You might be on to something here. I did some tests myself. It took a few tries to figure out how to drive those first couple laps on RHs -- where I can push and where I need to ease up -- but the no-stop on RHs is looking like it might be the way to go, at least for me.
One thing I should mention is that I am relying heavily on the driving line assist to know how to position the car on the grippiest part of the track. There's no way I could get around the track without hitting the wet stuff and sliding into a wall otherwise.
For testing, I ran 4-lap trials in Free Practice. I did several attempts on RHs -- numbered 1 to 4 -- and two starting on IMs. Here's how they compared:
Test | Total time | Lap 1 | Lap 2 | Lap 3 | Lap 4 |
---|
4RH (1) | 8:31.486 | 2:13.328 | 2:08.926 | 2:05.532 | 2:03.700 |
3IM-1RH | 8:32.451 | 2:06.056 | 2:04.129 | 2:14.191 | 2:08.075 |
2IM-2RH | 8:30.421 | 2:05.037 | 2:14.339 | 2:08.600 | 2:02.445 |
4RH (2) | 8:26.538 | 2:10.717 | 2:06.779 | 2:04.641 | 2:04.401 |
4RH (3) | 8:23.243 | 2:09.485 | 2:06.428 | 2:04.226 | 2:03.104 |
4RH (4) | 8:23.217 | 2:09.778 | 2:05.665 | 2:04.610 | 2:03.164 |
I'm seeing ~7-second advantage to starting on RHs in those first 4 laps over IMs, which is really something. I'm starting to think RHs might be the way to go for me.
Edit: I'm driving the Citreon GT, for what it's worth.