Speed ​​God

Chapter 77 Taking the Lead

Calm, focused, observant, and in control of the overall situation.

With extreme braking, hugging the corner line, and locking onto the driving line, Lu Zhizhou's series of fluid maneuvers maximized his straight-line speed.

Bokola's strategy was correct, relying on the slipstream to gain an advantage, but his move to get rid of the slipstream and occupy the inside lane was a little too slow. His front end barely managed to get in front of Lu Zhizhou's rear end, but before the engagement was complete, Lu Zhizhou swerved and got rid of him with a late brake, locking his tires instantly.

However, Lu Zhizhou had no time to pay attention to Bokolaci, as his attention had already shifted to the left.

Russell's strategy was executed much better. Although the front wheels were already half a step behind Lu Zhizhou's rear wing and could not fully catch up, Lu Zhizhou braked too late at Turn 1, and the entire front half of the car plunged straight into Turn 2, losing the smoothness of the driving line.

If Lu Zhizhou continues to brake late, it means Russell will be able to control the space, block the inside line, and shorten the gap between the two by relying on his rhythm in the corners.

In other words, Russell was like a sharp dagger, pressed against Lu Zhizhou's back and waist, ready to step forward without hesitation at any moment.

The threat level is significantly higher than that of Bokolać.

So, what to do?
In a flash, Lu Zhizhou decisively found the braking point. Not only did he brake late, but he braked earlier, controlling the car immediately and darting into Turn 2 with a slight understeer. He took a completely different driving line with a bold and decisive move, cutting the smooth double-corner area into two isolated corners!

Russell was stunned. Had that guy gone mad? Did he think he was Verstappen?

Russell held his breath. Should he slam on the brakes? Or should he keep going and crash into the guy's rear wheel to give him a taste of what it's like to ride a carousel?

However, Lu Zhizhou gave Russell no chance to react.

Braking, steering, and throttle input—in the blink of an eye, a series of maneuvers were executed flawlessly. Incredibly, the race car's rear wing found its center of gravity amidst the turbulent waters, moving with the agility and obedience of a little sprite, pulling back and forth as it entered Turn 2.

In front of us, only a fleeting afterimage remained, brushing against the front of Russell's race car as it drifted away.

Russell held his breath and instinctively slammed on the brakes early, slightly swerving to the left. He tried to use early braking and understeer to get out of the corner by hugging the apex of the second turn, but unexpectedly, his entire car swept past.

Han Shilong was caught in the crossfire.

A collision was imminent, and Han Shilong hurriedly swerved the steering wheel, his race car leaving the track and driving onto the grass.

"Damn it!" Han Shilong cursed.

Russell was no exception. "Damn it. What is he doing?"

In that brief moment, Bokolaci had already slipped past Russell and followed closely behind Landsea, speeding toward Turn 3.

Not only Bokolavic, but also Pulcini from Alden, the fifth driver who had been following behind and taking advantage of the slipstream, seized the opportunity to squeeze through the gap.

Russell glanced at it, no longer caring about complaining, and quickly stuck close to Pulcini, the two of them cutting into the third high-speed turn side by side.

Han Se-ryong has slipped to fifth place.

Everything happened in just two short corners, Turn 1 and Turn 2, a dazzling and overwhelming spectacle that left Sky Sports commentators Croft and Brendel completely mesmerized.

I never expected to see such a spectacular start in a GP3 race, especially on the "boring" Barcelona circuit.

However, there was absolutely no time to catch their breath, not even time to watch the replay—

The competition continues.

Croft immediately noticed that Bokolaci was chasing Lu Zhizhou and began to accelerate from the third high-speed turn.

"In the opening race of the new season, the ART team attempted to sweep the podium, but it was obvious that the Trident team disagreed, and Bokolać stepped up."

"After two turns, Bokolaci has risen to second place and is closely following Lu Zhizhou in first place."

“Bokolać was clearly accelerating at turn three.” “Did he know this would wear out his tires? Of course he did.”

"But does he care? No, not at all."

"There's only one key word for the first lap: pursuit!"

"Bokolaci is going all out. It's clear that Lu Zhizhou didn't intend to push himself to the limit on the first lap, or perhaps he didn't expect the Trident team to go all out from the first lap. Bokolaci's pace is surpassing Lu Zhizhou's, and the gap between the two is narrowing, now within a second."

"But this is the first lap, so DRS cannot be used yet."

DRS stands for Adjustable Rear Wing. Two baffles are installed on the rear wing of a race car. When DRS is activated, the baffles flip open, allowing air to flow through the holes, reducing drag and thus giving the race car higher straight-line speeds.

In the 2011 season, F1 introduced this technology to create more overtaking opportunities for lagging cars, making the races more exciting.

Of course, this technology, which can be considered a cheat, also has limitations in its use.

The distance between the cars in front and behind must be within one second, it can only be activated within the designated DRS zone on the track, and it can only be used two laps after the start of the race.

This year, GP3 introduced this technology for the first time, allowing drivers to use it.

Although this is the first year, the young drivers are already very familiar with F1, which has been in use for many years.

The Trident team is unsure of ART's race strategy, so they must play to their own strengths. They can't use DRS right now, so Bokolaci must stick close to Lu Zhizhou and absolutely cannot fall behind, even if it means tire wear exceeding expectations. They only need to hold on for two laps, then use DRS to overtake, and then enter the tire management phase to hold onto the victory.

The abacus clicked and clattered.

The key question is, how will ART respond?
Borrepell's voice came through the radio, "Zhizhou, are you feeling the pressure? If necessary, we can push things forward a little."

Lu Zhizhou glanced at the rearview mirror. Bokolaci was indeed keeping up, but at the same time, after Turn 4, the Barcelona circuit entered a dense area of ​​corners, the air was turbulent and overtaking became much more difficult, placing strict demands on the driver's control.

In qualifying, you can push as hard as you can; but in the race, which involves 22 laps, you have to consider tire durability.

“If he’s not worried about the polluted air, I don’t mind him continuing to follow,” Lu Zhizhou replied.

Calm, composed, and completely at ease.

Bokolachi nodded slightly, offering no further advice. "Understood."

One after the other, Lu Zhizhou and Bocolazzi's cars took the lead, and in just a few corners, they had already pulled ahead of Russell and Pulcini.

But at this point, the situation was still unclear. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh were all intertwined and moving together like a train.

Brendel noticed the details immediately.

"Lu Zhizhou appeared calm and composed, controlling the braking point and driving line perfectly with slight understeer. Although the speed was not fast, the rhythm was excellent."

"It's clear that Bokolać isn't used to this pace. His current advance is too rapid. He needs to be careful of the turbulent air currents, otherwise..."

Before he could finish speaking, Croft exclaimed in surprise.

"Bocolacci. Turn 14. Bocolacci has completely lost control and gone off the track!"

...He couldn't even keep up completely on the first lap?

　This is the fifth update today. The countdown to the new book's release is almost over. Please be sure to check out the latest chapter. I sincerely thank you all for your patience and support. Thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)