Red Bull techies argue overtaking will be easier

Red Bull Racing's tech wizards have played down fears that overtaking could be more complicated under F1's new regulations.

With changes centered around wider tyres and increased aerodynamic downforce, many pundits are predicting a hard time for anyone looking to wiz their way past another car.

But the masters minds over at Red Bull are putting those worries to rest.

"The 2017 car will be clearly a more aggressive car in terms of looks," says Adrian Newey, "it will be wider, looks more muscle car, with bigger tyres for sure.

"One of the aspects of having a car wider, you could argue, is that it could be more difficult to overtake," he continues.

"However, due to the aerodynamic effect and more drag effect it will have, the more time you will spend on the straights, you will have more opportunity than previous years to overtake in this kind of condition."

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Chief car engineer Paul Monaghan underlines the crucial role Pirelli's more durable rubber will play in opening up opportunities for drivers.

"The tyres themselves, if they are more durable, shall we say, than previous generations, then it will change the racing," says Monaghan.

"Not necessarily for the worse, I think for the better. We will have potentially more overtaking."

"The more downforce cars produce the more they can be affected by other cars in terms of their drag," adds Head of Aerodynamics Dan Fallows.

"So it could be that cars are able to run closer behind another car to use the slipstream down the straight, so overtaking in that sense could actually be easier."

While everyone argues their opinion, we'll just have to wait until Melbourne for some full-scale validation of the merits of the new rules in the overtaking department.

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