The second part of our feature on thirty years of outstanding overtaking.
Today’s memorable moments include inspired ‘double passes’ by Jean Alesi and Alain Prost, a pair of cracking moves from the infamous 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, and an unlikely move by Damon Hill.
40. Jean Alesi vs Rubens Barrichello and Alexander Wurz, Spa-Francorchamps, 1999
An inspired Jean Alesi passes both Rubens Barrichello and Alex Wurz on the outside on the approach to Les Combes at Spa-Francorchamps.
Clip @ 0m 42s
39. Damon Hill vs Michael Schumacher, Hungaroring, 1997
Damon Hill didn’t make too many overtaking attempts on Michael Schumacher that didn;t end up with the pair of them in a gravel trap. This was one of his better efforts, capitalising on Schumacher’s blistering Goodyear tyres to thrust his Bridgestone-shod Arrows into the lead.
Clip @ 3m 29s
38. Giancarlo Fisichella vs Jacques Villeneuve, Monte-Carlo 2006
At Monaco, overtaking is damn-near impossible. But very occasionally necessity proves the mother of invention, as Giancarlo Fisichella proved with this peach of a pass on Jacques Villeneuve.
37. Nick Heidfeld vs Fernando Alonso, Monte-Carlo, 2005
Fisichella must have been paying attention the previous season when Heidfeld pulled the move off against Fisichella’s team-mate Fernando Alonso. Heidfeld judged the move to perfection, darting down the inside without running on over the chicane. When Heidfeld’s team mate Mark Webber tried the trick a few laps later, he went bumping over the kerbs and had to try again.
36. Rubens Barrichello vs Kimi Raikkonen, Silverstone, 2003
A string of unlikely incidents conspired to make the 2003 British Grand Prix an overtaking-fest. Barrichello capped a fantastic drive with this sensational move on Kimi Raikkonen, drawing the Finn off-line at the Abbey chicane before diving past at Bridge as his rival ran wide.
Clip @ 2m 28s
35. Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost, Donington Park, 1993
On Ayrton Senna’s mesmerising first lap of the 1993 European grand Prix he pulled off four passing moves and this was, perhaps, the most straightforward of them all – certainly compared to his daunting around-the-outside sweep past Karl Wendlinger.
But this was all the more special because he had not only passed but humiliated his great nemesis Alain Prost.
34. Alain Prost vs Jean Alesi and Nelson Piquet, Pheonix, 1991
This was probably the only highlight of Prost’s miserable 1991 campaign. In a deft move he wriggled past Nelson Piquet and team mate Alesi down the straight at the Pheonix street circuit in America.
Watch how he hangs behind Piquet, gently nosing the car out between the Benetton and sister Ferrari. Inspired.
33. Ayrton Senna vs Niki Lauda, Monte-Carlo, 1984
Through the flooded streets of Monte-Carlo in 1984, a young Ayrton Senna turned down the boost on his Toleman-Hart and went for it. His stature grew by the lap as he picked off the likes of eventual three-time champion Niki Lauda, skating around the outside at Ste Devote.
32. Stefan Bellof vs Rene Arnoux, Monte-Carlo, 1984
Further behind Senna, but getting closer, was a young German named Stefan Bellof. The Tyrrell he was driving didn’t even have a turbo to begin with, and its normally-aspirated Cosworth proved much more drivable around the street circuit. He too was embarrassing the established leaders of the sport including Rene Arnoux, whom he muscled past at Mirabeau.
While Senna went on to win three championships, Bellof was tragically killed in 1985 during a sportscar race, trying to pass a rival around the outside of the fearsome Eau Rouge…
31. Ivan Capelli vs Ayrton Senna, Jerez, 1988
(No video available – please post a comment if you find one)
Senna had his first championship in sight in the latter stages of 1988, but during the Spanish Grand Prix found his McLaren-Honda unusually vulnerable. Ivan Capelli was revelling in a Leyton House chassis refined by emerging aerodynamics guru Adrian Newey, and poked past Senna at the hairpin to move into second.
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Related links
- Video: Top 50 F1 Passes part I
- 100 Greatest F1 videos parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
- F1 Videos
Tags: f1 / formula one / grand prix / motor sport / youtube
James B
16th January 2007, 18:26
Bad commentating from James Allen on number 36.