Luca chose to activate Sync Buff on the 60th Lap. It felt like an earlier move than usual, not the race-closing kind he'd leaned on in past Sync Buffs. At Lap 60, based on his math, the 1-minute-45-second duration wouldn't even carry him to Lap 65.
Still, Luca had a solid reason for triggering Sync Buff by the 60th Lap. Waiting any longer risked getting caught short by the duration's tight window, leaving him without enough time to maximize its edge.
The clouds hanging over Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos) were heavy, dark, and brooding, though they'd softened slightly from their earlier menace. This shift signaled no heavy rain was looming, leaving the Brazilian Grand Prix with just a cool, damp breeze and a gray sky, the track still slick but no longer drenched.
