F1 has announced a new award for overtaking, with the driver who completes the most overtakes at the end of the season being presented with a trophy.
This award is the first of its kind, and has been announced by F1 to add a new layer of achievement. Although eleven races have been completed, the driver who has the most overtakes to his name throughout the entire season will be the winner of the award.
F1, in a statement, announced that the new award “is designed to celebrate the bravery exhibited by drivers who make bold moves in pursuit of success”.
F1’s Director of Commercial Partnerships, Ben Pincus, spoke of the award. He said that he celebrated it, and is willing to bet that the sport will do the same.
“The award gives us the chance to celebrate drivers’ instincts to make bold and strategic moves,” he said, as reported by GP Fans.
The driver who is currently at the top of the overtakers list is Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel. He has done some remarkable overtakes over this season. The clever one he dished out to Pierre Gasly in Baku comes to mind.
Vettel, who is the current Grill the Grid champion, could add another trophy to his cabinet not called the WDC by the end of the season. That is, of course, assuming nobody else does more overtakes than him by the end of the season. Given the nature of the sport, Vettel’s position at the top is hardly safe.
Other changes
The sport will also see new broadcasting graphics introduced live during races. They will show viewers and fans possible overtaking scenarios and potential hits and misses. The new change will also help fans know who is leading the overtaking leaderboard, and will have a live ticker of sorts to keep track of the same.
The award is being sponsored by crypto.com, a cryptocurrency platform that is a global partner of F1. They are also the title partner of this season’s sprint events.
Read more: Why was Aston Martin’s request to review Sebastian Vettel’s Hungary disqualification denied?