Chapter 1329 - 501: Changes at Home
However, the subsequent process didn’t encounter any unexpected situations.
The regular opening, introducing the achievements the FIA has made throughout the year, as well as the newcomers joining the FIA family.
Initially, some trivial awards were given out, such as those for karting, and during the presentation of lower-level Formula awards, Qin Miao was even invited as a guest presenter.
After all, having a world champion present awards to young drivers carries a sense of legacy and is considered a good omen.
The F1 awards weren’t handed out until the very end.
After all, F1 is the most lucrative among the many sports managed by the FIA.
The cash cow naturally takes the spotlight in the final act.
The opening segment was similar to last year, featuring a five-minute video clip.
But the video editing continued the FIA’s usual techniques, which consist of inexplicable flashbacks and meaningless cuts.
Basically, these video clips from the FIA stage are just to make a spectacle, you can’t glean any useful information from them.
Of course, the protagonist of this video clip was Qin Miao, having ample presence as the two-time world champion.
Beside Qin Miao, Toto was watching the video on the big screen with keen interest, but Qin Miao didn’t pay much attention, lowering his head to eat under the blue lights on the dinner table.
Even though Britain is a culinary desert, the taste of tonight’s dinner was quite good, and Qin Miao didn’t resist having a few extra bites.
Toto looked at Qin Miao, who was constantly eating beside him, and sighed inwardly.
As a driver, Qin Miao indeed has it all: modesty, gentleness, strong abilities, and an even stronger will.
But he just lacks the vitality and youthful spirit that young people should have.
Sometimes Toto feels Qin Miao lives his life too transparently, a bit like Kimi, clearly knowing what he does and doesn’t want, and following through with his inner thoughts.
However, as the video on stage was about to end, Toto still reminded Qin Miao, "You’ll be going on stage to receive your award soon, tidy yourself up. I don’t want to see you with food bits in your mouth when you make your acceptance speech."
After listening, Qin Miao nodded, wiped his mouth with the nearby napkin, and used a toothpick to clean his teeth.
Once Qin Miao was ready, Leclerc, who was ranked third on this year’s driver standings, was invited onto the stage by the host.
To be honest, today’s Leclerc was still as impressively handsome, his black suit embellished with a Ferrari prancing horse logo on his chest, highlighting Le the Fourth’s identity and aura.
It seemed like Le the Fourth and Ferrari were complementing each other at this moment.
Oh, wait.
Le the Fourth became third in the driver championship this year, so Le the Fourth evolved into Le the Third this year.
On stage, after receiving the trophy handed by the etiquette lady, Leclerc shook hands and hugged with FIA President Ben Sulayem, and then they posed for a picture together at the center stage.
After receiving the trophy, Leclerc intended to step down directly from the stage but was retained by Ben Sulayem.
Leclerc had no choice but to remain on the stage.
After Leclerc, who was third, the second place, Verstappen, was also introduced by the host to ascend the podium.
Also in a fully suited ensemble.
However, once Pan stood on stage receiving his award and standing next to Leclerc, the vast disparity in their appearances was quite evident.
After receiving their trophies, they stood side by side while being "interrogated" by Ben Sulayem.
Of course, it was the usual interview that takes place during award ceremonies.
Following the two typical questions, the drivers holding their trophies left the stage.
After the two drivers stepped down, Toto looked at Qin Miao with some concern and asked, "Is there anything wrong? Any omissions?"
Qin Miao confidently patted his chest, "No mistakes guaranteed."
While chatting, the host had already invited the CEO of F1, Domenicali, to come out.
Domenicali appeared holding the team championship trophy.
This trophy was covered with the logos of previous team champions.
The most prominent among them, aside from Ferrari, was Lotus, while the top circle was entirely filled with the black tristar of Mercedes, but this year’s black tristar could not continue, being replaced by the Red Bull logo.
Once Domenicali was in position, the host invited Christian Horner, the team principal of this year’s team champion, to take the stage.
Before going on stage, Horner stood up and tidied his attire, then walked briskly towards the spotlights amid the applause from the audience.
As Horner ascended the stage, almost everyone in the audience was applauding for him, except for Toto Wolff.
Because Toto Wolff will never forget what Horner said during a team manager meeting when the Mercedes team had a rough stretch with their car performance this season: "Change your fucking car!"
Even as an Englishman, Horner’s intonation left Toto feeling quite impressed.
Indeed, that period was the most challenging for the Mercedes team in the 2022 season, with Toto’s anxiety visibly apparent.
But those events have passed, so let’s not dwell on them further.
As Horner took the stage, Toto directly turned to Qin Miao beside him, saying, "Horner is on stage now, next it’s your turn. It’s time to head backstage and get ready."