How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Qin Miao glanced at the call and saw it was Barber.

Without thinking, Qin Miao picked up the phone.

Barber’s voice quickly came through: "Qin Miao, it’s getting late, we have work tomorrow."

Although Barber’s words didn’t carry much emotion, Qin Miao knew Barber must have been keeping an eye on him.

And with Barber’s interruption, Qin Miao transformed back from the gaming-addicted youth to the world champion who dominates the F1 track.

Self-discipline returned to Qin Miao.

He clicked save in the game, and amidst the groans of the livestream audience, Qin Miao said: "Logging off now, work tomorrow, need to rest early."

After saying this, Qin Miao closed his livestream.

Leaving behind the bullet comments struggling powerlessly:

[Just one more round, the last round, just the last round!]

[You damn it, blow up Tokyo and sleep, you bastard!]

[Damn, just start!]

[Goodnight Sanshui]

[Bye-bye]

[886]

Of course, besides the audience genuinely watching Qin Miao play games, there were clearly many viewers who came solely for Qin Miao himself.

So compared to the audience who enjoyed watching Qin Miao play games, the other group of viewers seemed much calmer.

He closed the livestream, got up, stretched lazily, took a shower, and went to sleep.

The next day, the offseason test started.

When Qin Miao dressed neatly and arrived at the Mercedes team garage, he saw his acquaintance, Mick Schumacher, in the Mercedes team rest area.

Although Mick’s contract with Haas Team hasn’t expired, strictly speaking, Mick Schumacher is still a driver for Haas Team.

But during offseason testing it’s much like the next season.

So Mick appearing in the Mercedes team garage isn’t too surprising at this moment.

The two had been teammates for a period of time, and their relationship had been reconciled.

When Qin Miao saw Mick again, he felt more joy at the reunion of former colleagues.

But Mick, meeting Qin Miao again as a teammate, felt quite complex inside.

Damn, this guy is now a two-time world champion, while I’m getting kicked out by Haas, now only relying on my father’s legacy to get a one-year test driver contract with Mercedes.

A bitter emotion started to ripple in his heart.

"Long time no see Mick, seeing you... uh, should I be happy?" Qin Miao greeted Mick habitually, but stopped halfway through.

Actually, Mick’s personality isn’t like his father Michael’s; Mick’s character is somewhat soft, commonly known as a nice guy.

So although Qin Miao’s greeting was somewhat rude, Mick didn’t mind, despite the bitterness inside, he still smiled and shook hands with Qin Miao, then said: "No worries, I’m glad I can join Mercedes."

Looking at the face before him, more mature than the first time he saw him, Qin Miao sighed.

Although Mercedes does have the strength to provide drivers with competitively capable cars.

But the team doesn’t have a clear promotion mechanism like Red Bull, with myself and Hamilton on the driver seats, Mick will likely just be a test driver until his contract ends.

Although Qin Miao and Mick’s relationship isn’t quite that close, Qin Miao still felt a bit sorry for Mick.

However, anyone who enters F1 indeed has some skill, so Qin Miao isn’t worried about his former teammate not finding work in the future.

When the time comes, endurance racing or the Indianapolis 500 are good options, and even if Mick decides not to race anymore, the money Michael left behind is enough for him for a lifetime.

"Well, I wish you success with your upcoming work; I need to check my car’s repair status now."

After greeting Mick, Qin Miao headed into the garage and approached his car.

His car’s damaged undertray had been removed, and the engine interior had been serviced and cleaned.

However, Qin Miao’s car now had parts assembled from the best remaining parts of the season. It shouldn’t have a problem lasting the end of the 2022 season, but performance is fairly average, although postseason testing doesn’t focus on car performance.

He patted the engine cover of his car, felt its condition, confirmed it was fine, then pretended to inspect it before starting his work handover.

Next was the postseason testing.

This process has been mentioned before, aside from testing Pirelli’s tire formulation for next season and collecting tire data, it also collects car data and helps newly joined drivers familiarize themselves with the team’s workflow.

And as Mercedes has no new drivers, Qin Miao’s work is rather simple: drive, hit the track, do laps.

Afterwards, come down and discuss the driving differences of tire formulations between these seasons.

Then continue on the track, adjust the car’s aerodynamics, suspension dampers, etc.

Moreover, like preseason testing, postseason testing doesn’t have a set time limit, so the entire work process is relatively relaxed since time isn’t tight.