Alonso: Lack of overtaking is just F1's 'nature'

Fernando Alonso is not concerned by a lack of overtaking in Formula 1, believing it to just be "the nature" of the series.

In the most recent Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, overtaking was difficult for the field, with the exception of Red Bull, as drivers struggled to follow cars ahead.

Alonso, who finished fourth for Aston Martin was only able to make places up in Baku on the race start and Safety Car restart, and was unable to pass Charles Leclerc for what would have been a fourth consecutive podium.

However, speaking in Miami, the two-time World Champion believes the lack of overtaking seen is common in F1 - and pointed to two dominant eras to prove his point.

Alonso explains lack of overtaking

"It has always been like this [in F1]," Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.

"For seven years, [Lewis] Hamilton and [Valtteri] Bottas were first and second and in the past, [Sebastian] Vettel and [Mark] Webber.

"So you have the fastest car, you can start a little bit behind and you may still be making moves and overtakes, and if you are in any other car, wherever you're qualifying, you're more or less secure in that position.

"There are not many overtakes after Lap 2 or Lap 3, but even here, we could some rain forecast for Sunday, but [not seeing] many overtakings is the nature of Formula 1, so it should not be a surprise."

One possible reason

When pushed further, Alonso offered up a theory as to why there was little overtaking in the field - and believes it to be rather simple.

"Because we are very close in terms of performance," he noted.

"If you removed the Red Bulls, sometimes within six-tenths, you are P3 to P16 in Q1 to get into the next session, so eventually you finish qualifying in the order that you deserved and then in the race, how will you overtake a car that is just half-a-tenth quicker?

"Morally, it is the natural order, so I think that is the main reason, and then it could be the tyres as well.

"They still get overheated if you follow a car, so you need to decide wisely when you want to be too close to the car in front of you.

"They change every year, a little bit this year, we have a new construction, so the front tyres are much more robust than last year, so that is good news, but as I said, overheating is the biggest thing."