish.

But despite things being dull in this DRS-free period, it wasn't all bad. There were some interesting consequences resulting from how much harder it was for drivers to get past.

That Bottas wasn't able to scythe his way through actually made his drive more compelling, as it was not a given - which it so often is in these circumstances - that he would automatically clear the midfield.

And the fact that Hulkenberg was able to temporarily hold off a train of cars also resulted in some fascinating strategic variability. Suddenly, track position was king and that gave some drivers the option of running longer knowing they could keep their rivals behind.

McLaren's Lando Norris could see both the positives and negatives of the non-DRS segment of the race.

"It was kind of nice," he said. "We kind of gained from it but we also lost from it, as I was stuck behind [Romain] Grosjean for five or six laps. The first lap we had DRS, I passed him.

"So it was frustrating and almost ended our strategy a little bit compared to the long-runners on the medium or hards, but I think it also benefited us in a couple of ways. So I'm not going to say it was good or bad."

"We have understood [what] we should have understood earlier - the importance of the track design" Jean Todt

The positives of it being harder to overtake meant drivers were challenged to pull off tough passes, as well as leading to the potential for some smart strategy calls. But fans want to see drivers regularly battling wheel-to-wheel.

For all the criticism that DRS gets for being a gimmick, it does bring a benefit in ensuring action.

Abu Dhabi highlighted that DRS's place in F1 is about balance. It shouldn't be making overtaking easy, it's about making it possible.

As Daniel Ricciardo said: "You need it on some tracks and this is one of them. Tracks like Monza you could get away without it, but I think it's a great thing. I'm sure some people will say it's a bit artificial, but we need it, especially with these cars with the speeds we are going, otherwise there's no overtaking. So, God bless DRS."

Another contributing factor to Abu Dhabi being a less than stellar race is Yas Marina's track layout. It doesn't provide much scope for fantastic racing - too many slow, tight sections spread the field out, even though it can be a fun circuit to drive.

Speaking ahead of the race, FIA president Jean Todt said that one of the lessons the governing body had learned in 2019 is the importance of track layout in racing.

"Globally, on the sporting side, it has been a very interesting championship," he said. "Probably, we have understood [what] we should have understood earlier a bit more.

"I mean the importance of the track design, and it's something we need to address because it is nothing to do with regulations, teams and governance."

Talk of changing track layouts is always interesting because it's very much a chicken and egg scenario.

What makes a bad spectacle? Cars that can't follow each other, or poor circuit layout? And what's the hardest thing to address? Tweaking technical regulations to make cars better for racing, or digging up circuits each year to make them more suitable?

It's a conundrum for former F1 team boss Eric Boullier, as he considers signing off plans to revamp parts of the Paul Ricard circuit at the French Grand Prix.

The venue, which was opened in 1970 and hosted its first grand prix a year later, has faced questions over its suitability for delivering good racing since it returned to the F1 calendar last year.

The sad truth is that F1 cannot afford not to have DRS if it wants any racing at all until 2021

Boullier, who is a strategic adviser for the French GP, said last weekend: "Next year we're going to celebrate the 70th anniversary of F1, and also the 50th anniversary of Paul Ricard. The track layout is the same since day one. Nobody complained about this before.

"[But] if something is the same since day one, and it doesn't work today, what do we need to change? The track or the product?"

The answer in the short term appears to be both. F1 is heading for a rules revamp in 2021 that it hopes will make the racing better, while Paul Ricard is also considering overhauling its first sequence of corners.

Boullier says there is a blueprint that appears well suited to the current generation of cars.

"We know the cars cannot follow each other, so the only way to have overtaking is first having a long straight, hard braking and then a square corner or even more of an angle," he said. "And also running cars with less downforce, which means less [disturbance] effect."

Ultimately, it's about understanding and optimising all the elements that produce good racing. There's little point having great cars and putting them on rubbish tracks; equally, there's no benefit to having great circuits if the cars are no good.

A global vision of all the elements is needed. For now, and at least until 2021, the sad truth is that F1 cannot afford to go without DRS if it wants any racing at all.