How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

The reason Leclerc went off the track was because during practice sessions he was pushing his limits, and only lost control after exceeding those limits.

Friday went by quickly.

Qin Miao was quite satisfied with today’s progress.

Over the course of two practice sessions, Qin Miao managed to run nearly 50 laps on the track.

The car’s tuning was set, and he became familiar with the newly asphalted track, having grasped some track details thoroughly.

Braking points and tire durability were also fully tested. Tomorrow, during Saturday’s first practice session, he will wrap up the details, and Qin Miao can then unleash the full potential of the car for this Grand Prix weekend.

Additionally, the team’s car received upgrades this week, although the extent was small, merely modifying the car’s underfloor vortex generator structure and replacing the side pod’s air intake.

The change to the vortex generator is very subtle, barely noticeable even if you examine it closely.

The real significant change is to the side pod’s air intake.

The original W14’s side pod air intake was a vertical Arabic numeral one, now upgraded to a Chinese character for one.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

A bit like the scoop-shaped air intake of the Red Bull car.

But the scoop below is about half as short compared to the Red Bull car.

This upgrade serves both to improve the car’s cooling efficiency and lays a foundation for subsequent upgrades.

After all, the Mercedes car this season has a very obvious shortcoming, which the team naturally wants to address.

A substantial aerodynamic upgrade for the car is slated for Monaco.

Monte Carlo in Monaco truly relies heavily on aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical grip.

Of course, this upgrade does have its effects; otherwise, it wouldn’t be applied to the car at this time.

However, Qin Miao didn’t inquire into the exact procedure, just knowing that the protruding side pod resembling the wing of an F104 aircraft can enhance aerodynamic downforce while optimizing airflow at the rear of the car.

But throughout two practice sessions, Qin Miao didn’t notice any difference, perhaps due to the resurfacing of the Miami Circuit.

Saturday, the day of the third practice session and the qualifying rounds.

There’s not much to say about the third practice; the only noteworthy aspect was that before it began, the team opened up the season’s second power unit for Qin Miao.

Normally, if two power units are used, Qin Miao is permitted under regulations to only use one more unit for the rest of the season.

Given that, in a season, only three power units are allowed. Using more would mean facing penalties during races or sprint stages.

However, this season is somewhat unique as there are quite a lot of sprint races, and F1 increased the allowance to four units due to component wear concerns.

So at present, Qin Miao still has two spare units.

The reason for activating the power unit at this time, rather than waiting for the qualifying round, is partly because the team is concerned about encountering previous race issues during qualifying. A practice session provides a good window for this power unit’s pre-test.

During qualifying, Qin Miao’s first two phases were quite relaxed, easily advancing to Q3.

Those who have watched Qin Miao’s races for a while now understand that his results during qualifying rounds are not really indicative. If you want a gauge of Mercedes’ velocity, look at Hamilton’s performance.

As for Old Man, his results during the first two phases of today’s qualifying rounds were only average; although still hovering around the top four, he had a lap gap of 0.2 seconds compared to Red Bull.

It’s apparent that the Mercedes car is not suited for a track like Miami.

Despite Miami Circuit having two very long straights, the second sector on this track is quite challenging for the W14.

When Qin Miao finished Q2 and returned to the team room to compare lap times, it was evident that Old Man’s fastest flying lap in Q2 was 0.4 seconds slower than Red Bull in the first sector, held pace in the second sector, and could only slightly recover in the third sector thanks to the extremely long straight.

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Despite having a disadvantage against Red Bull cars, there’s still a chance for Mercedes to turn the tide.

After all, the track features two very long straights.

Thus, like other teams, Mercedes also employed the tow strategy during Q3.

For the execution of this strategy, both Mercedes cars left the team room at the same time.

This morning’s team meeting had already planned out the execution flow of today’s tow strategy.

The process isn’t complicated.

During the first flying lap, Old Man initially provides a tow for Qin Miao. After Qin Miao completes his flying lap, he returns to the pit, while Hamilton begins his flying lap. When Old Man reaches the straight zone again, while Qin Miao is on his return lap, he can provide another tow for Hamilton.

Using this method, both drivers help each other with two tows in Q3.

But F1 is full of uncertainties; even practice sessions have incidents of drivers going off-track, let alone Q3 where almost everyone is pushing limits.

When Q3 ended, neither Qin Miao nor Hamilton improved on their Q1 results.

Old Man was not particularly fast either, having first assisted Qin Miao with a tow.

The reason for not finishing...

is that Leclerc went off track again.

The spot where Leclerc went off track was exactly the same as his Q2 incident yesterday.

Even the crash barrier was the same.

A yellow flag appeared on the track with 1 minute and 58 seconds left in the session, then it turned into a red flag.

Si’s piano piece accurately reflected his state after getting off the car.

Truly, putting aside mystical aspects,

after qualifying ended, when Qin Miao watched the accident replay, it became clear that Leclerc had a rather glaring weakness: his stability issues.

Though it’s unfair to say Leclerc’s stability is merely bad, rather it’s more about his tendency to over-pursue the car’s limits.

Unlike Qin Miao, Verstappen, or Hamilton, Leclerc cannot precisely control the car, pushing it to extremes and pulling it back from the edge.

Though Leclerc’s mistake led to a red flag, pausing the session, only 1 minute and 58 seconds remained.

This time is enough for drivers to exit the pit and make it past the finish line for one flying lap.

However, this warm-up lap isn’t sufficient for drivers to raise tire temperatures to the ideal level.

Furthermore, completing a lap so quickly means certain tire wear during the process.

So even if crossing the finish line, neither the tire nor engine temperature can reach optimal levels, naturally leaving no room to improve single lap times.

This made qualifying end immediately after the red flag incident.

No drivers set lap times on the Shanghai circuit.

Ultimately, the qualifying rankings were as follows:

1: Perez 1:26.841

2: Alonso

3: Sainz

4: Magelsen

5: Qin Miao

6: Hamilton

7: Leclerc

8: Zhou Guanyu

9: Verstappen

10: Bottas

The rankings for today’s race are quite abstract, beginning with Magelsen overshadowing drivers from numerous top teams, securing a stunning fourth place in qualifying.

Inside Haas Team, celebrations were rife.

Though they’re aware, old Magelsen, yet to become the legendary indomitable figure, will likely set new records for overtakes in today’s race.

But life is short, living each day with zest.

Just enjoy it.