Stats: F1's late-race shootouts

Austin's first grand prix last year was hailed as a huge success, helped in large part by the fact that it was decided with a pass for the lead in the closing stages as Lewis Hamilton's long chase of Sebastian Vettel paid off.

On-track passes for first place are now - rightly or wrongly - much more common in the DRS and high-degradation tyre era.

Once mid-race pitstops became mandatory with the reintroduction of refuelling in 1994, fans became rather too accustomed to the final pitstops settling grand prix outcomes.

So how rare in the modern era was Hamilton's achievement when he slipped past Vettel at exactly 75 per cent distance of the 2012 United States Grand Prix, with all pitstops completed?

AUTOSPORT and Forix dug into the stats...

THE CRITERIA

To get onto our list, the pass for the lead had to be on-track, on or after 75 per cent of the race distance, and with no more pitstops for the lead contenders.

SHUNTS AND BLOW-UPS DON'T COUNT

We ruled out races where the lead change happened late due to a drama rather than a passing move.

So that meant no space for Jenson Button taking the 2012 Brazilian GP lead with 16 laps to go as that happened when Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg collided ahead of him.

Similarly when Fernando Alonso 'overtook' Kimi Raikkonen on the final lap at the Nurburgring in 2005, it only happened because the Finn's McLaren was flying across a gravel trap as a damaged tyre finally exploded and shattered the car's suspension.

We dismissed races where leaders' cars wilted but continued too, such as Vettel slowing from the 2010 Bahrain GP lead with a spark plug issue, giving Alonso a win on his Ferrari debut while the Red Bull limped home third.

Also in this category are two Jacques Villeneuve/Damon Hill late passes. Villeneuve depriving Hill of Arrows's only F1 win in Hungary 1997 when the Briton's car jammed in gear was in some ways payback for the oil leak that slowed Villeneuve on the way to winning on his F1 debut a year and a half earlier.

Herbert beat Coulthard at Silverstone in 1995 after the Scot was penalised © LAT

Penalties can be ruled out too. Johnny Herbert picked up the 1995 British GP lead on lap 51 of 61, but only because David Coulthard took a pitlane speeding penalty.

Two laps earlier, Coulthard had overtaken Herbert on track as they ended up fighting for the lead following Hill and Michael Schumacher's collision, but Herbert maintained he let the Williams by as Benetton had advised him of the Scot's looming penalty.

And perhaps fittingly amid modern track limits debates, to be classed as a proper overtaking move in our list, cars both had to stay on track.

That excluded Nigel Mansell's final F1 win in the 1994 Australian GP, as he only went ahead of Gerhard Berger on lap 64 of 81 because the Ferrari ran wide and disappeared across the run-off area at the right-hander onto the back straight.

Conversely, had Mansell's dive down the inside into the hairpin a few laps earlier come off, that would have officially been 1994's only post-final-stop on-track lead change.

TEAM ORDERS DON'T COUNT

Four late Ferrari intra-team position swaps in this period were all due to variations on team orders: Schumacher ceding to Eddie Irvine in Malaysia in 1999, Felipe Massa famously letting Alonso by in Germany in 2010, and the hugely controversial late exchanges between Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello on the final laps of 2002's Austrian and United States GPs.

What about Red Bull's 'multi 21' furore in Malaysia this season? Technically that was team orders being ignored, not applied, so Vettel's late pass on Mark Webber could be considered a genuine overtaking move. But as Webber would be quick to underline, he wasn't really fighting as he had turned his engine down expecting Vettel to obey instructions.

McLaren also provided some odd cases, such as David Coulthard letting Mika Hakkinen past to win in Melbourne in 1998, a few months after Hakkinen was given his first win when champion-to-be Jacques Villeneuve's ailing Williams pulled aside on the last lap at Jerez.

So here are the late passes we reckon DO count...

IN THE DRS ERA

Austin 2012: Hamilton passes Vettel on lap 41 of 56

Hamilton's McLaren lurked behind Vettel's Red Bull for most of the race, then pounced using DRS after traffic cost the eventual champion momentum head onto the back straight.

Webber utilised his bold tyre strategy to catch and pass Alonso © LAT

Silverstone 2012: Webber passes Alonso on lap 47 of 52

Alonso made the best of a wet Saturday to take pole, but in a dry race, Webber's tyre strategy helped him hunt the Ferrari down.

Montreal 2012: Hamilton passes Alonso on lap 64 of 70

Another race of tyre tactics. Alonso stayed out hoping to make his Pirellis last. Hamilton dived in for a third set of tyres and grabbed the win as Alonso's rubber faded.

Montreal 2011: Button passes Vettel on the final lap

One of the most action-packed grands prix of all time amid changeable weather in Canada. Button twice had to fight through from the back of the field, clashed with team-mate Hamilton and Alonso's Ferrari along the way, but caught and passed Vettel when he ran slightly wide under pressure on the last lap.

Shanghai 2011: Hamilton passes Vettel on lap 52 of 56

A race that converted some DRS/Pirelli doubters and enraged others, as amid wild pace fluctuations from different tyre strategies, three-stopper Hamilton surged past Vettel, who had already begun to dominate the season.

TWO FROM 2010

Just before the DRS days, two cracking 2010 races prompted calls for F1 to be this entertaining all the time...

Montreal 2010: Hamilton passes Webber on lap 50 of 70

A crumbling track surface made the usually super-tough Bridgestones fade, and prompted plenty of passing, including Hamilton's decisive move on Webber amid traffic. The thrills of that afternoon gave F1 rulemakers an idea for the future...

Istanbul 2010: Hamilton (re)passes Button on lap 49 of 58

After Red Bull's Webber and Vettel collided during a lead battle, McLaren men Hamilton and Button were first and second. Hamilton thought the order was set, but Button had other ideas. A spectacular shuffle between them (pictured at the bottom) meant Button led across the line on lap 48, before the surprised Hamilton put himself back in front for good.

RAIN ALWAYS HELPS

Prior to 2010, all of F1's refuelling era late passes were helped in some way by either wet races, or grids shuffled from rain earlier in the weekend.

Alonso made a brave move on Massa to win in Germany © LAT

Nurburgring 2007: Alonso passes Massa on lap 56 of 60

Rain came, went and came back again during an epic European GP in 2007. Massa controlled the middle of the race, but Alonso reeled him in during the final shower, passed the Ferrari with a bold outside-line move, then criticised Massa for sliding into his McLaren as he overtook!

Suzuka 2005: Raikkonen passes Fisichella on final lap

The ultimate example of how rain on Saturday in the days of one-at-a-time qualifying could create an astounding race on Sunday. Raikkonen tigered through from 17th on the grid before swooping round the outside of long-time leader Giancarlo Fisichella as they began the last lap of an incredible grand prix.

Interlagos 2003: Fisichella passes Raikkonen on final lap

A very curious case. On another day of changeable weather, superstar underdog Fisichella's Jordan caught Raikkonen's McLaren and pressured the Finn into a mistake. He took the lead just before massive accidents for Webber and Alonso caused a race stoppage. The original verdict was that Raikkonen should get the win as Fisichella's pass came too late, but a recount meant Fisichella was granted Jordan's last GP win a week after the event.

Interlagos 2001: Coulthard passes Schumacher on lap 50 of 71

Best remembered as the day rookie Juan Pablo Montoya barged Schumacher aside (and later got taken out by backmarker Jos Verstappen), this Interlagos thriller's denouement was actually a David Coulthard versus Schumacher battle. A spin by the Ferrari brought Coulthard back into play and he snatched the win on track.

Spa 2000: Hakkinen passes Schumacher on lap 41 of 44

The advantage kept swinging between the 2000 title rivals on another damp Spa day, before a spin by Hakkinen seemed to give it to Schumacher.

The Finn was not out of it, though, charging back to pass Schumacher in that famous move either side of the lapped Ricardo Zonta, just after a block from the German had left Hakkinen simmering.

Nurburgring 1995: Schumacher passes Alesi on lap 65 of 67

Another wet/dry thriller. Starting on slicks gave Jean Alesi's Ferrari a huge advantage, before Schumacher's Benetton caught him. The home hero had to pit again, closed down another big gap, then stormed down the outside into the chicane with three laps left to the delight of the crowd.