Alonso: Drivers 'less important' in 2017

Mar.1 - Fernando Alonso has played down hopes the 2017 rules will put the skill of the driver right back in charge in formula one.

In fact, whilst 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 they (the 2017 rules) do allow more than the previous cars," he is quoted by Marca sports newspaper.

"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," Alonso added.

"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."

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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