Landos issue throught his career has been around pushing beyond his limits, which us a good thing, but littered with consequences going beyond what he or the car are capable of.
I dont think there has ever been a time hes sat back. But that wasn't the question being asked.
The question was whether Lando could use this as an opportunity to deliver some top performances now hes the underdog. Which he will, he was only getting stronger before the break.
The issue is that if he closes the gap, he will not be able to avoid the crunch time, and he'll have the same questions to answer.