How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

After this matter, all of Qin Miao’s work in the paddock at the United States Grand Prix came to an end.

However, Qin Miao did not rest, and on the night of the race’s end, he flew to Mexico City.

Previously, when chatting with others, Qin Miao mentioned that the United States Grand Prix and the Mexico Grand Prix are back-to-back, and the distance between the United States and Europe is quite lengthy, so after the United States Grand Prix, Qin Miao went straight to Mexico.

The Hermanos Rodriguez Brothers Circuit is the highest altitude track in the entire F1 calendar.

Although the altitude of 2240 meters basically offers no noticeable physical differences for an average person, and it’s hard to perceive the thinness of the oxygen without close attention...

But the climbing altitude inevitably means the air density is not as high as on low-altitude circuits.

This has a significant impact on F1 cars, which are extremely sensitive to air.

High altitude affects the overall aerodynamics, cooling efficiency, and thermal conversion rate of the car in many unexpected ways.

Under such track conditions, even using the setting with the most downforce might yield only medium-high downforce levels on low-altitude circuits.

Apart from the car, the drivers’ conditions are also significantly affected under such altitude conditions.

Perhaps due to the terrifying physical fitness of F1 drivers, at an altitude of 2240 meters, their physical perception might seem no different from regular low-altitude race areas, but the massive physical exertion during the long races, along with slower oxygen replenishment, will certainly have many unforeseen negative impacts on the drivers’ bodies.

Therefore, most drivers quickly went to Mexico after the United States Grand Prix, aiming to acclimate to the local high altitude.

Qin Miao was no exception.

Additionally, due to the large disparities in the U.S., this part of Mexico isn’t very peaceful either.

Local specialty groups frequently engage in intense exchanges with the local law enforcement.

Although security measures across Mexico are enhanced during the F1 Grand Prix, local specialties cannot be eradicated just by setting up defenses.

Moreover, in this season, Mercedes and Red Bull are fiercely contending on the team standings, and it’s quite possible that some locally "special" fans might take a dislike to Qin Miao or Hamilton, wanting Perez’s Red Bull team to clinch the 2022 team championship early, giving Mercedes drivers a shocking encounter.

Hence, during this Grand Prix weekend, Qin Miao and Hamilton were not driving their Maybachs personally. Instead, their cars were driven by bodyguards, with windows replaced by black one-way non-transparent windows, and the cars were fully bulletproof.

The hotels were no longer selected based on sponsorship but rather prioritized proximity to the circuit.

Maximizing the protection of the two drivers’ safety.

Compared to the heavily fortified state of Qin Miao and Hamilton, other team drivers were slightly better off, but there was a noticeable increase in the number of bodyguards.

Everyone is wealthy; there’s no need to risk their lives for a race.

After quietly landing in Mexico, Qin Miao immediately returned to the hotel.

Last season, Qin Miao had raced in Mexico, and over the year, no major modifications were made to the track layout, so Qin Miao’s understanding of the circuit remains valid.

Thus, upon arriving in Mexico, Qin Miao focused primarily on physical training to adapt to the local climate and altitude.

This significantly reduced the time Qin Miao spent familiarizing himself with the track.

On the whole, the period Qin Miao spent in Mexico was still quite pleasant.

Despite being exhausted like a dead dog every day, it was very fulfilling.

However, this pleasantly training period for Qin Miao didn’t last long, only about three days.

On Thursday, Qin Miao entered the tense and exciting pre-race preparations.

This race week’s Grand Prix is one of the most watched races by fans in the 2022 season since today’s race’s outcome could determine if Qin Miao could clinch the 2022 world championship two races early.

For the teams, this week’s race is also extremely tense.

Because, out of this race week’s three practice sessions, only the first and third sessions can serve their purpose.

During the second practice, testing for Pirelli’s 2023 season tires is required, and changes in car settings are not allowed during tests, nor is it allowed to open the car’s DRS.

So, the second practice yields only tire data.

In short, it’s essentially 20 cars running on the track to gather Pirelli’s data for next year’s tires.

While this data is useful for teams and drivers in the long term, it is entirely useless for this season’s Mexican Grand Prix.

Therefore, during this Grand Prix weekend, all teams and drivers have only two practice sessions to adjust settings and familiarize themselves with the tires and track.

Coupled with the high-altitude conditions of the Rodriguez Brothers Circuit, all this becomes very challenging and cumbersome.

Besides these issues, Qin Miao faced another problem, which was that the MGU-K and MGU-H that limited his performance in the last race finally got replaced.

The generator units in Qin Miao’s engine had, in fact, exceeded their designated lifespan, even during the last United States Grand Prix.

The reason they continued to be used was because, during inspections, team technicians found no issues that would compromise driving safety with this set of equipment. The only downside was a reduced charging efficiency for the car’s battery.

Compared to getting penalized for replacing with a new set, the reduced charging efficiency was clearly acceptable for the team.

However, for this Mexican Grand Prix, regardless of whether this set had issues, Qin Miao decided not to use them anymore.

The reduced charging efficiency in the last race had been quite troubling for Qin Miao.

No matter what, Qin Miao wanted a new set.

Even if Qin Miao didn’t have such an idea, the team was already preparing to replace the components.

The team’s thoughts aligned with Qin Miao’s, but another reason was that the team estimated that Qin Miao’s components probably wouldn’t last until the end of the season.

Among the remaining three races of this season, Mexico is one of the easier circuits for overtaking.

Accepting the penalty in this race might not yield many points, but it’s better than suffering system failures during the race and getting none at all, right?

Also, in this race, Qin Miao only needed a penalty for replacing the MGU-K and MGU-H, not many positions, just ten.

He wasn’t directly penalized to start from the back of the grid; it’s completely acceptable for the team.

The most important point is Qin Miao’s near-supernatural tire management ability, allowing the team to devise a yellow-red one-stop pit strategy.

Although the Rodriguez Brothers Circuit isn’t a track that easily triggers safety cars, the team can still hope for the safety car to appear on the track.

Even if luck is poor and the safety car doesn’t appear on track, Mercedes can still have Qin Miao follow a normal late pit stop strategy without significant losses.

Therefore, this race weekend, Qin Miao started with his fourth set of MGU-K and MGU-H, as well as the second set of energy storage devices, i.e., batteries.

A season allows for the use of two sets of battery packs.

This season, Mercedes’ race car hasn’t shown much improvement in aerodynamic efficiency or engine power compared to other manufacturers, but there have been extraordinary advances in engine cooling systems and the durability of engine components.

So far, neither Qin Miao nor Hamilton has retired from a race due to engine failure, which is the best evidence.

Of course, it might sound too absolute; although the reasonable construction of the engine components played a significant role, the technicians’ long-term maintenance is also a crucial factor in achieving all this.

No one can do without the other.