F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 39 The Dream Shatterer

Red Bull's decision was made too hastily; the ticketing process for the audience seats had actually been almost completed before the Lunar New Year.

Aside from some tickets given out by companies as employee benefits for team building activities, most of the tickets at the event belonged to genuine car racing and motorsports enthusiasts, most of whom were also quite wealthy and had plenty of free time.

About 80% of the audience came from out of town. If they weren't financially independent and had a lot of control over their time, who would have the time to travel all that way on a weekday to satisfy their hobby?
This means that only a small portion of the audience was actually there because of the hype surrounding Shulong's appearance.

In reality, it remains to be seen how effective this so-called gimmick will be. Several foreign media outlets have published numerous articles with unsubstantiated rumors to generate buzz, while the Weibo trending topic created by Red Bull's representatives in China didn't even last two hours before being overtaken by celebrity gossip.

Moreover, judging from the number of likes and shares, hardly anyone actually watched it.

Fortunately, people in the media have a different perspective on issues than ordinary viewers. Ordinary people are just there to watch the drama unfold, while those in the media are usually there to find it.

Besides reporters from several foreign media outlets and domestic racing programs, what surprised Shu Long was that he had even attracted the attention of CCTV.

Despite having the biggest name in the group, this interview was the most relaxed one Shulong has ever had.

Unlike other aggressive reporters who are eager to dig up some unknown scoops, CCTV is more interested in Shu Long's complete life story, rather than being eager to know what price Shu Long paid to have the opportunity to appear in the P-room.

Throughout the entire event, Shu Long didn't seem to be answering questions, but rather finding a safe space to confide his thoughts. He didn't even need to bother the press officer; he could speak freely while the officer thoughtfully prepared an outline for him.

Judging from their words, this interview will not be reported immediately. Instead, it will be done after Shu Long has achieved some success, so that a special biographical program can be prepared.

This is also a way to protect Shulong, who is still young. If you put too much hope on him, it would be a case of praising him to death. It would be easy to ruin a person in the end.

Falling from the mountaintop to the valley floor takes only a moment, and there are plenty of gloating onlookers who will kick you while you're down.

That's why people say family is always the closest.

Shu Long was in a good mood when he returned to the P room. Even the music that he had just found noisy suddenly sounded like a nice tune to rock.

The pit garage of each team perfectly reflects the personality of each team.

Some team pit garages are like messy repair shops, while others have obsessive-compulsive requirements to keep everything neatly arranged.

Some racing pit garages make you feel like you're in a futuristic, high-tech world, while others are as lively as a nightclub.

Red Bull is like a nightclub.

The DJ area was buzzing with music, and even the mechanics were shaking their heads as they disassembled the chassis. Where was the high-end, sophisticated feeling that outsiders should have about F1?
In short, it's very much like Red Bull, perfectly fitting people's stereotype of an energy drink that's highly associated with extreme sports.

Near the end, Shu Long even filmed a few short videos as a bonus with the people in charge of the team's publicity. When the second training session ended and he was on his way back to the hotel from the paddock, he was surprised to find that quite a few people were still wearing Ferrari clothes, but they were already holding Red Bull hats and waiting on the sidelines to sign autographs.

There are still many iron Buddha temples in China. This year, Ferrari's driver lineup is the extremely popular Kimi and the young four-time champion Vettel. In addition, red is also a festive color in China, so a large part of the stands is red.

It is this firm stance of turning around and switching sides that has made Shulong a little hesitant.

"An autograph? Me? Do I deserve it?"

"Perfect match! Absolutely perfect match! From now on, we'll be your biggest fans. You must work hard to become an F1 driver!"

This hat looks like it was bought on the spot; it's not cheap. When it's out of stock, it can be resold for several thousand dollars.

Shu Long suddenly had a wicked idea and thought about signing his name on their Ferrari clothes, but then thought better of it, as it was taboo.

Because the second race of the F3 European Championship this season will be held at the Hungaroring circuit in Hungary on April 22, Shu Long's schedule at the Shanghai International Circuit will only include the 16th. He will pack his things early the next morning to catch a flight back home.

Before leaving, Max, who hadn't had a chance to say more than a few words yesterday except during dinner, came over and handed Shulong a very carefully packaged box.

"what is this?"

"A gift? I remember your birthday is coming up soon, right?"

"You even know my birthday?!"

Shu Long had been preoccupied with the Hungarian match all this time, and he even forgot that the day after the match was his birthday. He never expected that someone other than his family would remember.

"I saw it when Dr. Marco showed me your information. I was in a bit of a rush and didn't have time to prepare properly, so I'll give you a pair of racing shoes first, and I'll make you another pair next time."

Oh no, I'm a little touched, what should I do?
At the same time, Shu Long felt a little ashamed. When was Max's birthday again? They finally exchanged contact information, but he seemed a little embarrassed to ask. Maybe he should secretly Google it later.
No wonder Marco tested himself by having to remember the name of a staff member on his first day at the youth training camp. His meticulousness off the field is probably one of the reasons why Dr. Marco likes Max.

Since entering the youth academy, Dr. Marco has been using Max as an example to motivate Shu Long, causing Shu Long to get a headache whenever he hears the name Verstappen.

But Shu Long couldn't help but admire Max; with such a formidable father as Verstappen, it's truly remarkable that he has developed such a personality.

How far did Max Verstappen go? To the point that even the notoriously demanding Marco couldn't stand it anymore, giving almost all of his remaining gentleness to Max, whom he treated like his grandson.

Shu Long is the exact opposite of Max. From a young age, he mostly felt the pampering of Shu Xiong and Grandpa Shu as the only son in the family. Now, Marco is making up for the pressure that was missing in his childhood.

Despite his advanced age, Marko did not return to the Milton Keynes headquarters, nor did he go to the next race at the Sochi circuit in Russia. Instead, he appeared on time at the Carlin team's pit garage wearing headphones on the day the Shulong race began.

Upon seeing the renowned (and infamous) Red Bull youth training director, Ryan and Nico realized this was a rare opportunity, and they were both incredibly excited and full of energy.

Even the Red Bull youth training program, which everyone fears, is not something that ordinary drivers can reach. Many people would lick their boots and want to be scolded, but they can't even find an opportunity.

The livery and racing suits of F3 cars are not entirely determined by the teams themselves; they change depending on the drivers' personal sponsorships. This is why a team might have three cars with three different liveries.

Shu Long's own F3 was practically a Red Bull F1 Mini, while his two teammates' cars only had a symbolic Red Bull logo and had absolutely no connection to them.
Oh wait, Nico actually does have something to do with the Red Bull logo on his car. He's one of those guys I mentioned earlier who was kicked back to the fringes of their respective teams' junior training programs by Marko early on. Unlike Shu Long's all-black and red leather racing suit, Nico's racing suit is predominantly blue and silver, looking remarkably similar to Australian cow packaging.

Since the day he reported to the Carlin team, Nico has always seemed to dislike him. Shu Long himself has no intention of trying to curry favor with someone who doesn't appreciate it, and so far he hasn't had much direct communication with Nico.

Moreover, everyone had some Red Bull influence on them, so for a moment he didn't really think of the other person as being from Red Bull's youth training program.

If Shu Long knew about this, he might not be surprised why Nico would do something so self-defeating on Race 2 at the Paul Ricard Circuit.

It's roughly similar to the feeling of a concubine's son, who is treated as a servant in a large family in ancient times, when he sees the pampered young master dressed in fine clothes.

But in fact, the vehicle engineers that Shu Long brought were all aware of this. Nico had signed with Red Bull's youth academy a year earlier than Shu Long, and the cars he trained on at the Red Bull training base in Austria were also tuned by them.

However, Nico's first season in the Red Bull youth academy was not ideal, or rather, he barely met the standard set by Marco.

For Marco, passing is the same as failing, being excellent is just barely passing, and you have to be outstanding or amazing to be even noticed.

The reason why Nico wasn't directly abandoned by Marco like Albon is mainly because he himself didn't have a strong presence. When Marco signed him, he didn't have the same high hopes as he did for Albon, so naturally he wasn't that disappointed.

Like a blade of grass by the field, since Shulong is going to the Carlin team this season anyway, it's like watering him a couple of times while we're watering him.

If you're lucky enough to grow into seedlings, keep them; if they don't, just find some excuse to pull them out.

That's why Haydn could give orders to Nico's crew without even consulting them that day, because he knew that no matter whether it went up to the team or Marko, it wouldn't cause much of a stir.

This is from Red Bull's perspective.

As the protagonist of his own story, Nico felt that he was Xiao Huohuo, who had experienced many ups and downs in life, and now all he needed was an opportunity to prove himself and gain the old man's approval.

Having adapted to the car in the previous race, Nico was confident that he had found the right way to drive it. Other people's tuning was irrelevant; only what suited him best was truly the best.

At this stop, Nico's determination was to pull Shulong off his horse right in front of Marco, and then step on him to take the throne!
However, the ideal is very full, but the reality is very skinny.

In the world of racing, everyone harbors dreams, but not everyone can realize their dreams to the end. Along the way, Shulong has trampled on the dreams of countless people.

With Marco there, forget about any conservative tackling strategies; go as fast as you can!
In Marco's words, "In F1, the teams are only responsible for making the car faster, and the drivers' job is to control the car well. Otherwise, wouldn't it be the same to put a monkey in the cockpit?"

There was no tacit understanding or eye contact like those found between arch-enemies in the story. Even with photographic memory, the defeated opponent didn't even leave a trace in Shu Long's mind.

To go further in racing, one must learn to be as cold-hearted as doctors who spend long hours in the intensive care unit, while maintaining professional ethics.

If one day Zhou Guanyu really becomes an obstacle in his path forward, Shu Long feels that he can also do what he joked about after dinner that day—step over him forcefully and never look back.

The Hungaroring circuit has only one long, high-speed straight, making it a slow track that demands a lot of downforce, with almost no opportunity to floor the accelerator.

This track can be said to have greatly amplified Shulong's advantages, while at the same time dealing a heavy blow to Stroll's Prema team.

最后束龙跑出匪夷所思的1：31.337，在大幅度打破了这条赛道1：31.761圈速记录的同时，又领先斯特罗尔最后1：32.265将近一秒的时间豪夺杆位。

The following events unfolded similarly to the previous one, even more easily, with Shulong winning all three main races in a row, much to the delight of Marco backstage.

Poor Nico actually performed quite well this time, but the sad reality is that he is practically invisible in Marco's eyes right now. He sent out challenge invitations to everyone but forgot about the person who seemed closest to him.

There's no place for me in this house!
That night, everyone in the team went out and had a party. Marco didn't come, but it's said that Marco paid for everything that night.

Most of them were young men in their twenties and thirties. The oldest, Hayden, was not even thirty-five years old this year. They held beer bottles in their hands and bumped into people as they went, singing songs with indistinct lyrics.

Shu Long doesn't drink alcohol. Besides the fact that he has to stay away from high-calorie foods to control his figure, he also doesn't particularly like the taste of alcohol.

The key issue is that he is not yet an adult.

But the joy of victory is a universal emotion. Even though Shu Long, sitting to the side, was somewhat out of place with his teammates, a smile of infectious elation lingered on his lips.

Especially when Hayden, surrounded by a group of people, placed a huge birthday cake in front of Shu Long after midnight, the man, a stranger in a foreign land, felt as if his throat was blocked.

Oh no, a foreign land is a foreign land, but a stranger is not necessarily alone.

Zhou Guanyu, who shamelessly squeezed into someone else's car party, gave Shu Long a watch—an Armani mechanical skeleton watch, not particularly expensive but not cheap either.

Although Shu Xiong always said that a man should have a presentable watch in his life, besides a car, Shu Long himself has never had the habit of wearing a watch.

He likes to drive fast, but enjoys a slow pace of life; in layman's terms, he's lazy.

Wearing a watch always gave him the feeling of being constantly urged on. Even in the end, he couldn't help but check the time from time to time. His daily training schedule was already tight enough, and Shu Long really didn't want to live such a tiring life.

However, the watch was carefully put away. In the world of racing, relationships like those between Ocon and Gareth are the norm, while friendships like those with Zhou Guanyu are rare.

Next month is Zhou Guanyu's birthday, and what to give him is another question.
This damn life, you've made me so utterly devoid of romance!

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(End of this chapter)