Formula One Announces New Award for Overtaking

Red Bull team members celebrate Dutch driver Max Verstappen's victory at the French F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul-Ricard in Le Castellet, France, June 20, 2021. (AFP)
Red Bull team members celebrate Dutch driver Max Verstappen's victory at the French F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul-Ricard in Le Castellet, France, June 20, 2021. (AFP)
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Formula One Announces New Award for Overtaking

Red Bull team members celebrate Dutch driver Max Verstappen's victory at the French F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul-Ricard in Le Castellet, France, June 20, 2021. (AFP)
Red Bull team members celebrate Dutch driver Max Verstappen's victory at the French F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul-Ricard in Le Castellet, France, June 20, 2021. (AFP)

Formula One announced a new sponsored award on Tuesday for the driver who completes the most overtakes during the course of a season.

The award, carrying the name of cryptocurrency partner crypto.com, lines up alongside those offered for the fastest lap and fastest pitstop.

Formula One said in a statement that it was "designed to celebrate the bravery exhibited by drivers who make bold moves in pursuit of success."

Some social media critics suggested it could also be a reward for poor qualifying, with top drivers who started out of position more likely to make a significant number of overtakes during the race.

Formula One said Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel had completed the most overtakes so far, as the championship comes out of its August break in Belgium this weekend, but gave no figures.

New broadcast graphics will appear live during races to highlight overtaking possibilities and to keep fans up to date with the standings. The winner will be presented with a trophy at the end of the year.



Lionel Messi, Inter Miami Drive Club World Cup Ratings

Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Inter Miami CF Training - Inter Miami CF Training Centre, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US - June 26, 2025 Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi with Luis Suarez during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Inter Miami CF Training - Inter Miami CF Training Centre, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US - June 26, 2025 Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi with Luis Suarez during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
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Lionel Messi, Inter Miami Drive Club World Cup Ratings

Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Inter Miami CF Training - Inter Miami CF Training Centre, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US - June 26, 2025 Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi with Luis Suarez during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Inter Miami CF Training - Inter Miami CF Training Centre, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US - June 26, 2025 Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi with Luis Suarez during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Lionel Messi, arguably the most recognizable player in the Club World Cup, is steering viewership to his underdog team.

Messi and his Inter Miami teammates are helping the expanded tournament draw US television ratings that are roughly comparable to those of the Premier League in the recently concluded season, Reuters reported.

Club World Cup broadcasts in English on TNT Sports (TNT, TBS and truTV) were averaging 360,000 through Wednesday, per Sports Media Watch. Sports Business Journal noted that the highly popular Premier League drew 394,000 per match on USA Network in the 2024-25 season.

Only a small number of Club World Cup are carried by TNT Sports, with all matches available on DAZN.

Three of the top seven English-language telecasts on TNT Sports featured Inter Miami, led by 676,000 tuning in to see the Major League Soccer side draw 2-2 with Brazil's Palmeiras on Monday. The Miami matches attracted even larger viewership on Spanish-language broadcasts.

Inter Miami drew 0-0 with Egypt's Al Ahly (371,000 viewers), then earned an upset 2-1 win over Portugal's Porto (349,000) before the tie with Palmeiras. Those results allowed Messi & Co. to finish second in Group A, setting up a Round of 16 matchup with Paris Saint-Germain that should be a rating bonanza.

The Sunday contest in Atlanta pits Messi against the team he represented immediately before coming to Miami. And PSG are the newly crowned winners of the UEFA Champions League, the most prestigious continental club tournament.

According to Sports Media Watch, the CONCACAF Gold Cup matchup on Sunday between the US men's national team and Haiti attracted an audience of 1.2 million viewers on Fox. The US won 2-1 to finish atop its group and set up a Sunday quarterfinal contest against Costa Rica in Minneapolis.