FERNANDO ALONSO has rubbished suggestions that the new moveable rear wing on Formula One cars will lead to a glut of overtaking.
The Ferrari star downplayed the possibility of a constant change of order up front after most F1 teams tried the wings during the official test session at Spain's Jerez circuit.
The two-plane wings have a slot in between that can be opened up by drivers to reduce aerodynamic drag and thus boost speed.
But they will only be able to use the device in a 600-metre zone at the end of a track's main straight if they have got within one second of the car in front.
[Fernando Alonso]
And Alonso said: "If the car ahead of you is running only one tenth slower than you, then the moveable wing is not enough.
"Overtaking between front runners will be difficult in 2011, too."
However, the Spaniard believes the moveable wing will be useful for fast cars stuck behind much slower ones.
Alonso experienced such a scenario at the final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi last year.
His Ferrari was held up behind the slower Renault of Vitaly Petrov on the tight track, which contributed to him losing the world championship to Sebastian Vettel.
Alonso told Italian paper Gazetta dello Sport: "Maybe the rule's objective is to favour an overtaking move when a race gets ruined by the impossibility of passing a much slower car, as happened to me."
Some F1 observers reckon the new wings will lead to cars constantly bombing past each other NASCAR-style.
Casual F1 fans are thrilled by the prospect. But it horrifies F1 purists who believe all changes of position should be hard fought.
Rule makers from motorsport's governing body the FIA are open to lengthening or shortening the overtaking zone to ensure overtaking is possible, without it being too easy.
But Alonso's comments are bound to reassure the purists.
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