Hamilton's long stint at Catalunya

jez101: was that Red Bull's game in qualifying, then? Doing two slow laps on the tyres to allow them to go hard from the start, and still get greater durability out of them in the race?
 
I have replied here http://cliptheapex.com/threads/2012-formula-one-pirelli-tyre-analysis.4723/page-3 as its not really on the topic of this thread. As far as it compares to Hamilton, Vettel was able to go a lot faster at the end of his hard tyre stints. This wasn't because of tyres saved in qually though.

Hamilton did do a much better job managing his tyres than Button especially in Cataluna and as he said, it will go some way towards answering his critics there, but I don't think we should get too carried away. Both McLarens had less pace and less life from either tyre than Maldonado, Alonso, the Lotuses, the Saubers and Vettel's Red Bull. Lewis made the best of a bad situation, but he really did have to baby the tyres to do what he did, and drive quite slowly...

In fact, he was so careful on the options at the start that he might have been able to go even further before his first stop, but I think he would still have finished 6th at best.
 
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