How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Of course, Hamilton didn’t take his flying lap seriously either.

Although not all top drivers like Qin Miao enjoy relaxing during Q1 and Q2, no one in their right mind would reveal their full strength in Q1 for a flying lap.

At the end of Q1, Qin Miao and Hamilton both advanced to Q2, with Hamilton first and Qin Miao eleventh.

Meanwhile, Zhou Guanyu also advanced to Q2 in thirteenth place.

During the gap between Q1 and Q2, Qin Miao returned to the team’s paddock, but instead of waiting in the car for Q2 to start as usual, nor did he follow his friend Leclerc to the restroom during qualifying, he got out and approached Hamilton.

"Lewis, after exiting T7, try pulling away a bit. I’ll try not using DRS during Q2; this way, your slipstream should be more effective. We’ll see if the speed is faster, and then decide which slipstream strategy to use during Q3."

Although Hamilton was surprised Qin Miao came to him to discuss this, he found Qin Miao’s words quite sensible. After extending his hand to shake with Qin Miao, he expressed his gratitude: "Alright, by the way, thank you, Qin Miao."

Qin Miao nodded.

However, Qin Miao was wearing a helmet at the time, so others couldn’t see the smile on his face.

After all, it was a great chance to earn a favor from Hamilton without leaving any evidence, and Qin Miao had no reason to miss it.

Returning to the car, time quickly moved to Q2.

The Q2 race process mirrored Q1, and Qin Miao’s first flying lap was a bit careless, finally clocking in at 1:24.912.

This result was somewhat precarious, as the FIA’s official Q3 cutoff was 1:25.100.

Nonetheless, neither the team nor Qin Miao intended to continue on the track.

It wasn’t about being indifferent; over the year, everyone had gained a clear understanding of other teams’ car speeds, and Mercedes didn’t think Qin Miao’s time would lead to elimination.

Moreover, Qin Miao’s Q2 results in qualifying worse than this aren’t unprecedented; he hasn’t been eliminated this season either.

In Q2’s second flying lap, Qin Miao continued to help Hamilton with the slipstream.

This time, Hamilton’s straight-line tail speed in the second DRS zone reached 344 kilometers per hour, and the long-lost porpoising even came out.

Hamilton’s flying lap results were obviously promising, clocking in at 1:24.194.

He took first place once again.

Simultaneously, while securing first position, Hamilton also held back.

In Hamilton’s predictions, he could still achieve this timing without Qin Miao’s slipstream.

The results were squeezed from the corners, but with Qin Miao’s slipstream, he might have broken into the 23-second range.

After Q2 ended, when returning to the paddock, they learned Qin Miao’s improved slipstream strategy did indeed increase Hamilton’s tail speed by five kilometers per hour.

Meanwhile, while Zhou Guanyu’s rookie season performance might not be as dazzling as his compatriot Qin Miao, he delivered satisfactory results for the entire Alfa Romeo team.

Although Zhou Guanyu was once again halted before the Q3 cutoff, eliminated in eleventh place.

Of course, that was the car’s limit, not Zhou Guanyu’s.

Thus, Zhou Guanyu was dubbed Zhou Shiyilang by domestic fans.

The nickname wasn’t derogatory, but more neutral to positive.

Experienced fans know the true nature of the Alfa Romeo team, and given Zhou Guanyu managed such results with a car that even a reserved personality like Kimi curses, domestic fans are quite pleased.

As time passed, Q3 began.

There wouldn’t be any traffic issues like in Q1 and Q2 during Q3. Drivers who advanced to Q3 left the paddock in an orderly manner according to team arrangements.

Qin Miao wouldn’t relax during Q3; he wouldn’t take it lightly at the most crucial time, but having promised the team, he helped Hamilton with the slipstream in the first flying lap.

After the first flying lap, Hamilton’s lap time reached 1:24.019.

Although he didn’t break into the 23-second range, Hamilton was pleased with his lap time, at least meeting his expectations.

And it was only the first flying lap; the conditions hadn’t reached their optimal state on the track.

With the results and feel from the first lap laying the foundation, Hamilton was confident in breaking into the 23-second mark in the second flying lap.

On the other hand, while helping Hamilton with the slipstream, Qin Miao had just exited the pit area. After all, he couldn’t delay his flying lap just to help Hamilton.

After completing the slipstream, Qin Miao also commenced his flying lap.

In the process, while running through the DRS zone between T7 and T9, Hamilton, on his cooling lap, coincidentally reached the same DRS zone between T7 and T9.

This was not arranged by the team; it was purely coincidence.

That’s the advantage of the main straight not being a DRS zone; both drivers can help each other with slipstreams without affecting their qualifiers.