Leclerc’s ‘Overtake of Month’

Charles Leclerc’s pass around the outside of George Russell at Suzuka is circulating again after Formula One’s own channels named it March’s “Overtake of the Month.” (formula1.com) (youtube.com) Formula One said fans vote on a monthly shortlist on the series website, and the winner is presented at the next event’s fan forum. The official clip says Leclerc won for a move “around the outside of George Russell at the Japanese Grand Prix.” (formula1.com) (youtube.com) The move came in the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29, 2026, at Suzuka, where Leclerc finished third for Ferrari behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli and McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. Russell finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in the other Ferrari. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2) Race accounts from the weekend said Leclerc had pitted before Oliver Bearman’s crash triggered a safety car phase, which dropped him into traffic despite the undercut. In the restart sequence, he fought back past Hamilton and then completed the outside move on Russell at Turn 1. (formula1.com) (gpblog.com) That detail helps explain why the clip traveled beyond Ferrari fan pages this week. It was not a pass for a midfield point; it was a recovery move in a race that ended with Leclerc on the podium and Russell one place behind him. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2) The award itself is built for clips like this. Formula One introduced the fan-voted monthly format in 2023, and the series says each month’s winner later goes into a season-ending vote for “Overtake of the Year.” (formula1.com) Leclerc is not new to the list. Formula One’s award page shows he also won the May and November editions in 2024, giving him a recent record of repeat recognition in the fan vote. (formula1.com) The replay is also feeding off reaction from the race itself. GPBlog reported Ferrari race engineer Bryan Bozzi told Leclerc, “You’ve got balls of steel” after the move, while other coverage focused on Hamilton’s frustration about pace and power after the same battle. (gpblog.com) (sportskeeda.com) So the clip now making the rounds is not just a fan edit detached from the race. It is an officially recognized pass from March 29 that helped decide the Suzuka podium, which is why it keeps resurfacing as one of the early Formula One highlights of 2026. (youtube.com) (formula1.com)