We’ve talked and speculated for ages about whether the changes to F1’s rules will have the desired effect, allowing cars to follow one another more closely, hopefully aiding overtakes.
Lack of overtaking has been the scourge of Formula One in recent times, with the opener in Australia last year featuring only five overtakes.
Renault was at the front of the midfield last year, securing fourth place, but Nick Chester, Renault’s technical director, believes that the midfield will be even closer this year, partly due to the regulation changes.
Chester said: “We are getting a better picture every day but it is super close. There are a lot of other teams that are super close and I wouldn’t want to say where they are.
“It is very hard to say. Every team is doing their own thing, developing their car their own way - one thing is I can say is it does look like it has closed up a bit. Maybe some teams that are finely honed in their aero structures may have lost a bit more.”