It is clear that outside influences are behind this record, i.e. the rain that descended on the circuit in Zandvoort at the very beginning and at the end. And which significantly scattered the tactical plans of individual teams and they had to suddenly resort to different strategies. Someone decided to change dry tires already after the first lap, others procrastinated, which is also why the record 63 overtakings were born in the third lap. The maximum so far was 45 from the European Grand Prix in 2007.
That you don’t believe it too much, because it wasn’t that wild on TV? Then know that out of a total of 186 previews, the director offered only 59, i.e. two thirds remained “hidden” to the audience.
However, it must be said that Formula 1 itself or the International Automobile Federation FIA do not keep any official statistics regarding overtaking maneuvers. However, there is a large connoisseur community that deals with these numbers and offers the exact numbers of all races since 1984. They even have their own rules, so for example, only overtaking in flying laps is included in the statistics, i.e. not those in the opening lap after the start.
If it were otherwise, then Sunday’s number, perhaps thanks to Fernando Alonso’s attack, will head for the 200, after all, in the third corner (knopper) he overtook two saps with skillful tactics.
But back to the stats. What are they saying? That it was really a bit boring in the second half of the 90s and the beginning of the new millennium. For example, the 1996 season offered a total of only 212 overtaking maneuvers, and two years later only five more. History also knows three races where there was not a single overtaking (San Marino 1994, Monaco 2003 and USA 2005), although San Marino was marked by Ayrton Senna’s tragic accident, America, for a change, by a tire affair, when only six drivers entered the race. And also for that reason, the year 2005 brought together only 246 overtakes.
When comparing the individual seasons, it is also evident that the introduction of the DRS system worked. Since 2011, the number of overtakings has increased significantly, although many of its opponents consider it an artificial and unfair means. The 2011 season also has a record number of 1,249 overtakings.
However, on the weekend in the Netherlands, it was possible without him. In the beginning and on the wet track, the race directorate was not activated and the overtaking records were still falling.
