7. Going around the outside
A defender who is overtaken on the inside will sometimes try to hold their position using the outside line. Alternatively, an attacker may try to overtake around the outside against a defender who covers the inside line. Some of the greatest overtaking manoeuvres in the sport’s history have been achieved using this method.
If the driver going around the outside is already more than half a car length ahead by the apex, they are entitled to cut in to the inside along the racing line...
If the driver going around the outside is not sufficiently far ahead to take the racing line on apex, they can continue on an outside line. In this case,
a potential dispute arises at corner exit. The driver on the outside naturally wants to continue their trajectory along the outside, while the driver on the inside wants to take a quicker straighter line by running out to the edge of the track. Who owns that piece of track on corner exit? Who is to blame in the event of a collision there?
The guiding principle is that
the driver on the outside should be at least level (front axle in line with front axle) with the driver on the inside to have a claim to the racing line on corner exit. Depending on the type of corner and the cars involved, either the outside or inside line may be quicker through the corner, meaning the driver on the outside may gain or lose ground from corner entry to corner exit. It is relative positions of the cars at
exit — not at entry or apex — that is therefore crucial in judging these cases.
If the driver on the inside is behind at corner exit, they must leave space for the driver on the outside.
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