Italian Grand Prix saw huge amount of F1 fans MISS key moments

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Italian Grand Prix saw huge amount of F1 fans MISS key moments

Less than half of the overtaking that took place were shown on TV

Luis Raya

Sunday 10 September 2023 16:57

Out of the 31 overtakes that occurred at Monza during the last Italian Grand Prix, only 15 were shown on TV, making it the second-lowest figure after Monaco.

Monza delivered an exciting race full of tense moments at the top of the standings, notably involving Red Bull and Ferrari drivers. Sainz, who started from pole position, defended against Verstappen's attacks for many laps. Afterward, both the Spanish driver and Leclerc fought with Perez, who managed to climb up to the second position.

The Ferrari drivers took centre stage during the final laps as they battled each other for the last spot on the podium, with the Spanish driver ultimately securing it. Despite being an entertaining race, there were only 31 overtakes, as it was more about defending against attacks with well-earned and challenging overtaking manoeuvres.

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This makes it the seventh race of the season with fewer overtakes, although in the TV broadcast, only 15 were shown according to Formula Data Analysis, making it the second lowest number, just behind Monaco, where 12 of the 22 overtakes were shown. As a result, fans watching the broadcast missed half of the overtakes in the race, although most of them occurred further down the grid.

The low number of overtakes at Monza contrasts with the previous race at the Dutch Grand Prix. In Zandvoort, there were a whopping 188 overtakes in what was one of the season's best races, thanks to the changing weather conditions that added excitement to the grid. Of those 188 overtakes, 59 were shown on TV.

The Italian Grand Prix left few overtakes but good battles

Overtaking in Singapore is difficult

This season has seen an average of 49.21 overtakes, a figure largely influenced by the race in Zandvoort. The upcoming Grand Prix in Singapore is expected to be challenging for overtaking.

The circuit has an average of 33 overtakes per race, and in 2022, there were only 16, of which 11 were shown in the live broadcast. In contrast, in 2019, there were 59 overtakes, while 2018 had 13, and 2017 also had 16.

Being a street circuit, Singapore doesn't usually offer many overtaking opportunities, but it does provide intense and thrilling races. What is highly likely to happen is the deployment of a Safety Car or a red flag due to the walls being so close. First-lap accidents are quite common and often shake up the entire grid.

In 2022, Sergio Perez won the race ahead of the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz, living up to his title as the 'King of Street Circuits.' On the other hand, Verstappen finished only 7th after starting 8th.

The circuit's characteristics seem to favor teams like Red Bull and Aston Martin, while Ferrari may face more challenges. With the midfield being so closely contested, we can expect any outcome.