OVERTAKE OF THE YEAR

Daniel Ricciardo Renault On Charles Leclerc at the Eifel GP

We’ve offered no Rookie of the Year award for 2020, given Nicholas Latifi had no competition in this category until Lewis Hamilton missing the penultimate race of the season created its domino effect, so we replaced this with ‘Overtake of the Year’.

Perhaps it’s no surprise to see Daniel Ricciardo scoop this prize from your vote, considering the formidable reputation he’s built for himself as a master of the art during F1’s hybrid era. Competition in this category was fierce too.

GP Racing thought Sergio Pérez might nab the prize for his ballsy outside pass of Carlos Sainz at Turn 5 in the Styrian Grand Prix, or Charles Leclerc for his gutsy lunge down the inside of Pérez’s Racing Point at Turn 3 during the previous weekend’s Austrian GP, or even Carlos Sainz – for going round the outside of Kimi Räikkönen at Monza’s first chicane.

But our ever-discerning readers picked

Ricciardo’s Fernando Alonso-like move on Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari in the Eifel GP.

This was an important weekend for Ricciardo and Renault, because it finished with him claiming the team’s first podium since returning as a works outfit – its first podium in F1 since the 2011 Malaysian GP – and the pass on Leclerc, which came on lap nine of 60 and was for fourth place at that time, was crucial for gaining the track position needed to put Ricciardo into third when Valtteri Bottas’s Mercedes broke unexpectedly.

“There were a couple of laps where I had a run at Charles into Turn 1, but he was covering the inside really well,” Ricciardo explained. “I thought if I forced him deep into the corner then I might

have a chance into Turn 2. The corner is very low grip and off-camber, but I had confidence there all weekend and I managed to make the car stick on the outside.”

HOW YOU VOTED

Daniel Ricciardo (on Charles Leclerc, Eifel GP) Charles Leclerc (on Sergio Pérez, Austrian GP) Carlos Sainz (on Kimi Räikkönen, Italian GP) Sergio Perez (on Carlos Sainz, Styrian GP) Valtteri Bottas (on Daniel Ricciardo, Tuscan GP)

“I’ve had a couple of these awards over the last few years, so it’s nice to know I’ve still got it! This was an important overtake for me, as once I got past Charles I was able to pull away from the pack and set-up that first podium finish with the team.”

Daniel Ricciardo