F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 273: The letter N is followed by a long string of O's!

A victory that was somewhat suspenseful yet ultimately safe.

Tire consumption is such a pain. Even though Shulong was in the lead for 80% of the race, he felt like he was stuck in a passive and hopeless situation every moment.

Sainz almost ruined their plans, but thankfully Red Bull reacted quickly, otherwise Shulong might not have been able to seize the opportunity when Leclerc's car malfunctioned at the end.

Some of these incidents were due to the team's execution capabilities, while others were simply accidental coincidences.

Regardless, Ferrari made some truly brilliant strategic decisions in this race.

Losing the championship is indeed a disappointment for Ferrari fans, but well, they should get used to it.

Driver, strategy, and car – each race can only have a maximum of two status bars displayed. If the driver is in top form, then either the strategy or the car will have a problem. If the strategy is working perfectly, then either the driver or the car will disconnect.
Anyway, that's the gist of it.

Leclerc had already pushed his individual abilities to the limit in the final stages when he encountered throttle lag. It was only because the person sitting in the crippled Red Bull behind him was too freakish that he was unable to do anything about it and lost the championship that was almost in his grasp.

Since this is already the best result that could be achieved after all the effort, there is naturally nothing to regret.

The same applies to Verstappen.

Forget about competing for any ranking, this race alone has given him a splitting headache. If Sainz hadn't blown his engine, he probably wouldn't have even been able to hold onto third place. He'd be lucky to even be on the podium!

It wasn't until after crossing the finish line that Leclerc realized his back was soaked in cold sweat, and he kept repeating in the radio, "I'm so scared!"

It's unclear whether he was intimidated by Shu Long's imposing presence, worried about being overtaken by Verstappen, or concerned about retiring in the final laps.

Regardless of what Leclerc was thinking at the time, fans who only wanted to see what they wanted to see didn't care about this or that. They naturally interpreted him as the second driver driven crazy by Shulong, and were looking forward to seeing if this year's victims of Shulong could compile a video compilation.

It's a bit sarcastic, and it also seems to be trying to incite hatred.

However, the drivers don't really care about this.

The combination of the Dragon's Roar and Red Bull's brutality had made them somewhat numb, and it seemed that not being able to win had almost become a habit. Thinking this way, they relaxed a lot in terms of mentality, and their competitive state even improved instead of declining.

Take Leclerc for example. Even though his car had a mishap in the final stages, his performance was still absolutely perfect overall.

In the small room where everyone was waiting for the awards ceremony after the race, they all tacitly flattered each other, and the rest of the scripts were almost entirely filled with complaints about how unbearable their own race cars were.

What did that sentence say?

Fighting with people is endlessly enjoyable; fighting with cars is utterly exhausting.

There were actually very few truly high-quality close battles; they were all just grappling with their own race cars!
Due to the impact of tire wear differences on strategy, most attacks and overtaking actually rely on the use of DRS and the advantage of tire grip performance to overtake. In this respect, the top contenders are not as good as the mid-table teams.

Especially during the five-car battle on lap 24, the three of them were still discussing what they had seen in the rest room even though they should have been on stage to receive their medals.

What's wrong with these five? These five are absolutely amazing!

Because Zhou Guanyu was busy defending against his idol Alonso at the beginning, he was the first to cross the checkpoint and became the only car among the five without DRS, suffering a loss and falling to the back.

The veteran driver has a wealth of racing experience, and more importantly, he's ruthless enough to deal with anyone, whether it's his little fanboy or a contracted driver, he'll do whatever he wants without hesitation.

Arro, adapting to the situation, called Zhou Guanyu into the station, intending to use a reverse strategy.

However, judging from the fact that Guan Yu finished in a position lower than P14 at the start, this reverse strategy probably did not work, and his ranking actually dropped.

Results are actually secondary; they depend on the competitiveness of racing, luck, and of course, the experience gap between him and Alonso.

The key point is that after such a major accident, Zhou Guanyu not only seamlessly transitioned to the next back-to-back match as if nothing had happened, but also seemed to have become a bit more aggressive in his fighting style.

This is a good thing.

Douyin has already amassed a huge amount of traffic and is providing incredibly generous sponsorships. Even if Zhou Guanyu gets hit a few more times during the fight, he can easily afford the repairs.

The collisions mentioned here don't refer to the outrageous track outbursts like those of Mick, but rather to incorporating more aggressive physical confrontations into the race's body language and strategy. With financial support, there's a greater margin for error, so why not take this opportunity to explore one's own limits?

All three were very interested in the topic. Whether it was Verstappen, Shullon, or Leclerc, they had all experienced serious crashes in their careers. In particular, Leclerc's debut team was Sauber, so the sense of resonance was even stronger.

Everyone goes through this, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. The key isn't whether you got into an accident or not, but what you learn from it.

While chatting and looking at Shulong, I actually felt a bit nostalgic, much like someone who, after working like a beast of burden, reminisces about their senior year of high school, recalling the bittersweet memories.

Do you sometimes wish you could go back to the past?

miss you!
Would you be willing to go back if there was a real chance for you?

Don't want to!
It's only human nature.
The French Grand Prix will be held in two weeks.

Shu Long recently rewatched "Mr. Bean's Golden Week" with Gan Mengning. He could have taken the opportunity to go on vacation with his girlfriend and see if they could travel along the route in the movie. However, Horner informed Shu Long and Verstappen at the last minute after the game that they had to go back to Milton Keynes to work overtime.

Austria's upgrade was identified as a half-finished product. Although the process was very fast, it brought other serious negative effects.

It seems unreliable to rely solely on data from simulator drivers and test drivers.

Red Bull plans to introduce a new Venturi grille at the next race, which is a crucial upgrade that will affect the car's downforce performance. To be on the safe side, it's best to let the drivers actually test it out.

If that doesn't work, it's best to call off the upgrade plan originally scheduled before the summer break as soon as possible to cut your losses. Otherwise, once the budget cap is reached, it will be too late to change it.

Then there's no way.

In addition to performing well on the track, drivers are also responsible for helping their teams ensure the competitiveness of their cars.

The French Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix, the last race before the summer break, are back-to-back, so it looks like my travel plans to France will have to be postponed again until the summer break to see if I have time.

Red Bull has already secured the properties in Monaco, not just the living quarters, but also the shop space they plan to convert into a Chinese restaurant.

If some things can be prepared in advance, then we definitely need to act quickly.

Given the momentum of Shulong's points this year, it will surely receive an astronomical sum when settling its income at the end of the year. Getting the BVI visa on board as soon as possible will save it from paying too much tax.

After the summer break, Shu Long will definitely go and take a look at one of his future homes, and then work with Gan Mengning to finalize the general renovation plans. He could make up for this trip later. Anyway, France is right next to Monaco, so driving won't be a big problem.

So they spent three days immersing themselves in the simulator, with Shu Long and Verstappen taking turns providing the car with new data, and the conclusions they drew were even more positive than the data from the test drivers.

Whether this effect will actually be present in the actual car is unclear at the moment, but the higher airflow efficiency of the undercarriage, under the current rules where the overall downforce is not as good as in the aerodynamic era, can indeed alleviate some of the pressure on drivers in managing tires during the race.

but!

We shouldn't be too happy yet.

Ferrari also upgraded the venturi tunnel on their floor. Leclerc and Sainz also returned to Maranello after the Austrian Grand Prix and spent several days practicing on the simulator. It felt like the two teams were engaged in some kind of arms race.

Of course, the challenges aren't limited to the opponents; the track itself is also formidable.

The Paul Ricard circuit in France has a considerable number of high-speed corners. Pirelli provided C2, C3, and C4 tire compounds that are slightly stiffer than the Red Bull Ring, but they still faced a very serious challenge of high tire wear.

Moreover, since there are no conventional gravel buffer zones outside the track boundaries, but instead high-drag rough asphalt mixed with tungsten metal, the tolerance for wheels going beyond the boundaries is also higher. In order to ensure competitive lap times, it is inevitable to adopt more aggressive throttle and lines when pushing forward.

Just as if to annoy Red Bull, the weather forecast for the game weekend also brought some great news.

The entire day was sunny with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius. The surface temperature of the track was even more outrageous, reaching an extreme high of nearly 60 degrees Celsius. Even a dog would scream in pain after being thrown onto it and running a few steps.

On a track like this, where you could fry an egg if you cracked it, you might as well go ahead and try to save your pregnancy!

Let alone running long distances, even in single laps simulated by pushing off with red tires, Shu Long repeatedly compared which part of the three practice sessions was more cost-effective in managing tire temperature.

Even if you can't push the tire all the way around, its performance will deteriorate significantly.

Of course, if that were all, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Ferrari's tire management was better than Red Bull's at the last race because of the track characteristics. The reason for the high tire consumption at the Paul Ricard circuit this year is completely different from that of the Red Bull Ring. They also faced tire management issues and couldn't speed up their races.

Based on data analysis from the three practice sessions, Ferrari's car appears to have a slight advantage over Red Bull in lap times, while Red Bull performs better in long runs, a complete reversal of their previous performance.

Another piece of news that might be slightly reassuring for Red Bull is that Sainz will be replaced with the fourth power unit, which was an extra one last season, due to his engine failure in the previous race. Regardless of his qualifying result, he will be penalized and start from the back of the grid.

In other words, Leclerc may have to withstand the pressure of two Red Bulls in the race, and it is impossible to balance competition and tire consumption management at the same time.

This is also the most troublesome news for Red Bull.

Since Sainz will be penalized to start from the back of the grid regardless, the series of farces caused by Ferrari's inability to determine the number 1 and 2 drivers will no longer exist. Sainz, who is facing a huge penalty but still decided to use extra tires to rush into Q3, may become a troublemaker.

We can't say that Red Bull's premonition came true, because Ferrari's intentions were practically written all over their faces.

In Q3, Sainz created two full laps of slipstream for his teammates during two clean lap windows.
Sometimes you really shouldn't be so quick to laugh at others. The people in front of the Red Bull Pit Wall could only exchange complicated glances. The suspense of the annual championship is still unresolved. Given the current competition between the two players in the Red Bull team, can you really expect them to create a tailwind for their "opponent"?

That must be impossible!

So, as you can imagine, the final qualifying results were not good either. Leclerc took pole position with a margin of more than 0.3 seconds. Shulong P2 will start on the front row with Leclerc, and Verstappen will naturally only be P3.

What makes it so good?

The starting grid layout at the Paul Ricard Circuit is similar to that of Monaco, making it somewhat unusual compared to other regular circuits. With Turn 1 being a left turn, the pole position grid is placed on the left side of the track, which is the dirt side where the grip is worse.

The rain in Monaco ruined Shulong's good start, but the weather at the French Grand Prix doesn't look like it's going to rain at all!
However, not raining may not necessarily be a good thing. The best strategy for the race was predicted to be a yellow-white stop, but the track surface is always so hot, which is a major enemy of tire management. In the later stages of the race, it may even evolve into a yellow-white-yellow stop tactic.

How exactly to execute the plan will depend on on-the-spot judgment. On the track, Shulong will first have to compete against Leclerc, and the team's strategy group will also have to contend with Ferrari. It can be said that there are still many variables in the race.

Just like how Shulong, who had a clear advantage after the lights went out in the race, didn't get to P1 right away as the team expected.

how to say?

The high temperature of the track surface did help Leclerc. After the warm-up lap, the tires didn't cool down as quickly in this giant oven, and the engagement with the track was much better than in a normal race.

Of course, Leclerc's clutch response time of 0.193 seconds is indeed excellent.

Turn 1 is a right-angle turn. Even though Shu Long had already aligned himself with Leclerc before the turn, he couldn't gain any further advantage because Leclerc had blocked his inner lane in advance. Shu Long had no choice but to return to P2 to look for another opportunity.

This is troublesome. Every driver knows that tire management is the key to victory in this race. If you start by smelling the hot fart, how can you expect to have good tire conditions?
Therefore, Shu Long only made two tentative attempts to probe Leclerc on laps 6 and 9, and when he felt the opportunity wasn't good, he didn't go all out.

After all, this is only the first Stint, and since it's a heavy-duty yellow tire, it's not as durable. The primary task is to keep up with the pace of the car in front and avoid adding extra mileage burden to the subsequent white tires due to excessive tire wear.

The key to this game's survival strategy lies in the second stint; the timing of the pit stop and the position after exiting the pit are crucial.

The first pit stop window was expected to be between laps 18 and 27. Shu Long revealed his intention to pit on lap 16, regardless of whether Ferrari followed suit or not.

It's best not to follow; the hot track is actually beneficial for the white tires to warm up before leaving the pits, and Shu Long could take this opportunity to complete an undercut on Ferrari.

It doesn't really matter, because then Shulong's strategy for the main race will have nothing to do with protecting the tire. He will do everything he can to drag Leclerc into the second stop rhythm.

Red Bull's pre-race tactical meeting had fully anticipated these possible scenarios, and they had corresponding countermeasures for whatever strategy Ferrari adopted.

but!

Do you remember the Ferrari fan's mantra for watching a race? No matter whether the situation on the track seems to favor Ferrari or not, just keep repeating "Ferrari" in your mind.

In terms of racing—Ferrari's speed at this race was comparable to Red Bull's.

Strategy – Leclerc hasn't even entered the station yet, and the results of the undercut on Shulong's side are still pending. Let's assume their strategy team hasn't messed up yet.

That driver.
On lap 18, Shulong had just started to pick up speed after leaving the pits when he was suddenly interrupted by a yellow flag and a safety car.

Leclerc seemed to be cursed by Ferrari's lack of a third player, as he plunged headfirst into the barrier behind Turn 11 while leading and without any external interference.

"Noooooooo!"

(End of this chapter)