F1 'passing problem' smaller after China

Apr.10 - The 'overtaking problem' with F1's faster new cars took a back seat in Shanghai.

After Melbourne, the paddock collectively worried that while the new cars are faster and more spectacular, the greater aerodynamic drag makes passing significantly rarer.

But the overtaking on Sunday was spectacular, featuring Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in particular.

"I had not seen a Vettel like that for a long time," said Marc Surer, a former F1 driver turned pundit for German television Sky.

German Vettel, an avowed F1 'purist', approved of the show F1 put on in Shanghai.

"It was difficult to get close -- like the last race, you felt the effect but here was a much better track to overtake," he said after the race.

"It's the way it should be -- you need to make it stick so it doesn't come for free. You shouldn't just open the flap (DRS) and sail past. It was good fun," he said.

"It's like football -- not every game is great," Vettel continued. "In Australia we saw few manoeuvres, that's true, but that was often the case in Melbourne.

"Here everything was back to normal, so I don't see a problem," he added.

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