F1 2017: Drop in overtakings, Daniel Ricciardo tops among drivers

Ricciardo takes top on overtakings this year, but F1 2017's faster cars deliver sharp decrease in overtaking moves

Best overtakes from the 2017 F1 season as Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo overtakes both Williams drivers and Renault's Nico Hulkenberg for third place in the Azerbaijan GP.

Daniel Ricciardo completed more overtaking moves than any other driver in F1 2017, it has been revealed.

According to data released by tyre supplier Pirelli, Red Bull driver Ricciardo made a grid-best 43 passing moves during the 20-race campaign despite retiring six times.

Ricciardo's sole victory of the season came from 10th on the grid in June's Azerbaijan GP and it was the unpredictable Baku event which produced the most overtaking moves during a race - 42.

By contrast, the Russian GP at the Sochi Autodrom saw just one pass all race.

F1's push for faster, more aggressive cars delivered on the stopwatch this year with the 2017 machines lowering average pole position times by 2.5 seconds and race fastest laps by three seconds from 2016, according to Pirelli.

However, fears that the big increases in downforce, and more durable tyres, would harm overtaking were also realised with a 49.8 per cent drop in passing moves.

There were 435 on-track overtakes in 2017, down from 866 across 21 races last year. The 2016 figure was the highest since records began in 1983.

In 2015 there were 509 moves and 636 in 2014, the first year of the current hybrid engines.

Meanwhile, the return to tyres which lasted for longer resulted in fewer pit stops with only 533 this year compared to 933 in 2016.