Best F1 overtake of the year: 2023 Season Review Awards
There's plenty of talent, nerves and bravery on display in our shortlist of the best F1 overtakes of 2023. But which was the best?
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Voting has now closed in the Season Review Awards. Check back at the end of the month for the results
While Red Bull roamed dominant out in front, the tightly contested midfield meant there was plenty of overtaking in 2023 — and we want you to help decide on the move of the year.
Vote in our Season Review Awards — with six categories including best race and driver, as well as best overtake — and you’ll be in with a chance of winning a pair of Goodwood Season Tickets for next year’s Members’ Meeting, Festival of Speed and Revival, worth over £1900
There was plenty at stake in some passes where drivers were battling for podium places while others showed the determination to race, regardless of the position being fought over. Fernando Alonso was involved in plenty of the former, while Kevin Magnussen and Pierre Gasly provided perfect examples of why the best on-track action isn’t limited to the front of the pack.
Alonso on Hamilton
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
As part of an incredible charge, Alonso passed Hamilton where he least expected it
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Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton clashed on multiple occasions throughout the 2023 campaign, and the Spaniard came out on top during the season opener in Bahrain with a move capable of beating even the very best the F1 grid had to offer.
Fernando Alonso on Lewis Hamilton! What a move that is! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5egArDvsUW
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 5, 2023
Approaching Turn 9, Alonso found himself on the tricky outside line with Hamilton’s Mercedes placed perfectly — squeezing the Aston Martin out of road. But on the entry into Turn 10 — in which cars brake from speeds of over 150mph — Alonso suddenly switched back and dived down the inside of his unsuspecting former team-mate and subsequently flew down the back straight, having gained the DRS advantage.
It was a pass that ultimately ended up being critical, as third-placed Charles Leclerc retired late in the race due to an engine failure, and Carlos Sainz slowed after struggling with excessive tyre wear — promoting Alonso up into the final podium position behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Magnussen on Sargeant
2023 Monaco Grand Prix
Magnussen went full send on the streets of Monaco
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You could be forgiven for thinking that overtaking at Monaco is extinct, but Kevin Magnussen showed that drivers of today’s super-sized cars can still find a way through, with enough patience and daring.
Move of the race for @KevinMagnussen? 🤩#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ptwJB0a7Y9
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 29, 2023
His bold move at Mirabeau, down the inside of Logan Sargeant‘s Williams, was opportunistic and risky — especially as it only promoted the Dane from sixteenth to fifteenth, but it showed utter commitment on a circuit where the gap between success and a painful DNF is sometimes less than a tyre width.
If you’re looking for even more proof of his devotion to the pass, look no further than the puff of white smoke that appeared from Magnussen’s front left tyre which he locked up as he reached the limit of grip, withe the barriers in close quarters.
Gasly on Albon
2023 Belgian Grand Prix
Albon would put up a fight, but Gasly put on an overtaking masterclass at Spa
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DRS passes can often seem artificial, with drivers powerless to stop rivals cruising past on long straights. But at Spa-Francorchamps, Pierre Gasly showed that it can take a lot more than simply opening the rear wing flap.
Move of the race for @KevinMagnussen? 🤩#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ptwJB0a7Y9
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 29, 2023
The Alpine gained on the Williams of Alex Albon on the Kemmel Straight and pulled alongside as the pair entered the S-bend of Les Combes and Malmedy; wheel to wheel, with neither giving ground — but allowing each other space.
They remained in a wheel-to-wheel dance through the complex, which put Gasly on the outside of Turn 9: no problem for the Alpine driver, who used the momentum to pull ahead, his A523 twitching as it went.
The Frenchman’s bravery resulted in little additional reward as he met the chequered flag in eleventh. Nevertheless, his commitment and ability was on full display.
Alonso on Perez
2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix
A last lap duel provided a fitting end to a brilliant Sao Paulo Grand Prix
PA Images
Fernando Alonso found himself in podium contention during the final moments of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix — if he could keep Sergio Perez, driving F1’s most dominant car…ever, behind him. It proved to be one of the year’s most thrilling and enduring battles.
An EPIC battle for the final podium spot ⚔🥉 pic.twitter.com/l0gpdRHqpQ
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 5, 2023
It was a monumental undertaking and looked to be too much of a stretch for the double world champion who eventually succumbed to the pressure after lap after lap of brilliant defensive driving.
Perez dived down the inside at Turn 1 on the penultimate lap and was through. Even Alonso said that he thought he’d lost the place at that point, in a post-race interview. But a lap of ducking and diving behind the Red Bull showed he wasn’t giving up. As they began the final lap, instead trying to pass on the inside as Perez had done, Alonso remained behind, hoping to utilise his DRS advantage down the Reta Oposta straight.
A move to the left forced Perez to block Alonso, who switched to the right and, with the help of DRS, muscled his way through and shut the door before arriving at Turn 4.
Now it was Perez’s turn to try a last-gasp pass, which he lined up on the long climb to the finish line. In the slipstream of the Aston Martin, he edged closer and closer and closer. Across the line, it was anyone’s guess, but the photo finish revealed all: Alonso had edged it by just five-hundredths of a second.