The F1 paddock is sceptical that overtaking will become easier in 2019.

The main tweak to the rules for this year - the wider front wings - is designed to make it easier for a following car to chase and pass his rival.

Ferrari has the fastest new car so far, but Sebastian Vettel told Auto Motor und Sport that when he caught Carlos Sainz's McLaren last week in Barcelona and: "I had no chance to pass him.

"I just never got close enough," Vettel said.

F1's top car designer, Adrian Newey, agrees: "You (the chasing car) lose just as much downforce as before."

And Andy Green, the technical boss at Racing Point, commented: "We do not build cars that make driving easier for the guy behind.

"Our task is to make our car as fast as possible. And to do this, the air must pass outside of the wheels.

"As long as we see the chance to do that, we will do it," he added.