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

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.