Bizarre yet expedient. That's how I would describe the recall of Nicolas Lapierre to Toyota's World Endurance Championship squad two-and-a-half years after he was dropped.
Lapierre's return to the Toyota ranks to drive its third car at the Le Mans 24 Hours and, by way of preparation, the Spa WEC round in May is strange on two counts. It is an unlikely volte-face for a manufacturer that's from a nation where the concept of saving face - or rather not losing it - is part of daily life.
Equally strange is why a manufacturer that didn't trust Lapierre with its championship hopes in 2014 now believes he's fit for purpose to jump aboard a car that has to be ready to take the biggest prize in endurance racing.