Speed ​​God

Chapter 116 Glimpse the Truth
Saturday evening, Red Bull Ring.

The paddock had quieted down; all the other teams had left, leaving only GP3 to finish the race. The spotlight and cheers gradually subsided.

However, even in such a somber atmosphere, the news that "Lu Zhizhou has won the main competition" still spread and caused a huge uproar.

The hustle and bustle was palpable, with whispers and murmurs all discussing Lu Zhizhou. This demonstrated the growing influence of the topic; the young man who had seemingly sprung from nowhere was rapidly gaining attention and was poised to soar to great heights.

Unfortunately, arrogance and prejudice remained stubbornly entrenched, casually throwing cold water on Lu Zhizhou's performance and completely ignoring it, attributing everything to the team—

This is true not only in Austria, but also in Spain.

In the main competition, if Russell and Han Shilong hadn't made contact, allowing Lu Zhizhou to benefit from the situation, the final result of the match might have been very different.

In the sprint race, Lu Zhizhou's comeback was entirely due to the young drivers' underestimation of him and their lack of understanding of his style.

The real key lies in the race car.

"The ART team has done a perfect job and is expected to dominate GP3 again this year."

This is also an eternal topic in the world of Formula racing—

In a victory, was it the car that was good, or the driver?

That is precisely why the greatness of drivers in the F1 world can be distinguished.

Ayrton Senna, the "God of Speed," despite only having three Formula One World Championship titles, always managed to unleash 120% to 200% of his car's potential. Even without the fastest car in the paddock, he was always a strong contender for the championship in every race.

Michael Schumacher, the "King of Cars," is a seven-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion and currently holds the vast majority of records in F1 racing. Of his seven World Drivers' Championship trophies, at least three were achieved while driving the second or even third fastest car in the paddock.

Even Schumacher was only known as the "King of Cars," but there was only one true racing god: Ayrton Senna.

Some may wonder why Vettel and Hamilton, these young drivers, have won four F1 World Drivers' Championships but their historical status has never been comparable to Senna and Schumacher. The reason lies here.

Undeniably, Vettel and Hamilton are exceptionally talented, top-tier drivers one in a million. However, their Drivers' World Championships all came from the fastest cars in the paddock, highlighting that while the driver's role remains important, it is not the key factor.

The situation is the same right now.

Although GP3 is not F1, the differences between standard cars in GP3 are not that big, and coupled with the inherent limitations of the cars themselves, the differences are actually very small; but true professionals know how much of an advantage a professional team or a well-funded large team can gain in GP3.

Just before the Austrian Grand Prix, Richard Mir and Brembo received sponsorship funds for Lu Zhizhou, and the results were immediate.

In just a few words, the gossipy onlookers had already categorized Lu Zhizhou into the same group of rich second-generation heirs as Nicholas Latifi and Lance Stoll.

He has mediocre talent, but he has powerful connections.

Look, the facts are already clear: it's just a matter of two or three GP3 victories, yet praise, hype, and fervent enthusiasm have already swept in.

How could this be possible without someone pulling the strings behind the scenes? Even Nicholas Todd fawned over him, making room for the young master. It seems Lu Zhizhou's "money power" is extraordinary. The onlookers, already filling in the blanks in their minds, smugly believed they had uncovered the truth.

Rumors abound: Lu Zhizhou is the son of a Chinese tech giant, the illegitimate son of a Middle Eastern oil tycoon, or a rising star among the younger generation of a reclusive aristocracy. They are eager to fabricate a "prodigal son" pedigree for Lu Zhizhou and find a plausible explanation for everything before them.

In short, it's just a good car; there's no need to make a fuss about it.

Of course, he was also lucky. The starting position at the Red Bull Ring gave Lu Zhizhou a chance to exploit the gap, while Russell was too young and failed to hold onto his position.

But don't worry, the final sprint will tell.

Unlike the Spanish Grand Prix, Lu Zhizhou has now been exposed and can no longer remain hidden in the shadows as an assassin. Meanwhile, the other drivers are on high alert and will not allow Lu Zhizhou to overtake them easily.

The key point is that the Red Bull Ring is a track full of overtaking opportunities. The sprint race is equivalent to twice the speed of the main race. With fewer laps, there is no need to worry about tire wear. Drivers can fully push the performance of their cars to the limit and sprint at full speed, making it more intense and exciting.

Next, Lu Zhizhou's performance in the sprint race will truly showcase his skill level.

On one hand, with three teammates from the ART team ahead of him, and their car setups being almost identical, it would be incredibly difficult for Lu Zhizhou to break through their encirclement.

On the other hand, there's Bokolać, who's always watching from behind.

So far, the only team that can keep up with ART is Trident, and the only driver that can keep up with ART is Trident's Bokolać.

Unfortunately, in the race, Bokolać, who started fourth, went off the track at the start and damaged his tires. He was never able to get back on track and slipped to eighth place. In the final stages, he couldn't even hold onto eighth place and was overtaken by Seaman of Campos, finishing in ninth.

And so, this scene unfolded.

Campos' Seaman will start from pole position in the Austrian sprint after the Spanish Grand Prix. It remains to be seen whether he will repeat his past mistakes or redeem himself.

Bocolacci, having experienced a nightmare race and missed the pole position advantage of a reverse grid start in the sprint, now has only one hope in front of him: the sprint. He will start from behind Lu Zhizhou, which is Bocolacci's best chance to overtake, suppress, and defeat Lu Zhizhou.

Regardless of whether he reaches the podium or scores points, if Bokolaci can gain the upper hand in a head-on confrontation with Lu Zhizhou, he can still prove himself.

For GP3, which needs opportunities at all times, Bokolaci absolutely cannot miss such an opportunity; the sprint race is the stage for a decisive battle.

No wonder the onlookers were both calm and excited.

With wolves in front and tigers behind, and lacking the aura of a rookie, even the ART team's racing advantage has vanished. Now, Lu Zhizhou has completely exposed himself and become the target of everyone's criticism. The upcoming sprint race will be the moment when Lu Zhizhou's true colors are revealed. At that time, all the praise and amazement will turn into bubbles, which will all dissipate with a gentle breeze.

"Calm down, calm down, there's no need to make a fuss. We'll soon find out what's really going on."

"The next Verstappen? Ha! You think just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can become Verstappen?"

"Be careful, the higher you fly now, the harder you'll crash tomorrow. It's just a lucky second-generation baby. A bunch of naive kids are making a big fuss over nothing, it's hilarious."

(End of this chapter)