Then 2nd can only really overtake first if first gets coins as an item or hit with a blue shell. It's tricky, because you generally can't just outrace someone.
Personally I think the penalty for getting hit should be reduced to two coins. Losing three coins just feels overly punishing to me. They can be extremely hard to come by if you aren't in the top 3. Getting hit twice in a row and having to build up 6 coins again, especially if you aren't already maxed out, is incredibly demoralizing. Especially since you lost position too.
Also, voice chat on/off should absolutely be a tournament option.
Triple/single mushrooms still seem fairly common which can ideally help the most, though the issue with that is it's not nearly as useful across the board as some stages don't have good opportunities to really cut corners and close gaps. Not to mention being defenseless to someone behind you. Some of the newer items which would help here like the boomerang and piranha which eat through items, but they do seem infrequent around that placement.
I do see it from that angle though, as 1st can already turtle up a lot more now...and I can imagine trying to actually balance this crazy stuff is a nightmare, but something about it just feels brutally unfair in a way the blue shells haven't to me. With the changes to the items it's easily the strongest weapon in the game, since even with the blue shell slayer you're only stopping a single shell and are wide open to a double hit(which is more often than not dumping you multiple spots back even with a sizeable lead, or maybe even a straight triple hit if you do have a coin). Not to mention the sheer threat of the defensive wall if you're in third and the guy in second refuses to shoot them until later.
I really doubt they're going to mess with that kind of stuff anyway, but that shit gets me salty as hell.
And yeah, voice stuff would be nice. Or, like, any options in general for the game.