How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

In the car, Qin Miao tried several times, but no matter how she turned the ratchet at the upper left of the steering wheel, the ERS mode remained stuck.

When Qin Miao turned the ratchet, she could clearly feel the rattling sound of the gears inside, so she directly ruled out the possibility of a mechanical failure in the steering wheel.

The problem could only be software-related, and Qin Miao knew the solution to this kind of accident was simply restarting the steering wheel.

However, if she restarted the steering wheel now, she wouldn’t be able to restart the car again before the DRS zone ended.

At this moment, Qin Miao felt as if she were being roasted over a fire.

The feeling of falling from heaven to hell was indeed unpleasant.

Confident just a moment ago, Qin Miao was now somewhat panicked.

Qin Miao kept glancing at the rearview mirror, making sure of the distance between her and Hamilton, always prepared to change lanes to the middle of the track after overtaking Hamilton, preventing him from cutting into the inside line at the braking point.

But things didn’t go as wished. Despite the high efficiency of the Mercedes’ DRS, Hamilton knew that once Qin Miao caught up, the most likely attack would occur in the second timed DRS zone. He saved over 50% of his battery for this moment.

Therefore, even without using DRS or benefiting from slipstream, Hamilton was not at all intimidated by Qin Miao’s ERS deployment.

Though Hamilton was slowly being overtaken by Qin Miao, he managed to persist on the track until the braking point at the end of the DRS section, T12, without being completely overtaken.

Then, Qin Miao, somewhat helpless and irritated, tried an early brake at the braking point to attempt entering the turn earlier and block Hamilton’s inside line.

As for why not try late braking...

Qin Miao knew that if she hadn’t completely overtaken Hamilton, this attack would be considered a failure.

If she still wanted to reclaim the race win from Hamilton, the prerequisite was Hamilton making a significant mistake on the track himself.

Although this season Hamilton couldn’t fully adapt to the Mercedes car and couldn’t showcase his full strength, appearing somewhat sluggish.

But a seven-time champion is still a seven-time champion. It might be okay to tease him for his poor performance this season, but if you truly underestimate Hamilton’s abilities, you’re ignoring the value of those three words: "seven-time champion."

In the 72-year history of F1, only he and Schumacher have achieved such a dazzling accomplishment.

Therefore, respect must be given properly.

Qin Miao wouldn’t underestimate her teammate either.

In fact, Qin Miao’s choice, made out of helplessness, ended up having unexpected effects.

Because when Hamilton noticed Qin Miao’s poor acceleration at the latter stage, he realized she might be experiencing some problems.

In a rush of excitement, the first thought that flashed through Hamilton’s mind was to brake late and forcibly cut into Qin Miao’s inside line at the end of the track, blocking her entry line, thereby securing the race win.

At this moment, Hamilton was even fully focused, staring at Qin Miao’s braking actions and car position, ready to respond at any time.

So when Qin Miao suddenly braked early, Hamilton was momentarily taken aback.

"Damn, it’s not even the braking point yet!" The thought flashed through Hamilton’s mind, even making him a bit distracted, unsure of what Qin Miao’s maneuver meant.

But Hamilton’s strong racing instinct and muscle memory allowed him to brake at the most suitable position even in his distracted state.