Pirelli chief Paul Hembery thinks those in charge of the 2017 rule changes have been too fixated on a speed increase rather than improving overtaking opportunities in F1.
The FIA continues to deliberate on a raft of changes for next season aimed at delivering faster, more aggressive-looking cars to tackle dwindling TV viewing figures. One major aim is to make cars five seconds per lap faster, something which some have warned could make overtaking more difficult.
Pirelli will play a key part in the rules revolution and hopes to deliver wider tyres as part of the new package. Teams recently voted in favour of less severe changes to aerodynamic regulations and Hembery thinks too much attention has been given to an increase in raw speed.
"You need to be pragmatic about these things," he told Crash.net. "If you are in a circuit or watching on TV, you can't see the speed anyway. What you can see is overtaking and battles, and that is really what people need. I don't think people will watch the sport more because we are lapping five seconds quicker, what they will watch more are the images.
"If you go to a football match, you don't need [BBC commentator] John Motson telling you that Lionel Messi is doing something amazing on the pitch, you have the crowd with you - you are watching it and you understand what is going on. It is no different to a race. If you see an overtake, you don't need a commentator to tell you about it.
"Turn the volume down on the television and those are the images you see. We know that people go to bars and watch football and the volume is turned down, so what you are watching on screen is what compels you to decide if it is exciting or not. Lap times themselves, you don't understand that on a screen."
Williams technical chief Pat Symonds recently said the regulation changes pushed back to 2018, saying the current proposals "feel a little bit rushed".