Chapter 1485 - 542: Monaco Begins
The usual process before the start of the race proceeded normally.
After completing this routine, Qin Miao got into the race car for the final preparations before the race began.
The weather today was quite good, much better than predicted before the race, with only a 20% chance of rain.
However, people living by the sea know that during the rainy season, weather forecasts are often inaccurate, and rain could happen at any time.
At the start, thanks to Leclerc’s gift, Qin Miao’s starting position for today’s race moved from fifth to fourth, on the left side of the track, which is the outside lane.
And Turn 1 of the Monaco Grand Prix is a right turn.
Therefore, during the pre-race preparations, Reyes came to Qin Miao’s car holding a strategy board marked with points to consider. As he checked Qin Miao’s seatbelt, he whispered, "This Monte Carlo track is indeed difficult for overtaking, especially with our car’s characteristics this season, which do not suit Monte Carlo. However, you should be familiar with the acceleration performance of the car, so whether you can reach the podium today all depends on your performance during the start phase. Although on the outside lane, the outside lane still has an advantage in acceleration. We aim to make some moves after Turn 1."
Reyes didn’t explicitly say it, but this was essentially direct advice for Qin Miao.
Given the characteristics of this track, overtaking in the race phase is unlikely unless the car in front makes a mistake, but the three drivers ahead are unlikely to make mistakes. Therefore, to reach the podium, the strategy must be made during the start phase. Though it’s challenging, it’s the only way for Qin Miao in today’s race to get on the podium.
Qin Miao didn’t say anything, just nodded to Reyes.
Soon, all unrelated personnel cleared off the track, and the final preparation phase before the race began.
"Radio check, can you hear me?"
Qin Miao teased back, "Can’t hear you."
Frankie was used to this and didn’t repeat the radio check, instead saying, "The weather is nice today, and there’s no crosswind on the Monte Carlo track, so there’s no need to worry about wind interference during the race. However, the sunlight is intense, so be careful about the position of the car in front when exiting the tunnel so you’re not dazzled by the sun. You can feel it out during the warm-up lap later. Good luck."
"Got it, keep an eye on the weather for me."
"Don’t worry, if there’s any change in weather, we’ll inform you immediately."
"Okay."
...
Quickly, as time passed, the remaining staff on the track also exited.
Monte Carlo’s narrow track caused the staff to exit the track directly, rather than retreating to the grass on both sides like regular circuit races.
The tire blankets on Qin Miao’s wheels were pulled off, revealing a set of medium tires.
Qin Miao initially intended to complete the race with just a single stop strategy using red and yellow tires, but the team didn’t adopt this method.
The team wanted a yellow-red single stop, letting Qin Miao wait on track for a safety car.
Or use the medium tire’s advantage of preserving tires, trying to overcut the driver ahead.
Preserve the tires initially until the driver in front pits, then start pushing hard, and pit for a tire change once tire performance diminishes.
According to the calculations of Mercedes’ strategy group, except for Hamilton, Alonso and Verstappen are likely on a yellow-hard single stop. By the latter stages of the race, even new hard tires may not necessarily be faster than Qin Miao’s medium tires, which would be the prime opportunity for Qin Miao to attempt an overcut.
But honestly, this approach is still very difficult.
Additionally, the team prepared another pit strategy for Qin Miao, which is somewhat risky.
That is, during the race, if a sufficiently wide pit stop window opens behind Qin Miao, pit early to attempt an undercut on the driver ahead.
Of course, anything can happen during the race, and no one can predict exactly what will occur.
Therefore, even though Qin Miao’s set strategy is a yellow-red single stop, adjustments based on circumstances, guided by Mercedes’ strategy group’s team members, are necessary.
With all the team’s members and track marshals moved to the sides of the track, the warm-up lap commenced.
The warm-up lap went smoothly with no incidents, and soon the drivers returned to their starting positions.
Qin Miao parked his car securely in the fourth position.
Five red lights illuminated and then went out, starting the race.
During the start phase, Qin Miao made no mistakes, even having the fastest reaction time of all drivers in the race.
According to post-race statistics, Qin Miao’s start reaction time was just 0.13 seconds.
Rather than reacting to the signal lights, it was more like he anticipated the signal lights.
Just as Qin Miao thought his excellent start could translate into a better position, or something else, he found his position was blocked.
Monte Carlo’s start straight is too narrow and short.
Though the start straight at Monte Carlo accommodates three cars abreast, the angle of entry into Turn 1 means the left side’s guardrail narrows inward. Consequently, the entry angle at Turn 1 only allows two and a half cars abreast at most, so at this point, Qin Miao’s attempt to go outside risks Leclerc from behind inserting inside, and forcing outside would likely cause a significant time loss.