Fernando Alonso thinks overtaking can be too easy in modern Formula One and says the fear of having less of it in 2017 should not be a reason to push back against proposed regulation changes.
Despite modern F1 cars being difficult to follow, and therefore overtake, there was a high number of passes during the Chinese Grand Prix. That came down to a number of factors, a combination of an early safety car, the DRS overtaking aid and the new regulations allowing Pirelli to bring three tyre compounds to a race.
Asked whether overtaking is too easy, Alonso said: "Well, China is an extreme case because the race was very confused because of the strategies and the safety car and everything that mixed it up. But definitely nowadays it is very possible that the car that is running 16th or 17th can overtake a Mercedes. Out of the pit lane with newer tyres you overtake them and pull away.
"That's difficult to explain to the people in front of the television so the overtakings are probably not as real as they were before. You don't need to be inspired by something to do the overtaking or to choose the right moment in the right place. If it's not in this corner you wait for another corner and you will pass because they are five seconds slower."
F1 looks set to agree on radical 2017 proposals over the coming days but some in the paddock have voiced concerns the added downforce will make it even more difficult to follow another car in similar conditions, therefore making it harder to overtake. However, Alonso does not think overtakes immediately means a race is more entertaining, pointing to two famous battles against Michael Schumacher at Imola in the last decade to highlight his argument.
"Well I think we need to wait and see, maybe finalise the rules because there have been some up and downs in terms of confirming the final thing. I think it is going in the right direction, we need to make the cars faster and the show better. We've been remembering for the last week the race in Imola in 2005 with Michael and me and then in 2006 with the opposite result, both very interesting races. There were three or four overtakes in the whole race and it's considered one of the best shows. I don't think that we need to put that much attention on the overtaking and following cars and things like that because before it was as difficult as it is now, or even more, and the races were great.
"We just need the fastest cars to produce a good show, we need to put some noise in the cars, some good battles and the big names fighting for the championships. That will improve the show. If in football you put Barcelona-[Real] Madrid for the championship everyone is watching the television. If you put, with all the respects, two small teams that no-one knows the people from those towns will watch the game but no-one else."