Hotpoint Ultima Wdd960 Fast Spins During Dry Cycle

I have a memory of some old Hoover washer dryers spinning during the washer dryer cycle but can't be sure how accurate it is. I can't imagine how spinning at full speed for 5 minutes would help the drying process to be honest but if it only does it on cotton washes where the laundry is at its most absorbent it may well be intentional. If it does this without any banging or thumping about I wouldn't worry but if it does jump about when it spins I would.

Regarding the pause I expect that's deliberate because stopping a washer dryer mid cycle can cause it to overheat and trip the thermal cut-outs, which I've seen many times (especially on Hotpoint machines). This is because of the latent heat which carries on after the element has turned off (just like any element) and without the dryer fan constantly blowing over it over heating and warping of the element can occur or the temperature suddenly rises too much and trips the TOCs.