The 2024 Saudi Arabia GP had 25 Overtakes. 17 of these were shown in the live broadcast. Bearman on his debut did the most overtakes this race with 4. This race was the lowest ever total at Jeddah. Previous totals are as follows:

• 2021 – 27 Overtakes
• 2022 – 32 Overtakes
• 2023 – 36 Overtakes
• 2024 – 25 Overtakes

2024 Saudi Arabia GP Overtakes

• Lap 2 Piastri overtook Alonso for P 4
• Lap 2 Tsunoda overtook Stroll for P 9
• Lap 2 Stroll overtook Tsunoda for P 9
• Lap 4 Perez overtook Leclerc for P 2
• Lap 10 Bearman overtook Tsunoda for P 11
• Lap 10 Ocon overtook Albon for P 14
• Lap 13 Verstappen overtook Norris for P 1
• Lap 13 Perez overtook Hamilton for P 3
• Lap 14 Russell overtook Hulkenberg for P 8
• Lap 14 Bearman overtook Zhou for P 10
• Lap 15 Leclerc overtook Hamilton for P 4
• Lap 16 Sargeant overtook Bottas for P 16
• Lap 18 Perez overtook Norris for P 2
• Lap 18 Bearman overtook Hulkenberg for P 9
• Lap 19 Hulkenberg overtook Bearman for P 9
• Lap 21 Bearman overtook Hulkenberg for P 9
• Lap 24 Ricciardo overtook Bottas for P 17
• Lap 25 Tsunoda overtook Magnussen for P 12
• Lap 25 Magnussen overtook Tsunoda for P 12
• Lap 27 Leclerc overtook Norris for P 3
• Lap 29 Tsunoda overtook Magnussen for P 12
• Lap 29 Magnussen overtook Tsunoda for P 12
• Lap 29 Ocon overtook Tsunoda for P 13
• Lap 33 Albon overtook Tsunoda for P 14
• Lap 43 Albon overtook Ocon for P 12

Some Stats

• Bearman did the most overtakes with 4, followed by Perez and Tsunoda both with 3
• Tsunoda was the most overtaken driver being passed on 6 occasions.
• Leclerc/Perez/Tsunoda have done the most overtakes this season all with 5.
• Alonso is the most overtaken driver this season with 9 followed by Tsunoda with 7.
• Gasly is the only driver yet to make a single overtake this season.
• Verstappen/Perez/Sainz/Sargeant are the only drivers not to be overtaken this season.
• 20 Overtakes were at Turn 1. 1 Overtake were at Turn 2. 1 at Turn 4. 1 at Turn 5 and 2 at Turn 27.

Quick Analysis

The Saudi Arabian GP was a very sedate affair at the front. Most of the action came from Norris/Hamilton/Hulkenberg/Zhou not pitting under the safety car and falling back through the field as well as Magnussen’s impressive blockade in the lower midfield. Of the 25 overtakes in this race 18 of them can be attributed to these reasons. Without the safety car there could have been an extremely low amount of overtakes. Jeddah always struggles for high amounts of overtakes due to low tire wear making a one stop the only viable strategy so overtaking situations don’t develop as much as other circuits. This is despite the circuit not being too difficult to overtake on. The DRS on the main straight is too powerful in my opinion and discourages drivers from making moves at Turn 27 which should see much more overtakes. An additional DRS zone on the short straight into Turn 13 might be a good idea. With the racing this year being so poor, particularly at the front. I think F1 may need to consider some more radical ideas to improve things. Maybe trying the tyre rules from Qatar 2023 at a circuit much better than Qatar might be an idea.

Rules

Only on track passes for position count (Positions gained due to cars pitting/ off track or spun/ major reliability issues do not count)

Likewise lapping and unlapping do not count as overtakes

Overtakes on Lap 1 do not count (See FAQ’s section for a detailed explanation)

Remember Overtaking data is just interesting data. It largely tells you how easy overtaking is in a given race not how entertaining the race is. Generally races with more overtaking are more entertaining but this is definitely not a rule. Baku 2016 had 80 overtakes and was a very dull race, Japan 2005 had 15 overtakes and was one of the best races ever.

Please see the rules and FAQ’s sections for more info on how this data is put together.