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The overtaking verdict F1 fans won't want to hear

Once again the Bahrain Grand Prix produced a more exciting race than the season-opener in Australia. This is because it has a more conventional layout, but also because of the power of an unloved overtaking aid

'Wasn't it a massive shame when Charles Leclerc blasted past Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel to take the lead of the Bahrain Grand Prix? The way he lined up a four-time world champion on the long run down the start-finish straight and moved ahead with a textbook piece of judgement and aggression on the brakes... It just isn't real racing.'

If Formula 1 fans and drivers who hate the championship's drag-reduction system as much as they claim were consistent, that would have been their view last Sunday. They would have dismissed Leclerc's excellent pass on Vettel last weekend as just another example of the DRS making overtaking easy in F1. Instead, the role of a much-maligned overtaking aid in setting up what should have been a race-winning pass was conveniently ignored.

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