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The 2017 Formula 1 season represented the worst year for overtaking in the DRS era, as the number of completed passes was almost halved compared to last year.
Pirelli released analysis data from the 2017 campaign – the first season for the new generation of wider, faster cars – on Monday that revealed the number of overtakes it registered over the 20-race season was down to 435.
That represented a 49% drop from the 866 passes that were recorded in 2016 when there was one more race.
The 2016 figure was the highest since records began in the early 1980s, while this season’s 435 is the lowest since the 211 passes that took place in 2009 – which was before DRS was introduced to help overtaking.
This year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku accounted for the most overtaking moves in one race, with 42 in total.
At the other end of the spectrum was the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi when just one pass was recorded.
Daniel Ricciardo ended the year as F1’s top overtaker, pulling off a total of 43 passes during the campaign.
An impressive 13 of these came at the British Grand Prix, when he charged his way through the field after taking a grid penalty for a new gearbox and power unit components.
Ricciardo’s team-mate Max Verstappen pulled off 22 moves himself, which meant Red Bull cars completed the most overtakes over the course of the season.
Lance Stroll’s strong recovery from poor qualifying efforts was reflected as he was the driver who pulled off the most passes on the first lap of races – with 36 over the course of the season.