Qualified on pole for my 3rd attempt at Nations. I followed a reasonably sized train around and it paid off. I went marginally too deep into the first corner but made it out, the Spaniard in 2nd, Dutchman in 3rd and Portuguese in 4th all made it through neatly, nothing too silly going on. I kept the lead for a lap before the Spaniard passed me, with the Dutch guy going past the next lap. I was the only one of the top runners to start on hards, so I wasn't bothered.
Lap 5 I went a bit deep into the first Lesmo and the Portuguese got alongside me. I was annoyed when he went for the move because it meant the Greek guy in 5th got to catch up and was now in slipstream range. The top 2 were fighting though rather than working together, so we were all still within range of the lead. I was quite surprised by the Spanish guy actually, he seemed a bit shaky when running at the front. I was generally quicker through the back half of the circuit than everyone else, while I lost time through the second chicane and both Lesmos.
Just watching back the replay now, on lap 7 I got a tap from behind by the Dutch guy into turn 1. Portuguese guy got a penalty for it as I was bumped into him. I didn't realise at the time, that was a shame. By lap 7 my tyres were going and the Portuguese, Dutch and Greek guys all pitted. I stayed out, following the Spaniard. We pitted on lap 8, coming out from the first corner of lap 9 running Dutch, Spanish, me, Greek, with the Portuguese having dropped off. We were still as close as we'd been, and the top two were fighting again.
Lap 11 was the best example of the Spanish guy not being very consistent. He was in 2nd going into the first corner and braked far too late. He then got reset pretty much closer to the exit of the chicane than the entrance, and the Dutch guy hit him in the split second where he wasn't ghosted. Looking through the replay there are literally three frames where the car is solid, which is where the contact happens. I'm surprised looking at this actually, I was sure the reset point for that corner was... you know, before the corner. Dutch guy went into the gravel, his race was done. The Greek guy ahead of me also went too deep, but ghosted just as he was re-entering the track so he didn't hit me.
The rest of the race was me following the Spanish guy and gapping the Greek, before my tyres went off on lap 13. I fell out of the slip stream, and finished 3.something seconds behind the Spaniard.
However.
I'd been so fixated on my own race I hadn't really been paying attention during the pits, but I was pretty sure the Spanish guy had gone from Medium to Medium. At the time I genuinely wasn't sure if I was imagining it or not, or if there was a glitch, but since I was pulling away from the Greek guy I thought it'd be smart to not push too hard on close to finished mediums since I was likely to win anyway.
Big up my man
@Adam Barber for making me look beautiful. Always read the rules, kiddos. Spanish guy finished 17th.
)
Cant keep up the A drivers pace in this car... Now into Manu, not hoping any better, but who know, maybe all of them crash and die in flames, and I cross the line first
!
