F1
8 memorable overtakes from our F1 history
Just what constitutes the best or most significant overtakes in Formula 1 history can be debated. What can’t? There’s always a driver that succeeds and one that loses out.
Across 22 seasons and counting, most of Oracle Red Bull Racing’s 15 drivers since 2005 have made their mark with a signature overtake or two, some gaining more of a reputation than others for show-stopping passes that brought you to your feet.
Which ones have stood out most, either for their daring execution, split-second opportunism, or the temporary humbling of one of the sport’s giants.
From the brilliant to the brave, from the barely-believable to the bold, here – in chronological order – are 8 Oracle Red Bull Racing passes that have (or will) always be remembered.
No debate needed …
1. Eau my goodness
When: 2011 Belgian Grand Prix, lap 9
Who: Mark Webber over Fernando Alonso
Why: You don’t typically pass on the 280km/h-plus entry to Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps, and you definitely don’t pass a two-time world champion there. But Webber didn’t earn the ‘Aussie Grit’ nickname for nothing, and with Alonso’s Ferrari rejoining the track after a pit stop, Webber sat in the Spaniard’s wheel tracks before launching a bold overtake around the outside of one of the sport’s most fearsome corners that left former RBR driver turned commentator David Coulthard standing back from the TV screen. Webber was fired up after a bad getaway had dropped him to eighth off the start, and kept his right foot buried while trusting his opponent.
Mark Webber on track at the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix
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It takes two guys to get it right. You can do it with Fernando – he’s a world-class guy and knows when enough is enough.
2. 'You can't pass there, mate'
When: 2012 Australian Grand Prix, lap 2
Who: Sebastian Vettel over Nico Rosberg
Why: The Turn 9-10 chicane across the back of the Albert Park circuit was removed in 2022 partly because it was felt overtaking was nigh-on impossible there, but nobody told reigning two-time champion Vettel back in the opening round of 2012. From sixth on the grid – further back than he’d started all season in his dominant 11-win 15-Pole position 2011 campaign – Seb caught Rosberg by surprise on the second lap of the season, feinting to the inside before hanging tough around the outside to pull off a stunning move, his car centimetres from being on the wrong side of the exit kerb. Fast-forward 56 laps, and what became a successful title defence kicked off with second place.
Sebastian Vettel at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix
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A great manoeuvre on the edge.
Sebastian Vettel at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix
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3. Seb's Silverstone stunner
When: 2014 British Grand Prix, lap 47
Who: Sebastian Vettel over Fernando Alonso
Why: The 2014 season was Vettel’s last at RBR, and while he didn’t win a race for the first time in seven years, he was part of a dice of champions that lasted for 14 laps and featured considerably more than 14 radio messages as the two most decorated drivers on the grid fought like their lives depended on it for fifth place. Alonso’s Ferrari had leapfrogged Vettel after the German’s final pit stop, and it took a bold dive by Seb at the 285km/h Copse Corner six laps from the end to finally get the job done. Writing for the BBC, former F1 racer Allan McNish relished the clash between two titans.
Sebastian Vettel at the 2014 British Grand Prix
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It’s no accident they have six world titles between them. It was F1 at its best.
4. Max's rain gains
When: 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, lap 32
Who: Max Verstappen over Nico Rosberg
Why: Brazil, rain and Verstappen has been an irresistible combination over the years, but 2016 was something else. In difficult conditions with rivers of water running across the track, Max – in his first Red Bull Racing season and second overall, remember – overtook that year’s eventual World Champion Rosberg around the outside of a soaked Turn 3, the pass confirmed when the spray dissipated under braking at the next corner. It was the signature moment of the race, which ended with Max coming from 16th after a lap 54 pit stop to finish on the podium in third at the chequered flag 17 laps later. Three-time World Champion Niki Lauda later commented on Max's enthralling overtaking.
Max Verstappen overtakes Nico Rosberg in the rain in Brazil
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The way he passed, it was just incredible. I knew the guy is good but he proved to everybody what he can do.
5. As easy as 1-2-3
When: 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, lap 24
Who: Daniel Ricciardo over Lance Stroll, Felipe Massa and Nico Hulkenberg
Why: Ricciardo had long established himself as one of F1’s foremost overtakers by 2017, but the lap 24 restart after a red flag period was incredible even by his standards. As Williams teammates Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa battled with Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg in close proximity, Ricciardo ambushed all three of them into the first corner to slot into third place behind Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari). When Vettel was penalised for an incident with Hamilton, who dropped back himself when he had to pit for a loose headrest, that daring divebomb led to a lead 10 laps later, and a fifth career win.
Daniel Ricciardo wins the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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I said to my trainer Stu (Smith) that I thought third might be on at turn one at the re-start. I was committed to going for it even before I got back in the car.
6. Stamping his authority
When: 2018 Chinese Grand Prix, lap 45
Who: Daniel Ricciardo over Valtteri Bottas
Why: None of Ricciardo’s seven wins for Red Bull Racing felt remotely straightforward, and Shanghai 2018 was no different. Sixth on lap 32 of 56 having taken a pit stop under a safety car for fresh tyres, Ricciardo stormed to second in 12 laps before closing up on Bottas’ Mercedes on the run to Turn 6. Given his fresher tyres, he could have waited, but what would be the fun in that? A late-braking manoeuvre caught Bottas by surprise and earned him the lead, and all that was left was 12 more laps, ample time to cook up a memorable sound bite.
Daniel Ricciardo wins the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix
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Sometimes you’ve got to lick the stamp and send it.
7. Alex's early statement
When: 2019 Belgian Grand Prix, lap 34
Who: Alex Albon over Daniel Ricciardo
Why: La Source, Eau Rouge, Raidillon, Pouhon, Blanchimont … Spa-Francorchamps has some of the more evocative corner names in F1, which made Albon’s pass of Ricciardo’s Renault at Spa’s Turn 9 – long called ‘No Name’ – maybe the one downside of his debut for Red Bull Racing after being promoted from Toro Rosso 13 races into his rookie season. From 17th on the grid because of an engine penalty, Albon’s move – which took several corners tiptoeing a tightrope on the outside to complete – earned him eighth place, which became fifth when the chequered flag flew on lap 44.
Alex Albon leads Daniel Ricciardo at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix
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You can tell that you’ve got a good car under you … you can kind of do those overtakes.
8. Max on the double
When: 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, lap 16
Who: Max Verstappen over Liam Lawson and Lewis Hamilton
Why: Verstappen qualified sixth, started fourth after grid penalties were assessed to two rivals, and rejoined after his first pit stop on lap 15 to slot into eighth behind former teammate Lawson and long-time rival Hamilton. That didn’t last long; after the Ferrari had cleared the Racing Bull, Max had them both under braking at the first corner one lap later, threading the needle into an opening centimetres wider than an RB22 from a mile back, not locking up, judging the closing gap perfectly. From how far back he came and who has passed, it was a move that unlocked a (then) season-best second place, which Max memorably usurped five races later at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Max Verstappen leads Lewis Hamilton at Hungaroring in 2026
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