NesbiLeGrand and MilitaryMaple18 each gained 15 places in Japan, sharing the third-largest recovery in IMS history through the Season 2 finale. Nesbi moved from 20th to fifth in D3; MilitaryMaple went from 18th to third in E1.
The equal gains produced different rewards. MilitaryMaple's third place carried 20 points and a podium for Mercedes, while Nesbi's fifth-place finish stopped two positions short of the D3 trophies.
Duxnuts and Ussh remain ahead
Duxnuts69 led the table with a 17-place Canada victory and Darth Ussh ranked second after gaining 16 in Jeddah. Nesbi, MilitaryMaple and SideFx99 then occupied the displayed 15-place tier.
The five-row comparison makes the useful distinction. A shared recovery rank can end in first, second, third or fifth; grid deficit measures distance travelled, not the value of the destination.
MilitaryMaple completes a four-podium Mercedes round
Mercedes collected four podiums and 153 BOTT points in Japan. MilitaryMaple's recovery supplied one top three; JPlanteX's E2 victory, Rochamoya's D1 third and FTR Button's D2 third supplied the others.
The season ended with both 15-place charges preserved in the same historical tier. Japan supplied matching scale and contrasting finishes, which is considerably more revealing than pretending the two races were interchangeable.
