The FIA drivers’ briefing after FP2 saw several drivers ask for the chicane that splits the back straight to be removed.

The Mistral straight is separated by two corners, Turns 8 and 9, and that has led to criticism and concern over overtaking opportunities which are under more scrutiny given the non-events of the last two races in Monaco and Canada.

Some drivers believe the removal of the chicane would help improve overtaking, while others were initially confused over where their reference points were due to the 180 configurations of the circuit that are actually possible.

“We asked Charlie [Whiting, FIA race director] about this, to improve the overtaking, to improve the show, and make it more interesting,” said Force India’s Sergio Perez.