There was, however, still work to be done – it took Esteve Rabat less than 18 laps of his role as driver of the DS Virgin Racing super bike to break the lap record – a kudos bagging 30 seconds – before settling into the race.
And after his qualifying gamble and the rocker nook at the front of the grid had paid off, Landa still had work to do.
Although Landa’s team-mate Maverick Vinales finished second, Landa had to survive a dramatic safety car period to do so.
Vinales got the chequered flag, giving him his second win of the season and his fifth podium in eight races.
But Landa remains the team’s leading points scorer, and any Hockenheim disappointment for Valentino Rossi should not be reflected in his hunger for victories.
“The end-of-season picture wasn’t entirely perfect today but the approach has been clear from the beginning – to go as close as possible to the championship, because anything can happen,” Landa said.
“And at the start of the year we saw a lot of different things. There were so many points (awarded) when points should not have been.
“But I’m the one who’s giving a performance on the track and it gives us a lot of experience as a team.”