F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 73 Knight or Dragon
During the second round of winter testing, the team members tried to pull out whatever they could from their pockets.

The overall rankings didn't change much, with Benfa Niu dominating the top 5 and pushing Shulong down to sixth.

Ferrari remains as dominant as ever, making a concerted effort to suggest that this year could very well be a year of nostalgia for Ferrari fans both on and off the track.

Gasly gradually adapted to racing and secured a spot in the top ten, while Aro's Kimi was pushed out.

Verstappen seemed to have rediscovered the thrill of battling his childhood rival, Leclerc of Ferrari, throughout the race. Unfortunately, Leclerc ultimately snatched the fourth-place finish from Verstappen.

It's worth mentioning Williams, who arrived late. Even after they finally got their car onto the track, what they presented was likely only a half-finished product.

Not only was the aerodynamic balance a complete mess, but the brakes were malfunctioning and the electronic systems were breaking down. The two riders basically had to push their bikes back to the pit lane to rest after only a few laps.

Unfortunately, rain hit the track on the first and last days, so neither Russell nor Kubica could figure out what was wrong with their car until the end of the test.

Especially Kubica.

Who can understand how much effort he put into raising that ten million euros in sponsorship? And who can know how much determination he had to make to return to F1, even though he was physically disabled and had to travel to every race and event?

As a result, I ran into this strange thing as soon as I got back!
In the end, Mercedes topped the test mileage chart with 1196 laps throughout the winter test, closely followed by Arroy's two drivers, who completed a total of 1126 laps.

In contrast, Williams, who arrived late and completed one less lap than their competitors, encountered numerous problems in the second lap, ultimately resulting in both drivers completing only 88 laps of testing combined.
This is definitely a hellish start!

The Little Red Bull lap was a bit short, with less than 900 laps, and more than 500 of those laps were run by Albon.

It wasn't that Shu Long was lazy; it was mainly because he adapted to racing very quickly. After a few laps, he had already figured out the limits of the car in low, medium, and high cornering types.

Overall, it still suffers from the same problems as before: the rear suspension is too soft, resulting in insufficient downforce at the front. The overall racing characteristics tend to be understeer, but the balance is actually not bad.

Because his lap times aren't actually that bad, the team is unsure whether to modify the car based on Shu Long's feedback.

It's not just about taking care of Albon; upgrades to a race car often have far-reaching consequences, especially major overhauls like this one that fundamentally change the car's characteristics. Even the engineers themselves aren't sure whether the upgrades they come up with will be a positive improvement or just a side effect.

Every year, F1 introduces a whole host of new restrictions. This year, the main reason is to accommodate Pirelli's tire compound reform. Who knows, their current car might just happen to meet the new rules this year?
After spending a lot of time and effort explaining things, it would be frustrating for anyone to realize that no one was listening. So the team decided to give Shu Long a short break, allowing Albon, who had just been promoted to F1, more opportunities to adapt to the car.

Okay.

Just a couple of days ago I was helping Gasly criticize the team, and now this boomerang has returned so quickly.
The smaller teams ultimately lacked the same fighting spirit, especially teams like Toro Rosso, which are clearly affiliated with Red Bull. Unless they stumble upon a huge windfall, they generally don't dare to even dream of competing for the championship.

It's as if in their minds, the race car is just about getting by, as long as it doesn't finish last and can rack up some points.

Out of sight, out of mind. It also gave Shu Long some time to spend with his family, whom he had neglected for the past few days.

During the winter testing period, almost all the media focused their attention on the area inside the hunting grounds. Shu Long, on the other hand, was not worried about being overexposed during the testing period and comfortably accompanied the two families to enjoy the local delicacies.

The local food culture is quite unique and highly compatible with domestic eating habits. Even some elderly people with relatively traditional views can easily accept it.

Gan Mengning kept a close eye on Shu Long, basically only letting him taste two or three of each dish, afraid that he might gain weight and affect his performance in the competition.

Xiamen University ended its winter break on the 23rd, and she even asked her advisor for leave. However, after the winter testing ends today, she will go back with her parents and grandparents tomorrow, and she probably won't be back until the opening game.

After seeing Gan Mengning and her family off at the airport, they reminded her to remember to watch "Drive to Survive," which was scheduled to be shown around the 8th.

Actually, there was no need for any reminder. Ever since she learned that Shulong had cooperated with the crew to film a documentary about the ups and downs of Weichang, Gan Mengning had been paying close attention to related information on foreign websites and couldn't wait any longer.

Instead of rushing back to the factory with the convoy, Shu Long asked the team leader, Tost, for a few days' leave.

He originally thought he hadn't thought that much about it; he just figured since he was already there, he might as well accompany his parents and grandfather to visit the nearby attractions.

Places like the Montessé Natural Park, the centuries-old monastery, and the Black Madonna statue are well worth seeing.

It's a bit of a shame. I was looking forward to enjoying the swimsuit bonus that's a staple in light-hearted anime, especially at Badalona Beach, but it's been raining non-stop these past few days, so I haven't been able to find a suitable opportunity.

It seems that Tost misunderstood something, thinking that the young man was sulking and that the team had ignored his advice. So, he not only readily granted him leave but also gave him a long and earnest pep talk.

As the team leader, he could naturally sense some impending trouble from the personnel changes within the group.

There are no obvious signs yet, and the struggle for power has not been brought to the forefront.

However, some senior executives from the group have repeatedly "hinted" that the Toro Rosso team, as a training ground for Red Bull drivers, should primarily focus on the driving experience of newcomers.

The definition of "newcomer" is quite vague. Logically, both Shulong and Alben could be considered newcomers, but their identities undoubtedly imply that this "newcomer" has a different meaning.

On March 5, Shu Long returned to the factory, only to find that Alben had already taken over the simulator work for several days.

This time, the engineers mainly made several modifications to address the issue of insufficient downforce at the front end, because Albon has repeatedly emphasized that understeer in modern cars, especially in medium- and high-speed corners, can greatly interfere with the choice of racing line.

Albon is actually a driver who tends to use an oversteer-oriented driving style.

After all, compared to understeer, where you can only wait for the car to regain grip on its own, oversteer drift is more dangerous but also more controllable. Even if you lose control, the driver will know more clearly what adjustments to make next.

As for shaving your head, you can only leave it to fate.

The car does experience some push-off in low-speed corners, but it's still acceptable, given the car's solid mechanical grip foundation.

However, the characteristics of medium- and high-speed cornering race cars are mainly determined by their aerodynamic layout. If modifications are needed, it's not enough to just change the front wing; the entire aerodynamic system of the race car basically requires a long-term adjustment.

For Shulong, this result was naturally not bad, but he always felt that things were not quite as expected as the promises Tost had made to him last year.

I also tried adjusting the dragon on the existing simulator.

Albon's ability is indeed guaranteed, and those extra laps he ran weren't for nothing; at least, no obvious problems were found in the overall direction.

After spending less than two days at the factory, Shu Long and Albon joined the team to head to Melbourne, Australia. In addition to the regular track work, this year will also see the first-ever F1 season launch ceremony before the opening race, which all twenty drivers and ten team principals will be required to attend.

It's no wonder that since Liberty Media took over the operation and management of F1, the annual financial reports of each team have become increasingly impressive even without the tobacco company's sponsorship; they genuinely love these kinds of gimmicks.

Of course, what car enthusiasts and fans love to see are these fancy tricks. The drivers no longer give the impression of being mysterious and aloof, but are more down-to-earth and more likable.

As the daily work in Shulong gradually returned to normal, Gan Mengning, on the other hand, was somewhat distracted during class.

According to online rumors, the first season of DTS will be released on the 8th. Because of this, she unusually sat at the back of the classroom today, and couldn't help but take out her phone from her desk every ten minutes to refresh the page.

The copyright for this is held by Netflix, so if you want to access it in China, you'll have to wait and see if any kind person is willing to share it.

Gan Mengning felt she couldn't wait any longer. When she found out that Shu Long had signed up for a year's worth of Netflix subscriptions on the spot, she immediately did so.

Finally, as soon as the school bell rang at 4:10 pm, the girl couldn't wait to refresh the page, and all ten episodes had been released at once.

Really?!

What could make viewers happier than a sudden burst of new content?
She originally thought this show would only update one or two episodes a week at most, but it turns out that the show focuses on a large quantity of content that you can enjoy all at once without keeping you in suspense.

After that, there were no more classes, and with ten episodes of temptation to watch, Gan Mengning naturally couldn't concentrate on studying. She immediately slung her bag over her shoulder and ran to her apartment.

Today is Friday, and there are no classes tomorrow as it's the weekend, so the girl decided to drag her roommate to watch movies all night!

Who doesn't have a little bit of a desire to show off?
The first episode mainly focuses on Haas and Red Bull. As an American team, they naturally receive special attention from Liberty Media, and their stories are inherently dramatic.

As a newcomer to the scene, Haas' performance over the past few years can be considered an inspirational example.

The smallest fleet, the fewest people, doing the most with the least money.

This is a summary by team leader Steiner of the results of their efforts over the past few years.

Then, in the previous shot, both drivers were full of confidence and momentum, and in qualifying, they made a stunning debut, securing 5th and 6th place on the super grid.

After a series of camera cuts and build-up, everyone thought they were about to directly challenge the Mercedes-Benz and head straight for the podium.

The next shot showed Magnussen, who was emphasizing the importance of teamwork off-screen, having to retire from the race in frustration because his left rear tire wasn't properly tightened when changing tires.

Do you think this is over?
His teammate Grosjean followed closely behind, this time also failing to get his left front end on track, and he too came to a stop on the edge of the track.
Netflix's editing was incredibly dramatic, and all the shot selections and TR clips maximized the sense of immersion. Gan Mengning and He Xuanyi couldn't help but feel sorry for the team that had nothing to do with them.

For seasoned racing fans who know exactly what's going on in the paddock, this might seem a bit exaggerated and inexplicable, but at least for casual fans, the production quality is enough to vividly showcase the charm of F1 racing from multiple perspectives.

Red Bull has a significant role in the story; the main plot of the entire season revolves around the internal turmoil and upheavals within Red Bull.

In particular, the rivalry between Verstappen and Ricardo is subtly hinted at by the production team that one of them will eventually be eliminated, and all signs seem to point to the smiling young man.

It must be admitted that this drama changed Gan Mengning's impression of Ricardo a lot. At first, due to the bias of public opinion, she, standing on Shu Long's side, actually had a preconceived aversion to the villain Daya.

The video also gave Gasly a highlight moment, as Bahrain's P4 finish was arguably the second-best podium finish for Toro Rosso last season, second only to Shulong's.

The camera work, which occasionally shifts from Gasly to Ricardo, seems to intentionally or unintentionally hint at the fierce competition of the generational shift.

The ever-growing new generation is like sharks that have smelled blood, waiting for their chance to devour the older generation.

The turning point in the overall plot occurs when Ricciardo officially announces his signing with Renault, and from this point on, Shu Long, who is only a reserve driver at the time, gradually gets more screen time.

Shu Long's role in this part of the story is actually quite ambiguous.

On one hand, the production team emphasized that Shu Long was actually a secret weapon launched by the team as a countermeasure in response to Ricciardo's defection. On the other hand, they interspersed many scenes of Shu Long and Ricciardo chatting and laughing in the paddock, including Da Ya sharing his cornering details with Shu Long in the pit, creating a harmonious picture of mentor and friend.

He Xuanyi suddenly felt a little afraid to continue reading and quickly pressed the pause button.

"Wait, wait! Something feels off about the plot here. Could there be some angst later?"

"What kind of knife?"

"Isn't this the typical plot development in anime? Usually, before something is about to break up a relationship or someone is about to die, there's always a beautifully crafted scene to build up the tension, so when the plot twist happens, the impact is naturally the greatest!"

"Oh, that can't be, can it?"

Although Gan Mengning said that, He Xuanyi chose to remain silent, hugging her knees. Da Ya was such a good person; now she herself didn't know whose side to stand on.

Then came the fateful first training session in Japan.

Marco's words to Shu Long on the phone were somehow attributed to Horner, who became the mastermind behind everything.

The early episodes of DTS also focused heavily on the character of Reno, portraying them as an inspirational factory team that, despite their flaws, strives to return to their peak. In contrast, Horner, who cruelly abandoned the partnership, was depicted as a ruthless and cold-blooded villain.

The previous shot showed Renault's team manager, who had just signed Ricardo, triumphantly congratulating Horner with a forced smile. The next second, Horner, sitting behind his desk with a gloomy face, said to Shu Long, "Show me your speed!"

Shu Long's reaction at this moment was particularly intriguing.

With a slight nervousness and trepidation, I opened the door to Horner's office, my face initially showing the typical restraint of a newcomer.

Upon hearing this request, he first lowered his head and remained silent for a while. Then, in the final scene of the episode, he let out a somewhat gloomy and disdainful sneer in the shadow cast by the lights.

　Thank you to Qinrenxinai, Xinteng Qianxun, Feiyang de Yang, Maizangzaihuahai de Mao, Shi Xiaorenren, AM Amin, Shuyou20230609774_bC, Ecstasy, Li Xiaoyao, Moshen%Kong, Xingzhezuomeng739, Yaobikuni-san, Shuyou20230401134738401, Shuyingxieheng, and SoapDTY for your monthly ticket donations!
　　Thank you so much for the generous donation from Mo Shen%Kong!

　　It seems like I've accumulated ten chapters of unfinished chapters... I've really been too busy these past few days, but I'll definitely make up for it later!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)