Formula 1 announced on Tuesday that a new award will be given to the driver who makes the most passes during the course of a campaign.
It is a part of a sponsor tie-up, with the Overtake Award joining the likes of the Fastest Lap Trophy, Pole Position Award and Fastest Pit Stop Award.
There will be tweaked broadcast graphics in order to track potential overtaking opportunities through the course of a race.
Further details regarding how the standings for the Overtake Award will be determined have now been outlined.
A position change is deemed to take place when two drivers cross a timing loop in a different order to that in which they were observed to cross the previous loop.
There are usually around 20 to 25 of these timing loops per lap, depending on the circuit, and they are typically placed at intervals of around 200 metres.
The timing loops are used as they are deemed to be more accurate than GPS data or video feeds.
The overtake must happen on-track and not because another driver was in the pit lane.
This also extends to the pit entry and exit section between the respective Safety Car lines, rather than the actual pit entry and pit exit lines.
An overtake does not count if the driver ahead retired or was atypically slow due to an error, such as a spin or a wide moment when not in battle, or had suffered a mechanical issue, for example a puncture.
Passes made on the opening lap of the race will count towards the Overtake Award, with a driver’s grid position effectively counting as the first timing loop of the grand prix.
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel is currently in top spot in the Overtake Award, with the precise standings set to be made public at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Gimmicks, gimmicks, gimmicks.
Unlike the others though, this is not one that the driver/team should be deliberately aiming to win within the normal act of racing.
So,you start from pole,make a great start, and go on to win the race.
Yet you get nothing.
Seems fair!
Timing loops? A medium-sized abacus would be more than sufficient. In contrast to Le Mans at the weekend, where fourteen-thousand-odd passes were recorded by half-way. We can only hope that the new regulations for next season make it easier for drivers throughout the grid to duel more closely.
Get a grip mark. There’s a trophy for most pole positions too. And every winner gets a trophy, duh.