xpb Formula 1 overtaking statistics (exclusive)
27.08.2012
B two years ago overtaking maneuvers were in short supply. There were races where you could read position shifts on the racetrack on the fingers of one hand. That didn't bother the hardcore fans. The majority of the audience, on the other hand, does. The Formula 1 masterminds saw a need for action. Pirelli, consciously or unconsciously, built short-lived tires. And the FIA introduced the adjustable rear wing, or DRS for short.
FIA adjusts DRS zones again
Since then, the overtaking maneuvers have been going uphill. So much so that in 2011 it was almost too much for some Formula 1 spectators. The DRS aid in particular often made the defender defenseless. The attacker drove past as if his opponent was parking.
But after a year with the new aid, the FIA officials have learned. There were stretches where you went too far with the DRS advantage and some where the overtaking zone was too short. It was reacted to. The current number of DRS maneuvers promptly decreased. And the normal shift in space increased. Just as it should be.
Overtaking statistics: Fewer DRS maneuvers than in 2011
auto motor und sport has the exclusive half-time record, determined by the Mercedes statisticians. The first ten races of the season are compared. From the Australian GP to the German GP. The results are interesting results.
In 2011 there were exactly 441 overtaking maneuvers from the second lap of the race. 194 with the help of DRS, 247 without DRS. In addition, there are 315 position changes in the starting lap. This year, the data analysis in the first ten Grand Prix showed 419 overtaking maneuvers from lap two. 165 with DRS, 254 without. The first lap was overtaken 278 times.
This means that a total of 22 fewer overtaking maneuvers were registered than in the previous year. The DRS maneuvers decreased by 29, expressed as a percentage by 15 percent. The real overtaking maneuvers increased by seven. That's three percent. The first round is a bit more civilized this season. From the start to crossing the finish line for the first time, there were 37 times less overtaking.
Read on Wednesday (29.8.) In part 2 of our overtaking statistics: Which driver overtakes the most?
In our picture gallery we have once again collected the best overtaking maneuvers in F1 history.
