Top ten overtakes of 2011: Vote for Pass of the Year

2011 F1 season review

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Adrian Sutil, Jaime Alguersuari, Interlagos, 2011

It’s been a bumper season for overtaking in F1 and almost 50 different moves were nominated by F1 Fanatic readers as Pass of the Year.

They’ve been whittled down to a shortlist of the best ten passes.

But which was the best of all? And who was the star overtaker of 2011? Compare them all and cast your vote below.

Lewis Hamilton on Jenson Button, Chinese Grand Prix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yZdn983VTw

The only pass between team mates on the list – Lewis Hamilton putting one over Jenson Button in turn one at Shanghai.

Lewis Hamilton on Sebastian Vettel, Chinese Grand Prix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOpwajQciPc

Another pass from the same driver in the same race. This one sealed Hamilton’s first win of the year in the dying stages of the Chinese Grand Prix. A long final stint and a malfunctioning KERS had left Sebastian Vettel vulnerable.

Michael Schumacher on Lewis Hamilton, Monaco Grand Prix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=587_VMPgIo0#t=0m41s

Michael Schumacher made an opportunistic move on Hamilton at Loews hairpin on the first lap at Monaco. Hamilton was rather more accommodating than Felipe Massa was when Hamilton tried a similar move later in the race.

Michael Schumacher on Felipe Massa and Kamui Kobayashi, Canadian Grand Prix

Massa was delayed by Kamui Kobayashi on lap 51 at Montreal and Schumacher took advantage, passing the pair of them for second place.

Lewis Hamilton on Fernando Alonso, German Grand Prix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBPLXes3PM0

Another pass by Hamilton that set him on course victory. This one came moments after he had just rebuffed a similar attempt at a pass by Mark Webber.

Mark Webber on Fernando Alonso, Belgian Grand Prix

A committed pass by Webber at one of the fastest and most dangerous corners in F1. Here’s another angle on the pass shot by a fan:

Sebastian Vettel on Nico Rosberg, Belgian Grand Prix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs37bM6AnHc

It’s not often you see a pass around the outside at Blanchimont but Vettel pulled it off when he came out of the pits behind Nico Rosberg during the Belgian Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel on Fernando Alonso, Italian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso made one of his trademark superb starts to claim the lead at Monza. But Vettel wouldn’t be denied victory and when he tried to pass Alonso he bravely kept his foot in despite being edged onto the grass by the Ferrari driver on the outside of the flat-out Curva Grande.

Mark Webber on Fernando Alonso, Singapore Grand Prix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfKqv4whJqI#t=1m01s

When Alonso’s tyres went off in Singapore Webber did not hesitate and pounced to take the position.

Fernando Alonso on Jenson Button, Brazilian Grand Prix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnbI4BTbycc

Alonso put Button under pressure throughout the first stint in Brazil and tried a move on the outside of Ferradura. He pulled it off as Button backed out to avoid running over debris.

Honourable mentions

The following passes all received more than one nomination but did not make the final ten:

  • Jenson Button on Rosberg in Turkey, Vettel and Webber (separately) in Canada, and Hamilton and Schumacher (separately) in Italy.
  • Lewis Hamilton on Alonso in Britain, Schumacher in Monaco and Webber in Germany and Korea.
  • Felipe Massa on Webber and Button in Korea, and Kobayashi in Canada.
  • Sebastian Vettel on Hamilton in Korea and Button in Australia.
  • Adrian Sutil on Kobayashi in Japan.
  • Rubens Barrichello on Schumacher in Monaco.
  • Fernando Alonso on Vettel in Germany and Spain (at the start) and Kobayashi in Australia.
  • Kamui Kobayashi on Ricciardo and Liuzzi in Abu Dhabi.
  • Nick Heidfeld on Perez in Valencia.

Vote for the best pass of 2011

What was the best pass of the year? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.

Which was the best overtaking move of 2011?

  • Fernando Alonso on Jenson Button, Brazilian Grand Prix (8%)
  • Mark Webber on Fernando Alonso, Singapore Grand Prix (1%)
  • Sebastian Vettel on Fernando Alonso, Italian Grand Prix (20%)
  • Sebastian Vettel on Nico Rosberg, Belgian Grand Prix (3%)
  • Mark Webber on Fernando Alonso, Belgian Grand Prix (46%)
  • Lewis Hamilton on Fernando Alonso, German Grand Prix (9%)
  • Michael Schumacher on Felipe Massa and Kamui Kobayashi, Canadian Grand Prix (7%)
  • Michael Schumacher on Lewis Hamilton, Monaco Grand Prix (3%)
  • Lewis Hamilton on Sebastian Vettel, Chinese Grand Prix (1%)
  • Lewis Hamilton on Jenson Button, Chinese Grand Prix (2%)

Total Voters: 656

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Vote for the best overtaker of 2011

Which driver made the best overtaking moves throughout 2011? Cast your vote and leave a comment below.

Which driver was the best overtaker of 2011?

  • Pedro de la Rosa (0%)
  • Nick Heidfeld (0%)
  • Karun Chandhok (0%)
  • Narain Karthikeyan (0%)
  • Jerome d'Ambrosio (0%)
  • Timo Glock (0%)
  • Vitantonio Liuzzi (0%)
  • Daniel Ricciardo (0%)
  • Jarno Trulli (0%)
  • Heikki Kovalainen (0%)
  • Jaime Alguersuari (0%)
  • Sebastien Buemi (1%)
  • Sergio Perez (0%)
  • Kamui Kobayashi (1%)
  • Paul di Resta (0%)
  • Adrian Sutil (0%)
  • Pastor Maldonado (0%)
  • Rubens Barrichello (0%)
  • Vitaly Petrov (0%)
  • Bruno Senna (0%)
  • Nico Rosberg (0%)
  • Michael Schumacher (16%)
  • Felipe Massa (0%)
  • Fernando Alonso (9%)
  • Jenson Button (29%)
  • Lewis Hamilton (20%)
  • Mark Webber (17%)
  • Sebastian Vettel (5%)

Total Voters: 593

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Previous winners

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Image © Red Bull/Getty images

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238 comments on “Top ten overtakes of 2011: Vote for Pass of the Year”

  1. Mark on Fernando and Jenson Button for me

    1. SennaNmbr1 (@)
      4th December 2011, 15:49

      Ditto.

    2. Ditto the ditto

      1. the same…:)

        1. Trenthamfolk (@)
          6th December 2011, 19:36

          Fernando has impressed me this season… His overtakes have been a pleasure to watch, but it’s Webber on Alonso & Button for me too :-)

    3. Alonso got my vote for best overtaker of the year due to his first lap overtakes. He may not have the best single overtake, but the ones on the first lap were magical – and so many of them.

    4. also the first combination that came to my head;)
      I was also considering ALO for his first lap moves.

      1. Alonso definitely wins due to his amazing moves past Massa throughout the year! So consistent!

  2. Tough to decide between Webber on Alonso at Spa or Vettel on Alonso at Spa. Both were fairly nuts and could’ve caused catastrophic accidents! I went for Vettel, just.

    1. Same here. Hard to choose between the two passes, but I felt more excited seeing that pass by Vettel, seemingly endlessly accelerating on the outside up onto the grass. Was very close though.

      Jenson Button is my overtaker of the season. Can’t figure out how Hamilton got so high up on the board. The start was nice, but he mucked it up way too often later on in the season.

      1. You can’t figure out why Hamilton got so high on the board, what have you been doing all these years then i wonder, Hamilton has the most sickest overtake then anybody on the field and you can’t understand why he is so high on the board

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu5SMHpkSe8

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH7Kk37-53Q

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6W9HS6PEHg&feature=related

        Have a look why he is so high on the board, try to find this many overtakes on youtube of any other driver

        1. Two of those are from 2009! And the other one’s from February. This thread is supposed to be about performance in the current season.

          This season, everyone would acknowledge, has been Hamilton’s worst in F1. The reason for that is that he’s misjudged his overtaking moves and put himself out of races.

          When you’re so bad at executing an overtake that it ruins your season, you are probably not the best in the world.

          1. By my count which i consider to be the only accurate one hamilton has misjudged about 3 moves all year. The stuff that happened at monaco especially was (use your imagination). Check out michaels overtake at monaco there was room.

            “This season, everyone would acknowledge, has been Hamilton’s worst in F1.”

            What i would say about hamilton this year is that he has been abused by many of the drivers the stewards and the media for doing his job. Ayrton would be turning in his grave if he could see the sorry stewarding going on these days. If you think every penalty this year was correct then it’s clear that watching racing is not why you watch f1.

          2. He’s been trying to do his job, I won’t disagree with that. But the execution of his job this season, would not have made Aryton proud.

          3. @TheBrav3

            By my count which i consider to be the only accurate one

            Really, it’s this kind of arrogance that gets me annoyed at the United Church of Hamilton.

            Hamilton has made mistakes, Senna has made mistakes, Prost has made mistakes, Schumacher has made mistakes, Alonso has made mistakes and I’m sure that in years to come, Vettel and Button will make mistakes..

            Hamilton has had a bad year this year, reflecting in his driving, the number of incidents he’s been on the wrong side of, and the fact that this year is the first year his team-mate has beaten him outright. I hope as much as anyone that Hamilton will find his form like we saw at China, Hungary and Germany this year, and he’ll come back having a better year.

            No-one can deny how fast Lewis is, but he’s got too much wrong this year..

        2. If you attempt enough overtakes, you’re bound to get some right.
          /Sarcasm
          To a few of the blinder fans of the heir of Senna on here (guccio), Hamilton has had a terrible season, overtaking wise. You can’t just reward a driver if he makes plenty of moves and some work and some don’t. Knowing when to make your move is why Button is getting such high regard this year, and Webber and Alonso have been known for their superb racecraft. This year, aggression simply hasn’t worked for Lewis.
          Oh and as far as the voting goes – Webber on Alonso at Spa as move of the season, just edging Vettel on Alonso.
          Tie between Mark and Jenson as overtaker of the year.

          1. You also have to take into account massa turning into hamilton at any attempted overtake.

            Monaco being a perfect example.

          2. Hamilton second on the list what a joke.

            I think it it right choice the Button is first, Webber should be second and Schumacher would be third for me. Hamilton should be last (ok maybe not last but you get my point).

  3. Fernando on Jenson and Button as overtaker of the year

    1. Alonso put Button under pressure throughout the first stint in Brazil and tried a move on the outside of Ferradura. He pulled it off as Button backed out to avoid running over debris.

      For me, the description says exactly why this shouldn’t be the best overtake. It was very good, but as it required Button massively backing out due to circumstance I do not think it should be the best.

      1. Trenthamfolk (@)
        6th December 2011, 19:39

        It ‘looked’ like a stunning overtake until we understood the circumstance under which it happened… It’s all good viewing though…

      2. Choup-a-Charc
        7th December 2011, 17:48

        debris my a**, excuses of a bad loser

    2. you got my vote mate

  4. this was tough. It was very close between webber on alonso at spa and vettel on alonso at monza. In the end I went for vettel just because it came at a time when every one was question his ability to overtake, including me, but he showed real bravery to stick that move. Even after getting his wheels on the grass he kept his foot in. And I went for hamilton for best overtaker.

  5. Can’t choose, hands down. :D Gonna analyse them from quite a lot of aspects to decide. (Relative strength of the package, environment, lack of space and/or bravery, mistakes by any or both of them.)

  6. The first 2 Hamilton passes do not deserve to be on the list.
    On the first one Button let him pass and on the second one Vettel’s tyres were gone. Both passed drivers did/could not put up any oposition.

    1. I didn’t really think Hamilton’s overtake on Fernando was that impressive either. Fernando had to enter the 1st corner off the racing line due to the pit lane exit, which setup him up poorly for the next corner on cold tyres.

      The most impressive overtakes for me were –
      1) Vettel on Rosberg (Spa)
      2) Vettel on Alonso (Monza)
      3) Alonso on Button (Brazil)

      Best overtaker of the year – Alonso

      1. @ todfod, you are really retard if you put these wack overtakes 1) Vettel on Rosberg (Spa)
        2) Vettel on Alonso (Monza)
        3) Alonso on Button (Brazil)

        above hamilton overtake on Alonso! really

        1. @Guccio, you really dont understand F1 if you think a Ferrari on ice hold tyres, on the wrong line, is going to be extremely skilful to pass. Its like trying to pass an HTR.

        2. Wow that’s very mature.

      2. I’ve got to admit, if this was 2010, I wouldn’t have dreamed that Vettel could race as well as he has this year; his pass on Button at Australia was awesome, as was his passes on Alonso at Monza, and his pass on Rosberg at Spa.
        I am a Vettel fan, but still, I wasn’t expecting this ability to pass other cars, due to his inability to pass last year.

    2. That’s not where the topic is about

    3. @pejte
      So, Button “Let” Hamilton pass? As opposed to what, crashing into him? Flawless logic, my friend. By that definition, Mark Webber passing Fernando Alonso at Eau Rouge shouldn’t be on this list because Fernando didn’t crash into Webber. Everyone at the time, including announcers on both Speed and the BBC, were pretty impressed and astounded by both Hamilton’s audacity and Button’s intelligence. That, in effect, is what passing is all about- one driver being brave enough to go for it, and the other being smart enough to recognize this and combat it with a smart, but fair, defense. And, while Hamilton’s pass on Vettel wasn’t spectacular in itself, it was a pretty momentous and exciting pass, considering the circumstances. The first time in the season someone had passed Vettel, and for the win, nonetheless.

      1. You are right, my logic is flawed.

        /me knows better than to argue with a Hamilton fan :>

        1. To be fair, that move has impressed me looking back on it. Hamilton clearly caught Button by surprise and it relied on Button not pulling a Massa. He fired down the inside. It was better than I remember it. I agree that the pass on Vettel, although nice, wasn’t incredible due to Vettel’s shot tyres.

          1. I’m going to be a bit careful here but I would say that if Senna was driving now he would probably have as many accidents as Hamilton. The problem is that he sticks his car into gaps that people aren’t expecting… Which works with some people especially old karting foes and top class drivers but doesn’t with Massa…

            Anyway the Button pass was superb but the best was probably Webber on Alonso.

            On the other hand the best RACING of the year was Hamilton and Webber in Korea.

    4. Almost every overtake in this season was because of the tyres. Vettel can defend his place by only his supercar. The other drivers should use their talent and the opposite tyres. Hamilton ovetake Vettel because he is, far away, best overtaker and he beats a car far away better than his. So, the Vettels “tyre problem” is not even a clue.

      1. @silverarrowstefbill – You’ve absolutely missed the point. He was saying that the passes weren’t impressive because the drivers chose not to/couldn’t put up a fight. Although I kind of disagree with him about the passes not being good, it’s very obvious that Vettel’s car wasn’t “far and away” better than Hamilton’s car at that point in the race.

      2. @SilverArrowStefBill I
        Disagree: at Spain, he held hamilton at bay despite hamilton being clearly faster than the Red Bull

  7. Lewis on Vettel at China shouldn’t be on the list. It was such a boring move, plus the difference between the two cars was enormous at that point of the race!

    1. By that same definiton, the Vettel on Rosberg one shouldn’t be on it either right?

      1. no, because it was on the outside, in a very fast corner.

        This one was a lot different, Vettel didn’t even defend… Hamilton beat him on traction alone.

        1. but the difference between the cars was far far far bigger

        2. This one was a lot different, Vettel didn’t even defend… Hamilton beat him on traction alone.

          not strictly true, it was a clever use of KERS to pass a car in an unheard of place.

          1. no it wasn’t. Vettel was stuggling everywhere, Hamilton was miles faster and Vettel didn’t even defend.

          2. In both cases, the car passed because they could. There was no (sane) defense that could stop it.

            I don’t think they resemble the most impressive passes.

          3. Hamilton took a different line allowing him to use his greater traction rather than being in the slipstream. Hence skill.

            Webber vs Alonso in Spa
            Honourable mention: Webber vs Alonso in Singapore
            Honourable mention: Alonso vs Button in Brazil

            Best overtaker this year was Webber.
            Malaysia – 10th to 4th
            China – 18th to 3rd
            Singapore – as above
            Spa – as above

      2. COME ON KUBICA
        22nd December 2011, 20:07

        That was the race where vettel’s tyres were awful with blistering.

    2. Yeah it was a boring move in the sense that he was the first person to overtake and beat vettel in 2011. Seb completely dominated australia and malaysia and mclaren had such a poor winter test. Infact i distinctly remember after the race everyone commenting about what a boring overtake it was.

      1. I remember saying at the time that it was a boring move, and a total anti-climax. He just stormed by barely noticing Vettel was there…

        1. Fer just lol! it was an anti climax? someone other than vettel winning you mean? let me guess you were dissapointed he didn’t win 19/19? I’m sure you were watching the day alonso took the title from schumacher as well and I’m sure you said to your self that day to “It’s ashame someone else had to win”. It only became apparant that hamilton might have a chance 10 laps before the end of the race, you’re talking about it like at the start everyone in the world bet on hamilton to win you are such a pair of liars.

          1. To be fair to @fer-no.65 , the pass probably didn’t look as spectacular as Hamilton’s on Button earlier in the race. And from his profile, he’s a Mark Webber fan, so why would he want Vettel to win 19/19?

        2. A reason why many consider Hamilton’s pass on Vettel to be so good, was the location of where he passed Sebastian, which caught Vettel by complete suprise.

    3. I agree completely, Vettel was on old tyres, and the way Hamilton closed the gap to the RBR is enough proof that it was inevitable and quite a simple pass. It was an important pass, yes, but it wont make even the top 50 on the basis of skill in my list.

  8. I voted for Webber on Alonso into Eau Rouge not because I’m a Webber fan, but because of the options above, it struck me as the most impressive of the year, even if I thought it was totally unnecessary when I saw it live as he’d have been able to use DRS to pass him after Raidillon. But then again, Jenson Button did say that it’s more fun to pass without the DRS…

    I also voted for Mark as the overtaker of the season. He pulled off some brilliant moves, but the fact he had to make them in the first place highlights just how poor his season was. I particularly enjoyed his battles with Fernando Alonso in Spa and Singapore.

    I also forgot to suggest this overtake Rubens Barrichello pulled off in Monaco. It was in many ways, perfect. He got up the inside, but didn’t stop there; he made sure he carried enough momentum to be completely alongside Michael by the apex which prevented him from turning in on him. Michael’s tyres were old, yes, but a Mercedes with old tyres is probably equivalent to a Williams with brand new tyres!

    Also, I didn’t like Hamilton’s pass on Button in China. In my opinion, Lewis was very lucky Jenson didn’t turn in on him as he had every right to do so. Jenson basically let him pass and prevented what should have been a collision. Say what you like about Lewis, but I still think he rushes into half-hearted moves all too often and hopes the other driver backs out.

    1. @damonsmedley This comment is strikingly similiar to mine, I promise I didn’t read yours first either :D

      Which obviously means you are absolutely correct. Webber overtakes have been impressive this year and are the one thing that you can’t fault in his disappointing season.

      I don’t remember that pass of Rubens on Schumacher but it is definately impressive and should be in the top ten along with Sutil on Koba instead of Webber in Singapore and Lewis on Button in China

      1. @silverkeg I actually read your comment straight after I posted mine, so there’s no way you could have copied me in the time it took for the page to refresh! And yes, it obviously means we are right and everyone else is wrong. ;)

    2. Totally forgot about that Barrichello pass. Very slick.

    3. I agree to the Webber-Alonso pass as well for the sheer audacity of the pass. That he made it stick was besides the fact that at the moment of the pass everyone thought Webber would crash into the wall at devastating speed. I remember taking my eyes away for a split second before realizing that the pass was done.

    4. I think this overtake by Rubens is very much in the top 3 overtakes this year.

    5. @ damonsmedley, so tell what is the defirence between Hamilton vs Button overtake and Webber vs Alonso overtake ? both the same right ?

      1. @concalvez00 Webber’s was stupid in a way, I did say that. But Hamilton was no-where as far alongside Button as Webber was with Alonso. It was very similar to his outrageous move on Massa in India where Massa turned in on him (and rightly so).

    6. I also forgot to suggest Jenson Button’s move on two cars (can’t remember which two as no video exists on YouTube) around the outside of La Source. Does anyone remember that one?

  9. Toos up between Vettel on Alonso at monza, schumacher on massa and kobuyashi, and offcourse webber in spa, went with seb in the end, to be pushed on the grass, and still make it stick takes balls.

    schumacher for overtaker of the year

    1. Gotta say I was thinking exactly the same as you, though I went for schumacher on massa and kobayashi in the end

  10. I went for Webber on Alonso at Belgium. It just looks so dramatic and dangerous. Also showed a great respect between the two drivers.

    For best overtaker I voted Webber. Although having a disappointing season pace wise, I feel he showed tremendous racecraft and performed some great overtaking manoeuvres . They were overtakes he probably shouldnt have needed to do if his pace and starts were better, but he did them with conviction.

  11. It has to be Webber on Alonso at Spa – that move will end up being remembered long after this year. He ended up edging it for me as overtaker of the year too because of the two Singapore moves and a good one at Japan too (was it on Sutil?). It was a very close call between him and Button though.

    I have to feel a bit for Vettel – after all the criticism of his overtaking, that move on Alonso at Monza would have been the runaway winner any other year. I hope it ends up a worthy second.

  12. What makes the Vettel on Alonso pass (at Monza) great for me is how important it was. Vettel knew that if he was stuck behind Alonso lap after lap, his whole race was vulnerable – potentially a driver behind him could have taken advantage (as when Button later overtook Hamilton).

    On a track where overtaking turned out to be difficult, Vettel took a risk, drove right round the outside and so far onto the grass that you could see him wrestling for control of his car. And he pulled it off.

    That move won him the race, and for me it conclusively proved that when Vettel needs to overtake in a hurry – he’s as good as anyone in F1.

    1. Forgot the overtaker of the year – it’s got to be Button for me. That wet race in Canada where he pulled off move after move was amazing, he made so many passes and it was because he was simply driving better than the competition.

      He also showed his tactical side at Monza where he lurked behind the Hamilton/Schumacher fight and opportunistically picked off Hamilton when they’d slowed each other down. Then he showed his teammate how it was done by planning several corners ahead, building up a speed advantage, and passing Schumacher almost straight away.

  13. Webber on Alonso. Just the sheer bravery that’s needed at the speeds they were going, into a tight looping S bend? Nails it as the overtake of the year. The fan cam shot of it is spectacular, and you really get to grips with Formula 1 speeds in that shot.
    Overtaker of the year has to be Hamilton though, for all the overtakes he did. All of the fantastic moves in China, his opportunistic moves in Monaco (on Massa) and Germany (on Alonso), as well as his out-right brave moves in Germany, to the moves in Canada, to him passing Massa out of turn 9 before turn 10 at Spa whilst being squeezed. And, there are so many more.

    1. Also, Hamilton closely followed by Webber and Schumacher, mainly because Webber’s were ballsy, and Schumacher, well, he just had a massive amount of overtakes, some of them quite spectacular indeed.

      1. Surely you should consider not just how brave their moves are, but how successful as well? On that measure Mark Webber is easily the best of the three. The only move I can think of where he made a mistake was overtaking Massa at Monza.

      2. Im sorry mate, as much as hamilton as been spectacular in every other year. this year he didnt so much overtake, rather decided that he was bored and didnt want the other guy to make it past the next corner

        1. Hamilton has been spectacular but it’s gone wrong as often as it’s worked and he’s probably responsible for about half of his collisions this year.

    2. I agree. Any overtake attempt close to Eau Rouge is hugely dangerous. Stefan Bellof paid the highest price when trying…
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgtZe-iQH1U

  14. Alonso on Button in Brazil was brilliant, but Webber and Alonso at Spa will be one of the very memorable ones to come. What you notice here is it’s not just about being a good overtaker, it’s about having a sensible driver defending in front too, it takes two to tango, unfortunately defensive driving in F1 is far below the standards of offensive driving and nobody does a thing.

    1. I should have just left a blank vote for the second poll actually, 2011 didn’t have a stand out best overtaker. Hamilton I guess gets the vote, for trying.

      1. I’d like to see statistics though, I heard Sutil got the most overtakes in 2010. Who got it for 2011? This post focuses heavily on the top 3/4 teams.

      2. I don’t really see the logic. Hamilton’s season was notable for how many overtakes he messed up – runining not only his own races, but other drivers’ as well.

        For me his only competition as worst overtaker of the year is Michael Schumacher. Both made some excellent moves (e.g. Schumacher at Monaco) but showed a lack of judgement by messing up almost as often as they got it right.

        1. Your showing true class alex naming the worst overtaker of the year as the man who got the 2nd most in the season almost all of which were outside of the drs zone. He also had by far the most overtakes at the start of races. Do you have any tips on lottery numbers? i’ll simply put it in my reverse-alator and be a millionair next week

          1. I wouldn’t go as far as the worst overtaker, but for the collisions he’s had this year, not the best either.

    2. I agree with defensive driving. Too many drivers these seem to think that because they’re half a car length in front they’re entitled to drive where ever they like.

      1. Good overtaking drivers know when they can pull an overtake off, and bad/normal overtakers dont.

        Lewis to me is a bad overtaker because for every 1 point he gets for an overtake, he loses 10 for every attempted overtake that ends in disaster for him and the poor victim.

        I also feel that drivers almost jump out of the way for him because they know just how bad he is. There’s such a good chance he could crash into them, that he is just not worth the risk defending against.

        Drivers also know that if they do fall victim to his poor judgement, they will be hated for weeks by most of the UK and the influential BBC + co.media.

        1. Meh, big over-reaction. The last sentence in particular shows you can’t take anything approaching an objective view.

          This was not Hamilton’s finest year by any stretch of the imagination (and shouldn’t get near best overtaker of the year), but those he has tried to overtake have certainly not all been “poor victims”.

          We’ve got one great example in this shortlist – Schumacher on Hamilton – of two F1 drivers showing respect and awareness for each other during an overtake. I don’t think it’s any co-incidence that Monaco 2011 saw Hamilton involved in two clean (and spectacular) passes with Schumacher, whereas two (almost identical) incidents with Massa/Maldonado ended badly.

  15. We’re missing all of those first lap overtakes by Alonso :/

    1. +1
      just for that i put him as the overtaker of the year

      1. Me too. Spain was undoubtedly the most amazing start we’ve seen for quite a while.

  16. I forgot to mention Lewis in my post – he made some decent moves but unfortunately I couldn’t ignore all the incidents when weighing up overtaker of the year. It went wrong for him too many times.

  17. For me Mark Webber at Spa, I remember it scared me.
    Man of the year, Hamilton. I have never been his biggest fan. But the guy has a will to win that has been subdued from the modern sterile F1 formula. Hats off to him.

    1. The degree of restrictions placed on defending a position and the frequency of penalties handed out for “causing an avoidable incident” in my mind are to contrary to the spirit of racing. It’s Hamilton’s racing spirit that I admire. I agree it should be policed. But to me the spirit and unpredictability of racing is being lost.

      1. After a full season of criticising him the rest of the drivers have finally realised what hamilton had as early as monaco. Expect to see more lenient stewarding next year.

        Interestingly though for the likes of massa and bruno they only complained after they had finally come off worse from a penalty. I think mark webber is one of few drivers to have had no collision penaltys this year and certainly the only driver with a clean slate who has said stewarding has to change so good on you mark.

        1. @TheBrav3 good point!

  18. If Webber on Alonso in Belgium doesnt win, I demand a stewards inquiry. An absolutely breathtaking manouvere.

    If I could have a second choice, Schumacher’s double pass in Canada would have it.

    Overtaker of the year, Schumacher.

  19. Alright, I did choose.

    Hamilton on Button, China: Serious contender, same tyres as I remember, impeccable foreplay from both of them, slight mistake by Button, not covering the inside line enough.

    Hamilton on Vettel, China: Does not come into play, Vettel had inferior tyres plus a KERS problem as Keith mentioned.

    Schumacher on Hamilton, Monaco: Another serious contender, same package, no disturbing factor like new tyres, debris, etc. Hamilton’s slight mistake in Mirabeau being a tap too conservative, despite not held up – maybe his car was not as generous in that turn and he made the most of it anyway, so it’s a considerably smaller mistake than Jenson’s positioning in China, so so far so good for this one. Also Hamilton didn’t cover the inside line going into Loews, but whereas Shanghai’s Turn 1 is a general overtaking spot, Loews is anything but. Nobody expects a move there, so I don’t consider this as a fault.

    Schumacher on Massa & Kobayashi, Canada: Loses out because of Kobayashi’s mistake in the chicane.

    Hamilton on Alonso, Germany: Loses out on Alonso’s new cold tyres.

    Webber on Alonso, Belgium: Same. Although not because those tyres causes less grip, but because of the pit stops comparative speed disadvantage for Alonso. He was ahead though, so these two factors may even themselves out. Well, dunno. Okay, contender.

    Vettel on Rosberg, Belgium: Overtake of the Year for me. Impeccable drive from these two, really no disturbing factor, Vettel made it his way in Blanchimont. Priceless, brave, no handicap, etc. Rosberg was even faster by a mile or two, Vettel could have countered this by slipstream and taking the ideal line.

    Vettel on Alonso, Italy: Alonso’s positioning error into and oversteering error out of Rettifilo set up Vettel’s better-hooked-up-car-anyway nicely.

    Webber on Alonso, Singapore: Tyres.

    Alonso on Button, Brazil: Debris.

    So it’s VETTEL ON ROSBERG, BELGIUM for me.

    1. On the podium for 2nd place is SCHUMACHER ON HAMILTON, MONACO from 3rd-placed HAMILTON ON BUTTON, CHINA, while I really don’t know whether WEBBER ON ALONSO, BELGIUM was ‘clear’ or not. If it was, it’s 2nd, if it wasn’t 4th. ‘Honourable mention’ from me. :)

  20. I don’t know why there’s a shortlist, eau rouge is going to win this. Personally I don’t like it because it’s more down to the car and the other driver than it is to the guy making the move. But like kobayashi in 2009 it has two things going for it: commentators have told us all we’re supposed to be impressed, (an analysis based on how difficult the pass would have been in a car from 10 years ago) and people like the guy doing the pass.

  21. Should have voted for Webber on Alonso, but after seeing the video I noticed that Alonso just got out of the pits. His tyres must have been cold, and Webber had the momentum with him.

  22. The choice for me was between Vettel on Alonso (Monza), Webber on Alonso (Spa), Vettel on Rosberg (Spa) and Schumacher on Hamilton (Monte Carlo). I picked Webber on Alonso at Spa.

  23. I picked Webber as overtaker of the year, but I was tempted to pick Vettel. He was often criticised as a bad overtaker in the past, but this year these rumours have quietened down as he has made some great moves (the most notables are in the article: on Rosberg at Spa and Alonso at Monza).

  24. Webber on Alonso at Eau Rouge or
    Vettel on Alonso at Monza

    Both great passes. However, I went for Vettel as Alonso kept his foot in and gave Vettel the choice to try it. To have 2 wheels off the circuit, on the grass, and still go flat out around Alonso. That was impressive.

    No disrepect to Webber, but I get the feeling Alonso was the one who made the choice to lift and give the position there. Still a great move. If only I could have voted twice. Such a hard choice for me.

    Overall passer, I went for Button. It was close with Hamilton, although we sort of remember this season more for Hamiltons failed passing attempts than for his successful ones.

  25. Where Hamilton’s China move on Button was one of my favourites, i’m surprised that the one on Vettel in the same race was nominated… it’s almost as though Seb falls out of the way for him!

    Being a big fan of Michael Schumacher, it did make me smile to watch the move on Hamilton and then on Massa and Kobayashi, both opportunistic brilliance really.

    It’s a difficult one but my top three are:
    1) Mark Webber on Fernando Alonso
    2) Lewis Hamilton on Fernando Alonso
    3) Fernando Alonso on Jenson Button

    Strangely, despite his dreadful year, I voted for Webber as the best overtaker of 2011 – beating off Button in my opinion.

  26. Shame you can only vote for one overtake and overtaker.
    I voted for Vettel at Blanchimont and Vettel overall.

    To begin with the overtaker of the year, a lot can be said for many others – like Schumacher – but the reason for awarding Vettel my vote is the story behind it. Only last year, Vettel was called ‘the Crash Kid’. But this year, he proved he can overtake.

    And not only when he needs to, but also when he wants to overtake on track, instead of in the pitlane.

    Well and for the overtake of the year, I remember my amazement at Vettel / Rosberg at Blanchimont. I felt the same when Webber overtook Alonso in Eau Rouge, but I think Alonso played a bigger part in the action, than Rosberg did. I mean, Alonso had to behave to make it stick for Webber. I do recoginze that’s part of the balsy-ness of Webber’s move, to push another driver in that position.

    However, I feel Vettel had to do it all by himself. He needed to keep the grip and stay on the outside line, at an amazing speed. Rosberg didn’t have to spare Vettel or anything like that. It was Vettel alone who made that move stick.

  27. Webber on Alonso. No contest. Its the only one in that list that made me wince as I watched it and could have gone horribly wrong had both drivers not seen each other. Classic F1.

  28. I’m not 100% sure which way I’ll vote yet, but methinks it’ll be one from Spa that takes the overall prize, both really incredible overtakes.

  29. I am not going to conisder the two most popular passes – Webber and Hamilton on Alonso at Spa and Germany respectively.
    Reason: Both involved Alonso who has just come out of the pit-stops. Hence, Fernando’s tyres were cold and he did not really have the pace to defend. You can see how easily he is out-dragged on the straight. No grip from the cold tyres.

    I vote for Vettel on Alonso at Monza. That was sheer bravery. No driver had any tyre advantage at that point of the race.

  30. On the subject of best overtaker, Webber had some great overtakes this year and arguably had the best at Spa, but it seems to me that failing to overtake should also count against him and it seemed he had many situations where he just couldn’t get passed other cars, some in crucial situations. On a similar vane, Hamilton had great passes but had so many incidents that it diminished his overall passing “record”.

    Just like a driver getting the most points at the end of the season without necessarily getting the most wins, I think Button was the best overtaker due to his ability to do it consistently and without taking anyone out of the race…well…maybe Alonso in Canada…but who remembers that? ;)

    1. Me because i lol’d so hard. :)

  31. Webber on Alonso is my choice, although Vettel’s one on Rosberg was very brave.

    1. what was so brave of Vettel’s overtake on Rosberg ?

      1. He overtook a guy on the outside of F1’s fastest corner. And didn’t even need to if he wanted to play safe for the win.

        Now try to compare that with that move Hamilton did on Alonso at the Nurburgring.

  32. I voted for Seb going round Alonso at the Italian GP. Just for its bravery, and that he kept the boot in even when pushed out onto the grass. Great stuff and crucial in Sebastian taking the win that day.

    1. BS, Vettel was already in (going te bechampion), if Vettel had the same points as all the others he would never had done the move!

      1. In defence of my opinion on his move on Alonso in Monza, why does the fact that it didn’t matter towards the outcome of the championship determine if it was brave or not, or that he would have done it? You’re assuming a lot.

        If you don’t consider putting two wheels onto the dirt on a flat out right-hander in a F1 car as brave, then you may want to check the definition.

  33. Mark on Fernando. Almost caused me a heart attack.

    As for the best overtaker, certainly NOT Hamilton. He just failed too many of his “adventurous” maneuvers. I really find ridiculous voting Hamilton “for trying”. Knowing when not to try is one of most important qualities of a good overtaker.

    1. The overtake of Webber on Alonso was nothing special!, just the same as Hamilton in China, nothing special, the overtake of Hamilton on Alonso was the best of the year by far, i think you are just a Hamilton hater, i sence that in your writing

      1. @concalvez00 Well, @cyclops_pl said LH failed too many passes, and yes, LH did fail too many passes and have too many collisions this year.

        Yet you have issues with people voting for three brave, high speed, clean passes on your indisputable basis that they were “nothing special” and wouldn’t have been done if the points were closer (probably the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard for this kind of thing, ever).

  34. I’ve gone for Vettel on Alonso at Monza.
    Webber on Alonso at Spa was close, but there, Alonso bailed out. It was a brave move to give it a try, but as soon as Alonso lifted Webber just drove the corner like he would normally.
    I think Vettel’s move was nearly as ballsy, but in terms of driving a lot more impressive. To keep the foot in, at 200mp/h with two wheels on the grass, through a corner, and hold the damn thing straight was amazing.
    You could see how he worked to keep the car from fishtailing.
    That was amazing.
    Also, this time around, Alonso didn’t chicken out of it at all.

  35. It was a toss up between Webber on Alonso and Vettel on Alonso for me, went with Webber for the sheer ballsiness in the end though. Beautiful move.

    Button as Overtaker of the year for me – just so many clearcut, confident moves.

  36. I personally think, that the best ones are the ones where you think. Woah, he’s either insane or carrying a “lovely bunch of coconuts” as the song goes.

    For me, I think Vettel overtaking Alonso at Monza, Schumacher in Monaco and Webber taking Alonso at Eau Rouge are the ones that do it for me.

    Passes like Vettel on Rosberg, Schumacher’s double overtake or Hamilton taking Vettel in China are for me, less impressive.
    They certainly are great overtakes, and incredibly opportunistic. Despite being somewhat reliant on others mistakes, or a superior performing car at the time.

  37. here is Vettel’s move on Rosberg in better quality

    Watch it people before the inevitable happens :)

    1. Already taken down!

  38. It’s dissapointing that this seems to focus far too much on the top teams. If it was a free choice, then I’d go for Maldonado around the outside of Kobayashi at Stowe at Silverstone – or Kobayashi’s late-braking repass at the following corner. Sutil at 130R on Kobayashi was also good.

    1. @tflb1

      I don’t think that one had a single nomination – of course there was nothing stopping you or anyone else from nominating it:

      https://www.racefans.net/groups/f1/forum/topic/best-f1-pass-of-2011-your-nominations/

      1. @Keith Collantine
        I know, I didn’t notice that thread for some reason. Even if I had nominated it though it wouldn’t have got any support due to the general disregard for the midfield and the even more general dislike of Maldonado.

        1. @tflb1

          general disregard for the midfield

          I think you have to blame FOM for that. I lost count of how many times this year I wrote something along the lines of “Alguersuari passes Perez in a move not seen by the cameras…”

          1. @Keith Collantine

            I know, I wasn’t blaming you. It’s not only FOM though that seems not to care – many more casual fans can only name the front-running drivers and don’t care one bit about anyone not fighting for the podium. There also seems to be a certain (unreasonable) idea that because someone is in one of the best cars, it automatically means they are one of the best drivers.

            More on-topic, and about this poll, isn’t there a risk of it becoming a ‘who has more fans’ poll, like the driver of the season poll back in 09 when Raikkonen got something like half the votes?

          2. isn’t there a risk of it becoming a ‘who has more fans’ poll, like the driver of the season poll back in 09 when Raikkonen got something like half the votes?

            Since then the polling system on the site has been changed to guard against exactly that:

            Register your F1 Fanatic account to vote in polls

  39. Note how none of the best overtakes this year had anything to do with DRS.

    Proves what I’ve been saying all year about DRS creating boring & unexciting passing. Ditch it!

    Best overtake in my opinion was probably Webber passing Alonso @ Eau Rouge with Vettel’s pass round the outside of Rosberg at Blanchimont a close 2nd.

  40. Webber on Alonso at Spa that was just almighty!

  41. I didn’t rate Lewis’s on Seb that much as I was surprised Seb hung on for so long given his tyres and I didn’t rate Ham’s pass on Alo at Germany either because it was more down to Alonso napping than anything else.

    Vette;s’ on Alonso was possibly my favourite to watch but I thought the best was Alonso on JB at Brazil (MSc on Mas and Kob was terrific too).

    As a fan, I liked Massa for his overtake on JB (I think) early on in Silverstone and his moves in Korea on JB and Webber but my favourite of his was nailing Rosberg in turn 9 at Turkey which up until the point in the season was my favourite move of the year.

  42. As much as I am loathe to credit Schumacher, his pass on both Massa and Kobayashi gets my vote. Which might sound even stranger knowing how much of a Kobayashi fan I am. But credit where credit is due. A lesser man would have hung back and waited for the two of them to sort it out before picking the slower one off after a tussle. Or alternately simply waiting for them to take each other out in an accident. But to take them both and go 3 wide on a wet track when the lot of them could have easily gotten mixed up makes me tip my hat in recognition. Well played opportunistic driving and a lot of guts involved in that one.

    As for best overtaker, I initially wanted to say Hamilton because he did have some amazing moves this year (as he usually does every year). Yet, for every great one, he had botched ones (a certain driver’s name comes to mind…). And that to me says he doesn’t deserve best overtaker this year. You can’t just shoot them in there and say they’re the best because they try. The best is the one who makes the attempts and gets them to work. And don’t get me wrong, I love watching Hamilton drive, but there were just one too many that fell apart on him. Which brings me to my second choice: Jenson. Jenson really was night and day with Hamilton this year and though his passes weren’t as numerous as Hamilton, they were decisive and clean. It was like he had ESP to tell him just when to give it a go and how to make it stick without contact. Jenson proved a great many people wrong who 2 years ago thought Lewis would mop the floor with him. This year has hopefully convinced a few that he was a deserving champion through and through.

  43. Webber’s pass on Alonso through Eau Rouge and Button best overtaker overall.

    Webber’s pass was something we’ll be seeing in Spa, and more importantly, season previews for years to come.
    At least, until someone overtakes two cars through Eau Rouge. ^^

    Sebastian Vettel around the outside of Alonso at Monza and around the outside of Rosberg at Spa were my number two and three.

    Button was clearly the best overtaker overall.
    Never made a mistake, never attempted a pass when the outcome would have clearly been disastrous and made passes when he needed to.
    Vettel is my second choice but he’s made far less overtakes. Off course, he didn’t need to as he didn’t fall back as many times as Button did but when he did he showed the same levelheadedness Button has shown all season.

    Hamilton has made to many mistakes in his attempts this year to be even considered best overtaker of the season.

  44. It was not his best season but still good old Schumacher is incredible overtaker…look at Canada, Monaco but also his move on wet Copse was awesome.

  45. Hamilton’s pass on Schumacher at Sainte Devote in Monaco = pass of the year.

  46. I don’t see how Hamilton has as many votes as he does. Too many failed overtaking attempts turned into collisions to really be considered best overtaker of 2011. He did have his moments during the year, but dropped the ball too often. I didn’t really have a best overall choice, so I went with Schumacher for his 1st lap passes. As for best pass, I went with Vettel on Alonso. Watching his car try to twitch into the Ferrari reminded me of Button and Vettel at Spa in 2010. Glad to see it worked out this time.

  47. Vettel on Alonso in Italy and Jenson Button.

  48. Drivers who have suddenly woken up this season thanks to DRS should not be allowed in this vote – theyve only proved that WITH artificial aides they can pass others have to sit there and just let it happen.

    Button has proved to be a rubbish overtaker unless hes had a car far more dominant than others.

    Nearly all of button’s overtakes have been done thanks to the comical and farcicile DRS and numerous safetycars to bunch up the slower cars.

    Overtaking only meant something when it was very difficult to make as it showed who has the raw skill and balls – the Hamiltons, kobayashis, alonsos & the schumachers.

    …NOW the DRS is a massive gift to those who didnt have the balls before – Its a farce!

    1. I don’t think there’s a single DRS pass on that list. So quite the opposite of a farce.

    2. None of the passes in the list required DRS.

    3. Have a look at Interlagos 09 for Button’s overtaking ability…

      1. you mean lack thereof! stuck behind someone doing his first F1 race for more than 10 laps

        1. @issactham Button did make quite a lot of overtakes on that day to get from 14th to 5th.

  49. Vettel on Alonso at Monza, even if it did annoy me! The two best drivers in the world showing lots of respectful, clean racing.

  50. sid_prasher (@)
    4th December 2011, 17:13

    Webber and Vettel on Alonso were great passes…

  51. I would like to add:
    British GP – Jenson Button Overtakes Felipe Massa
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtgacdioTVY

    Rubens Overtakes Schumi Monaco 2011
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=3RYxgMNnzdY

    1. @lubhz The Barrichello one almost had enough nominations to make the final ten, if I remember correctly.

      I think the Button/Massa one only had one vote.

  52. Webber on Alonso in Belguim hands down. It feels like whever Webber and Alonso were on the same bit of track we were in for a great duel (like the shower of carbon fibre I came to expect when Hamilton and Massa were in close proximity)

    The best overtaker of the year is a toughie. Button and Webber both had a habit of falling back at the start of the race, only to come back in and overtake cars on their way through. I’ll have to plump for Webber, because of the large number of times he was stopping more often than his rivals (often using the option for an extra stint) and was forced to do an aggressive overtaking strategy to make it work – which he often did!

  53. So, where are all the DRS moves? :P

    Webber on Alonso at Spa gets my vote. The cars are just so close there.

    1. @KaIIe

      So, where are all the DRS moves?

      Indeed.

  54. come on! For me, it is an easy choise – Lewis, dont forget that he did better overtakes, than these three shown in top 10. Double-overtake in Malaysia, retaking position from Webber in Germany, or move no Massa before Pouhon and far more… If he was the best in somthing this season, so it was overtaking.

  55. Pleased to see the Vettel pass on Alonso at Monza has quite

  56. Do you think Pedro de la Rosa voted for Pedro de la Rosa?

  57. There should be a “worst overtaker of the year” category. 2009: Don’t know. 2010: Vettel (Turkey & Belgium). 2011: Hamilton (with Massa, too often).

    What about “most pointless overtake of the year”? 2011: Liuzzi (Monza), takes out 2-3 other cars (in his home GP) but temporarily passed half the field.

    1. @alexf1man I don’t believe we’d get a good standard of debate using questions like that.

  58. I’m not a Webber fan at all, and I think his performance this year was pathetic, but I think anyone who doesn’t think his pass on Alonso in Spa wasn’t the best overtake of the year is crazy.

  59. MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
    4th December 2011, 19:07

    Lewis on Vettel in China is nothing special.

    MSC is the king of overtakes this season.

  60. Errrrmmmmm Button made some of the best passes all year and yet he’s not in the ten apart from being overtook? Come on Keith, where you even watching this year??

    1. I’ve had to point this out to a few people who haven’t bothered to read the article properly:

      The ten passes you can vote on were drawn from readers’ nominations.

      Anyone could nominate any pass, so if your favourite isn’t there it’s not my fault.

    2. Keith made a threat in the Forum, where we could nominate overtakes for this top 10.
      That way, no one is treated unfairly, and if you think so, you should have done something about it instead of whining afterwards.

  61. It seems Webber on Alonso will be the runaway winner here (deservedly so), so I decided to give my vote to one who actually needs it a little bit more. I voted for the only double pass on the list, Schumacher on Massa and Kobayashi in Canada. Passing is as much about being lucky (by being at the right place at the right time) as it is good.

  62. To me it was hamilton’s move on Alonso, period

  63. Funny how none of them (if i’m not mistaken) are without DRS, goes to show how much “excitement” this system has created. All of them were great I think

    1. Surely you meant to say that none of them were with DRS ;)

  64. Watching back the Vettel move at Spa is absolutely awesome. It seemed less spectacular when Ted was just talk over it.

  65. Best overtake of the season for me – Hamilton on Alonso at Copse. With Hamilton entering the race under a cloud after being widely criticised for his collision with Button in Canada, and McLaren looking majorly off the pace after their struggles in Valencia and then during qualifying – my fiancee and I feared the worst for the race.

    However, to see Hamilton storm from 10th on the grid up to 4th – and then pass Alonso for 3rd right in front of us at Copse was magic! Suddenly a very unlikely victory seemed possible! Not my video, but this fan video gives a good idea of the atmosphere immediately after the pass:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlKaNg2YVLk

    Watching the clips above you realise that there’s been a number of great passes this year – Vettel on Rosberg & Vettel on Alonso were both stunning. Objectively though, it has to be Webber on Alonso at Spa for the overall best – the epitome of bravery.

    1. @bpacman That one did get a few nominations, but not enough to make the final ten.

      Which is perhaps for the best because there’s already three by Hamilton in there!

  66. Webber passing Alonso through or at Eau Rouge will be remembered for a long time.

    Jenson #1…...WHY??

    1. Why not?

      1. Jenson’s only made honorable mention, and none of his passes made it on to the list of top passes.

        1. Probably for Canada. So long as he keeps his teammate off the top spot this year, it’s all good.

          1. That’s the difference between the two.

            Button was focused on Hamilton.

            Hamilton was focused on Vettel.

          2. And in the process, Button was the one who most often kept Vettel honest.

  67. Vettel on Alonso in Italy. the best pass has to involve complete agression not only from the overtaker but also from the defender. this is why i voted for vettel on alonso at such incredible speeds in moza.

    overtaker of the year? Hamilton made some bad moves this year but his impressive successful overtakes more than made up for them.

  68. Gagnon (@johnniewalker)
    4th December 2011, 22:39

    Voted for vettel on alonso and alonso for best overtaker of thee year. And I have to say that all poeple who have voted for schumacher or hamilton instead of alonso, button or webber should watch F1 closely and see whats going on. I were in canada and I have to say that to see button on the outside in T1 sliding the back to move on is pretty incredible. Close choice between alonso and button.

  69. Best overtakes for me were:

    1. Alonso on Button – Interlagos
    2. Hamilton on Alonso – Silverstone
    3. Vettel on Alonso – Monza

    Best overtaker for me was Schumacher.

  70. Went with Webber on Alonso. No other overtake came close in my opinion. Sure, Vettel on Alonso was pretty ballsy but I already knew it was going to happen because the Ferrari had nothing on the RedBull in the section of the track. I think the speed difference between the two was just to great to be considered a classic compared to the identical speeds of Webber and Alonso. I wont lie, I still dont think Vettel is a great overtaker even after that move.

  71. Jenson Button for best overtaker of 2011? what a joke. Alonso on Button at brazil on the oustide jenson had nothing. Oh wait.. Maybe jenson couldnt find the right balance.

  72. Alonso pass Button Brazil GP 2011

  73. Definitely Webber on Alonso, purely for the size of that guys ********.
    Yes yes, Alonso had just pitted but you can see how Alonso had planted his car in the middle of the road and Webber was pushed to the outside, right before keeping his foot down and going for it when everyone thought he’d pull out of it and use the DRA into Les Combes. He also said he wouldn’t have tried that move with many other drivers so it goes to show how much respect Webber shows to Alonso for being able to try a move like that. Plus at the time the BBC boys went nuts – a good sign!

  74. I don’t understand how Hamilton is second in the best overtaker awards – I don’t think Webber made one mistake while overtaking (I don’t think Button did either), yet Hamilton made quite a few…
    I just hope that people aren’t hijacking the votes, because Hamilton made too many mistakes in my opinion to be anywhere near the top, even though he did make some exciting overtakes.

  75. Easily Webber on Alonso.

    I just sat there gobsmacked! I’ve never passed anyone there on the games let alone even contemplating trying it in real life!

    Best overtaker this year for me has to be Schumacher, for four reasons:
    1) THAT move on Hamilton (See SCH/HAM)
    2) THAT move on Massa and Kobayashi (See SCH/KOB/MAS)
    3) For overtaking so many cars in the first lap of the race, most noticeably at Spa.
    4) Qualifying poorly (was never one of his strongest points, always focused on strategy), and giving us a bit of fun, by making best use of DRS and KERS and finishing higher than where he starts (in the majority of races).

  76. jackbrabhamfan
    5th December 2011, 1:03

    Overtake of the year……(Keith, you missed out these two, surprisingly two of Lewis’s best!)
    Hamilton on Alonso at the British GP in the wet…..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb2whssagMc
    Hamilton on Schumacher in Monaco
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQiCe5qhpGE

    1. I didn’t “miss” anything. As explained in several places in the article, the final ten were drawn from readers’ nominations.

      Both those passes had insufficient nominations to make the final ten – as described under “honourable mentions”.

      1. jackbrabhamfan
        5th December 2011, 15:09

        Ooops, my mistake. Please accept my apologies.

  77. I’m no Schumacher fan but his overtake was probably the most difficult to pull off. So I’m voting for Schumachers overtake on Hamilton.
    His overtake on Alonso around the last corner on the last lap is my all time favorite overtake. It was amazing.
    And the best overtaker this year.. Schumacher thanks to his starts.

  78. I went for Vettel on Alonso at Monza (just) over Webber on Alonso at Spa and Schumacher’s double pass in Montreal.

    Button ws my overtaker of the year.

    1. And why did you decide to choose Vettel on Alonso?
      If you look closely, that corner is a forgiving corner because it’s graveled/dirty on the outside and with no grass so you wont spin. You have the grip out there.

      1. If it’s dirty on the outside, then how is there grip when you’ve got two wheels on gravel?

        Watch the onboard and you’ll see the wrestle for control as he completes the pass on Alonso, who defended as well as possible.

  79. Can’t decide between Vettel On Alonso & Mark on Alonso,both deserve it but I voted the later, best overtaker Webber.

  80. Hamilton was rather more accommodating than Felipe Massa was when Hamilton tried a similar move later in the race.

    Im sorry to say this Keith but you are being bias, both overtakes were made in pretty different circunstances, in this case Ham had enough space later in the race, Massa had no space to turn cause Lewis ahd crossed his car “over” the hairpin.

    1. @ukfanatic I think it’s an entirely fair comparison of the two scenarios and I’ve no idea on what grounds you’re making this knee-jerk accusation of “bias”.

      1. Yes, you are right the sentence is perfectly written, the content is 100% truth however there is a tendency to believe that massa is responsible for the contact that resulted in more hard fought overtake than in Schumacher case

        Hamilton was rather more accommodating than Felipe Massa

        if you didnt had the slightest will to give that inclination you would have written that differently like for example “Schumacher was rather less aggressive than Hamilton was when he tried a similar move later in the race”
        or “Loews harpin was rather more accommodating in the Schumacher vs Hamilton overtake than in the Hamilton vs massa”.

        I wasnt making a knee-jerk accusation I was rather discussing, asking for clarification for the reason why you wrote what you did, my rushed thoughts led me to believe that you were being bias over that subject simply because I cant imagine what massa could have made to be more “accommodating”, and for that I apologise but I ment what I wrote. The facts as I saw, he wasnt being aggressive he was just trying to make the corner, in my view if something wasnt “accommodating” it was loews harpin.

  81. soundscape (@)
    5th December 2011, 4:43

    If I’m honest, I voted before watching those videos, and picked Mark Webber. However having watched them, I wish I’d chosen Seb! Some breathtaking moves there. I didn’t really think he had to do much overtaking this season.

  82. I voted for Schumacher taking Massa and Kobayashi in Canada. Although the Webber-Alonso pass through Eau Rouge was impressive, it was also very gentlemanly. Alonso didn’t put up much of a fight because he knew Webber was faster, so that kind of took the shine off it for me.

  83. webber/Alonso and vettel/Rosberg at Spa and Vettel/Alonso at monza are the three most impressive overtakes for me because of the speed.
    really brave stuff by the two redbull drivers.

    and no mention of alonso’s start in spain, from 4th to 1st

    1. no mention of alonso’s start in spain

      Yes there is, under “honourable mentions”.

  84. Webber on Alonso at Eau Rouge, for me. Incredible bravery and commitment, once Webber had decided to go for it there was no backing out.

    Had it gone wrong the result would have been a plane crash – a similar passing attempt on Jacky Ickx in a 1985 Group C race led to an accident which killed rising star Stefan Bellof (everyone remembers Senna closing down Prost at Monaco in 1984, few remember Bellof closing in on Senna at the same time).

    But honourable mentions must surely go to Sebastian Vettel – much-derided as a driver who couldn’t pass his rivals on the track, nominated twice above. For my money, Monza was his best – passing Fernando Alonso, flat-out, on the grass was fairly special.

  85. Vettel on Alonso, Monza.

    I just love the audacity of it. Vettel was like ‘errr…that’s MY spot thank you very much!’. A pretty ballsy move that could have gone very badly but he made it stick in the most unusual of places.

    From a more personal point of view, a minute previous had I seen Alonso heading the pack as me and two friends were seated at the exit of Parabolica. Witnessing a jubilant Tifosi in the flesh was pretty much the top item on my shopping list that weekend, to then be followed by what I consider overtake of the season, having to squint at the large screen to see it, just magnificent.

  86. Oh and Button gets my vote for best overtaker of the season.

    I just love his style. He’s extremely calm and cool and strikes when it matters most, often unannounced. Don’t get me wrong, I love the occasional flash of aggression we get from Hamilton for example, but personally, seeing Button just breeze by has been so much more satisfying.

  87. 10 best overtakes of the year:
    1. Hamilton on Button Canada,
    2. Hamilton on Kobayashi Spa,
    3. Hamilton on Maldonado Monaco,
    4. Hamilton on Maldonado Spa,
    5. Hamilton on Webber Canada,
    6. thru 10. Hamilton on Massa Monaco, India, Singapore, Silverstone, Japan.

    Overtaker of the year: Hamilton. He just makes overtaking look so incredibly easy.

    1. @juan-fanger Umm… Not sure how any of those class as overtakes..
      Here’s what happened in each scenario, in case you really can’t remember:
      1: Hamilton retired
      2: Hamilton retired
      3: Hamilton gets penalised
      4: Hamilton gets ‘reprimand and warning’
      5: Webber spins
      6: Hamilton penalised, Massa out
      7: Massa penalised, Hamilton staying out of trouble (lucky in my opinion, but there you go)
      8: Hamilton changes wing AND gets penalty
      9: R

    2. 9: Racing incident on the last corner, No penalties given (rightly)
      10: Racing incident, I believe it was investigated, but no action taken…

      Now, please tell me how any of those overtakes could possibly fill criteria for ‘Best overtakes of the year’

      1. @keeleyobsessed – I think you’ve missed the point, and by a huge margin.

        1. @David-A It’s been a long week.. I really couldn’t see the funny part of it..

  88. Despite having made the most passes prior to the Brazilian Grand Prix, Sebastien Buemi is languishing in the results at the moment:

    Buemi and Schumacher are top overtakers – Mercedes

  89. Webber wins the best racer of the year award easily. China, coming from so far behind at Monaco after the bad pitstop, the pass at Spa. Practically every race had some amazing overtaking and racing by Mark.

  90. So glad the Button-Vettel Canada overtake isn’t in this..

    Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great moment, and it’s an overtake that’ll get replayed over and over again, but it’s not in the same league as these 10..

    I voted for Vettel-Alonso Monza, but I can’t say that Webber-Alonso Spa was a bad overtake, a worthy winner…

  91. Andrew McElroy
    5th December 2011, 13:29

    I´m disagree , in my view in this article missing the best overtaking of this season and probably from many years.

    http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8672/lwsmncdsonc.jpg

    Lewis Hamilton on Felipe Massa coming into the tunnel at Monaco, camera on-board Lewis Hamilton , repeatedly banned from the server , but if you seek you can still locate.

    Check archive and tell you. When it has made an overtaking in this area of the circuit?

    This is the most difficult to make, added change of light to entry at tunnel in a zone where never was advanced in Mónaco.It anyway I give my vote to Mark Webber on Fernando Alonso, Belgian Grand Prix mostly because it is a very delicate zone if Alonso doesn´t yield,would been a serious accident and I say for this:

    http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=479_1239971663

    Fatal crash of Stefan Bellof (Spa 1985).

    1. I could be wrong but I don’t remember anyone nominating that pass.

      Hamilton wasn’t the only driver to make a pass in the tunnel this year though – Rosberg did as well, on Petrov. The difference was, both of them made it out of the runnel in one piece!

      1. Andrew McElroy
        5th December 2011, 15:44

        Not only is my opinion, is the opinion of two professional F1 drivers that so commented it on TV in this race.

        you saw the video , true?.

        You are very clever ,to generate opinions be must expose all data ,a computer program can´t properly assess the problems if the data you entered are incorrect.Perhaps Lewis was also guilty that Massa has forgotten that driving off the ideal line within the tunnel have as a results in losing the rear of your car and crash against the guard rails, is this perhaps also fault of Lewis Hamilton this circumstance,not?.

        Massa’s excuse that he had damaged his aerodynamics is quite ridiculous especially if this video is viewed on which it´s clear that the problem wasn´t in his Ferrari but rather in his head,in his poor head.But for saw this is neccesary view this video.How they can nominate videos if they are intentionally deleted with reiteration of servers?..is then impossible to create an opinion.

        I would like you indicate me a link to the maneuver Petrov on Rosberg because sincerely I don´t remember ,I’m not saying doesn´t exist if not would be found references now. I tell you to evaluate this fight and have an opinion to respect.

        Thanks.

        1. How they can nominate videos if they are intentionally deleted with reiteration of servers?

          I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. Nomination was done through the forum page linked in the article.

          I did post a tweet with a video of the Rosberg/Petrov move shortly after the race, but I see the video’s been taken down now. If you can get your hands on a copy of the onboard broadcast from the race, it’s in there, shot from Hamilton’s perspective I think.

          1. Andrew McElroy
            5th December 2011, 17:01

            fine, we’ll see how long you last without erased?

            http://facedl.com/fvideo.php?f=aukuqweqowequ&lewis-hamilton-vs-felipe-massa-onboard-mo=

            10 times removed from Youtube,I suppose this will obtain the guiness record of bans
            thanks by the “famous” copyright.

            don´t be created opinion without watch it all … don´t speak in particular about F1Fanatic
            nor is it a critic at your article, is in general about all the media,that are who created states of opinion.

          2. I’m not being funny, I literally don’t know what you mean.

            I’m not saying the pass never happened, I remember seeing it. It didn’t make the final ten because not enough people nominated it. That’s all there is to it.

  92. My vote goes to Michael in Monaco. To overtake at Loews a car which is much faster than you is something amazing!!! and he did ti twice(the second with Nico).

    Mark´s movement in Belgium is great but his car was clearly faster than the Ferrari. The same happes with Sebastian and Nico.

  93. Gagnon (@johnniewalker)
    5th December 2011, 15:55

    just to show how these kind of vote arent worthy….. Vettel have vote for best overtaker and he made only 1 move I remember in all year….. doesnt deserve any vote

    1. @johnniewalker

      just to show how these kind of vote arent worthy….. Vettel have vote for best overtaker and he made only 1 move I remember in all year

      If you’d bothered to read the article you’d see it mentions four of his passes. Given that you obviously haven’t, you’re hardly in a position to complain about how others have voted.

      1. Gagnon (@johnniewalker)
        5th December 2011, 16:05

        I agree I forgot the vettel on rosberg and some other maybe, but I cant see how guys vote vettel instead of webber, button or alonso…… vettel have done everything great this season and did an awesome job to get this championship but no hes not best overtaker of the year, definatly

        1. Probably because when he had to overtake, he did it very well. He was fast and clean.
          The first lap in Korea is a perfect example of his overtaking skills.

  94. I think there’s an overtake or two that a lot of people forgot to mention and they were both in the same race & involved great opportunism(I havent read through all of the comments so they may or may not be mentioned already);

    Alonso on Massa – Spa 2011 – Late braking down the inside at the rarest of corners that you’d expect action to take place in Spa and thats Rivage,It was literally on the limit as well as the requirement,eagerness to get pass his Inferior team-mate

    Hamilton on Massa – Spa 2011 – This is personally very under-rated & this is one of the things makes Lewis Hamilton really admired;Making Opportunities for himself & when presented to him,making them work.After Alonso fended off a feisty counter attack from Massa after Rivage,Lewis saw his opportunity to strike & he knew that getting Massa needed to be done ASAP if he’s going to catch the drivers up ahead & down the inside of Felipe on the rundown to the High Speed Pouhon & braking to complete the maneuver was opportunism at its greatest.

    1. I also didnt forget…

      this maneouvre is in official review in formula1.com at 1:33

      It was a fantastic move, I cant remember pass before Pouhon for years…

  95. Webber on Alonso at Eau Rouge was the best mve since Alonso on Schumacher in 2006. Sheer class

    1. Webber on Alonso is the same situacion as Hamilton on Alonso at Germany GP, Alonso was leaving from pits that lap and Webber/Hamilton had already done some laps on that compound

  96. To me the best overtakes were:
    WEB on ALO- Spa
    ALO on BUT- Brazil
    VET on ALO- Monza

    The overtaker of the year to me was Alonso.

    There is one pass I liked a lot which was ALO on SCH in China

  97. I’m sure this will be lost among the posts … but the best overtake of 2011?

    Romain Grosjean.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IN-lIf_62I

    Webber’s move on Alonso comes close, but Romain made the field look like amateurs. Just listen to the commentator!

    1. I remember watching the multiple overtake my Grosjean, just brilliant! He was a cut above the rest all season and I really hope he gets a seat at LRGP next year.

  98. nano_rock (@)
    6th December 2011, 3:35

    Sebastian on Fernando definitly. Webber pass on Alonso was on the out lap, advantage to webber on better tyre situation

  99. The best move IMO is that of Lewis Hamilton on Filipe Massa in the tunnel in the Monoco 2011 round. Just brilliant! Was never even mentioned.

    1. The tunnel Pass on massa Monoco 2011. @3:20 into the video.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVEJJTQYMRQ

  100. I voted Webber/Alonso/Spa for best overtake. It was ridiculous to attempt that, really – could have ended very badly – but that kind of grit is what racing is all about. The most exciting thing I’ve seen since kindergarten when I showed her mine and she showed me hers.

    I didn’t vote for best 2011 overtaker. I really have no idea and it definitely wasn’t Kamui this season.

  101. I voted for Vettel going round Alonso at Blanchimont. I remember watching it and letting out an actual gasp! Utterly committed, precise, fair and skillful.

  102. Vettel’s move on Fernando at Monza got my vote. That move pretty much summed up the season, with Vettel coming out on top and Alonso making an average car look good. It was such a brave overtake, for the lead of a grands prix, on Ferrari’s home turf. Pure brilliance!

  103. Best pass of the year was Button on Vettel to win Canada…. make that all of his passes that day to come from behind in under what was it 20 laps? In the wet. After 6 pit stops.

  104. webbers pass on alonso was probably the greatest pass of all time. beating by a gnats chuff the great move mika did either side of a backmarker to pass schumacher mk 1.

    for 1 he was passing a ferrari, for 2 alonso was in it and for 3 it was at eau rouge. it just doesnt get better than that. thats your schoolboy fantasy overtake. only if webber had a chick sat on his lap with a cigar on could it have been bettered.

  105. webbers pass on alonso was probably the greatest pass of all time. beating by a gnats chuff the great move mika did either side of a backmarker to pass schumacher mk 1.

    for 1 he was passing a ferrari, for 2 alonso was in it and for 3 it was at eau rouge. it just doesnt get better than that. thats your schoolboy fantasy overtake. only if webber had a chick sat on his lap with a cigar on could it have been bettered.

    Couldn’t have put it better… nice imagery!

  106. Bit late with the comment, but I thought I would add my two pence worth anyway

    Webber on Alonso at the Belgian Grand Prix got my vote for overtake of the year while Button got my vote for overtaker of the year.

    Due to the changes made for this season although we have seen more overtaking I can’t say I have been as impressed as with some of the moves as in previous years. It feels like some of the skill has been taken out of the equation.

    I agree with the direction Pirelli have gone with the tyres this season and I feel they have improved the racing but it has meant that a lot of the overtakes have been due to what state the tyres were in.

    At Monza we saw Schumacher keep Hamilton behind him lap after lap while Button stayed in kept his powder dry in the background, then when Schumacher and Hamilton had taken the best out of their tyres Button made his move.

    I am not saying there is anything wrong with tactic as it proved to be the smart thing to do, but when Button made his move it just didn’t excite me as much.

    As for DRS I am still in two minds about it. I am against it because of its artificial nature, only being available if a car is within one second at a certain point on the track and the FIA having to decide where and how long the DRS zone is at each circuit, but it does help overtaking where otherwise we probably wouldn’t see any.

    Another problem I have with DRS is that it can stop drivers attempting overtakes they would have tried otherwise as they will just wait for the DRS zone rather than risk a move elsewhere in the lap.

  107. Alonso on Button at Interlagos.

  108. It’s interesting that the man voted as the best overtaker of the year didn’t feature in the top ten (other than as the victim of an overtake).

    The best overtakes seem to be judged on their bravery, innovation, skill, drama and to some degree the context of the relationship between the protagonists. Which seems fair.

    The best overtaker seems to reflect the man who has (partially through his failure to qualify in a representative position) demonstrated an ability to dispatch cars in front of him with as little drama as possible. Which also seems fair.

    interesting poll.

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