The difference with the Audi was it was in a spot where he couldn't really move out of the way if he wanted to without risking causing an accident. The Mercedes was hanging around until about 6 minutes to go hoping for a FCY to get back on the lead lap.
There's already little margin for error in the Esses, and we already saw this weekend it can take only one mistake and one can cause a big accident, not just because of little run off room in fast area of the track, but with no flag post heading into the Esses, trailing cars might not know of an accident until it's too late to do much about it.
Taylor's accident also showed how narrow the margin of error was when the tire got cut or the suspension collapsed. That could've been a lot worse than it was with the #90.
Basically, if Barbosa didn't time his move just right, not only could he have taken himself and the Audi out, but also Simpson due to him being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Simpson was a lot more conservative in traffic, but he didn't want to pull any excessive risks. Barbosa's passes were cool to watch, but he was IMO taking a big risk both times he made them. In this case, Simpson laying back cost him, while Barbosa's boldness was rewarded.
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