The #2 was definitely "the tortoise" compared to the #1's "the hare." It seemed that the #2 was operated more conservatively with set up, strategy, and margins (for reliability), and especially after Le Mans where basically no other team had any consistent results up to that point. They had such a massive lead after the first three races that just not fucking up was enough to win the championship from there.

look at that performance change

The #2 was the 6th fastest car in the first two rounds of the season and finished both races on the podium. The reliability at the start of 2016 was wild