Mansell’s pass on Senna tops Turner’s backmarker ranking

Kevin Turner’s Autosport ranking puts a backmarker-assisted Mansell pass ahead of Hakkinen’s celebrated move at Spa.

GPBeat · Newsroom30 Sept 2026, 14:29 · 1 min

Autosport chief editor Kevin Turner has put Nigel Mansell’s pass on Ayrton Senna at the 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix first in his ranking of Formula 1 overtakes shaped by backmarkers. His list, published on 30 September, weighs the quality of each move, its importance to the race result and the backmarker’s role.

Turner describes Senna lifting behind Stefan Johansson’s slower Onyx at Turn 3 on lap 58. Mansell seized the chance to take the lead and went on to win. Turner gives the move the top spot partly because he judges that Mansell’s Ferrari lacked the straight-line speed to pass Senna in ordinary circumstances.

Second is Mika Hakkinen’s pass on Michael Schumacher at the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix. As Schumacher went left of Ricardo Zonta’s car, Hakkinen went right and claimed the inside line into Les Combes. Turner rates the move highly, though he suggests Hakkinen’s pace probably made him the favourite to win anyway.

The order is Turner’s assessment of historic overtakes, rather than a new race classification. It puts the opportunity created by Johansson’s slowing car at the heart of Mansell’s winning move.

Source context

Source: Kevin Turner’s retrospective ranking for Autosport, published on 30 September 2026.

Claims and supporting evidence 4

Kevin Turner, identified by Autosport as its Chief Editor, published this retrospective ranking on 30 September 2026. The ranking is his assessment, not a newly recorded race result.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Authorship and publication context Published 30 September 2026; discusses historical Grands Prix. Only the supplied Autosport publication was read; no independent media comparison is available.

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Turner says the ranking weighs the quality and race significance of each pass, the drivers and cars involved, and how crucial the backmarker was. Its order is an editorial judgment rather than a measured classification.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Ranking criteria Assessment published 30 September 2026. The criteria are stated by the ranking’s author; no independent ranking was supplied.

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Turner places Nigel Mansell’s pass on Ayrton Senna at the 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix first. In his account, Senna had to lift behind Stefan Johansson’s slower Onyx on lap 58 of 77, allowing Mansell to take the lead. Turner considers the pass especially notable because he says Mansell’s Ferrari lacked the straight-line speed to pass Senna under normal circumstances.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Top-ranked pass and stated rationale 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix; ranking published 30 September 2026. The race description and comparative assessment come from Turner’s retrospective account; the supplied material contains no independent race record.

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Turner places Mika Hakkinen’s pass on Michael Schumacher during the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix second. His account describes Schumacher and Hakkinen passing Ricardo Zonta on opposite sides before Hakkinen took the inside line at Les Combes. Turner also judges that Hakkinen’s pace made him the probable winner even without that particular move.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Second-ranked pass and qualification 2000 Belgian Grand Prix; ranking published 30 September 2026. The counterfactual about who would probably have won is Turner’s judgment, not an observed result.

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This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.