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Old 20 Mar 2023, 17:43 (Ref:4148514)   #151
KlBD
Racer
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location:
Illinois, USA
Posts: 239
KlBD should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
To offer a different perspective on the BoP issue, I think the expectation some fans have that a good BoP should give everyone an equal (and this is the sticking point here, the word "equal") chance at victory is incorrect, and not just because the committees setting the BoP will sometimes get it wrong.

I admit, the naming of this concept as balance of "performance" gives this impression that all teams and cars should have an equal chance at victory. But from what we have heard and seen from the ACO in recent years, balancing pure performance (and ergo results) is not actually the intent. As others have said, recently they've been trying to balance the potential of the different cars. Balancing this should not mean every car has an equal chance at victory. Ultimately, this means each car should have a chance at victory, and how large that chance is will be up to them.

Not every team and car will reach this potential. Based on the pure pace of the Cadillac and Ferrari during qualifying (IMSA qualifying in the case of the Cadillac), I believe the speed in those cars is similar to what the GR010 is capable of. But in terms of each car's maximum potential, no one got as close to their theoretical ceiling this weekend than the Toyota. Perhaps your car is fast, but lacks reliability (generally not an issue for the top competitors this race). Maybe it's fast over a single lap, but can't maintain that due to setup or driver skill, being less able to activate and preserve the tires, etc. In my personal opinion, many of those criticizing the BoP of this race are likely underestimating the effect of the tires in terms of overall car performance. Toyota are the most familiar with their car, so during the test and practice sessions they had the most mileage and the most time to understand how to unlock the pace of these new tires.

And let's also keep in mind, despite the big stakes of a win in the 100th anniversary Le Mans this year, complaining about BoP from the manufacturers themselves has not yet started! It's kind of unusual to see fans be the first to cry wolf on this topic if the ones shelling out the funding aren't even there yet.
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