Speed ​​God

Chapter 104 The target of public criticism
Anyone with eyes could see that Leclerc was blinded by rage—

Bearing immense sorrow and pain, Leclerc channeled all his energy into motivation, making the Baku race his stage.

From pole position to the race, Leclerc delivered a dominant performance, giving his competitors no chance from start to finish.

And that's still not all.

In the sprint, Leclerc displayed unprecedented competitiveness this season.

In F2 racing, the sprint race starts in reverse order of the top ten finishers from the main race. In other words, Leclerc had to start from tenth place. However, he went on a rampage, unleashing amazing attack and control in just twenty-one laps, inexplicably overtaking other cars and becoming the race leader!
Powerful, fierce, causing an uproar.

The entire paddock is about to explode. Following Lu Zhizhou's double victory at the GP3 Spanish Grand Prix, is Leclerc about to pull off the same miracle?
Two drivers from Ferrari’s junior academy have made a splash at the start of the new season, drawing attention. Could it be that Ferrari’s young drivers are finally about to rise to prominence?

However, they were one step off—

On lap 17 of the sprint race, with the yellow flag on, Leclerc, who had just completed his last overtake and was leading the race, failed to notice the yellow flag and speed. He was penalized ten seconds for failing to control his speed according to the rules.

Despite Leclerc's frantic pace in the remaining four laps, attempting to widen the gap between himself and second place.

Unfortunately, the sprint race left too little space, and four laps were not enough to make up for the ten-second penalty.

Ultimately, although Leclerc crossed the finish line first, he was penalized ten seconds by the race organizers and unfortunately finished second, failing to replicate Lu Zhizhou's feat. Although he was penalized ten seconds and went from first to second, incredibly, Leclerc still led third-placed Latifi by more than eleven seconds. Such a gap is truly astonishing in a sprint race.

In Weichang, there was a sense of deep regret.

It was just a hair's breadth away from witnessing two young drivers writing miracles together this year. Leclerc's missed weekend double title in this way is even more regrettable.

Nevertheless, the area remains abuzz with discussion.

On the one hand, we admire Leclerc's strong performance. This Ferrari prodigy has long been the focus of attention in the entire paddock. He won the GP3 title last season and is leading the F2 driver standings this season. He is proving his talent and ability with more and more track performances.

On the other hand, jokingly referring to Ferrari's happy dilemma—from the decline of its youth academy to the brilliance of its twin stars—Ferrari may be facing a difficult choice.

Leclerc? Or Lu Zhizhou?

Some might say it's too early to put Lu Zhizhou in the spotlight, that Leclerc's excellence has been tested on the track and proven by time, but Lu Zhizhou only has a single weekend double win at the Spanish Grand Prix, so there's really no need for him to try and provoke Leclerc.

Moreover, Lu Zhizhou is still in GP3, which is incredibly far from F1. He has a pack of lions in F2 ahead of him and a pack of wolves in GP3 beside him. It would be absurd to talk about an F1 seat right now.

However, the topic still spread widely and heatedly. There were plenty of onlookers who loved a good show and were fanning the flames. Moreover, Lu Zhizhou's existence was a variable in itself. He appeared out of nowhere, broke the rules, and did everything against the grain. Such a variable could not be judged by normal rules.

Indeed, Leclerc is excellent and has been proven in many ways, but he is still an academic, and there is no fundamental difference between him and the top drivers in the paddock. His floor is very high, and his ceiling can also be clearly predicted.

Lu Zhizhou is different. Every move he makes challenges the nerves of the paddock. There is no reference point in the paddock. At present, the closest one should be Verstappen. But even Verstappen does not have so many uncertainties. Lu Zhizhou has grown to his current position in less than half a year. If he is given more time, no one can predict his limit.

This is the most intriguing and exciting part.

The problem is that Ferrari doesn't need two young drivers—and even if they did, given Ferrari's consistent style of doing things, they wouldn't risk using a completely new driver lineup, as that would be too risky and reckless.

Moreover, Ferrari still has faith in Vettel.

Sebastian Vettel, 30 years old this year, is in his prime. He has won the World Drivers' Championship four times with Red Bull, and his ability is beyond doubt. He is still Ferrari's ace driver. Ferrari believes that Vettel can lead the team back to the championship throne. He is the soul of the team.

Vettel's partner, Kimi Räikkönen, is now 36 years old and his career is coming to an end. His competitive form and development potential are declining rapidly, and his performance is becoming increasingly unstable. Although he once won the World Drivers' Championship with Ferrari, his retirement is imminent.

The question facing Ferrari is very simple: who will replace Raikkonen as Vettel's partner, help Vettel win the Drivers' World Championship, and together win the Constructors' World Championship?

"Lu Zhizhou VS Leclerc": From having no options to having too many options, Ferrari is becoming the envy of the paddock.

Naturally, Leclerc had the advantage, especially his outstanding performance in Baku, which gave him a significant edge.

Lu Zhizhou, as a challenger, emerged out of nowhere and came with great momentum. Although his strength and experience still need to be tested, the topic continues to generate buzz.

The fact that two people who shouldn't be rivals are being positioned as such by public opinion undoubtedly makes the online buzz even more intense.

Who could have imagined that these two good friends would turn into rivals in the blink of an eye, and that they would have to engage in a fierce battle for their careers?

So when F1, F2, and GP3 all arrived at the Red Bull Ring in St. St. Petersburg, Lu Zhizhou could feel the pressure coming his way. The heated discussions inside and outside the paddock pushed him into the spotlight all at once.

Furthermore, Lu Zhizhou's immediate priority is not Leclerc. The Ferrari seat is just a figment of his imagination, a mere fantasy. The real challenge lies with GP3. After the fierce competition in the season opener, no one will underestimate Lu Zhizhou.

Or, to be more precise, everyone wanted to defeat Lu Zhizhou, to give this novice a shocking lesson, to pull him back from his pedestal to reality, to show him the true strength of these GP3 drivers, lest that rookie, who hadn't even learned to walk, be delusional enough to dream of soaring high.

From heaven to hell, it only takes one race.

The louder the discussions outside about the Ferrari F1 seat, the sharper and more bloodthirsty the GP3 drivers' eyes became when they were eyeing Lu Zhizhou. If Lu Zhizhou wanted to break through the encirclement and advance to F2 or even F1, he would have to face mountains of corpses and seas of blood. No one was willing to be a stepping stone for Lu Zhizhou to rise to the top in one step.

Not only other teams, but also the ART team itself could feel the tense atmosphere; the competitive atmosphere almost made the air freeze.

From qualifying onwards, the ferocity and sharpness of the close-quarters battle were clearly felt. No one held back anymore, and everyone revealed their trump cards, truly demonstrating the profound meaning of "a slight difference can lead to a huge error" in the world of racing. Even GP3 was no exception.

First, George Russell, ART team, 1:19.114.

Second, Lu Zhizhou, ART team, 1:19.117.

Third, Han Shilong, ART team, 1:19.186.

　This is the fourth update today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)