Maybe it's the old curmudgeon in my but, sorry, I can't agree.
It was a crappy race.
Max won with a single "competitive" overtake and that was at the start. All other overtakes were incidental to pit stops. Pit stops aren't racing. Tire management isn't racing. Neither is fuel management. Those are all part and parcel to it but racing is SUPPOSED TO BE going as fast as you can without flying off the track. Pinochle of motor sports my arse!
It speaks to our lowered expectations that anyone should consider this a 'good' race.
The CCP tyre engineers fixed this. They did not want drivers trying 40 laps on a set when it was possible.
Good drivers and engineers were punished. The Gasly and Hulkenberg crash determined the race. Max pitted on Lap 8 and could only pit on Lap 33 for the final run. The McLarens pitted PIA on 24 and NOR on 25. They had options but Max was able to hold serve.
“It speaks to our lowered expectations that anyone should consider this a ‘good’ race.”
Compared to the past couple seasons’ prior races, it was a ‘good race’.
[Try “pinnacle”...]