Quote:
Originally Posted by GuidoK
It's not hindsight 20/20.
It's what we felt when we saw that pitstop. Because that decision (going to slicks or inters) was already in the air for quite a few laps. That's why they pitted that late.
And all the commentors on tv yelling noooo.... that's also not hindsight. It was in the moment.
It's only a 50/50 shot in therms that there are 2 outcomes, the right call and the wrong call.
But everyone made the right call, except ALO. To me that doesn't characterizes a 50/50 shot.
What for me is the strangest fluke: did ALO make that call or did AMR make that call?
And why was STR already out on inters? And did that influence the call on ALO's stop?
I also don't understand why ALO pitted first in such a critical stage of the race. I'm sure he could've waited a lap. Also, they didn't wait what RUS and OCO's move would be, being the 1st 2 drivers behind ALO, also on hards. At that time he had 25 sec on RUS, so that's a free stop, but it's cutting it very close if you have to use that time for a 2nd stop, especially it this chaotic part of the race.
If you look at it realistically what they could gain, I think the chance of loosing a position (so 2nd place) was more likely than to gain a position (getting 1st, overtaking VER).
At the time of ALO's pitstop, Max was leading 13sec. If ALO made the right call, going to slicks, for sure Max would have taken the same call as he would be pitting later and having seen more of the weather developping. He'd either go to softs or hards. But what is the chance, that in that 1 or 2 laps, ALO could gain 13sec over VER?
That's over twice the time with a right (and same) decision, compared to the ~5sec safety margin he had of taking the wrong call (thus 2 pitstops) to what he had over the 2 cars behind him (RUS/OCO).
So all in all a risky move. Chances of winning would be very very slim, but loosing a position could be a realistic scenario, if something went wrong (which is always a possiblility with a pitstop, let alone 2 pitstops).
|
Must have been part of the equation, and IMHO undoubtedly a scenario discussed before the race down at Aston Martin: "rain in Monaco" equals "substantial chance of a safety car".
Under a safety car Alonso (P2) with fresh mediums would have been heavily breathing into Verstappen's neck (P1). Of course Verstappen would have pitted under the safety car.