Renault's Jolyon Palmer isn't certain that overtaking will get any more difficult next season compared to what it was this year.
New aerodynamic rules, characterized by wider wings, will definitely impact a car's air flow, leading many to believe that the changes will do nothing to alleviate F1's overtaking issues.
While the cars will definitely enjoy higher speeds, increased downforce means more disturbed air for the car following in another's wake, hence the difficulty in setting up an overtaking maneuver for a driver.
"I’m going to wait and see how overtaking is affected because overtaking in 2016 was so difficult that I don’t see how it can be much harder to be brutally honest," Palmer wrote in his Channel 4 column.
"It may seem easier because of DRS and the different tyres to choose from but unless you have a big horsepower advantage or a much fresher or softer compound of tyre it is almost impossible.
"I followed Kev in Austin in the same car and I couldn’t get near him but when I was a long way behind him I was much quicker.
"I don't remember one teammate being able to legitimately overtake another. The closest time was probably between the two Red Bulls in Malaysia.
"So for that reason I don’t think overtaking can get much harder for next year. The theory says it should but it depends on the airflow off the car in front and at the moment, for whatever reason, it’s been difficult to follow under these regulations.
With regard to the outright speed of next year's cars, Palmer has no doubts about the substantial decrease in lap times anticipated by most.
"The lap times are predicted to be between three and five seconds quicker than they were in 2016 but, at the start of the year, those times could be determined by what Pirelli does with the new tyres. Still, a lot of the lap time will come from cornering.
"The sort of lap times we are predicting in 2017 would put the Manors on pole so that indicates how big a jump it could be.
"If you then consider Mercedes adding that sort of pace too then the cars are going to be going really quick. I would think we would be breaking track records at most places."
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2016 team-by-team review: Part one
2016 team-by-team review: Part two
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