What makes the perfect F1 overtake? Experts choose their 2023 favourites

Fernando Alonso‘s last gasp move on Sergio Perez during the dying moments of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix stood out to both experts as their favourite of the year — a true showcase of mastery and skill by F1’s most experienced pilot.

The Spaniard had been passed by Perez on the penultimate lap, but remained rigid in his pursuit of a podium place as they returned to Turn 1 for the final time: first feinting a move down the inside before pulling back out, forcing Perez off line through the Senna Esses. By planning his ERS deployment accordingly, Alonso then swung by the Mexican on the back straight with the rear wing wide open and hung on in the run up to the chequered flag.

“That was an absolutely world class move,” says Deeks. “It was conducted so cleanly with the precision of a surgeon with a scalpel. Frame by frame, you can see he is using every ounce of energy in that chassis, but he’s also, in making the pass, using every ounce of grip those tyres have got. For me, that’s the pass of the year.”

Brundle concurs and explains how the context behind the move made Alonso’s triumph even more special.

“Somehow it almost seemed inevitable that Alonso would finish ahead,” he says. “Even when they came out of Junction Corner at the base of the hill on the final lap, with Perez leading and Alonso behind, I started to think ‘That’s too far away. He’s never going to be able to make a move into Turn 1.’

“But he’d fooled us — even with all the information we have trackside. He wasn’t going to get the move done there, he was going to get it done where there was no right of reply at all.”

“It only gets more impressive when you consider the context behind it: with the season that Aston Martin have had versus the season that Red Bull have had. It was just a remarkable piece of thinking.”

An EPIC battle for the final podium spot ⚔🥉 pic.twitter.com/l0gpdRHqpQ

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 5, 2023

Alonso’s genius had been on display earlier in the year during the season opener in Bahrain, when he put a seemingly dazzling move on Lewis Hamilton at Turn 10 as part of a charge toward a podium place. But that pass got more of a mixed review from our experts.

“Alonso is picking off a wounded animal here,” says Deeks as he reviews the replay. “You can see that Hamilton at this point has got a load of problems: he doesn’t have any grip and the car looks ailing, so it’s not a great pass [compared to the others] because Hamilton’s unable to defend himself.”

Brundle agrees, but highlights that the tricky topography of the Sakhir circuit may have made life difficult for Alonso as he swung down the inside of Hamilton’s Mercedes.

“These curved braking zones can be very tricky, as it essentially means one car is unable to follow the natural inside line,” he says. “What it does do is offer a massive opportunity to have a very stupid accident with the side of the other car as it’s really difficult to judge where to brake into Turn 9.

“Most drivers change brake bias for the entry there because you tend to lock up that inside front — making it easy to run wide. But the intelligent use of the topography of circuit and the feel on the brakes still makes this an impressive move.”

Kevin Magnussen‘s daring dive on Logan Sargeant in Monaco might have been the slowest manieuvre by far, but still earned high praise, with the Dane’s commitment appealing to the pure racing hearts of both Deeks and Brundle.

“It’s just a brilliant, instinctive Formula Ford move,” says Deeks. “I thought it could be the move of the year, because to me it’s everything an overtake should be. It was ballsy and he had to get it done in the tightest window of opportunity.”

It was a pass only for 15th, but it was nevertheless a heart-in-mouth moment for Magnussen, as he flung his Haas down the inside of Sargeant at the right-handed Turn 5 — locking up as he went. Sargeant was quick to react, as he had already begun to turn in toward the apex before he noticed Magnussen alongside him, but rightfully gave up the place.

“There’s literally no way to pass in Monaco unless a couple of things happen”, says Brundle. “Firstly you’ve got to get so far alongside it’s indisputable. Otherwise, you’re just going to get turned in on and that realistically is any street circuit— the tippy toe around the outside and both carry on move is not available.

“But in trying to do that, it’s really easy to charge so aggressively down the inside, especially with the way that street circuits rubber in, and pick up an inside front and make contact. How many times have we seen a move like Mangussen’s take the pair of you straight off into the scenery or down the escape road there at Mirabeau. It requires a deft touch on the brakes and [Magnussen has] done that to perfection.”

The rarity of the move also caught Brundle’s eye, as he points out that the Dane’s daring pass is perhaps one of only a handful of “genuine overtakes” Monaco has had in the last ten years.

The fourth and final overtake from our candidates split opinion among our experts, as Alex Albon was labelled as “too much of a gentleman” in his defence against Pierre Gasly at Spa.

“Very rarely do you see an overtaking move and you’re kind of more impressed by the driver being overtaken than you are by the driver doing the overtaking,” Brundle remarks. “This move more demonstrates Albon’s character than it does necessarily anything else. I mean, it’s good stuff from Gasly — it can get quite dirty through the chicane, so it’s relatively impressive that he manages to get around the outside there. But what’s really impressive is that Albon could so easily have run him out of room.”

“To be honest with you, I would have squeezed Gasly onto the grass several times,” adds Deeks. “But Gasly knows Albon is a gentleman and so goes in confident that he can ride it out, side-by-side with him for ages. He would never have done that with Senna or Verstappen.

“For me, an overtake of the year has to be done in a brutal manner, like a ninja with a samurai sword. You cut the driver off and you don’t give them any options. So in other words, they couldn’t argue it and it’s something you wouldn’t expect.

“Alonso in Brazil was the perfect example.”