F1 News
Which driver made the most overtakes in the 2022 season?
- GPblog.com
Following the new regulations, the number of overtakes increased this year compared to 2021, but which driver overtook the most cars?
Pirelli revealed after the test day in Abu Dhabi that overtaking has increased by 30 per cent in 2022 compared to last year. The new regulations have clearly made improvements, making it easier for drivers to follow other cars around the track.
The tyre supplier only counted 'genuine overtaking'. Positions gained through DNFs or pit stops have therefore not been counted. GPblog has compiled an overview of the most overtakes per driver.
Hamilton the big winner, Zhou surprises
Lewis Hamilton finished on top with 56 overtakes last season. The seven-time world champion is closely followed by Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen. Mercedes had a mediocre start and was even in the midfield at the beginning of the year. In the closing stages of the season, the German team managed to close the gap towards Red Bull Racing and Ferrari.
Although Verstappen has an average qualifying position of 2.59, the Red Bull driver often had to come from far away in 2022. In Italy and Belgium, for instance, the Dutchman had to start further back of the field after a grid penalty. That way, he still finished high in the standings. Alonso has also faced many grid penalties this season because of the Alpine car's poor reliability.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the list is Guanyu Zhou. The Alfa Romeo driver has finished in fourth place with 52 overtakes. Although he only finished 18th in the drivers' championship, Zhou did prove that he can overtake well from the back of the grid.
Nicholas Latifi's last place, on the other hand, may not be a surprise. The Canadian often started at the back of the grid this season and did not manage to make up many places either. Teammate Alexander Albon did manage to make quite a few more overtakes, even in Williams' bad car.
Dit bericht op Instagram bekijken