F1 Overtaking Statistics & Analysis

Data, statistics & analysis

F1 Overtaking Statistics & Analysis

PostPosted by Brogan on Wed Jul 22 2009 19:03

Image
This thread is a reference for all of the overtaking data, statistics and related aspects from 1983 to present.

I am indebted to the following members for their work in compiling the raw data:
Michele Merlino, Brian W. Lawrence and GordonMurray.


The overtaking figures for each race do not include:
  • Position changes on the first lap of the race
  • Position changes due to drivers lapping backmarkers
  • Positions gained in the pits
  • Positions gained when a car has a serious technical problem; e.g. puncture, accident damage, etc.
This methodology was originally conceived by Brian W. Lawrence.

Analysis of changes to the rules and regulations and any subsequent effect on overtaking has been done by cider_and_toast.

For further information and discussion, please refer to one of the following threads:
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F1 Overtaking Statistics & Analysis

PostPosted by Brogan on Wed Jul 22 2009 19:15

The following tables contain the source data used for all subsequent analysis.

Passing data: 1983 - 2009
YearNo. Of GPsNo. Of DriversTotal PassesEqualisedAvg. Per GPAvg. Per Driver - SeasonAvg. Per Driver - GP
1983152660760740.4723.351.56
1984162666662441.6325.621.60
1985162665761641.0625.271.58
1986162658154536.3122.351.40
1987162655852334.8821.461.34
1988162649346230.8118.961.19
1989162654751334.1921.041.31
1990162649446330.8819.001.19
1991162649546430.9419.041.19
1992162640638125.3815.620.98
1993162639236824.5015.080.94
1994162628927118.0611.120.69
1995172629726217.4711.420.67
1996162218617411.638.450.53
1997172226523415.5912.050.71
1998162220719412.949.410.59
1999162226024416.2511.820.74
2000172227924616.4112.680.75
2001172223020313.5310.450.61
2002172223520713.8210.680.63
2003162030328418.9415.150.95
2004182028723915.9414.350.80
2005192020716310.8910.350.54
2006182229124316.1713.230.73
2007172227023815.8812.270.72
2008182026722314.8313.350.74
2009172021418912.5910.700.63
Total / Avg.9,9839,18022.6715.340.94
Green text denotes an increase from the previous year
Red text denotes a decrease from the previous year
The equalised values factor in the number of races per season, based on 1983 which had the least at 15



Passing data per circuit
Circuit838485868788899091929394959697989900010203040506070809TotalDry Avg.Avg.
A1-Ring--------------16282918171815------14120.1420.14
Adelaide Street Circuit--316747315130201911144--------------32528.2229.55
Albert Park-------------1035371116143795248132221415.2915.29
Autódromo do Estoril-6354272619672930342826162-------------42130.5832.38
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola)43364833474229304122173438456621163671---51720.0521.54
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (Mexico City)---54383043704841-----------------32446.2946.29
Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Jacarepaguá)68476147333627--------------------31945.5745.57
Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos)-------42271624131531271426222728444061621212548522.5324.25
Autodromo Nazionale Monza3146395527322418303428311711321121816165431112932762822.1223.26
Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez------------23243515-----------9724.2524.25
Bahrain International Circuit---------------------1183618131610217.0017.00
Brands Hatch46235915-----------------------14335.7535.75
Circuit de Catalunya--------6132171418415114393196275242368.4112.42
Circuit de Dijon-Prenois-50-------------------------5050.0050.00
Circuit de Monaco26182118137201511729385231325505111722143009.4111.11
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps27-5028163019262843353227164110151385-1726-15211155920.1323.29
Circuit du Castellet (Paul Ricard)35-433443293929-------------------25236.0036.00
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve25425029-174852261911249142110111312126181371717-52318.6420.92
Circuit Park Zandvoort654346------------------------15451.3351.33
Circuito Permanente de Jerez---2340252112---17--8------------14620.8620.86
Detroit Street Circuit422636513827---------------------22036.6736.67
Donington Park----------30----------------300.0030.00
Fair Park (Dallas Grand Prix Circuit)-41-------------------------4141.0041.00
Fuji Speedway------------------------4625-7125.0035.50
Hockenheimring3042-46273022173116491216916814361117827920-19-53221.1822.17
Hungaroring---42283133303829344531473821254112933339015.7016.25
Indianapolis Motor Speedway-----------------52171943150514--16517.4320.63
Istanbul Park----------------------2927161199218.4018.40
Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit366616------277----------------15230.4030.40
Long Beach Grand Prix Circuit79--------------------------7979.0079.00
Magny-Cours Circuit--------391523109951442148210144569-23811.3113.22
Marina Bay Street Circuit (Singapore)-------------------------102126.006.00
Nürburgring-4033---------3920107302862281123829-1532916.9220.56
Okayama International Circuit (TI Circuit Aida)-----------1315--------------2814.0014.00
Omloop Terlamen Zolder-39-------------------------3939.0039.00
Österreichring2544251262----------------------16833.6033.60
Phoenix Grand Prix Circuit------244121------------------8628.6728.67
Sepang International Circuit----------------1128442216137161051618814.2217.09
Shanghai International Circuit---------------------1715413895417413.6729.00
Silverstone Circuit29-45-2942364239292536181014351386444611661332962322.3824.92
Suzuka International Racing Course----4465441152324620149154315118201414--1138015.5918.10
Valencia Street Circuit-------------------------4042.002.00
Yas Marina Circuit--------------------------666.006.00
Blue background indicates a wet race
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F1 Overtaking Statistics & Analysis

PostPosted by Brogan on Wed Jul 22 2009 19:27

The following charts provide a visual representation of the data.

In the first 4 charts, the orange line is the total number of passes per season.
The grey line is equalised values factoring in the number of races per season, based on 1983 which had the least at 15.
The blue line is the average number of passes per race for each season.

The 4 charts present the same data but with different trendlines applied; 3 Year Moving Average, Linear and Exponential

Total Passes
Image

3 Year Moving Average Trendline
Image

Linear Trendline
Image

Exponential Trendline
Image

The final chart factors in the number of drivers and is based on the following number of drivers per season:
  • 1983 - 1995: 26
  • 1996 - 2002: 22
  • 2003 - 2005: 20
  • 2006 - 2007: 22
  • 2008 - 2009: 20
Average Passes
Image
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F1 Overtaking Statistics & Analysis

PostPosted by Brogan on Wed Jul 22 2009 20:01

Analysis of changes to the (mainly technical) rules and regulations has been done by cider_and_toast.

YearChangesAverage Passes Per GP
1983End of ground effect era, all cars have flat bottoms. Minimum car weight 540 kg40.47
1984Fuel consumption restricted to a maximum of 220 litres per race. Refuelling prohibited41.63
1985Introduction of crash tests41.06
1986Fuel consumption restricted to a maximum of 195 litres per race36.31
1987Turbo boost pressure restricted to 4.0 bar34.88
1988Turbo boost pressure restricted to 2.5 bar. Fuel consumption restricted to a maximum of 155 litres per race. Drivers feet must be behind front axle line30.81
1989Turbocharged engines banned. Engines limited to 3500 cc in size and 8 to 12 cylinders. Fuel consumption restrictions removed34.19
1990Large mirrors30.88
1991Increased safety cell testing30.94
1992Rear impact tests and increased safety testing standards25.38
1993Rear tyre width reduced. Rear wing height reduced. Mid season testing restrictions introduced. Number of race tyres over a weekend limited. Number of practice laps limited24.50
1994Ban on all electronic driver aids; active suspension, traction control, launch control, ABS. Mid race refuelling permitted. Rear wing height reduced. Front wing height increased. Wooden plank fitted to the under tray18.06
1995Engine capacity reduced from 3500 cc to 3000. Ride height increased. Increased crash test performance17.47
1996107% rule introduced11.63
1997No changes15.59
1998Car width reduced from 2 metres to 1.8 metres. Grooved tyres mandatory. Asymetric braking banned. X-wings banned12.94
1999Grooves in front tyres increased from 3 to 4. Flexible wings banned16.25
2000V10 engines mandatory, although all teams had been using V10 engines since 199816.41
2001Traction control permitted. Use of beryllium alloys in chassis or engine construction banned13.53
2002Team orders banned13.82
2003Friday testing permitted. Single lap qualifying introduced. Refuelling between final qualifying and race start prohibited. Bi-directional telemetry banned. One type of wet tyre18.94
2004Engines must last 1 race weekend. Launch control banned. Fully automatic transmission banned. Minimum car weight 600 kg. Use of Friday test drivers prohibited15.94
2005Engines must last 2 race weekends. Rear diffuser size reduced. Front and rear wing dimensions changed. Tyre changes restricted. New qualifying rules10.89
2006Engine capacity reduced from 3000 cc to 2400. Engine configuration restriced to 90' V8. Tyre changes permitted. New qualifying format16.17
2007Tuned mass damper system banned. Engine rev limit of 19,000 rpm introduced. Single tyre supplier. Hard and soft tyre compounds must be used during a race. Engine development frozen. Friday practice times increased. Annual testing limited to 30,000 km15.88
2008Traction control banned. Launch control banned. Standard ECU. Engine development freeze increased to 5 years. Gearboxes must last 4 races. Restrictions on the use of spare cars. Restrictions on aero details. Strict limits placed on wind tunnel and CFD testing. New qualifying rules14.83
2009Only 8 engines per car permitted for the whole season. Engine rev limit reduced to 18,000 rpm. All aerodynamic devices except front and rear wings banned. Slick tryes permitted. Front and rear wing size and dimensions changed. Rear diffuser size and dimensions changed. KERS introduced. Moveable front wings permitted12.59
Green text denotes an increase from the previous year
Red text denotes a decrease from the previous year
Qualifying format changes have been included as this has an effect on the fuel, tyres and set up
Points or scoring changes have not been included



Looking into the rule and regulation changes futher we can divide the information down into several distinct periods as follows:

1984 - 1988 (Average passes down from 42 to 31) From a peak of 42 the average number of overtakes per race fell to 31 by the end of 1988. The reason for this could be two fold. Firstly, the controlling of the speeds of turbo charged cars by restricting fuel and turbo boost pressure. This led to more conservative racing where cars would have to back off towards the end of races to avoid running out of fuel. Secondly, in 1987 and19 88 there was a rise in the number of cars using normally aspirated engines and these were way off the pace of the turbo charged cars.

1989 - 1993 (Average passes down from 34 to 25) This period saw the advancement of driver aids. We see a brief spike up to an average of 34 for the 1989 season which is almost certainly due to the leveller of all teams switching to normally aspirated 3.5 litre engines. This was the time when former race-winning teams such as Williams and Lotus were stuck with using Judd engines. By 1993 almost every car on the grid had traction control, ABS, power steering, paddle shift semi-automatic gearboxes and active suspension. Though there were virtually no changes in the rules it was during this period that the technical experts of the haves proved their worth over the have-nots. During this period and the year after, more teams dropped out of F1 than at any other time in the sports’ history.

1994 This year can be taken in isolation since most of the rule changes introduced were as a result of the tragic weekend at Imola. By the end of this year the average overtake per race was down to 18, a reduction of 7 on the previous year and the biggest single drop in the year-on-year average to date.

1995 - 1997 (Average passes down from 17 to 16, with a dip down to 12 in 1996) This is an interesting period because after a further round of safety related rules and a reduction in engine capacity down to 3 litres in 1995, there were no other rule changes until the start of the 1998 season. For some reason though there was a large dip down to 12 for average overtakes in 1996 and the following year the average number of overtakes per race was back up to 17 again.

1998 - 2003 (Average passes up from 13 to 19) The fact that there is a rise in overtaking by the end of this period should not be taken as an improvement. From the average of 17 in 1997, the average number of overtakes fell to 13 by the end of 1998. This was the beginning of the "narrow track" era of F1 which saw narrower cars and the introduction of grooved tyres. Surprisingly, during this period there were very few technical rule changes and by 2002 the average number of overtakes had fallen from 16 in 1999 down to 14. There was another spike in 2003 up to 19 that may have been due to cars qualifying out of position, thanks to the new one lap qualification format.

2004 - 2009 (Average passes down from 16 to 13) This period can best be described as the "cost cutting" era. First and foremost each rule change was made on the primary basis of reducing the cost of running an F1 team. From 2003's average of 19, which was the highest number since 1993, at the end of 2004 it had fallen back to 15. The main rule change was the use of a single engine in a race weekend. In 2005 we see the lowest number of overtakes in the whole period of our data. The failed experiment of no tyre changes at pit stops and yet another round of aerodynamic rules which ironically were supposed to improve overtaking, were coupled with a 1 engine per 2 race rule. For the next 2 years it didn't matter how many rules were brought in, including changes to engine size and capacity and aero packages the number of overtakes were stuck at an average of 16 per race. This fell to 15 for 2008 which may have been cause by the introduction of yet more rules on preserving engine and gearboxes for more races and development freezes. Finally, this season the average number of overtakes is 13, thus proving that the 5 years of persistent rule changes to reduce costs and increase overtaking have actually achieved the opposite.


So what can we see from this?
  1. The greatest increase in the average number of overtakes from one season to the next was 5, between 2002 and 2003.
  2. The greatest decrease in the average number of overtakes from one season to the next was 7, between 1993 and 1994.
  3. During a period of pretty much unchecked technical development from 1989 to 1993 there was a decrease of 9 in the average number of overtakes over the whole period.
  4. During a period of constant FIA rule changes from 2004 to 2008 there was an overall reduction of 1 overtake per race.

Significant increases in average overtakes per season on season have occured after:
  • 1984: Fuel tank capacity reduced
  • 1989 & 2006: Engine capacity changed
  • 1997: No changes
  • 1999: Flexible wings banned
  • 2003: Single lap qualification

The following table is a comparison of 1984 and 2005 which have the highest and lowest average number of passes per race respectively.

Looking at 2005 we can see that the 2 best qualifiers on average finished 1st and 2nd overall.
In 1984 the 2 drivers with the best average qualifiying position finished 2nd and 5th overall.

Description19842005
Number of races per season1619
Number of teams1510
Number of qualifiers per race2620
Average passes per GP41.6310.89
Number of teams who won a race143
Number of teams who scored a point21210
Average number of non finishers per race314.504.74
Race 1193
Race 2157
Race 3167
Race 4167
Race 5115
Race 6114
Race 7132
Race 8194
Race 91714
Race 10135
Race 11161
Race 12132
Race 13126
Race 14165
Race 15150
Race 16105
Race 17-5
Race 18-4
Race 19-4
Average qualification of top 6 finishers46.96.6
1st place8.03.9
2nd place3.05.7
3rd place8.67.8
4th place7.46.8
5th place3.55.9
6th place10.012.0
11984: Mclaren 12, Brabham 2, Williams 1, Ferrari 1
  2005: Mclaren 10, Renault 8, Ferrari 1
2Placed 6th or higher
3DSQ and DNS included
41984: Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Elio de Angelis, Michele Alboreto, Nelson Piquet, René Arnoux
  2005: Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya, Giancarlo Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher
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F1 Overtaking Statistics & Analysis

PostPosted by Brogan on Tue Sep 29 2009 13:01

The following tables and charts contain data from dry races only.

Passing data: 1983 - 2009 (dry races only)
YearNo. Of GPsNo. Of DriversTotal PassesEqualisedAvg. Per GPAvg. Per Driver - SeasonAvg. Per Driver - GP
1983142658149841.5022.351.60
1984152664851843.2024.921.66
1985142655347439.5021.271.52
1986162658143636.3122.351.40
1987162655841934.8821.461.34
1988132635632927.3813.691.05
1989132642939633.0016.501.27
1990152644235429.4717.001.13
1991132637334428.6914.351.10
1992132631629224.3112.150.93
1993122629729724.7511.420.95
1994152628322618.8710.880.73
1995132617316013.316.650.51
1996142215012910.716.820.49
1997152220116113.409.140.61
1998142216213911.577.360.53
1999142218816113.438.550.61
2000142220217314.439.180.66
2001152215912710.607.230.48
2002162219114311.948.680.54
2003142021618515.4310.800.77
2004172024417214.3512.200.72
2005182018112110.069.050.50
2006162222116613.8110.050.63
2007142215713511.217.140.51
2008132014012910.777.000.54
200915201441159.607.200.48
Total / Avg.8,1466,79820.9812.420.86
Green text denotes an increase from the previous year
Red text denotes a decrease from the previous year
The equalised values factor in the number of dry races per season, based on 1993 which had the least at 12



Passing data per circuit (dry races only)
Circuit838485868788899091929394959697989900010203040506070809TotalAvg.
A1-Ring--------------16282918171815------14120.14
Adelaide Street Circuit--3167473103001911144--------------25428.22
Albert Park-------------1035371116143795248132221415.29
Autódromo do Estoril-630272619672930342826162-------------36730.58
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola)43364833474229300220340456621163671---42120.05
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (Mexico City)---54383043704841-----------------32446.29
Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Jacarepaguá)68476147333627--------------------31945.57
Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos)-------422716013150271426220280406162102533822.53
Autodromo Nazionale Monza31463955273224183034283117113211218161650111290755322.12
Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez------------23243515-----------9724.25
Bahrain International Circuit---------------------1183618131610217.00
Brands Hatch46235915-----------------------14335.75
Circuit de Catalunya--------00171418415114393196275241438.41
Circuit de Dijon-Prenois-50-------------------------5050.00
Circuit de Monaco0021181372015117293800132550511172042079.41
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps27-0281630026280353201600151385-170-1501132220.13
Circuit du Castellet (Paul Ricard)35-433443293929-------------------25236.00
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve25425029-170026191124914211011012126181371717-41018.64
Circuit Park Zandvoort654346------------------------15451.33
Circuito Permanente de Jerez---2340252112---17--8------------14620.86
Detroit Street Circuit422636513827---------------------22036.67
Donington Park----------0----------------00.00
Fair Park (Dallas Grand Prix Circuit)-41-------------------------4141.00
Fuji Speedway------------------------025-2525.00
Hockenheimring3042-462702217311649121691681401117827920-19-46621.18
Hungaroring---4228313330382934453147382125411033336115.70
Indianapolis Motor Speedway-----------------5217190150514--12217.43
Istanbul Park----------------------2927161199218.40
Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit366616------277----------------15230.40
Long Beach Grand Prix Circuit79--------------------------7979.00
Magny-Cours Circuit--------3902310995140148210144569-18111.31
Marina Bay Street Circuit (Singapore)-------------------------102126.00
Nürburgring-4033---------020107006228112380-1520316.92
Okayama International Circuit (TI Circuit Aida)-----------1315--------------2814.00
Omloop Terlamen Zolder-39-------------------------3939.00
Österreichring2544251262----------------------16833.60
Phoenix Grand Prix Circuit------244121------------------8628.67
Sepang International Circuit----------------11280221613716105012814.22
Shanghai International Circuit---------------------171500904113.67
Silverstone Circuit29-45-290364239292536181014013860461166130947022.38
Suzuka International Racing Course----4404411523000149154315118201414--1126515.59
Valencia Street Circuit-------------------------4042.00
Yas Marina Circuit--------------------------666.00
Blue background indicates a wet race
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F1 Overtaking Statistics & Analysis

PostPosted by Brogan on Tue Sep 29 2009 14:43

The following charts provide a visual representation of the data for dry races only.

In the first 4 charts, the orange line is the total number of passes per season.
The grey line is equalised values factoring in the number of dry races per season, based on 1993 which had the least at 12.
The blue line is the average number of passes per race for each season.

The 4 charts present the same data but with different trendlines applied; 3 Year Moving Average, Linear and Exponential

Total Passes
Image

3 Year Moving Average Trendline
Image

Linear Trendline
Image

Exponential Trendline
Image

The final chart factors in the number of drivers and is based on the following number of drivers per season:
  • 1983 - 1995: 26
  • 1996 - 2002: 22
  • 2003 - 2005: 20
  • 2006 - 2007: 22
  • 2008 - 2009: 20
Average Passes
Image
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