Top five overtakes in Formula 1 since 2000 including Fernando Alonso pass ‘never seen’ before

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Over the years, Formula 1 has seen some incredible overtakes, which have ultimately decided races and world championships.

A good overtake requires patience, perfect timing and bravery and can take multiple laps to line up and catch the opposing driver unaware.

Drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have become superb overtakers who pass cars with efficiency and skill.

There have been daring moves around the outside of high-speed turns that take incredible bravery and crafty passes to sneak up the inside.

Wheel-to-wheel combat is a vital skill that drivers have refined over their careers, from go-karting to their junior single-seater days.

With that in mind, F1 Oversteer looks at the top five overtakes since the turn of the century that stunned the world of Formula 1.

Mika Hakkinen surprises Michael Schumacher at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2000

Mika Hakkinen won the world championship twice in his career, in 1998 and 1999, for McLaren in the monstrous V10 era.

The Finnish driver was up against Michael Schumacher, who won seven world championships in his career, and up-and-coming talents such as Jenson Button.

Hakkinen headed into the 2000 season looking for his third world championship in a row but retired from the opening two rounds, leaving him 20 points down on Schumacher.

However, heading into the Belgian Grand Prix, Hakkinen had established a two-point lead over Schumacher.

Hakkinen led the field from pole position, but Schumacher was quickly on his gearbox nine laps into the race. Just four laps later, the McLaren driver spun at Stavelot and lost 10 seconds, handing his rival the lead.

The McLaren was quicker in a straight line than Schumacher’s Ferrari, allowing Hakkinen to close the gap. Both drivers gained on Ricardo Zonta, who was a lap down.

Hakkinen took Eau Rouge flat out, which wasn’t easy with much less downforce than modern cars to close the gap. The Finn spotted an opportunity at Les Combes as Schumacher went to the outside, leaving the apex free for the McLaren to dive up the inside.

He stole the lead with four laps to go and won the race after a superb move to stun Schumacher and Ferrari in Belgium.

Max Verstappen sweeps around the outside of Felipe Nasr in Belgium in 2015

Max Verstappen is now dominating Formula 1, winning four world championships in a row, and he already had supreme skill during his debut season in 2015.

The Dutchman raced for Toro Rosso and, at 17, was the youngest driver ever to compete in a Grand Prix, a record unlikely to be broken.

Verstappen was on a high at the Belgian Grand Prix after taking fourth place in Hungary. He qualified in 15th place, behind his teammate Carlos Sainz.

The 44-lap race was a different prospect, and the Dutchman picked his way through the midfield to occupy 12th place after 10 laps.

Verstappen was hunting down Felipe Nasr’s Sauber and looked for a way past the Brazilian driver. Nasr benefited from DRS as he was within a second of Felipe Massa in front, so Verstappen had to use creativity.

Nasr made a slight mistake at Pouhon, which allowed the Toro Rosso driver to close the gap. He used the slipstream out of Stavelot to gain time.

He swept around the outside of Blanchimont, a flat-out left-hander taken at 190mph. Verstappen didn’t lift and passed Nasr before completing the move on the brakes at the Bus Stop. The move was so good that it received the FIA Action of the Year award at the end of the season.

Sebastian Vettel dummied Valtteri Bottas while on the grass in Spain in 2017

Sebastian Vettel had revitalised his career with a move to Ferrari in 2015, and two years later, the German was battling for a fifth world championship.

Ferrari had aced the new regulations of wider cars to get on terms with Mercedes, and Vettel won the opening round in Australia.

Vettel started second at the Spanish Grand Prix, just half a tenth slower than Hamilton on pole position. The Ferrari driver took the lead at Turn 1 and held the advantage until the first pit stop as the pole-sitter stayed out for another seven laps.

The German retook the lead after Hamilton and set his sights on the yet-to-stop Valtteri Bottas. Mercedes had the best engine then, making the Finn difficult to overtake. Vettel got a run out of the final turn to gain on Bottas and dummied him.

He feinted to the left, then back to the right, before diving to the inside and passing Bottas. Vettel touched the grass at the pit lane exit with the DRS open as the Mercedes driver closed the door, but he made the move stick.

Max Verstappen found grip where no one else could to pass Nico Rosberg in Brazil in 2016

Hamilton won the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2016, but Verstappen’s storming drive to third place stole many headlines.

The race started behind the Safety Car in the pouring rain; Hamilton was on pole position ahead of his championship rival Nico Rosberg.

Verstappen began in fourth place and was already looking for alternate lines under the Safety Car and gain an understanding of where the grip was.

The Red Bull driver immediately passed Kimi Raikkonen eight laps into the race, the first lap under green flag conditions.

Verstappen sat behind Rosberg and capitalised on his knowledge of the track to sweep around the outside at Turn 3 while his rival tentatively put the power down.

This superb pass highlighted Verstappen’s prowess in the rain, and he later stormed through the field from 16th in the closing stages to third place after a late pit stop.

Fernando Alonso passed Michael Schumacher at 130R which James Allen had ‘never seen’ before in Japan in 2005

Fernando Alonso ended Schumacher’s era of domination in 2005 as the Spaniard won his first world championship for Renault.

He clinched the title in Brazil, which meant the pressure was off when heading into the Japanese Grand Prix. Alonso qualified in 16th place after a rain-affected qualifying session with Schumacher and Raikkonen down the field, too.

The opening lap was chaotic, as Juan Pablo Montoya crashed at the final turn after an incident as a tricky season neared its end.

Alonso stayed out of trouble and soon fought Schumacher for fourth place. Some cars, such as pole-sitter Ralf Schumacher, stopped very early in the race.

Just 19 laps into the Grand Prix, Alonso lined up the German for a pass on the back straight and forced Schumacher to defend. The 36-year-old covered the inside, allowing Alonso to take the racing line to pass Schumacher.

It was a superb move, and Alonso didn’t lift as the ITV commentator James Allen was stunned in the commentary box. He said during the race: “180 miles an hour around the outside of the 130R corner. I’ve never seen anything like it. Enormous bravery by Alonso. Brilliant driving by Michael Schumacher.”