How did I become an F1 driver?

The UK is not a very large country, and the racing-related industrial clusters are basically concentrated within a radius of about 50 kilometers from the Silverstone Circuit.

So when Binotto came over, he was not far from Qin Miao's house.

"This is just the right time! Teacher Bi, give me a call when you're done. I'll pick you up and bring you home for a meal. We don't have to worry about being disturbed by outsiders if we eat here."

Binotto on the other end of the phone was a little hesitant: "Will it be inconvenient? I remember your daughter was just born."

Qin Miao smiled and said, "You worry too much. My children and wife are in China. I am the only one at home in Yinshi now."

"In that case, I'll come over to bother you later, but you don't need to pick me up. Just give me the address and I'll go over there after I finish my work here."

"Okay, I'll send you the address later."

……

Knowing that Binotto would be coming over soon, Qin Miao put down the simulator steering wheel in his hand and drove to a nearby supermarket to buy some vegetables.

After all, it was Qin Miao who invited people to dinner, so the etiquette must be followed.

After staying abroad for so long, Qin Miao has gotten to know quite a few Italians and has a full understanding of their dietary structure.

Some of these people like spicy food, but most of them don't like peppers. Apart from that, most Italians particularly like tomatoes.

So Qin Miao made a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and a plate of dried chopped tomatoes sprinkled with sugar.

These are the unique ways of eating tomatoes in China.

In addition, Qin Miao also made a dish of beef brisket stewed with potatoes. There is nothing much to say about this dish. Qin Miao simply saw it when he was buying vegetables in the market and made it because he wanted to eat it.

Finally, I made some egg fried rice.

Four dishes, plus a bottle of wine from the Old Man Winery, this is almost the dinner Qin Miao prepared for tonight.

It’s not that Qin Miao can’t cook more dishes. On the one hand, there is not enough time, and on the other hand, if he cooks too much, he won’t be able to finish it.

At 5:30 in the afternoon, the doorbell rang at Qin Miao's house.

Qin Miao went to open the door, then looked up and saw Binotto, with curly hair and a familiar pair of black-framed glasses, standing at the door of his house, looking at him with a smile on his face.

"Long time no see." Binotto gave Qin Miao a hug as soon as he came up.

But apart from this, Binotto did not do anything more. He also knew that Qin Miao was Chinese, and in China, there would generally not be such intimate actions as kissing on the cheek.

Qin Miao hugged Binotto and let him go, then he gave way to his own door and said, “It’s not that long actually, less than half a year.

Come in first."

Soon, Qin Miao invited Binotto to his home.

After changing his shoes, Binotto looked at Qin Miao's home, which was not too big but full of life. He said with some surprise: "I thought that a driver like you, who holds two world championships, should have a home..."

Qin Miao smiled and said, "Are you trying to say that the place I live in is not in line with my status? I should live in a large flat with a private swimming pool and either a panoramic view of the mountains or a particularly good environment?

Or just live in a large single-family villa or manor?"

Binotto shook his head: "No, I'm just a little surprised that a young man of your age would live in such a...living place."

Qin Miao looked at his home. It wasn't really full of life or anything like that. At most, it just had a lot more decorations.

"Actually, it was all done by my wife. I rarely decorate the house." Qin Miao shrugged: "But I have to say, I really like this kind of house. It makes me feel safe and not too empty."

After Qin Miao finished speaking, there was a sudden "ding" sound from the kitchen.

Qin Miao said, "It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. The meal is already cooked. You can just put your briefcase on the shelf at the door. Come over and try my cooking first. We can talk about things while we eat."

Binotto naturally followed the host's wishes and walked into the restaurant while looking at the furnishings in Qin Miao's house with some curiosity.

Looking at the table full of delicious food, Binotto was also very surprised: "Before, when I heard Leclerc and the others say that you can cook, I didn't pay much attention to it. After all, there are too many people who can cook, and not all of them can cook well. But now I see that I did not trust Charles that much at that time. I know that the dinner you prepared will taste good just by looking at its appearance."

"As long as you like it, would you like to have some?" Qin Miao prepared himself and asked Binotto with the bottle of wine he got from Hamilton Winery.

Binotto waved his hand and said: "I won't drink. My doctor recently told me not to drink alcohol, and I drove here."

"Doctor? You're not feeling well..."

Binotto waved his hand: "It's not a big problem, it's just my age."

Qin Miao nodded and poured Binotto a cup of chrysanthemum tea that he had prepared.

"Just right, the meal is ready, let's eat first."

After greeting Binotto, the two began to eat.

After taking a bite of the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, Binotto raised his eyebrows and then began to nod.

"How does it taste?" Qin Miao asked while eating.

But Qin Miao already had the answer in his heart before asking this question.

"Very good. It's much better than I thought." Binotto gave a thumbs up while chewing the food in his mouth.

Qin Miao raised his eyebrows: "Before you came here, were you mentally prepared to test the poison on yourself and eat food that you don't like?"

Binotto smiled and said: "To be honest, I have indeed prepared myself mentally for this, but it is obvious that you have given me a big surprise."

Qin Miao shook his head and smiled: "If you say so, then I have more than one surprise prepared for you today."

"Oh?"

"This time I invited you to dinner not only to consult you about something, but also someone asked me to give you an invitation."

Binotto thought for a moment: "Lynk?"

Qin Miao nodded. It was better not to beat around the bush when facing a science and engineering guy like Binotto. He just said straight away, "Lynk & Co's general manager He Qiang called me a while ago and wanted me to ask you if you have any thoughts on looking for a job during this period."

"Isn't Tost doing a good job at Lynk? Why do you want to replace him?" Binotto picked up another piece of candied tomato and put it in his mouth.

It can be seen that he really likes the two dishes prepared by Qin Miao. Qin Miao shrugged: "I am just a messenger, how can I know what the Lynk & Co team thinks.

How about that? Want to consider them?"

Binotto didn't say anything, but his chopsticks didn't stop moving. He basically tasted all the dishes Qin Miao made today, and then served himself a bowl of fried rice.

Just when Qin Miao thought Binotto didn’t want to talk about this topic, Binotto spoke up: “I’ve learned about Lynk & Co., and in my opinion, Lynk & Co. is indeed a good place to go, but I also have concerns.

I still have my garden leave, and before leaving Ferrari, Ferrari gave me a compensation that I could not refuse. But because of this, my garden leave will be extended to January 24. Can Lynk & Co afford to wait?

Besides me, I have a team of 29 designers under me. If I go to Lynk & Co, I have to bring these people with me, because they are my team and I can’t give them up.”

Qin Miao nodded. These issues were not what he needed to consider. All he needed to do was to convey Binotto's conditions to Lynk & Co truthfully. As for whether Lynk & Co agreed or not, that was not what Qin Miao needed to worry about.

"I will convey your conditions to the other party truthfully." Qin Miao nodded and then asked curiously: "Binotto, I am just asking out of my personal curiosity, can I know how much compensation Ferrari gave you?"

"1500 million euros." Binotto did not hide it. He still believed in Qin Miao's character. Besides, satisfying the curiosity of the two-time world champion was nothing to worry about for Binotto.

Qin Miao sighed after hearing this number.

The money Ferrari gave Binotto was almost as much as his annual salary at Mercedes, and this was just hush money. The key point is that Ferrari is not yet a top team like Mercedes and Red Bull.

Therefore, what is in Binotto's mind may be useful to Mercedes and Red Bull, but it is foreseeable that this effect will not be particularly great. As for the mid- and lower-level teams that are really interested in the knowledge in Binotto's mind, even if they get what is in Binotto's mind, it is impossible for them to pose a threat to Ferrari on the track in a short period of time.

Qin Miao was a little confused, but of course he didn't intend to delve into it. After all, he asked this question purely out of curiosity.

However, when he raised his head to pick up some food and saw the wrinkles on Binotto's face, Qin Miao suddenly frowned and thought of another possibility.

This amount of money is really too much compared to the normal hush money.

Could it be that this is not hush money at all? In other words, it is not hush money regarding the team's technical aspects?

But is it a reward for Binotto's hard work?

After all, Binotto resigned on his own initiative. On the one hand, this saved the Ferrari team trouble, and on the other hand, it helped the Ferrari team to avoid the landmine of poor performance throughout 2022, and no senior executives were implicated.

Therefore, the top management gave Binotto such a sum of money, nominally as a half-year extension of the garden vacation, but in fact it was a thank you and hard work fee?

……

Damn, looking at it this way, his Ferrari actually makes people feel quite humane inexplicably.

Thinking of this, Qin Miao suddenly looked up at Binotto.

I want to ask about my guess.

But Binotto raised the tea in front of him and toasted Qin Miao.

Qin Miao could only pick up his water cup and clink it with Biluotuo's. Therefore, Qin Miao had no chance to ask the doubts in his heart.

But Binotto soon brought up another topic.

"You definitely didn't come to me just to talk about Lynk this time, did you? Although you and Lynk are both from China, I remember that you don't have a particularly close relationship with them."

Qin Miao smiled and said, "I really can't hide anything from you. It's true as you said, apart from the Lynk & Co matter, I mainly want to find you to learn about some things that have happened within the Ferrari team recently."

Binotto raised his eyebrows: "Why are we suddenly talking about Ferrari?"

"I'm going to join Ferrari next season."

Binotto:?

"what?"

This sudden news really caught Binotto off guard.

Looking at Qin Miao who was eating with chopsticks in front of him, Binotto's mind was full of question marks.

Seeing Binotto's confused look, Qin Miao could only repeat what he had just said: "I will join Ferrari next season."

Binotto put down his chopsticks, looked at Qin Miao for a while, and scratched his head.

It is hard to believe that Binotto would do something like this, but it is also not difficult to see Binotto's confusion and surprise after receiving the news.

"No, Ferrari is so rotten internally, with chaotic management and R&D. I did an assessment before I left Ferrari. If Ferrari fails to win the championship in 22, then it will be unlikely for Ferrari to compete with Red Bull and Mercedes in the entire ground effect era. Even getting on the podium will depend on luck. What do you think? Why would you want to go to Ferrari when you are doing well at Mercedes?"

Binotto said it was puzzling.

Qin Miao spread his hands: "In fact, before Ferrari found me, I had the same idea as you. Ferrari is not a good place to go now."

Binotto nodded: "Yes, your brain is caught in the door?"

"Until I saw the price Ferrari offered me."

"How much did they pay you? 1 million euros a year?"

Qin Miao scratched his head. "The money is not that much. The current salary is 5000 million US dollars a year, but according to my agency team, the annual salary can still be negotiated upwards. The highest salary should be 7 million US dollars a year."

Binotto touched his chin and replied: "This price matches your current strength, but that's all. You still have no reason to go to Ferrari."

"Don't worry, I haven't finished yet." Qin Miao recalled and said, "At the same time, Ferrari gave me the power to transfer my position as a crew technician. I also have the power to recruit and fire people, but only for my crew. At the same time, I also have the power to make suggestions on the team's research and development direction."

The more Qin Miao spoke, the more surprised and astonished Binotto's expression became, until the last sentence, when Binotto could no longer hold back.

"Vassell has so much power? Is he willing to give you all this?"

You know, because of Ferrari's long-standing tradition of internal struggles, internal power is firmly in the hands of Ferrari's top management, and no one is willing to give up even a little bit.

But even in such a racing team, Vasseur actually gave Qin Miao such great power. Although Qin Miao's power only radiated to his crew and R&D department, strictly speaking, Qin Miao's power can be called the second-in-command of Ferrari.

You have to know that what Qin Miao said were opinions, not suggestions.

Opinions are something I say and you have to listen to, but suggestions are something I say and it’s up to you whether you listen to them or not.

The former is often used by leaders to give instructions to their subordinates. (End of this chapter)