Chapter 1475 - 558: Final Mercy_2
Of course, despite the amazement, Leclerc genuinely laughed after seeing Qin Miao’s results.
Because compared to the fastest lap he can achieve on the simulator, Qin Miao’s time was slower by a full 3 seconds.
So after Qin Miao left the race simulator, Leclerc confidently sat in the simulator’s racing seat.
Then Qin Miao suddenly said, "My setup is particularly balanced, with no obvious advantages or disadvantages.
So, to be fair, after familiarizing yourself with a few laps, use this setup to run."
Qin Miao sneered inwardly, damn, do you really think I can’t tell what’s on your mind?
Trying to take advantage of me? No way!
Leclerc’s body stiffened upon hearing Qin Miao’s words, but he didn’t cheat, as he’s a good sport, and with the same car setup, he was more familiar with the equipment and the Ferrari characteristics than Qin Miao. He couldn’t believe his speed wouldn’t surpass Qin Miao’s.
"Alright, wait and see, watch me blow you away."
Leclerc, being a top F1 driver, was naturally filled with pride.
He noticed Qin Miao only ran two practice laps before doing a flying lap, so when it was his turn, he didn’t take advantage either, genuinely running two practice laps before a flying lap.
At this moment, Leclerc was full of confidence. In those two fastest laps, he had achieved a time of 1:13.0 and had saved a bit of energy. Now with Qin Miao watching behind him, Leclerc felt that as long as there were no mistakes, his lap time should be under 1 minute 12 seconds.
Soon, Leclerc started the flying lap.
Initially, Qin Miao wanted to mess with Leclerc’s rhythm during the flying lap.
But since next season, they’d be teammates, and given his tire management and driving skills, Qin Miao thought that Leclerc would have few chances to beat him on the track unless he made mistakes deliberately.
So Qin Miao didn’t disrupt him.
Let him win; at least it’ll make the kid happy. Perhaps he won’t be so happy after the season starts next year.
Qin Miao thought as he leaned on Leclerc’s car seat, arms crossed.
A little over a minute later, as Leclerc crossed the finish line in the simulator for the Monaco circuit, the time in the upper-right corner froze at 1:11.901—breaking not only into sub-12 seconds but directly achieving 11 seconds.
After achieving this time, Leclerc took his hands off the steering wheel, raised both hands, and cheered, "Into the 11 seconds! Hahaha!"
Qin Miao applauded behind Leclerc, "That lap was really good; many cornering techniques are worth learning from."
Qin Miao was just offering a compliment, paving the way for next season’s dominating performance against Leclerc on track.
But inwardly, Leclerc rolled his eyes.
Monte Carlo’s circuit is indeed difficult, yet saying it’s simple isn’t wrong either.
The difficulty is mainly because the track is extremely narrow, with small buffer zones, offering no room for mistakes.
The simplicity comes from the fixed lines due to its narrowness. Over the years, everyone has figured out the best racing lines, allowing full performance from the car by following the standard answers.
Leclerc knew well Qin Miao was just bragging. Qin Miao’s lines were the most extreme and standard among all drivers.
After last season’s Monaco Grand Prix, Leclerc spent nearly a week analyzing Qin Miao’s qualifying race footage, trying to understand why Qin Miao was so fast.
Of course, after internally scoffing, Leclerc turned on his charm, saying:
"Really? Then you can’t learn for nothing. Don’t rush off tonight; let’s have a late-night meal at home before you go. You cook! My girlfriend hasn’t tasted your cooking yet and often talks about it, curious if the culinary skills of the youngest two-time world champion in F1 history are really as good as rumored."
Qin Miao rolled his eyes in annoyance, damn, waiting here for me, aren’t you?
Why did I ever reveal my cooking skills?
Yet, Qin Miao didn’t refuse, considering leaving Leclerc’s house meant returning to the palace in Monaco.
Although during this time at the palace, no one bothers Qin Miao in his quarters, he instinctively feels tense living there, unlike his comfort at Leclerc’s place.
"Alright, alright, I’ll go to the kitchen and see what you’ve got, then think of something to make for a late-night snack."
...
Qin Miao left Leclerc’s home around eleven at night.
Recently, more tourists were coming to Monaco, and with the Monaco Grand Prix approaching, the Monte Carlo circuit was completely closed, speeding up the preparation of all the buildings during the Grand Prix.
It’s worth mentioning that this year’s Grand Prix brought some good news for fans—a new broadcaster for the event.
Previously, Monaco’s broadcasting was managed by a local company. Frequent viewers noticed the live director often missing track highlights during the Monaco races.
Exciting overtakes and defensive moves were often overlooked.
And sometimes, there were inexplicable shots.
But starting this Grand Prix weekend, Monaco’s broadcast will be handled by FOM staff.
Like other Grand Prix broadcasts, this will be managed by the Liberty Media Group.
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
In the following days, Qin Miao stayed within the palace in Monaco, training.
Humans are highly adaptable creatures, and over time, Qin Miao realized he had gotten used to life in the Monaco palace...
The time soon reached Thursday.
Although the Monaco circuit layout remained unchanged, adhering to the tradition of not changing ancient methods, except for the regular asphalt repaving due to it being public roads, the arrangement of the circuit was identical to last year.
Of course, there’s little space for improvement on this circuit; given the limited area, changing the track would mean demolishing roadside buildings.
Nevertheless, the usual track walk process was necessary.
So on Sunday, when Qin Miao went to the paddock, he prepared to walk the circuit once.
But just as Qin Miao reached the paddock entrance in Monaco, he was surrounded by waiting journalists, cameras pointing directly at his face with constant flashes.
"Qin Miao, when did you decide to join Ferrari?"
"Qin Miao, do you think your decision will affect your treatment at Mercedes for the rest of the season? Will resources shift towards Hamilton?"
"Qin Miao, do you feel leaving Mercedes would disappoint Toto’s expectations and appreciation of you?"
"Does leaving the team that promoted you feel remorseful?"
"What prompted your decision to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari?"
...
As he entered the paddock entrance, Qin Miao was bombarded with questions from journalists on all sides, with microphones thrust into his face wherever he looked.
Even Barber couldn’t stop them for a while.
PS. Dads, it’s the end of the month, spare some votes please...