F1 Fanatic

As promised, here’s the first batch of data on overtaking in the Australian Grand Prix.

I’ve posted this here so we can refine the data, create an accurate picture of how much real, on-track overtaking goes on in a race, and use it to draw conclusions about things like which drivers did the most overtaking and whether the DRS is making a difference.

The data in the file below is generated automatically based on the same race data used on the site. However the system is not perfect at the moment and I need informed observers to make some amendments.

For example, there may be some occasions where a driver has been shown to have made an overtaking move when in fact they’ve just gained a place because a driver in front of them pitted.

Here is some guidance on what should and should not be counted as an overtaking move:

No first-lap passes
No passes that ‘didn’t stick’ – e.g., where a driver gains a position braking too deeply into a corner and is immediately re-passed
No places gained ‘in the pits’ – e.g., a driver gaining a place through faster in- and out-laps
No places gained because the overtaken driver went off the track
No places gained through moves that were penalised by the stewards

(Should you wish to analyse the data based on different criteria, please do so in another thread.)

Please post details of any amendments you would make to the data below, indicating which lap/s, which driver/s and why you would make the change.

Please do not edit the file and post a different version with no explanation, as that would be entirely unhelpful.

Click here to download the data. It’s a .csv file which should work with most spreadsheet software such as Excel and Google Documents.

I entirely don’t mean to sound rude, I just have a few questions which might help your endeavour.

1.How does this spreadsheet show if DRS is making a difference?

2. Maybe group the overtakes into “DRS assisted” and “No DRS”.

3 If the overtakes were on the entry to turn 1, is it safe to say the overtake was DRS assisted?

4. What if DRS did very little in the overtaking, and the main factor was KERS or just the exit speed coming onto the straight?

edit: wasn’t ALO -2 on lap 2?

thanks!

It shouldn’t matter what was a DRS pass and which isn’t. For me, I liked it that DRS wasn’t an instant overtake button. It helped Button stay close to Massa and we got a great battle for about 10 laps.

Thanks Keith, I thought that was it, just wanted to ask. Now off to get through the data for that.

I didn’t saw all the race, so, if I mention any overtaking that wasn’t a real overtaking please point it.

Vettel 1 (Button)
Hamilton 0
Petrov 0
Alonso 4 (Kobayashi, Rosberg, Massa, Heidfeld)
Webber 1 (Kobayashi)
Button 2 (Buemi, Kobayashi)
Perez 0
Kobayashi 0
Massa 0
Buemi 1 (Di Resta)
Sutil 2 (Di Resta, Di Resta)
Di Resta 0
Alguersuari 5 (D’ Ambrosio, Glock, Trulli, Kovalainen, Heidfeld)
Heidfeld 0
Trulli 0
D’ Ambrosio 0
Glock 1 (D’Ambrosio)
Barrichello 7 (Glock, D’ Ambrosio, Trulli, Maldonado, Kovalainen, Perez, Kobayashi)
Rosberg 0
Kovalainen 0
Schumacher 0
Maldonado 2 (Kovalainen, Perez)

Can we use this in conjunction with the ‘tyres used’ chart posted the other day to determine when drivers pitted and negate any over-takes on those laps?

To me, it seems like it’s an over-take unless proven otherwise. Anything worth debating will be brought to our attention via television or other methods.

In your overtaking data you have a big problem, you clear the laps where the driver pits (which is correct), but you should clear to the overtakes done to drivers who where on the pits.

The best way in my opinion is to a graphical lap chart (with times instead of positions) and check for each driver line in graphic when he crossed over other drivers line. And then at the end remove the false positives, the ones you saw on tv that where motivated by off-track of one of the drivers, and no forbidden overtakes.

In your stats Perez seems to have 13 overtakes, but he didn’t overtake no one on the track.