Fernando Alonso has played down hopes that the 2017 rules will put the skill of the driver right back in charge in Formula 1.

In fact, while hailing the fact the new cars are much faster, the Spaniard warned that the driver is becoming "even less important" than before.

"I think for pushing the car and expressing your driving style, yes [the 2017 rules] do allow more than the previous cars," he is quoted as saying by Marca.

"On the other hand, with the technology we have now, with the current aerodynamic packages, the engines, I think the driver is even less important.

"I think this year a few corners are disappearing and so if last year you had 20 horse power less and lost three or four tenths, this year you might lose half a second."

The 2017 calendar gets underway in Melbourne on March 26.