Verstappen enthusiastic: The overtaking maneuver, the Piatri shocked!

Verstappen enthusiastic: The overtaking maneuver, the Piatri shocked!

Imola, Italien - Max Verstappen reflected on his impressive overtaking maneuver against Oscar Piatri at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. In a post-race interview, he said that he was amazed at the scene he had looked at again. "I laughed in the helmet during the overtaking maneuver, it was a nice thing," said Verstappen. This maneuver took place in front of the Tamburello chicane, whereby Piatri, who started in the pole position at the beginning of the race, braked surprisingly early, which gave Verstappen the opportunity to pass both Piatri and George Russell. Russell was in the third position and rank with the frustration not to prevent the overtaking maneuver in time, since he stayed behind both drivers.

Verstappen analyzed the action and found that Piatri was focusing on his concentration on Russell, which impaired his position during the first combination of curve. Piatri himself stated that a later braking could have prevented the maneuver, but was unsure whether he would ultimately won the race, since Red Bull also showed a strong pace. He emphasized that the differences in the race were very small and Verstappen had always presented a danger. This indicates that in Formula 1 small strategic misjudgments can be decisive, as was the case with this overtaking maneuver. Krone reports that for the next races, especially in Monaco, less such overtaking can be expected.

overtaking statistics in Formula 1

The discussion about overtaking maneuvers in Formula 1 is closely related to the Aero rules that have been introduced since 2022, which were developed by a team of technology under Ross Brawn and Pat Sympe's to solve the overtaking problem. A central goal of these regulatory changes was to reduce the "dirty-air effect" and thus make it easier to drive behind. The introduction of ground effect cars should ensure that the air is swirls upwards, which should make it easier to overtake Motorline .

In the 2024 Formula 1 season, there were a total of 502 overtaking maneuvers in 14 races, which corresponds to an average of 35.9 overhaul per race. Compared to previous years, however, the figures show a decline: in 2022 the average was 41.6 overhaul per race, while this was 42.6 in 2023. These are significant declines and raise questions about the effectiveness of the new rules. One reason for this development could be the larger pace differences between the teams and the aerodynamic properties of the old cars, which were more effective for overtaking processes. This becomes particularly clear if you use the qualifying distance between the teams of 3.64 seconds in 2017 and only 2.14 seconds in 2022.

The overtaking statistics is an important indicator of the attractiveness of the race and the competitiveness of the team. The new LAS Vegas route came closer to the goal in a race with 99 overtaking processes, while Monaco is considered the most overtaking with only 12.0 overtaking maneuvers per race. Here it becomes clear that not every course offers the same opportunities for overtaking maneuvers, which strongly influences the strategy and style of play of the driver.

Currently, the attention of fans and analysts remains directed at how the overtaking opportunities will develop in the upcoming races and which tactics the drivers will apply to defend or win their positions.