Curves are always interesting to look at, even if we sometimes miss factors that could explain their appearance...
Vinales : the Yamaha rider waits until the sixth lap to increase his pace after a very cautious start to the race to gradually gain confidence. It worked and allowed him to achieve his best race time on his last lap, thus resisting the final pressure from Dovizioso.
Dovizioso : equipped like Zarco with a soft tire at the rear, the Italian driver spared it as best as possible during two thirds of the race. This allowed him to fight with Vinales in the final third. The race was decided on the 19th lap, but obviously not because of the freshness of the Ducati rider's tires.
Red : once again, one of the flattest curves of the race. The Yamaha rider very gradually increased his pace until the 16th lap before having to relax due to a slight deterioration in his tires.
zarco : there, it's clear. Start of the race with a bang thanks to the soft rear tire. The French driver attacks until the fourth lap, then releases the pressure a little. He fell in the seventh lap. Could its soft rear tire have lasted the entire race at the same pace? We can doubt it, but we will never know the outcome of the race "with SI", especially since the strategy was perhaps to bet on a possible return of rain interrupting it...
Graphic in original size (1276 pixels)
