Overtaking FAQs
Why is the first lap not included?
In short it would misrepresent the total figure for the race.
When I first started recording overtaking data (In about 2018) it was very much the established thing not to include Lap 1. When F1 started doing their own (very bad) data midway through 2021 they did include Lap 1 which caused a lot of confusion.
I’d say an overtake at the start and during the rest of the race are very different things. At the start all the cars are bunched up together and overtaking is characteristically very different to the rest of the race. When using overtaking data to compare different era’s in F1 counting lap 1 is not very useful. As an example Russia 2017 is well regarded as a race that had 0 overtakes, if you included lap 1 there may be 20 overtakes. That gives an extremely misleading picture of what overtaking was like during the race.
Not including the rest of the first lap after the first couple corners may seem pretty harsh and I have strongly considered counting it in the past. But from a practical perspective I find it’s most sensible to start counting overtakes from the start/finish line at the start of the 2nd lap. Calculating overtakes on the first lap takes a really long time, cars are jostling and changing positions all the time. It’s not just a simple calculation of starting grid position and end of first lap position, (I did it once and it took me longer than the rest of the race). Also when trying to keep data consistent with the 80’s and 90’s, where you don’t have the sector by sector data or additional camera views, it again just makes more sense to start counting from the start of the second lap.
Why do some overtakes not have turn data?
I’ll only note the turn data if I am certain what corner the overtake happened on. I’ll always note what turn it is if its been shown in the live broadcast, If it’s obvious (camera picks up cars just after turn 1 having changed position means the overtake must have happened at Turn 1) or I have gone through the onboard feeds this is quite time consuming so is not up to date for every single race. With races before 2019 you are limited to what is shown on TV as there is no onboard footage available.
Do passes in the pit lane count?
Passes because of pit stops themselves do not count. However, passes in the pit lane entry and exit can do. For example, Vettel’s memorable double overtake in the pit lane entry in China 2016
Is there data before 1984?
I will hopefully get all races back to 1950 done when I have time. I currently have basic data from 1975 to 1983 which has yet to be cross referenced with the TV broadcast. Prior to 1980 there weren’t TV broadcasts for every race anyway so will likely have to accept that limitation to the accuracy of the data anyway.
Would bringing back refueling improve overtaking?
All evidence shows that the refueling era from 1994 to 2009 was the worst era in F1 history for overtaking. Contrary to the common view that refueling was banned for safety reasons it was in fact banned for cost reasons and to try and improve overtaking. It is true that this era did not benefit from DRS or high degrading Pirelli tyres but neither did 2010 and that season performed better despite extremely durable very conservative tyres. The big problem with refueling is that it biases to the overcut effect during pit stops. This means drivers get the double benefit of making the overcut because of a lighter car and then having fresher tyres as well. Without refueling if a driver has been undercut they will then at least have fresher tyres to try and catch up the car ahead. Another problem with reintroducing refueling is that the hybrid cars are much more fuel efficient. This means that there is less of a weight delta to justify making multiple pit stops. A very rigid 1 stop strategy would be very likely for most races which doesn’t sound all that entertaining. A one off race with refueling might be interesting but committing to an entire season probably won’t be a good idea.
How do you calculate overtakes?
Lap charts and pit stop data are used to create an initial list of all position changes in a race that have not happened because of pit stops. Afterwards the race is re-watched and corrections are made to the list of overtakes. This will mean adding overtakes that occur on drivers inlaps and outlaps as well as when drivers pass and repass each other on the same lap. Also removing passes that do not count such as team orders, drivers going off track etc… Onboard footage will be used to make sure the data is as accurate as possible.
Do drivers passing each other multiple times in a lap count?
Yes but the car has to be fully ahead (even briefly) for it to count. Situations like Leclerc/Verstappen in Bahrain 2022 count as two overtakes as Verstappen’s full car was ahead. Simply being alongside is not enough to count.
Does lapping and underlapping count?
They do not. Only passes for position count.
Do you have data for DRS and non-DRS overtakes?
I do not keep data for this. It would not be all that helpful anyway as the DRS zones are almost always put in the easiest areas to overtake so the data will heavily bias towards DRS overtakes. Also drivers will wait for the DRS zones for an easier overtake rather than taking the risk in other areas.
Why are some overtakes included despite a driver going off track or spinning?
If the move is effectively done I will still count it even if the driver crashes let alone goes slightly wide. By ‘effectively done’ I mean if the overtake only happens because the overtaken driver went wide/spun/crashed it would not count. There is naturally a degree of subjectivity to this and you’ll never get it perfectly right.
Have the 2022 regulation changes improved overtaking?
At the moment it looks like it’s only improved overtaking marginally. The biggest problem is that it’s reduced the slipstream effect which has offset the gains made by cars being more able to follow through corners. Some may have had unrealistic expectations which will have left them disappointed you’re never going to get Moto3 style racing from F1 cars.
Does more overtakes mean more entertaining races?
Overtaking data can show whether overtaking is easier or harder but not if it’s more/less entertaining. What is entertaining is subjective so overtaking data can at best only show a correlation. I’d say a race that has more overtakes has more potential for entertaining racing as there are simply more interactions between drivers during the race. There will always be outliers to that eg. Baku 2016 had 80 overtakes and was very dull, Imola 2005 had hardly any and was a very entertaining race. Ultimately Overtaking data is like many stats just interesting data.
Do team orders count?
Team orders do not count. However, there are occasions where some subjectivity needs to be applied. Firstly, if the team order is not very explicit. For example, in Baku 2022 Perez was told not to fight Verstappen. I interpreted that as, ‘do not deliberately slow down and let Verstappen past’ but ‘let the overtake happen when Verstappen is ready’, I counted this as an overtake. Secondly if the driver does not obey the team order, for example Bottas and Hamilton in Spain 2021. Thirdly if the overtaken driver is so relatively slow (due to tyre wear etc…) that a genuine overtake happens anyway despite the order being given. I will check onboard footage and look out for drivers lifting off on the straight etc… For races further back in time where we don’t have the benefit of team radio and onboards footage if it looks like a genuine move, I’ll count it if it looks like a yield I won’t count it.
What counts as a major reliability issue?
Passes made on cars with major reliability issues do not count. That gives the question ‘what counts as a major reliability issue’. As a rule of thumb I use a ‘slower than an HRT rule’. So if a car has an issue that makes them slower than a theoretical HRT car would be I would stop counting passes made on it. In the 1980’s and earlier managing a mechanical issue was seen as much more of a part of F1 and I’d allow for a much larger window before a reliability issue is considered major. For those who don’t know, HRT were a very slow team who competed in F1 between 2010-12.
Are the cars too wide to overtake?
Not really. The 20cm difference between the 2016 and 2017 cars is not enough to wildly affect the racing. Most seasons with 2 meter wide cars have had similar if not greater amounts of overtaking to 2014 and 2015 which had 1.8m wide cars. 2016 is a bit of an outlier as there were very high overtaking numbers as teams got used to the 3 tyre rule. 2017 saw significantly reduced overtaking however very conservative tyres and the other aero changes likely had a much larger contribution to the decrease in overtakes. This is evidenced by the fact that overtaking has increased in future seasons as tyres have got softer and aero rules have changed despite the width staying the same. I’ll believe wider cars have had an effect at Monaco, but changing the rules to suit one very bizarre circuit would not be the best move.
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