Following on from Part 1, we now look at the final five overtakes in Essaar’s Top 10.

5: Nelson Piquet on Ayrton Senna (Hungary, 1986)

The first grand prix behind the Iron Curtain also gave us one of Formula 1’s best ever overtakes.

Ayrton Senna led the race from pole position since the start but Nelson Piquet passed him in the early stages.

Senna took the position back from his fellow Brazilian in the pit-stop phase but Piquet would once again close the gap in his superior Williams. By Lap 53 of 76, Piquet was once again on Senna’s gearbox going onto the pit-straight.

The Hungaroring is a notoriously tricky circuit to overtake on and Senna was a hard man to pass, so the move had to be clinical.

Senna positioned his Lotus in the middle of the road to make it as wide and, as difficult, to pass as possible. However, Piquet defied the odds to lunge his Williams down the inside, on the dirty line, with full opposite lock on his steering to masterfully take the lead.

4: Gilles Villeneuve on Rene Arnoux (France, 1979)

The 1979 French Grand Prix is one of F1’s finest races because of two men, Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux.

Their battle for second place in the closing stages had more overtakes and close racing than some grand prix have to show in their entirety.

The Renault cars had a huge advantage over the rest of the field down the long pit-straight at Dijon due to their turbocharged engines, but Villeneuve held off Arnoux’s advances for a number of laps.

However, Arnoux got by going into the first corner with just a few laps to go.

Villeneuve, though, showed the determination that he has become synonymous with to stay with the Renault and throw his Ferrari down the inside into Turn 1.

The Canadian locked all four wheels, smoke was pouring everywhere but, he made it, an incredible move. Arnoux probably never saw the move coming and who could blame him? That shouldn’t have been possible.

In the end, they finished just a quarter of a second apart swapping positions an unbelievable six times on the last lap alone.

3: Fernando Alonso on Michael Schumacher (Japan, 2005)

A wet qualifying session had shaken up the grid for the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso both starting well outside the top 10.

Both made their way past the slower cars at impressive speed but by Lap 19, Alonso was now attempting to pass Schumacher for fifth.

Alonso was faster but the seven-time world champion was placing his Ferrari perfectly to defend from the Spaniard. However, even the most prolific champion in F1 history could do nothing about what came next.

Alonso got a fantastic run out of Spoon corner, picked up the slipstream and swooped around the outside of 130R.

A 180mph move around the outside of one of F1’s most dangerous corners is nothing to be sniffed at; it was an incredible move.

2: Mark Webber on Fernando Alonso (Belgium, 2011)

Mark Webber had made a poor start and dropped several positions as a result. The Red Bull team called the Australian in for an early pit-stop in an attempt to make up a few positions.

A few laps later, Fernando Alonso emerged from the pits just ahead of Webber, but the latter had the greater momentum on the run down to the terrifying Eau Rogue corner.

Alonso recognised the threat of Webber and moved left to block that side of the track. It appeared as if there wasn’t a Red-Bull-sized gap between Alonso’s Ferrari and the grass but Webber snuck through regardless.

They went into the lowest point of the circuit absolutely neck and neck. Side-by-side, it was unbelievable how close they were.

Webber prevailed, though. Alonso had to let him by or there would’ve been a horrendous crash. The image of them going into one of F1’s most famous corners so close, is one that fans will never forget.

True Aussie Grit.

1: Mika Hakkinen on Michael Schumacher (Belgium, 2000)

After a wet start at Spa-Francorchamps, the track later dried out and Mika Hakkinen was leading and looking comfortable out front. However, a spin on Lap 13 cost him valuable time and dropped him behind his great rival, Michael Schumacher.

The two of them were driving on their limits and Hakkinen had closed in on Schumacher in the closing laps.

Mika’s McLaren seemed faster in a straight line than Michael’s Ferrari and he got a great run on the German going up the long Kemmel Straight. Schumacher wasn’t having any of it though, and closed off Hakkinen by squeezing him onto the grass.

That aggressive move did not deter Hakkinen. The Finn went flat up Eau Rogue (an extremely brave and dangerous feat at the time) and was once again flying up behind Schumacher.

Yet, a slow Ricardo Zonta threatened to put pay to his challenge.

Schumacher went to the left, Hakkinen instinctively dived to the right and amazingly it was the McLaren that went into Les Combes first.

Hakkinen and McLaren delighted, Schumacher and Ferrari stunned, and Zonta lucky to make it out of the manoeuvre unscathed.

Michael Schumacher has said in the past that Hakkinen is the only driver he used to fear racing against and this was a perfect example why.

The speed differential between the two leaders and the back-marker was incredible and that is why this move tops our list.