How did I become an F1 driver?

Qin Miao still flew on the plane today, but this time it was Norris's plane.

Like Qin Miao, Norris also returned to the UK after spending a few days in Monaco.

It happened that Norris was also going to Saudi Arabia this Wednesday. While chatting in the driver group, Qin Miao sent Norris a message and got on the plane as a matter of course.

We started in the morning and arrived in the afternoon, because it was direct and fast.

After landing, the two separated and each went to the hotel of their respective team to report.

The next process will become normal. Qin Miao has experienced this process twenty times this year and is extremely familiar with it.

From the very beginning when I was young and confused, to now I am familiar with the road and I am very familiar with it.

It has to be said that in just one year, F1 has changed Qin Miao tremendously.

The most obvious and useful point is that Qin Miao has developed a sincere and friendly smile.

After returning to the hotel, we rested for the night.

On Thursday, Qin Miao’s competition week officially begins.

Arrive at the track early, have breakfast first, and then walk the track.

It is worth mentioning that after walking on the track, Qin Miao also met Norris, who then lent Qin Miao's scooter.

Qin Miao had a feeling that after getting familiar with him, Norris no longer regarded him as an outsider.

In the afternoon, I recorded a media promotion video, attended a fan meeting, and in the evening there was a dinner party with local Saudi sponsors, which was considered a less formal business event.

It is worth mentioning that these Middle Eastern tycoons are really rich. Two sponsors preliminary finalized two sponsorship contracts with Mercedes-Benz during the meal.

But these have nothing to do with Qin Miao. Anyway, in addition to his basic salary in the team, he only has one bonus to get.

Even if you sign the contract, you won't get a penny.

Friday, the day when the first and second training starts.

The weather in Saudi Arabia today is quite good, with the air temperature at 28°C and the track temperature at 35°C. Although the Jeddah Marina Circuit is right on the seaside and the closest point to the Red Sea is only 50 meters, due to environmental reasons in Saudi Arabia, the air humidity Only 69%.

The good news is that the meteorological department reported that there is no chance of rain in the past week, so the probability of rain is only 20%.

Like the Qatar Grand Prix two weeks ago, the Jeddah Marina Circuit in Saudi Arabia has only been added to the F1 calendar this year.

This is the result of Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries realizing that oil will not become the world's main energy source in the future, and they began to spend money all over the world.

Because of the special track terrain in Saudi Arabia, this track is undoubtedly an extremely high-speed track.

This week's upgrade by Mercedes-Benz is also based on this point. The car's wind-breaking wing has been simplified to a certain extent, making the car more stable and with less resistance when driving at high speed, which can bring at least 5 kilometers of mileage to the car. Straight tail speed bonus.

The only drawback is that it loses a little downforce when cornering, but this loss of downforce is within the acceptable range of the team.

Originally, the characteristics of Mercedes-Benz racing cars are more biased towards straight-line acceleration. After all, Mercedes-Benz's engine is the most powerful engine in the entire paddock.

On a track like Saudi Arabia with many straights, it is natural to maximize its own advantages.

In addition to the upgrade of the car, the atmosphere within the Mercedes team this week is also somewhat tense.

Because it is almost the end of the season, everyone is very concerned about the points and positions of the two, including themselves.

Therefore, the relationship between the two was very tense at this time, and communication became less and less.

When Toto saw the tense atmosphere between the two of them in the morning team meeting, he was really worried. He was afraid that the scene when Rosberg and Hamilton were fighting within the team would happen again.

Although at this time, both Hamilton and Qin Miao maintained basic restraint on their teammates.

But Toto could clearly feel that there were countless powder keg between the two of them, and no one could tell when this powder keg would be detonated.

It might just be a disagreement between the two on the track due to the exchange of positions, or it might be a small quarrel within the team off the track.

The powder keg between the two will be completely ignited, and no matter what happens, it will be unacceptable to Toto and the Mercedes team.

So in order to prevent all this from happening, Toto went to the rest room of the two drivers before the start of practice on Friday, half to comfort them, and half to intimidate them with the points gap between Verstappen and the two at this time. .

It was like giving both of them a shot of vaccination.

In fact, sometimes Toto is quite grateful to Verstappen. After all, Verstappen's existence prevents the two talented drivers in the Mercedes team from focusing all their attention on each other.

Verstappen's presence can also be regarded as a key role in maintaining a harmonious atmosphere among the drivers in the Mercedes team at this time.

I remembered that Toto also felt that the world was so wonderful.

At noon, after lunch, Qin Miao took a nap to replenish his energy. After waking up, he prepared for a while and came to the first practice.

These races in the Middle East are all held at the same time. Qualifying and the race start in the evening, so the data that can be collected by the team during the first and third practices is not much, but There are quite a few test projects that can be carried out, and it can also allow drivers to become familiar with the current race track.

At the same time, Qin Miao and Hamilton's cars were also equipped with data collection equipment weighing at least 5 kilograms before the start of the race.

The closer we get to the end of the season and the more critical moments of the championship, the more things the Mercedes team wants to hide.

Until the final qualifying and race, it is impossible for Mercedes to show its full strength.

During the first practice, everyone is familiar with the track during the first period. After all, everyone has only run this track on the simulator.

So as soon as practice started, Qin Miao put on a set of hard tires and started a long-distance test.

After the first normal flight lap after the tire warm-up lap, Qin Miao had a feeling that this track was a bit stressful to run on. Compared with last week’s Qatar, this track was a bit stressful. The track is much more difficult and the running is not as enjoyable.

Because there are very few heavy braking areas, the entire track can be reached at 82% full throttle.

It is worth mentioning that there is basically no buffer zone on this track, so Qin Miao knew after completing one lap that if there was an accident in this race, it would basically be either a yellow flag or a safety car. In more serious cases, it might be a red flag. .

An hour later, practice ended.

Qin Miao ranked fifth with a time of 1:30.000.

There is no way, there are too many sensors in the car, it can't run fast, and when I am familiar with the track, I don't push desperately.

By the end of the first practice, the sky had darkened, the sun was half below the horizon, and it was almost dark.

After resting for a while, Qin Miao ate some energy bars to replenish his energy. After looking at the data analysis of the first practice given by Franky and others, Qin Miao started the second practice.

At the beginning of the second practice session, Qin Miao used soft tires and came to the exit of the pit area to wait.

The team has just analyzed that although this track has a very long starting straight, and the engine of the Mercedes car does have advantages in these places, if there is no accident in this game, Qin Miao will not be able to succeed. Line up the starting line for overtaking opportunities.

Therefore, the engine advantage is basically better than nothing in the face of Hamilton and Verstappen, two drivers who compete with Qin Miao.

In other words, the final ranking of this game will largely be determined by qualifying.

If Qin Miao's qualifying results in this game are good enough, given the characteristics of this track, it is actually possible for Qin Miao to defend the driver behind him from the beginning of the game until the end of the game.

During the break, Frankie and Qin Miao analyzed this point of view.

So at the beginning of the second practice, after the track conditions were basically the same as those in the qualifying session tomorrow night, Qin Miao began testing and practicing the qualifying lap.

Of course, it still has sensors.

Qin Miao even asked Barber to fill up the water bag of his racing car.

At the end of the second practice, Qin Miao's score reached 1:28.971.

This result is the first in the competition.

To be honest, Qin Miao didn't know why he got the first place in the competition. You must know that he still had something to hide at this time.

After returning to the team's garage, I learned that Hamilton's fastest lap was run on medium tires.

Verstappen is the same.

Not surprising then.

After the second practice, Friday's work was over. After packing up his things, Qin Miao left the paddock.

It is worth mentioning that on the way back to the hotel, Qin Miao saw many Asians wearing Mercedes team uniforms waiting at the exit of the paddock on the roadside.

At this time, the only Asians willing to wear Mercedes-Benz team uniforms are basically Chinese.

Still staying here late at night, he is probably a fan of his car and wants to see himself up close.

Anyway, Qin Miao was fine at the moment. After returning to the hotel, he could only watch videos and then go to bed, so Qin Miao rolled down his car window and said hello to them when he drove out.

As expected, the group of people became obviously excited after seeing Qin Miao.

"Fuck, Qin Miao!"

"Come on Qin Miao! You may win this game early! We are optimistic about you!"

"Qin Miao is awesome!"

While shouting, they also waved the national flag they brought and the same flag with the white number 66 on Qin Miao's racing car. There is no need to think too much. Those who can say this at this time are definitely domestic car fans.

Qin Miao smiled at them and replied: "I know, I'll try my best. It's getting late, so you should go back and rest early."

I don’t know who heard Qin Miao’s words and replied: “Okay!”

Qin Miao smiled sincerely after hearing this, but thought that it would be difficult for these fans to wait for him here at night, so Qin Miao turned back and glanced at the co-pilot of his big G.

After taking out the masks and hats prepared for him by the team, he handed them to them and said: "It's hard to come here at night, but remember to wear a mask. These are for you."

For Qin Miao, these things were given to him by the team for free, so there was no psychological burden on them when they were given away.

In fact, the main reason these fans were waiting here was to see Qin Miao. Even before they came here, their psychological expectation was just to look at Qin Miao from a distance through the car glass.

After all, as international students, the last thing they lack at this time on Friday is time.

Who would have thought that Qin Miao not only rolled down the window and chatted with them, but even gave them a hat and several Mercedes-Benz masks before leaving.

So everyone was overjoyed when they took what Qin Miao handed over.

After making sure that everything was delivered to them, Qin Miao waved and said to them: "Go back early, I will go back to the hotel to rest first."

After saying that, Qin Miao drove away, but on the way back to the hotel, Qin Miao couldn't help but recall what these fans had just said to him: "You may win this game early! "

"Win the championship early...?" After whispering, Qin Miao smiled bitterly.

Hamilton is still in his prime. Although he is already at the end of his prime, his strength is still terrifying.

Although Hamilton's driving style is similar to Qin Miao's, the team's design of the W12 is actually based on Hamilton's driving habits.

Qin Miao just took advantage of the fact that his and Hamilton's driving styles were the same.

Qin Miao is destined to not be able to reap this bonus for long. The two have similar driving styles, not the same. There are still obvious differences in some operating habits.

But fortunately, the W12 has a good tuning window. Qin Miao always has the time and opportunity to adjust the car to the most comfortable state for him.

As for the champion... let's do our best and let fate dictate.

After returning to the hotel and having a video call with Qiu Meng for a while, Qin Miao went to take a shower and rest early. After all, there is still qualifying to run tomorrow, and the qualifying on this track is very important, so he has enough energy. Spirit is necessary.

The next day, Qin Miao came to the paddock again.

Today is different from yesterday. Although there were many spectators present yesterday, at least half of the seats in the stands were empty.

But because there is a qualifying match today, both the VIP area and the grandstand area where ordinary spectators sit are already full.

It can be seen that the local people in Saudi Arabia are very enthusiastic about the sport of F1. This is not difficult to understand. After all, the favorite way of spending money among these wealthy people is to buy, buy, buy, and buying a car is naturally one of them.

In the tourist area next to the Saudi Grand Prix, many car companies are releasing their new cars.

One advantage of launching new cars here is that the Saudi tycoons will actually place an order on the spot after taking a fancy to them.

It doesn’t even matter how good your car is, as long as there is something that attracts them, they will pay for it with their eyes closed. After all, their money is really blown by the wind.

After returning to the team, Qin Miao spent another busy third practice session.

At the end of the third practice, Verstappen ran a time of 1:28.100, which was significantly faster than yesterday.

On the one hand, this is because everyone is already very familiar with this track after three practice sessions. On the other hand, because the track temperature has not dropped yet, the track can provide sufficient grip for the tires.

After the third practice, Qin Miao made one final adjustment to the angle of the car's front nose, slightly increasing it by 0.3°.

When the temperature began to reduce track performance on the last lap of the test, Qin Miao clearly felt that his car was understeering in low-speed corners and needed to slightly increase the grip of the front wheels to strengthen this shortcoming.

After resting for two hours, Qin Miao put on a new racing suit, pushed open the door of the team home and walked towards the team's P room.

It's time for qualifying to start in half an hour, and Qin Miao needs to go to the team home to prepare.

After struggling in F1 for so long, Qin Miao also knows that sometimes drivers still have to stay in the paddock and stay with their own engineers.

As long as you are there, even if you are doing nothing to fish, your presence is enough to provide a sense of confidence to the technicians on your team.

Therefore, Qin Miao usually appears in the P room of the team some time in advance.

After half an hour, qualifying officially started.

At this time, Qin Miao had already put on his equipment and entered the racing car.

The Mercedes team was still not in a hurry to compete for the first stop. The team waited until the drivers from other teams left the pit area before finding a gap to let Qin Miao and Hamilton out together.

In the first flying lap, Qin Miao's score came to 1:28.501.

To be honest, this result is not too fast for a driver of Qin Miao's level.

But despite this, Qin Miao can safely enter Q2 with this result.

So in the next flying lap, Qin Miao did not change the tires, but ran another flying lap with the old set of soft tires.

Although this was just an old set of soft tires, after Qin Miao completed this flying lap, his score was refreshed again, with a score of 1:28.450.

Although it was only 0.05 seconds faster, it can be seen that Qin Miao still has a lot of room for improvement in terms of performance.

After achieving this result, Qin Miao's ranking temporarily reached fifth.

After this lap, Qin Miao stopped running and returned directly to the P room of the team.

At the end of Q1, Qin Miao advanced to Q2 in fifth place. It is worth mentioning that Qin Miao's teammate Hamilton also did not use his full strength in the Q1 stage in this game. He advanced to Q1 in sixth place with a time of 28.466:2. .

In the end, the drivers eliminated in Q1 were: Latifi, Vettel, Stroll, Mick Schumacher, and Mazepin.

In fact, the overall performance of Martin's car is not bad, but due to the design concept of the team, Martin's car has not much room to perform on such a high-speed track, so it is not impossible for Martin's car to be eliminated early in Q1. understand.

In Q2, both Qin Miao and Hamilton put on medium tires.

Qin Miao and Hamilton are both preparing to start on medium tires in tomorrow's race.

In addition to the two of them, Red Bull also had the same idea. Verstappen and Perez also chose to use medium tires to run Q2.

At the end of Q2, Hamilton won the first place with a time of 1:27.750.

Hamilton's time on the medium tire was faster than Qin Miao's flying lap on the soft tire in Q1.

In the end, the drivers eliminated in Q2 were: Ricciardo, Kimi, Alonso, Russell, and Sainz.

In the Q3 stage, there are not so many cars on the track, so naturally there is no problem of traffic jams and slow cars when running flying laps.

At the beginning of Q3 of this game, Qin Miao discovered that the car encountered a problem with the tires heating up.

Because it is completely dark now, the temperature of the track dropped very quickly after losing the direct sunlight, and after Q1 and Q2 were completed, all the remaining temperature on the track during the day had dissipated.

So just after reaching the tire warm-up lap, Qin Miao clearly felt that the grip of his tires was almost non-existent.

In order to ensure that the tires would not cause accidents due to insufficient temperature during the flying lap, Qin Miao ran an extra flying lap.

It is worth mentioning that Qin Miao's teammate Hamilton did not do this.

So while Qin Miao was running on the tire warm-up lap, he heard Franky's voice coming from the team's TR: "Hamilton made a mistake because the tire temperature was not enough. Do you want to run an extra tire warm-up lap... Okay, I didn't just do it." See.

Yes, it is right to run an extra tire warm-up lap. "

Naturally, Hamilton's flying lap in which he spun due to insufficient tire temperature was wasted. Although Qin Miao encountered some traffic problems in this flying lap because he ran an extra tire warm-up lap, his speed after the completion was not bad, with a score of 1: 28.123.

Coming to the second for now.

After returning to the team's P room to rest for a while, Hamilton came out first.

This time he was not so confident and ran two warm-up laps.

After the last flying lap, Hamilton showed his full strength.

The score after crossing the line was 1:27.511, and after this lap, Hamilton's ranking came to first.

Before he finished speaking, half a minute later, Qin Miao also completed his last flying lap of the game, crossing the line with a score of 1:27.612.

The results were pretty good, but for Qin Miao, this lap was done after he tried his best. He basically gave everything he had. Qin Miao was satisfied to be ranked second in the end.

Among the top three championship contenders, only Verstappen failed to make a valid lap, and his first flying lap result only ranked third, behind Qin Miao. .

Verstappen, who knows how terrifying Qin Miao's defensive ability is, is very Qin Chu. On a track like Jeddah where it is difficult to overtake, it will be very embarrassing if he does not run his position well in qualifying.

Because all expectations will be pinned on the start of the race on Sunday.

If he doesn't get off to a good start and falls behind Qin Miao, then this game and even this season's driver's championship will most likely have nothing to do with him.

So the last flying lap is crucial for Verstappen.

Soon, Verstappen's last flying lap crossed the line 3 seconds before Q20 stopped the clock.

Verstappen's final flying lap officially begins. (End of chapter)