EC83 Wrote:
> What's with the inverted commas? It WAS a recovery
> drive. 21st to 2nd is a good recovery IMO,
> regardless of what car you're driving. And
> badly-flatspotted front tyres are a pretty major
> disadvantage too. Just because he pitted before
> the disadvantage had a chance to show, didn't mean
> he didn't have one. (Admittedly a self-inflicted
> disadvantage, but a disadvantage nevertheless.)
> So, necessary pit stop, meaning he had to climb
> back up through the field.
if the tyres are rock hard and don't wear out, and most can manage with only 1 stop to fulfil the tyre compound rules in a dry race, then a stop on lap 1 which then inevitably drops you to last place and then a gain back of all those positions either by passing (in the fastest car) or through others pitting for their mandatory stop, isn't a recovery drive to me, hence the inverted commas.
the fact he was 21st at one point means nothing IMO, as that wasn't his real position or a reflection of the speed of the car.
a Mercedes with badly flat spotted tyres is still way faster than most of the grid, so while it was probably uncomfortable for the 1 lap he did on them, he was still fast and right up Lewis's exhaust pipe on the way into the pits. if the disadvantage of the flat spots doesn't actually show itself in terms of laptime, it's not a disadvantage surely? (if you pit straight away and don't actually lose time or positions)
the fact he did the fastest lap on the 52nd lap on those tyres shows how ridiculous the tyre compound choice was, but you can't blame Pirelli for being conservative. they'd have been slaughtered had it gone the other way had they brought tyres that couldn't do 10 laps, like Canada a few years ago.
and how Lewis kept a straight face while pretending the race was tough in the interviews, i'll never know.
RIP Jules, never to be forgotten. #KeepFightingMichael