We now have three Grands Prix and a Sprint with which to compare starting grids with final outcomes.
Why? Well with all the fury and fluff flying from breathless commentators, the FIA, and Liberty Media these days, as yet another press to pass action takes place, one needs to ask: "Well did that amount to a whole hill of beans?"
We recently had Lando, he of recent World Champion status, note that it was no longer racing, it was "Yo-Yoing". Lando highlighted that on occasions, due to where each car was in the power-recharge cycle, you were forced to fly past the car in front, in full knowledge they would return the favour 50 metres past the next apex. So, being the logical bunny that I am, at least three to five times a year, let's start at the very first race of the season, and work our way through what we've seen...
Australia! Everyone's favourite Southern hemisphere, English speaking country, unless you prefer Kiwis (some do). After so much breathless anticipation that your scribe was on the verge of bulk ordering asthma inhalers from Amazon and sending them to the FIA, Liberty, and Sky express post, we finally got to see what was really happening in Melbourne.
In short order qualifying gave us; Russell; Antonelli; Hadjar; Leclerc; Piastri; Norris; Hamilton; Lawson; Lindblad; Bortoleto as our top ten. Piastri didn't make the grid, so this top ten got a minor shuffle in the gift of an empty grid slot.
Race end...? Russell; Antonelli; Leclerc; Hamilton; Norris; Verstappen; Bearman; Lindblad; Bortoleto; Gasly.
Seven of the top ten starters finished in the top ten. The top two unchanged. Hadjar bombed out, allowing Leclerc to make the huge move from fourth to third. Piastri was a DNS, allowing Norris the legendary move from sixth to fifth, while Verstappen made the remarkable move from 20th to sixth. So, some passing there for sure. Bearman moved from twelfth to seventh, but in front of him Hadjar suffer a mechanical, Piastri a DNS, and Lawson dropped to dead last at the start to aid his overtaking. Lindblad made the mighty move from starting ninth to finishing eighth, which, given the three cars failing in front of him, actually means he did a net two moves backwards. Bortoleto moved from tenth to ninth, then finishing tenth we have Gasly who moved from fourteenth. Again, with three cars in front of him failing that leaves one real overtake.
So, the net result was the top two unmoved, Hamilton directly behind Leclerc due to Piastri failing, and an actual overtake on Norris. Lawson took himself out gifting Lindblad and Bortoleto one place rises, Gasly had three positions gifted, and completed one overtake for position, Verstappen benefited from 2 DNSs, and 4 DNFs, so that's six places covered moving him from 20th (was 22nd before the two DNS) to 16th. So, at some point V. Max actually pulled off ten overtakes, not bad for a guy who wants to bury these regulations in the Mariana trench.
How did the FIA and Liberty report this modest shuffling of the deck chairs? Headlines proudly boasting of endless breathless overtakes and daring-do, not yo-yoing! Highlighting 35 overtakes in the 2024 race, 45 overtakes in 2025, and 125 'blast-pasts' this year! For a top ten which required two non-V. Max overtakes, plus ten by V. Max for a total of twelve, twelve that actually counted for something. Leaving the best part of 113 overtakes in the "What was the point?" basket.
It was the quirky, curious, and alarmingly intelligent, Max Mosley who compared F1 overtakes to single-goal wins in football. He noted that many a nil-nil draw could actually have been a nail-biting game. It was the drama of how one got to the result, not the actual score itself. Anyone who has witnessed a five or more goal hammering of a lesser team by a greater will know they can swiftly become boring. Mosley's point was all about the drama, cunning, skill and forward planning of a great overtake. The anticipation of seeing an exciting move from a great driver. Two push-to-pass buttons, plus moveable aero front and rear is not exactly an artifice-free zone for drivers to display mighty talent.
What of the next two races?
Well China gave us another dozen overtakes to move from a start grid of Antonelli, Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc as the top four... to the exact same order at the finish line. But gee did we have some 'blast-past' overtakes on the way to that result!
Piastri and Norris should have started fifth and sixth, but managed a double DNS. Whoops, zero overtakes there, unless the FIA awarded two overtakes to everyone behind them just to keep the numbers up!
Seven to ten on the grid was Gasly, V. Max, Hadjar, and Bearman. With the McLarens out of the way Gasly managed to power his way to a sixth place finish, effectively a move one place backward as he started an effective fifth. V. Max clocked a rare DNF, Hadjar, like Gasly, managed to climb from his assigned 9th, effective 7th, start position to finish 8th, so another slide back of one place. Bearman managed to finish 5th, from an assigned 10th place start - effective 8th thanks to McLaren... that's three overtakes! Way to go Oli!
Those two McLaren spaces? Well, Sainz climbed from 17th on the starting grid (effective 15th) to 9th. So clearly something like six overtakes surely? Well not quite. We had a total of four DNSs (an Audi and a Williams joining the McLarens) then three DNFs, V. Max being joined by both Astons. Three of these started behind Sainz meaning three overtakes happened at some point. No wait. V. Max started in front of Sainz, so his DNF provided Carlos with another place, so it looks like two overtakes for the Spaniard.
So, we are looking at about five or six overtakes for position across the race, with the hundred plus others all being fluff. Pure fluff.
Japan! Well, Antonelli and Russel started in formation, but while Antonelli finished first, George managed to slide back to 4th. This allowed both Piastri and Leclerc to glide past him in start formation... and finish in those positions relative to one another being 2nd and 3rd at the finish. Norris started and finished 5th, likewise Hamilton and Gasly, who started and finished 6th and 7th. Then V. Max, Lawson, and Ocon all managed to ease up a couple of places to round out the top ten having started, 11th, 14th, and 12th. So, a few moves there.
So, what on-track fluff has the FIA and Liberty Media provided us, the fans? Well hundreds and hundreds of pointless overtakes only three races into the season, grumpy drivers, disengaged older fans, and even a significant number of new fans are now realising they are being sold the empty sizzle of a vegan steak.
The number of meaningful overtakes for position this year remains around the typical number of the last few seasons, something like six to twelve significant moves per race. Then the fluff and fury show up and down the pack as drivers see-saw past one another for no good reason. Snake oil salesmen had to keep moving on in the old West because towns caught on. You cannot sell the same snake oil to the same people week after week... after week. Fool some of the people some of the time and all that.
The furry boas which the FIA and Liberty are twirling around their heads to try and distract us from the actual facts of the racing this season will only work for so long. That image of Stefano and Ben doing the Can-Can with multi-coloured boas flying, as if their very lives depend on us being distracted, can only hold our shocked gaze for so long.
Let's hope Miami provides a processional race with minimal real overtakes which hammers home the need for urgent action. The alternate shock of a horrid high-speed crash is hopefully to be avoided in all circumstances.
When the fluff, feathers, and snake oil bottles stop flying let us hope the FIA and Liberty finally realise that without real racing, which is what everyone with a passion for F1, team members, drivers, and fans, all want... they have no show. If the racing goes, the show goes, and no amount of fury and snake oil discounts will get it back.
With a month to prepare prior to Miami how much fluff do you think the FIA and Liberty will have prepared to blow in our faces come race weekend? Please, keep your furry boa out of my eyes while I write, and no, I do not want another bottle of snake oil. Deliver me some racing!
Max Noble
Learn more about Max and check out his previous features, here
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