Good remarks and good spirit as always from Mark.
Frankly, as I was watching the pitstop, I couldn't help but think that the team made the absolutely wrong decision. Everything made sense for him to stay out and keep out. The more Hamilton stayed out, the more his tires would've degraded and Webber could've had a chance on passing him on the track. If Hamilton pitted, Mark could've made a larger gap to Hamilton which would've defended his position through a final pit on the surprisingly resilient options. Confusing choice by the team and Mark and one that didn't suit the situation. However, the outcome was still a benefit to the team, all in all good cheer, and hopefully the rest of the races will see Mark on the podium (perhaps top step) to get a nice WDC 1-2 for the team.
And he gained a place on the start!
---Begin Rant---
I think the team made the strategic move to maintain Vettel at the front of the grid. Webber, on the options, had the chance to make great gains which would've meant that Vettel, still on the primes, would've ended up either behind Webber or Hamilton in a pit stop. While the argument could be made that if the pit-stop strategy were wrong, Hamilton could've regained the lead after Webber's second pit if Vettel were behind Hamilton, Vettel was ahead enough that, at worst, he would've been between Webber and Hamilton. The strategic decision to keep Vettel in front and have Webber around Hamilton was to keep the pressure on Hamilton since the Mclarens were awfully fast on the DRS straight (as Hamilton demonstrated on Webber). So, knowing that, the team went with keeping Webber close to Hamilton and give Vettel a more comfortable lead to win the GP. As a Webber fan, it was incredibly frustrating to see him on a good set of options pit at the same time as a car with the super-softs, but from a team perspective, it was the call to make and they safely secured their WCC.
---End Rant---
On to India! If it's finished in time!
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