How did I become an F1 driver?

第379章 382：潘子：我相信法拉利搞砸事情的能力（6K，加更9/15）

On Sunday, the start of the main race arrived.

Most of the spectators in the paddock today came to support Alonso and Sainz, so most of the spectators were wearing either Ferrari team uniforms or Alpine team uniforms.

After all, this is the home track for both drivers.

Qin Miao was not surprised by this.

As for the pre-race parade, the FIA ​​for this race still used normal trucks to pull the drivers.

However, when chatting with Leclerc during the pre-race parade, Leclerc was in high spirits.

Qin Miao can judge from Leclerc's current state that Leclerc has sufficient confidence in this track. Although it does not mean that Leclerc is guaranteed to win this race, Qin Miao still feels that Ferrari will definitely upgrade the car this week. Very effective, at least very suitable for the current track, and also suitable for Leclerc's driving style, otherwise he would not be so confident.

However, Qin Miao has never regretted leaving Ferrari. At least if he stayed at Ferrari last season, he would not have been able to win a world championship.

And now the Mercedes-Benz team is undergoing drastic reforms within the racing car.

Moreover, from the telemetry data released by Qin Miao, the drivers, engineers and coaches of other teams could not find any difference between Qin Miao's telemetry data and other drivers.

Then it was off to the track.

After seeing Qin Miao's actions, many people thought that Qin Miao was too bored on the field and fell asleep directly.

After the pre-game parade, Qin Miao made final preparations before the game.

Unlike Leclerc in front of him and Verstappen behind him, Qin Miao used medium tires at the start of today's race.

What Qin Miao didn't know was that the live broadcast screen just happened to focus on him at this time.

After all, Qin Miao started in second place in this game. In the eyes of the three five-star sports commentators, Qin Miao didn't have much pressure in today's game.

All five red lights are on.

He plans to run the entire race in one stop just like last week's Miami Grand Prix.

Soon, the warm-up lap was over and the drivers were all parked at their positions.

It is estimated that he will not be able to defend Verstappen in the entire game.

After completing all the preparations before the race, Qin Miao put on the equipment and entered the racing car.

Qin Miao, after parking the car, focused most of his attention on Verstappen behind him on the left.

Even if he asked Qin Miao, he would remain silent.

At the beginning of the entire race, except for the two Mercedes drivers who used medium tires, the other drivers used soft tires.

Qin Miao narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the indicator light above him.

Why Hamilton started with medium tires still requires speculation and judgment, but on a track that must have two stops, Qin Miao started with medium tires. Many teams have already guessed Qin Miao's intention.

Qin Miao was a little bored at the moment, so she simply tilted her head and leaned on her headrest, closing her eyes to rest.

The average reaction time from the lights off to the start is about 0.20 seconds.

In the preparation stage before the game, because the sun was relatively bright today, Reyes directly inserted an umbrella into Qin Miao's cockpit and went to do other things.

At least at the Catalunya Circuit, the pressure to defend Verstappen is not that great, provided that the opponent's upgraded car performance is not powerful enough to easily eat him alive outside the corners.

That's right, when Qin Miao closed his eyes and rested his mind, he wanted to keep his second place, and the five-star sports commentators' expectation for Qin Miao was to bring home a podium.

At least it won't be like the few games before the start of this season, where there is no way to bring back a single podium.

After all, he was using medium tires, while Verstappen behind him was using soft tires. No matter how fast he reacted at the start, he still had a certain disadvantage.

Qin Miao started from the second position in today's race.

If he loses his second place position at the start, Verstappen will definitely rely on the advantage of the Red Bull car to quickly widen the time gap with himself in the next race.

So Qin Miao was a little nervous at the moment.

But the most annoying thing is that this is equivalent to Qin Miao's unique stunt, and they can't copy it even if they want to.

The game is about to begin.

Because when Qin Miao used the one-stop tactic, his overall speed in a race was actually not much slower than theirs, but just because Qin Miao had one less pit stop than them, Qin Miao could rely on this to at least account for more than the other drivers. 18 seconds of time advantage.

But today's start, Qin Miao was unusually nervous.

By then the Mercedes team may not have the possibility of catching up.

In fact, some fans in the paddock have calculated that Qin Miao's average starting reaction speed is the fastest in the paddock.

Therefore, Qin Miao basically never lost his ranking in the initial stage.

Although after seeing Qin Miao's choice, many riders felt a little headache, especially the riders behind Qin Miao.

All five red lights went out again.

This is very troublesome.

As the medical vehicle was in position, the green flag waved from behind.

Several commentators from Five Star Sports even teased Qin Miao after seeing this scene.

Soon, with all the staff on the track evacuated, the warm-up lap began.

Qin Miao feels that he still has a chance to maintain his current ranking in this game.

Qin Miao's reaction speed was still as if he was on the wrong side, and his car moved a little faster than Leclerc and Verstappen.

It's just that because of the current positions of the drivers, this difference is difficult to see.

However, although Qin Miao started faster than Leclerc and Verstappen, due to the disadvantage of tires, the advantage Qin Miao gained in the starting stage was almost nothing.

But at least, after starting all the way to T1, Qin Miao did not lose his position because of the speed problem at the start.

In the T1 position, Qin Miao was stuck on the inside line and entered the corner behind Leclerc.

Verstappen behind Qin Miao relied on the performance of his soft tires and braked late, hoping to overtake Qin Miao on the outside of T1 by relying on the performance of his tires and car.

After all, he also knew that Qin Miao's defense and tire protection abilities were incredible. If he had been following Qin Miao after the starting stage, he would have been very painful in the opening stage of today's game.

Although Verstappen is not afraid of challenges, it is better to avoid it if it can be avoided.

But what stands out about Qin Miao's defense is his toughness.

Moreover, Qin Miao did not have the burden of winning the championship this season, so even in T1, Verstappen's front wheel had already reached the left side box of Qin Miao's car.

But when you entered T2, didn't you Verstappen still pass me?

The line rights of T2 are mine!

Qin Miao originally thought that Verstappen would take the initiative to slow down and return behind him to wait for the opportunity.

But Qin Miao looked in the rearview mirror before entering T2 and found that Verstappen was still stuck behind him, refusing to give an inch.

Maybe it's because he hasn't defended Verstappen for so long that Verstappen has forgotten what kind of intensity he has when he defends.

So when entering the T2 corner, Qin Miao closed the door forcefully and pushed Verstappen directly off the track.

Verstappen looked at Qin Miao, who was slowly but firmly squeezing towards him, and had no choice but to run outside the track.

Fortunately, the outside of T2 was not gravel or grass, but concrete, so Verstappen's car did not lose control.

Even after being squeezed out of the track, Verstappen ran in front of Qin Miao when he returned to the track on the outside with a shorter exit distance.

Qin Miao looked at Verstappen who appeared in front of him and his mind was filled with questions.

ah? Is this how you play?

Are you really not afraid of being fined by the FIA?

What Qin Miao didn't know was that Verstappen directly sent a telegram to the team's TR.

Although he is in the wrong, your driving style is too dangerous, and it seems to be intentional!

After seeing Verstappen appear in front of him, Qin Miao was also a little anxious. What if Verstappen simply ran away using this method?
Verstappen ran away, and the maximum was a five-second penalty.

But it seems like my car can’t catch Verstappen for five seconds.

Isn’t this so damn cheap? Le Laosi?
Although he has a good relationship with Leclerc in private, if they meet on the track, it will not affect his ranking. However, Qin Miao is also willing to help his friend on the track if it is of great help to Leclerc.

But if he doesn't let Verstappen pass, there is a certain possibility that he will directly lock Verstappen for the entire race.

However, just when Qin Miao was puzzled and even began to feel a little bit regretful, something unexpected happened on the track.

Although Hamilton had a good rhythm after the start, he was unable to regain a position after the start due to the obstruction of the car in front.

Even during the fight with Sainz, Hamilton lost a certain amount of rhythm, so that after exiting the corner, he was attacked by Magnussen behind him.

And in this attack, at a corner that Hamilton was familiar with, that is, the T4 position of the Circuit de Catalunya, Hamilton's left rear wheel on the inside collided with Magruson's right rear wheel on the outside. The collision damaged Hamilton's left rear tire and punctured it.

Magruson, who was on the outside line and whose tires were at the limit of grip, was hit by this collision. The car jumped up and then rushed straight into the gravel in the buffer zone outside the track.

The reason why Hamilton is very familiar with this corner is because the seven-time champion and the sixteen-time champion had some minor frictions at this place.

I remember it was the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. The two Mercedes drivers who started well took the top two spots, but they refused to give way to each other before the T4 braking point.

In the end, there was a rear-end collision and they both ran off the track and retired from the race.

And this is a familiar place, but the people have changed. How could Hamilton not be familiar with it?

Fortunately, Magruson rushed straight towards the sand and gravel, and the rear wheels of the car were still able to provide sufficient power due to the car's own inertia.

Therefore, despite rushing into the sand and gravel, Magruson still stumbled and drove his car out.

On the other side, after Hamilton collided with Magruson, the speed of the car began to decline significantly.

When the camera cut away, it was obvious that Hamilton's left rear wheel had punctured, and the tire skin was completely deflated, hanging feebly around the rim, beating feebly as the tire rotated.

Apparently Hamilton had to pit for a new set of tires.

By the time Verstappen returned his position to Qin Miao on the first straight of the start, Hamilton and Magruson had fallen to the back of the team.

And because there are two less people in front, Zhou Guanyu, who started from ninth, has now reached seventh, with his teammate Bottas in front of him.

The thoughts of Verstappen and Red Bull Racing behind Qin Miao are also very simple.

Although after getting rid of Qin Miao, the pressure on the team and Verstappen himself will be much less, but considering that there is still Leclerc in front, it is really not worthwhile to take a 5-second penalty in order to get rid of Qin Miao.

Regardless of everything else, it is not difficult for Leclerc and Ferrari to follow Verstappen within 5 seconds without being thrown out by Verstappen.

Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, Red Bull and Verstappen chose to return the position to Qin Miao for the sake of winning the race.

After all, if Qin Miao really couldn't be surpassed on the field, wouldn't there be a team and a maintenance area?

Moreover, giving up the car at this position will cause the least speed loss to Verstappen.

Until DRS was turned on, Qin Miao didn't feel much pressure while defending Verstappen behind him.

Although it is easy to follow the car this season, Verstappen is so easy to understand. As long as he makes a slight mistake in T4 or T10, Verstappen will definitely try to attack him.

Faced with Verstappen's attack, Qin Miao could always rely on his leading advantage to squeeze him out of the track or force him to slow down.

Therefore, every time after the start straight, Verstappen did not have enough distance to attack Qin Miao. Even before DRS was turned on, Qin Miao did not defend inside.

However, due to the fight between Qin Miao and Verstappen on the track, when the race came to the third lap and DRS was turned on, the time gap between Leclerc in front and Qin Miao and Verstappen It has come to 4 seconds.

On the contrary, the time gap between Sainz and Verstappen behind Verstappen has always been within one second.

After seeing the time gap between Verstappen and Sainz, Qin Miao has never been like this at that moment. He hopes that Sainz can be more aggressive and try to attack Verstappen in front of him.

Isn't it easier for me to defend you Sainz than it is to defend him Verstappen? When the time comes, when I pull out the DRS train, won’t you have the podium? Why are you so stupid?

After DRS was turned on, Verstappen was ready to take advantage of the soft tires to attack Qin Miao.

Qin Miao naturally prepared enough power in the first few laps and was ready.

On the 4th lap, Verstappen learned the lesson this time. Although Qin Miao clearly missed the braking point at T10, he did not try to cut Qin Miao's inside line because he knew that if this If Qin Miao's inside line is cut at any time, Qin Miao will definitely squeeze him out.

He knew Qin Miao very well.

So he just kept his pace, followed the normal racing line, and even took some slack.

After fighting with Qin Miao on the track for such a long time, Verstappen now knows one thing very clearly. If he wants to surpass Qin Miao on the track, he can only rely on the absolute speed of the car to force his way on the straight. Crush.

Playing those twists and turns of offense and defense on the field, basically no one in the paddock can beat Qin Miao under the physiological limit of driving a racing car.

Therefore, Verstappen was prepared to follow Qin Miao honestly during this period, as close as possible, and he would not start to accelerate until he got out of T16.

It's just that Qin Miao can't let you, Verstappen, use DRS so comfortably.

After leaving T13 and arriving at T14 and T15, Verstappen was already 0.2 seconds behind Qin Miao.

Because they were too close, the cars of Verstappen and Qin Miao looked like they were connected together in the broadcast footage.

However, when Qin Miao entered T14, something unexpected happened to Verstappen. Qin Miao clicked the brakes too early, so that when Verstappen discovered that Qin Miao's car was slowing down abnormally, his instinctive reaction was to tap the inside line. .

After Verstappen pulled his head out from behind Qin Miao's car, he faced the T14.

Verstappen could have braked late at this time, forced his way into Qin Miao's lane, and then pushed Qin Miao directly off the track just like Qin Miao forced himself when cornering.

But faced with such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Verstappen hesitated.

Because Verstappen was the driver who was counted on the most times when he was defended by Qin Miao in the entire paddock. Perez was not counted on as many times as Verstappen.

After all, Perez's personal ability is not as strong as Verstappen. Qin Miao will be under much less pressure when defending Perez.

After seeing Qin Miao's mistake that was completely inconsistent with his strength, Verstappen worried that this was another flaw that Qin Miao deliberately sold.

Therefore, after the tap, he did not choose to brake late and force his way into Qin Miao's inside lane. Instead, he braked on Qin Miao's inside lane after the tap and did not take any risks.

Anyway, I will be able to use DRS soon, and it will only be a matter of time before I surpass Qin Miao.

Although it sounds like a lot, it only took a moment from Verstappen turning his head to applying the brakes.

And at the moment when Verstappen's car stepped on the brakes, Qin Miao suddenly stepped on the accelerator and reached the normal position before slowing down to enter the corner.

And because of this sudden kick of the accelerator, Verstappen, who was originally in a twitching state, was overtaken by Qin Miao, and Qin Miao got stuck in front of Verstappen after entering the corner.

Normally, Verstappen would have been able to react to this sudden change, but just because he had just stepped on the brakes, due to the inertia of his thinking, what Verstappen was thinking about at this time was still waiting. How could he get closer to Qin Miao in front of him through the turn? He never thought that Qin Miao would suddenly start to accelerate.

Because of this, Qin Miao entered the corner about 0.2 seconds faster than Verstappen.

By the time Verstappen reacted, it was already too late.

The original time gap of 0.2 seconds between him and Qin Miao was stretched to 0.5 seconds because of such sudden braking and accelerator.

And this is not the end. After exiting the T14 and T15 corners, Verstappen was obviously a little anxious. When exiting T15, he gave too much fuel, and the rear wheel of the car briefly skidded.

Well, now, the original time gap between Qin Miao and Verstappen exiting the corner and reaching the DRS monitoring point was only 0.6 seconds at most.

But it was because of this slip that Verstappen finally passed the DRS detection point one second after Qin Miao passed the DRS detection point.

In this circle, Qin Miao managed to hold on easily.

In fact, Qin Miao's braking was indeed intentional, but he only had two thoughts at the time.

On the one hand, he put Verstappen past the DRS monitoring point and used his ERS to regain his position in the DRS area.

Another consideration is that Verstappen forces his way inside and uses his line advantage to squeeze him out of the track.

This third option was indeed something Qin Miao had not expected before, but Qin Miao, who had been observing Verstappen, reacted very quickly. He immediately discovered that Verstappen had slowed down in advance like him. Added a kick to the accelerator.

It can even be said that Qin Miao has another weapon in his arsenal that can brake in advance because of Verstappen's kick.

Verstappen, on the other hand, sucked his teeth and looked at Qin Miao's racing butt with some pain.

I was fooled again, but in a way I didn't expect.

But just when Verstappen was getting a little ahead, the voice of the track engineer GP sounded in the TR of his team: "Max, stay calm, our single lap speed is faster than Qin Miao, it is only a matter of time to overtake him. The problem is, stay behind Qin Miao. After exiting T16, it will be easy to overtake Qin Miao in the DRS area on the starting straight."

The voice of the track engineer GP immediately shouted to Verstappen to calm down.

After taking a few deep breaths, Verstappen replied: "Copy that."

Then Verstappen just followed Qin Miao to charge the battery of his car, and did not put any further pressure on Qin Miao.

Qin Miao was just waiting for it, but suddenly he found that Verstappen had become more honest.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Miao judged Verstappen's intention behind him, and curled his lips, "Brother, you can't do this, you can't stand up, how can I defend you comfortably?"
Then Qin Miao lowered his lap speed by 5 seconds per lap on the 0.2th lap.

At this single lap speed, the time gap between Qin Miao and Leclerc was further widened.

Seeing this, Verstappen was not in a hurry. Anyway, he didn't have to worry about too many debts, and he didn't have to worry about too many lice.

On the 4th lap, the time gap between Qin Miao and Leclerc in front was already 5 seconds.

Such a big time gap cannot be made up in a short time, so Verstappen simply put all his attention on climbing the Qinmiao mountain.

As for Ferrari ahead, which seems a bit out of reach...

Although Verstappen is not a person who likes to pin his victory on luck, but for some reason today, he was willing to believe in his luck in this game.

After all, it's Ferrari, and never question Ferrari's ability to survive at critical moments.

Ferrari never disappoints when it comes to disappointing fans.

(End of this chapter)