How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Chapter 176: The New King's Coronation (Part 2)


At this moment, Toto is chatting with James Allison, the Chief Technical Officer of Mercedes, with a smile on his face.

Normally reserved, Toto now sports a bright smile.

On the race track, Qin Miao is utterly surprised to find Hamilton behind him. It's only the fifty-third lap, with ten laps remaining in the race.

What the heck, Hamilton charged from sixth to second in just six laps? Did Toto and the team add something to Hamilton's car during the red flag period to make it run so fast? Why didn't they add a bit to my car?

Of course, despite thinking this, Qin Miao immediately began to accelerate after realizing he had completed his tasks.

Even though he followed the team's instructions to fulfill the mission, Qin Miao wasn't keen on giving up what was so close to becoming a championship.

What Qin Miao didn't quite understand was that Hamilton, having firsthand experience, naturally knew why he was able to swiftly climb four positions in such a short timeframe.

In fact, it's not that complex to explain verbally. The forward cars were slower than Hamilton anticipated, allowing him to find more overtaking opportunities more easily.

After spotting Qin Miao ahead, Hamilton also realized why the others were slower.

However, Hamilton couldn't fathom how Qin Miao was able to hold off so many cars without being overtaken, much like Qin Miao was puzzled by Hamilton's speed.

Of course, solving this mystery isn't difficult; after the race, one can simply request the race data from Qin Miao/Hamilton.

Meanwhile, Hamilton decided to chat with Toto after the race, not wanting to miss out on such a promising talent like Qin Miao.

The team order given during the red flag period was truly annoying, and Toto must account for it, even if Qin Miao had completed this directive.

In the fifty-fifth lap, Verstappen finally shook off Leclerc's challenge at the T2 position, moving up to third.

Leclerc tried his best to fend off Verstappen for a full lap, but reached his limit, unable to shake free from Verstappen using DRS, who overtook him on the main straight.

After being overtaken, Leclerc realized that Verstappen had been diligently tailing him lap after lap not because of car issues or a dip in form, but purely because Qin Miao was up front slowing things down, employing a radar-like defensive aptitude to assist Leclerc in holding off Verstappen.

Speaking of this, Leclerc genuinely believed Qin Miao's defensive skills and talent were borderline terrifying.

Once past Leclerc, Verstappen also pushed full throttle, aiming to catch up to the two Mercedes before race end.

However, during this period, Qin Miao stopped slowing down the traffic, while Hamilton freed himself from constraints, smoothly maintaining his lap times. The two Mercedes had already built a gap of over four seconds from Verstappen, who recently escaped Leclerc's clutches.

Though closing a four-second gap in eight laps isn't impossible, the performance of Mercedes is slightly better than Red Bull's. The current head-to-head battle between Red Bull and Mercedes on the track owes entirely to Verstappen's exceptional driving talent.

Now with the two Mercedes unleashed, devoid of worries, laying down lap times relentlessly on the track, catching up would pose a stern challenge for Verstappen.

But of course, that's from the perspective of teams and drivers.

For spectators and broadcasters, the unfolding scene is exactly what they wish to witness. Despite the fierce contest as the race approaches its end, the suspense remains unresolved, offering more for viewers to see.

As for Qin Miao, two laps later he finds Hamilton in the DRS zone behind him.

But Hamilton knows exactly how his current position was secured, so he refrains from attacking Qin Miao, merely easing his pace slightly, conserving tires while trailing behind Qin Miao, prepared to end the race in his current position.

Qin Miao clearly feels Hamilton is faster, yet Qin Miao won't relinquish his spot no matter what. If Hamilton plans to make a move, Qin Miao wouldn't mind giving him a lesson on what defensive skills of 100 points truly entails.

Though a second driver, he's no fool; the effort of pulling you up already counts as benevolence, it won't go so far as to surrendering his top position too.

Toto seemingly thought of this too when observing the race, opting not to impose another team order, quietly awaiting the race's conclusion in the garage.

The fifty-ninth lap—four laps remain until the finish.

At this moment, the gap between Qin Miao and Hamilton stays within one second, but Verstappen has cut two seconds in four laps, needing just one more second to gain entry into the DRS zone occupied by Qin Miao and Hamilton.

Qin Miao anxiously glances at Hamilton behind him, then checks the tire temperature, estimating tire wear himself.

Qin Miao's driving becomes increasingly aggressive, discarding tire management and ERS regulation.

Though not the first time Verstappen chases from behind, this instance differs; when previously chased by Verstappen, Qin Miao knew he couldn't defend against him valiantly. At most, he could delay him a bit and was more relaxed and excited back then due to the opportunity to tussle closely with a driver like Verstappen.

This time differs; Qin Miao believes it's possible to fend off Verstappen.

If indeed thwarted Verstappen, Qin Miao would be rewarded with his first race victory in his career—having merely participated in his second F1 Grand Prix.

Securing the race victory, Qin Miao would undoubtedly break numerous records.

Above all, he'd become China's first racing driver to win an F1 Grand Prix race.

Without hope, Qin Miao could maintain composure, but seeing the possibility now, inevitable yearning surfaces within, leading to involuntary tension.

Unexpectedly, the final laps surprisingly had little to do with Qin Miao.

With Qin Miao speeding up, Hamilton stuck to his pace until Verstappen arrived behind.

In the ensuing competition, the seven-time champion lent Qin Miao a hand, acting as the second driver to stave off Verstappen for two laps.

Despite broadcast focusing entirely on Hamilton and Verstappen's battle during those final laps, everyone knew the race's true protagonist was actually Qin Miao—the young driver who clinched victory in only his second F1 Grand Prix.

On the sixty-third lap, Qin Miao pilots his car briskly past T18, taking a cautious approach in both the entry and exit angles, underscoring how much he values the race's outcome.

After passing T19 and catching sight of the checkered flag waving atop the command tower, Qin Miao feels a tumult of emotions surging through his heart.

A week of toil, countless factory tests, simulations, meetings ahead of the race.

Early track walks, car tuning, assembly, meetings, interviews, practice, anxiety, irritability, everything, compressed to the limit upon seeing the far-off waving checkered flag.

Watching the team staff rush to the trackside barrier, hanging on it, shouting at him fiercely, with fist pumps, Qin Miao could clearly name each and every staff member, even discern their facial expressions vividly.

At this very moment Qin Miao felt time slow down, a peculiar electric current coursing through him akin to exiting a bathhouse after a shower, feeling utterly relaxed.

As the Mercedes V6 hybrid engine roars past the finish line, the new king ascends the throne, gently drawing the curtain on the dawn of a new era.

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