Best Corners for Overtaking

KekeTheKing

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I was thinking about this after being in the Pat Symonds thread. What would we consider the best overtaking spots in Formula One today, and the best of all time as well. I'll nominate a few to start things off.

Current
1 - Senna S at Interlagos
2 - Turns 1 and 2 complex at Sepang

All Time
1 - Tarzan at Zandvoort
2 - Crowthorne Corner at Kyalami
 
Final chicane, Montreal.

(Oh, no! that doesn't work according to the Toyota survey does it? Hairpin / long straight / chicane)
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Final chicane, Montreal.

(Oh, no! that doesn't work according to the Toyota survey does it? Hairpin / long straight / chicane) :whistle:

I would say that today there is just about as much overtaking into Turn 1 at Montreal as the final chicane. Last year there were several moves set up at the chicane and finished at T1.

Historically, the best overtaking spot at Gilles Villeneuve has been the hairpin, but not in recent editions of the GP.
 
It is definitely worth thinking about! And thinking about it in terms of complexes is something that Tilke and the FIA have singularly failed to do! There are so many long fast turns leading onto long straights ending in slow turns and so many chicanes, that one really has to believe they've never actually watched a Formula One race!

I am drawn to turns 14, 15 and 16 in Shanghai, there are a number of other places I would like to single out. Unfortunately overtaking round the outside or where the driver in front would least expect it and the driver behind is Lewis Hamilton perhaps shouldn't count...

Turn 3 Albert Park would be the ideal overtaking spot were it not for turns 1 and 2. In fact if turn 1 was 1st or 2nd gear instead of 3rd then turns 16,1, 2 & 3 would be the best complex in F1.

Watching Jenson Button overtaking into turn 12 at Turkey then fluffing the entry into turn 14 and subsequently being repast into turn 1 certainly makes one think there is a great complex there.
 
Question for me is a good overtaking corner one where there is lots of overtaking or where when a driver gets past we all go "Wow, how did he do that?". For example, Mansell going round the outside of Berger at the Peraltada, Mexico 1990 or Mansell passing Senna at Hungary in 1989.

Hmmm, is it more about the driver than the car or the corner? With the new collapsing wing scenario all the drivers will now be in a mind set where there is only one corner where they can overtake
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Back to the topic, have to go with Tarzan as a corner from the past and seeing anyone pass anyone at St Devote or at the end of the tunnel at Monaco is always exciting, albeit pretty rare.
 
I'd have to go with the hairpin in Canada, Les Combes, the Spitzkehre (2nd hairpin) at Hockenheim, the first sector at Interlagos and the first and third sectors at Istanbul.
 
First Chicane at Monza
Turn 1 at Bahrain?
Turns 2 and 3 at Korea look good overtaking spots
 
Turn 1 at Bahrain?

For as much heat as Bahrain took last year for not producing a classic GP, I think it does have some decent overtaking spots. Turn 1 is pretty good, and Turn 4 has seen some decent action over the years.

But we might as well add those to the Historical / All-Time list, as we may not see F1 cars anywhere near the country of Bahrain for some time.
 
Tosa at Imola used to be a pretty good overtaking spot when Tamburello and Villeneuve were flat-out curves.
The new first and second turns at the Nurburgring see their fair share of action. The chicane behind the pits used to, but not so much anymore I don't think, strangely?
 
Turn 3 Albert Park would be the ideal overtaking spot were it not for turns 1 and 2. In fact if turn 1 was 1st or 2nd gear instead of 3rd then turns 16,1, 2 & 3 would be the best complex in F1.

If the first two corners of Melbourne were slow, I think that there would be no overtaking in T3. The straight leading to T3 is quite short to catch the car in front, because he will always get a head start from T1&2. When they're quite quick like now, the driver trying to overtake wont fall back too much.
 
If Bernie loves wet races so much he wants to create artificial wetness, why does he set up his new races in the Middle East?
 
What about Turns 12-13-14 at Turkey and Turns 4-5-6 at Korea? They are both of similar design.

Also Turns 1-4 at Nurburgring: right, left; left, right
 
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