How did I become an F1 driver?

Soon, the two practice sessions on Friday were all over. Although Qin Miao ran a set of flying laps with a new set of soft tires in both practice sessions, Qin Miao ran with it the whole time and added 20 liters to the car. Fuel, so Qin Miao's final results in the two practice sessions were not particularly outstanding, hovering around fifth and seventh.

Time soon came to Saturday.

In the last practice match, Qin Miao still carried out the work of the practice match step by step, and there were no accidents in the process.

However, after the third practice was over, something unexpected happened to Qin Miao.

Hamilton found Qin Miao after the third practice and exchanged with Qin Miao the car tuning settings that he planned to use in qualifying and the race after the third practice.

Qin Miao wants to squeeze out all the performance of the car. Why doesn't Hamilton, who has never been on the podium this season, not want to?

In this type of exchange, for the two drivers, there is no argument that who loses and who gains.

After all, everyone is a top driver, and they can learn something from each other's car settings. The difference only depends on their own ability to comprehend and understand the car.

However, Qin Miao has found the most comfortable training setting for today's game. Although he saw Hamilton's other training ideas, Qin Miao is not prepared to borrow anything from Hamilton, so he just uses his current training settings. The set settings are fine and he is not going to change them.

During the period between the third practice and qualifying, Qin Miao's car was replaced with an engine specifically designed for the race and qualifying stages. After everything was ready, it was time for qualifying.

What is rare is that Qin Miao's first flying lap in Q1 was not his fastest lap.

Moreover, Qin Miao's fastest flying lap in the Q1 stage only allowed Qin Miao to barely reach seventh place.

In fact, judging from the performance of the Mercedes-Benz racing car, there is actually no need to run so conservatively at this time.

The reason why Qin Miao's speed was so slow was mainly because the track in Monte Carlo was too short, and there were many drivers doing the flying lap in Q1, a total of 20 people.

Qin Miao's flying circle in Q1 naturally encountered slight obstacles, and the route could not go to such a limit.

Therefore, Qin Miao's results in the Q1 stage were not so ideal.

The drivers who were ultimately eliminated in Q1 were: Albon, Russell, Gasly, Zhou Guanyu, and Stroll.

Seeing that Zhou Guanyu was eliminated in Q1, Qin Miao was really surprised but not surprised.

The surprise is that Zhou Guanyu won two first places in Monaco during his F2 period, especially the season after he left.

It proves that Zhou Guanyu has good adaptability to the Monaco track.

It's not surprising because Zhou Guanyu's luck is really bad.

The reason why he was eliminated in Q1 was because Zhou Guanyu was cheated by his team again. When he released the car on the last flying lap of Q1, Arrow released Zhou Guanyu too late, so that Zhou Guanyu was directly blocked in maintenance. District exit.

By the time he drove onto the track and started his tire warm-up lap, there was only 1 minute and 11 seconds left before the end of the race.

Not to mention Zhou Guanyu at this time, even Leclerc and Verstappen, who are the fastest this season, could not finish the lap, and the warm-up lap began with the last flying lap.

Therefore, Zhou Guanyu had just been released and his qualifying match was already over.

Moreover, this is the second time that the team has pitted Zhou Guanyu during the qualifying stage due to the problem of parking the car.

Even Qin Miao felt that Arrow Racing treated Zhou Guanyu and Bottas somewhat differently.

Although your Arrow team cannot monitor two drivers at the same time like Mercedes and invest more resources in Bottas, it should not make the same low-level mistakes so many times in a row.

Zhou Guanyu's own strength is still good. If nothing else, at least he can bring back one or two points in each game.

Even with Zhou Guanyu's temper, he would inevitably send several telegrams to the team TR after encountering this kind of thing.

At the same time, Qin Miao also had to admire the misfortunes of Ferrari drivers such as Zhou Guanyu and Leclerc Sainz.

As for Qin Miao?

He is actually an abandoned son of Ferrari. After all, except for the F2 period, Qin Miao has not joined any Ferrari F1 team.

So strictly speaking, Qin Miao can only be said to be from Ferrari's youth training, but after entering F1, he has nothing to do with Ferrari.

In Q2, because there were five fewer cars on the track, the congestion on the track was greatly alleviated in Q2, and Qin Miao did not encounter any obstacles in his two flying laps.

In the last flying lap of Q2, Qin Miao even achieved a good result of 1:11.912, beating Verstappen and Perez and advancing to Q2 in second place.

In the end, the drivers eliminated in Q2 were: Tsunoda, Bottas, Magnussen, Ricciardo, and Mick.

However, after getting such results, Qin Miao was not happy.

Because in the last flying lap of Q2, Qin Miao was already running as hard as he could, but despite this, there was still a 0.1 second gap between Qin Miao and Leclerc.

This is still Q2. Leclerc is not running this flying lap at full strength. If it comes to Q3 and everyone starts to release all the performance of the car without reservation, Qin Miao doesn't think it is possible for him to compete for qualifying in this game. pole position.

Qin Miao, who returned to the team's P room after Q2, fell into deep thought while watching the replay of Leclerc's Q2 fastest lap played on the monitor in front of him.

What should I do to squeeze out a little more speed on the track?
Corner?

It can be said that I have used the curves of the track to the limit.

Looking up at the broadcast screen on the big screen in the team's P room, you can even see the local broadcaster in Monaco slowing down the distance between Qin Miao's racing tires and the guard wall when cornering during the last flying lap.

Even at this time, Qin Miao could see a team engineer using sandpaper to polish the front nose end plates on both sides of his car, because there were scratches on both sides from Qin Miao's Q2's last flight lap when it rubbed against the protective wall. mark.

Racing training?

Not to mention that after Q1 and Q2 have obtained valid results, the car tuning cannot be changed.

Even if it is really changed, Qin Miao still has to adapt to the balance of the car and the cornering angle of the car under this adjustment.

This directly rules out this possibility.

As for following the car like Marquez from the motorcycle GP next door? That's even more impossible.

Just as Qin Miao was deep in thought, Hamilton's car was pushed back on the other side of the team.

When Qin Miao first saw Hamilton's car, he didn't think much about it.

But as Hamilton got off the car to go to the toilet, and his physical trainer Angela left the P room of Lei Feng Racing Team behind Hamilton, Qin Miao suddenly had an idea in his mind.

Following the car won’t work, but the towing tactic might work!

But after thinking of this, Qin Miao hesitated and asked the seven-time champion to help him tow the truck...

is it possible?
Moreover, the only place on the Monte Carlo circuit where towing tactics can be implemented is the DRS area on the main straight.

Even if Hamilton really agrees to help him pull back the slipstream, the lap speed improvement that that short area can bring to him is very limited, and the single lap speed may only be faster by 0.1 seconds.

Not to mention that the towing tactic not only requires the driver behind the car to be fast enough in the flying circle, but also requires the driver helping to tow the car to seize the right opportunity.

But you must know that Hamilton usually lets others pull the wake for him in front. Hamilton's skills and proficiency in helping others pull the wake from the front cannot be too high.

But despite the obstacles ahead.

Qin Miao still wanted to try.

If you try, you still have a chance to get a better result. If you don't try, your speed in the last two flying laps of Q3 may not be as fast as the fastest lap of Q2.

So Qin Miao took off the steering wheel of his racing car and climbed out of the monocoque.

Reyes looked at Qin Miao who suddenly got out of the car and asked curiously: "What's wrong?"

Qin Miao didn't make any excuses and said directly: "Ask Hamilton for a favor."

After finishing speaking, Qin Miao lifted up the goggles of his helmet and walked towards the toilet in the team's P room.

Reyes scratched his head and asked Hamilton for help?

You both have Q3 games to run, what help do you need from him at this time?

This little time is not enough for you to discuss...

However, Reyes did not delve into this matter. He also wanted to check whether Qin Miao's car was damaged due to the extreme speed lap of Q2.

However, Qin Miao had just taken two steps and suddenly thought that it was indeed a bit presumptuous of him to do so, and his persuasiveness was not strong enough.

Thinking of Qin Miao, he glanced at the roof of the P room of the team.

Because the Monte Carlo circuit is built in Monaco after all, and what stands out about this place is that every inch of land is at a premium, so the team's P room will not be too big.

So the command podiums of all the teams were moved upstairs.

And Hamilton won't come back so soon. After all, there is no gear under the driver's racing suit, and the same is true for the fire-resistant sweat-absorbent lining in the racing suit. If Hamilton wants to go to the toilet, he not only has to take off the racing suit but also the racing suit. That fireproof suit inside.

So Qin Miao turned around and went upstairs to find Toto.

The command area upstairs of the team was not closed. After entering, they saw Toto and Allison sitting in front of computers and monitors working.

After seeing Qin Miao come in, many people were a little surprised, but that was all.

Drivers will be very busy during the qualifying stage, so why shouldn't they be busy.

On the one hand, he has to observe the situation on the field, monitor the data of the car and the driver, and is also responsible for connecting with the staff of the Brackley factory to exchange data and information on the network. The only person who is relatively free here is Toto Wolff, the team leader and owner of the Mercedes team.

And Qin Miao came here specifically to see Toto.

After seeing Qin Miao come in, Toto smiled and nodded to Qin Miao: "Qin Miao, Q2 ran well. I guarantee that the team will not lose its chain in the race. As long as you get a good result in the qualifying stage, we will I will do my best to keep you in this position for the entire race.”

Qin Miao nodded without saying much. After taking off his helmet, he directly stated his purpose of coming to see Toto this time: "Toto, I want to ask you for a favor. Come with me to ask Lewis to let him compete in the race." Please help me control the wake on the first flight lap of Q3."

"what?"

Hearing Qin Miao's request, the experienced Toto was a little surprised for a moment.

After all, in Toto's eyes, talented drivers like Qin Miao are indeed more amazing than the other, but they also have a common problem among genius drivers, which is arrogance.

Heaven is the boss, Earth is the second boss, and I am the third boss.

Moreover, Qin Miao is the person who won the world championship in the first season of his career. Although Qin Miao is very easy-going in daily life, everyone is well-known for his character.

But Toto, through his many years of experience in the paddock, can easily see that Qin Miao is a very proud person at heart.

It is equivalent to a lion-like heart wrapped under an easy-going appearance.

Therefore, Toto could not figure out why Qin Miao would ask himself to persuade Hamilton to help him pull the slipstream in order to achieve a good result in qualifying.

And Toto also noticed that Qin Miao used the word "request" in his words, which can be said to be a very low profile.

What Toto felt after the accident was deep self-blame.

He soon realized the main reason why Qin Miao made such a gesture: the performance of the Mercedes car this season was weak.

He also knew that the last flying lap of Q2 was a flying lap that Qin Miao ran with all his strength.

When the car came back, Reyes reported directly to him that there were scratches everywhere on the car that might come into contact with the track.

This can prove that Qin Miao basically made all the corners where he could rub against the wall, and he ran to the extreme limit in every corner.

Now that the driver has given full play to everything he can show and exerts and still cannot achieve a satisfactory result, it is time for him, as the team leader, to assume his own responsibilities. As for Hamilton... That's his job.

"There is no need for you to come forward. You can go back and prepare for the Q3 game now. I will help you convince Lewis." Toto stood up and patted Qin Miao on the shoulder.

Qin Miao was stunned.

He is ready to owe Hamilton a favor. Anyway, this season he and the team have no chance of competing for the championship. At worst, he can be Hamilton's wingman for a game on a track that he is particularly familiar with. Anyway, it was not like he didn't win last season. Have done this before.

But I didn't expect that Toto was not prepared to let himself owe this favor.

However, Qin Miao did not insist. After seeing Toto patting his shoulder and going straight downstairs, Qin Miao just said hello to Allison and the others, and then returned to his car with their encouragement. .

On the other side, after Hamilton used the toilet and returned to the team's P room, he was somewhat surprised to see Toto chatting with his chief technician in the team's P room.

After seeing Hamilton return, Toto nodded to Hamilton's chief technician and then walked up to Hamilton.

"Lewis, Q3 is about to start, let's keep the story short."

Although Hamilton was surprised that Toto would appear here at this time, from Toto's words, Hamilton still knew that Toto had something to explain to him, so he nodded and said: "Okay, what's the matter? ?”

“After the team’s judgment, Qin Miao’s last flying lap in Q2 in this game was already the limit of what the W13 car can perform on the Monte Carlo circuit. I believe you have seen Qin Miao’s last flying lap. video."

Hamilton nodded. Although he didn't want to admit it, after changing the operating method, Hamilton still couldn't adapt to the current W13. In qualifying, both the qualifying lap time and the race lap speed were not as good as his teammates.

That's why Hamilton watched Qin Miao's flying lap after Q2.

I want to learn something from Qin Miao's flying circle.

Later, Hamilton clearly saw from the in-car video why Qin Miao was so fast.

Ask yourself, Hamilton is not as courageous as Qin Miao. Basically, every slightly gentler bend is rubbed against the guard wall and rode on the shoulder of the track.

If there is even one mistake, the qualifying session will end early.

The key is still Q2.

And after thinking about this, Hamilton seemed to realize something.

"So I hope that you can create a wake for Qin Miao on the first flight lap of Q3."

After hearing Toto's words, the originally noisy P room of the Mercedes-Benz team even became quiet for a moment.

Asking the seven-time champion to pull someone's tail?
Even Hamilton, who had been mentally prepared in advance, was stunned for a while after hearing these words.

He turned to look in Qin Miao's direction, but because of the angle, Hamilton could only see one side of Qin Miao's white blue and white porcelain helmet, and the Leclerc lap car video playing on the monitor hanging on Qin Miao's Halo system. Slow play video.

I looked at the team's P room and saw Hamilton's own results of 1:12.219 and Qin Miao's 1:11.912.

He pursed his lips.

"it is good."

……

At the beginning of Q3, the two Mercedes drivers did not come out immediately. Instead, Hamilton came out and ran his first flying lap after the other drivers in Q3 had almost finished their first flying lap.

After Hamilton's first flying lap ended, there were five minutes left before the end of Q1.

At this time, apart from Hamilton's Mercedes, there were only two or three cars running back to the track. This number of cars basically would not affect Qin Miao and Hamilton's towing tactics.

Qin Miao also put on a brand new set of soft tires and came out of the team's P room.

At this time, Leclerc had already set the fastest lap speed in qualifying, 1:11.376. This result was a full 0.2 seconds faster than his teammate Sainz. This shows that Leclerc is very interested in Monaco. The track is still quite familiar.

Leclerc's result was a full 2 seconds faster than Qin Miao's fastest flying lap in Q0.536.

After seeing this, Qin Miao felt a little sick. With such a big time gap, he might not be able to get rid of it even if he had a Hamilton tow truck, right?
But Qin Miao quickly calmed down her emotions.

Do your best to obey fate.

Just do everything you can.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Miao started his tire warm-up lap.

At this time, several commentators from Five Star Sports also have so many years of experience. From the video of Qin Miao's flying lap replayed in Q2, they can see that the limits of the Mercedes W13 have been fully utilized by Qin Miao in Q2. .

She laments Qin Miao's dissatisfaction and the loneliness of the Mercedes-Benz team.

But while they were chatting, Brother Bing noticed very keenly that Qin Miao's tire warm-up lap was about to end. When he came to the braking point of T18, Hamilton, who had already completed his first flying lap of Q1, did not perform maintenance between T1 and T18. I entered the station at the entrance of the area, but slowed down a little.

After Qin Miao passed T18, Hamilton suddenly started to accelerate out of the corner.

Qin Miao also followed Hamilton closely at this time.

"This?! Hamilton!? He didn't make a pit stop after completing the flight lap? Is he trying to help Qin Miao pull out the wake?" Seeing this scene, Brother Bing's voice was full of disbelief. and accidents.

"Ah?" Brother Bing and Brother Fei also looked over immediately.

Hamilton's timing of starting speed was very clever. He didn't look like a seven-time champion who didn't help others with the slipstream at all. Instead, he was as skilled as an experienced No. 2 driver.

When exiting the slow corner of T19, Hamilton happened to be 0.7 seconds in front of Qin Miao. In addition, the turbulence at the rear of the car is very small this season. Starting from this time gap, Hamilton's car turbulence will basically not affect the rear of him. Qin Miao's aerodynamic suite had too great an impact.

And T19 is a slow corner, so cornering here relies more on the mechanical grip of the car.

Soon, the two Mercedes-Benzes were running at full speed and entered the only DRS area of ​​the Monte Carlo circuit one after another.

Qin Miao's car also accelerated 5% faster than normal due to the wind breaking from Hamilton's car in front.

Even in the DRS area, Hamilton did not turn on DRS in order to reduce the wind resistance of Qin Miao's car. The speed was completely achieved by relying on the full release of the ERS of the car.

And this is not the limit of what Hamilton has done to create a wake for Qin Miao. Hamilton did not leave until he exited the corner from T19 all the way to the braking point of T1.

As a result, when Qin Miao came to the position 50 meters in front of the braking point, the front nose was basically only five or six centimeters short of hitting the rear diffuser of Hamilton's car.

Despite this, Qin Miao was still unwilling to let go of his accelerator.

After many experienced people saw this, they originally thought that the towing tactic on the Monte Carlo track was difficult to implement. They suddenly felt that Mercedes had messed up the wake tactic this time.

Because the T1 braking point was too narrow, there was no place for Hamilton to give way to Qin Miao.

Even Toto, who was sitting in the command seat above the P room of the Mercedes team, his face darkened and he felt bad after seeing Hamilton's actions.

When Qin Miao saw this, his heart skipped a beat because Hamilton had already missed the last handicap.

"It's over, it's useless."

ps. Dads, it’s the end of the month, give me some monthly tickets (end of this chapter)