(Motorsport-Total.com) – There are some overtaking maneuvers in Formula 1 that remain unforgettable to this day: The maneuver by McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen, who at the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix on the Kemmel Straight simultaneously passed Ferrari rival Michael Schumacher and the lapped Ricardo Zonta (BAR-Honda), is undoubtedly one of them.
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Almost 26 years later, there was an almost identical copy of this legendary scene at the same place: Because Alpine driver Franco Colapinto overtook both teammate Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, gaining two positions at once.
“The double overtaking maneuver that secured me tenth place [and thus a World Championship point] was especially enjoyable,” said the Argentine with a broad grin after crossing the finish line. “That was possible thanks to a good start and the slipstream.”
“I just had to try to pass Liam [Lawson] on the inside and then position myself just ahead of Pierre to complete the maneuver.” It was the 30th lap of the race. All three drivers had already completed their pit stops and had switched from medium tires to the harder compound.
Expert Surer calls it the “Overtaking maneuver of the race”
For former Formula 1 driver Marc Surer, who rates all drivers on Motorsport-Total.com, Colapinto’s action was the “overtaking maneuver of the race, as he overtook Lawson and Gasly in one go.” The Alpine driver earned a grade of 2 from the expert for this.
Spa: Driver ratings by Marc Surer and the editorial team
Less pleased was teammate Pierre Gasly, who finished only twelfth and thus remained without points. The early phase of the race had not gone optimally. “We tried an undercut to get past the Racing Bulls, but our pit stop was relatively slow.”
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“In my opinion, the race could have gone differently if we had a better track position and [in the outlap] had been ahead of the Racing Bulls,” believes the Frenchman. “So there are some things we need to analyze and that I need to understand.”
Colapinto: World Championship point in the race, World Championship defeat in the evening
“After that, there were countless tactics for energy use and overtaking maneuvers on the Kemmel Straight lap after lap,” says Gasly, probably also referring to the double overtaking maneuver. “Today did not go as I wished, but the overall picture mainly shows that we are not fast enough.”
Racing Bulls and Alpine are now tied on points in the Constructors’ Championship. “In general, we know where we stand in the competition and where we lack speed,” adds Colapinto. “Compared to some tracks recently, we were definitely a bit stronger here.”
However, Sunday was to remain the only success experience for Colapinto: The Argentine, who had been more nervous before the football World Cup final than before the race itself, had to watch in the evening as his national team around Lionel Messi lost 0-1 in extra time to the world champions from Spain.
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