Qimeng knew she couldn't express any dissatisfaction with the Mercedes team in front of the cameras on site, as staying in the paddock meant countless eyes were on her, so all she could do was look back at Qin Miao worriedly.

Qimeng had known Qin Miao for many years and knew that although Qin Miao seemed laid-back, he was very stubborn about certain principles. Receiving such unfair news to Qin Miao suddenly made Qimeng worried that he might not be able to control himself and do something irrational.

Any hot-blooded young person might not be able to stand such an outrage, clearly having a chance to compete for the championship but unable to fight for it, and instead having to cover for a teammate's mistake.

So, after looking worriedly at Qin Miao, Qimeng also instinctively grabbed his arm.

However, Qin Miao's reaction was beyond Qimeng's expectations; after receiving the news, Qin Miao seemed very calm and, after some thought, asked Frankie, "Does Hamilton have the confidence to catch up with Verstappen in 18 laps?"

Frankie was also somewhat surprised by Qin Miao's calmness, but after hearing the question, he could only shrug helplessly, "I don't know, I'm just here because Toto asked me to pass on the message."

Qin Miao clicked his tongue, instinctively looking in Hamilton's direction.

Coincidentally, Hamilton was in sixth place at the moment, not far from Qin Miao, and from Qin Miao's vantage point, he could see the Old Man standing with arms crossed next to his car, lost in thought.

After some thought, Qin Miao patted Qimeng on the shoulder to reassure her, then said to Frankie, "Wait for me a moment."

Having said this, Qin Miao directly walked towards Hamilton.

This left Qimeng and Frankie looking at each other in confusion.

Qin Miao made his way to Hamilton's side, and Hamilton had also noticed Qin Miao walking towards him.

Though somewhat annoyed at his own impatience leading to a mistake at T7, Hamilton still felt the fighting spirit deep down, especially since the red flag meant he no longer had to worry about tire issues and had significantly reduced the distance to the group ahead.

So seeing Qin Miao come over, Hamilton had no apparent negative emotions, greeting Qin Miao with a smile, "Qin! Is everything alright?"

Qin Miao walked over to Hamilton's side, gave him a brief handshake and hug, and finally answered, "It's alright, but what about you? Is the car severely damaged?"

Hamilton shrugged, "The car's condition is quite good, and the damage is only to the front wing, which will be fine once replaced."

Qin Miao nodded, then covered his mouth and said, "If I help you block Leclerc and the cars behind him, do you think it's possible to catch up to Verstappen in the next sixteen laps?"

Hamilton listened, truly surprised as he looked at Qin Miao, whose eyes and movements showed tangible shock and incredulity.

"Toto just asked Frankie to tell me that they need me to help block Leclerc and the others." Qin Miao explained the origin of this idea.

After hearing Qin Miao's explanation, Hamilton frowned in thought, then wrapped an arm around Qin Miao's shoulder, similarly covering his mouth, and said, "Qin, you know, sometimes decisions made by the higher-ups aren't about trying to suppress you, but instead are the best choice made in specific conditions for overall benefit.

Our perspective at this moment is limited, and we can't objectively judge the strategy team's tactical choices.

But regardless, this race was my mistake, and I think that's it for me; my mistake shouldn't become your burden.

So relax, you don't need to do anything for me. When the race restarts, your job is to stick close to Verstappen and make a push for your first race win.

I'll explain to Toto afterward, and if there's any trouble, I've got your back."

Hamilton doesn't lack victories, nor has he never won; his desire to win is just instinctual, aimed at crafting a more perfect career and record.

A record unprecedented and unparalleled.

But that doesn't mean he can comfortably exploit his teammates.

Listening to Hamilton's reassurance and promises, Qin Miao's gaze flickered for a moment, then he nodded, "Alright, I understand.

But I still want to ask you, if I actually did that, could you catch up?"

"No, it's not whether I can catch up or not, you need to know this race is already messed up by me. What you need to do now is not clean up after me, but complete your own race…"

Hamilton was about to continue when Angela interrupted them, "The race officials have informed us that the race will restart soon. I think it would be better to talk about anything after it's over; for now, you both need to get back to your cars."

Angela's words cut off what Hamilton was going to say next, but Qin Miao didn't move, stubbornly and determinedly looking at Hamilton.

Hamilton met Qin Miao's gaze and eventually said, "I don't know, but I will keep trying to chase forward regardless."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.