How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 909 - 359: Opportunity from the Heavens

Despite Qin Miao having an advantage in tire temperature, he still couldn't find a way to overtake Perez, who had switched to the same hard tires ahead of him. The inherent performance gap in their cars was clear, and Qin Miao simply couldn't catch up.

Actually, this was normal. Everyone in the paddock knew that besides Qin Miao's extraordinary tire management, his defensive capability was top-notch. Last season, Qin Miao locked Verstappen on the track more than once, which was the best proof.

Therefore, neither Red Bull nor Ferrari would allow their drivers to pit when they would emerge behind Qin Miao.

However, Qin Miao did not experience any mental fluctuations as the four others started to gradually widen the gap after coming out of the pit. Instead, he grew increasingly excited.

From the current performance, if they chose a three-stop strategy, he might really be able to find a spot among them.

The familiar rhythm for Qin Miao continued.

Driving in his rhythm, occasionally overtaking slower cars.

At this point, some people with limited understanding of F1 might wonder, why did Qin Miao go for a single stop? It seemed impressive, but after the four drivers pitted, Qin Miao's position hadn't changed at all; he hadn't gained any advantage.

But you shouldn't just focus on what's ahead; sometimes you need to look at what's behind. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

At this time, Qin Miao's teammate Hamilton had a gap of a full 17 seconds behind Qin Miao.

Originally, Qin Miao had a more than 20-second gap with the drivers ahead, but now he was closing in, reducing it to only seven or eight seconds.

During Hamilton's pursuit of Qin Miao, Zhou Guanyu completed a 3.5-second pit stop. After reemerging, Zhou effortlessly overtook Stroll and was behind Bottas, ranked 13th.

Even though today's performance from the Mercedes team disappointed all domestic fans.

However, whether it's Qin Miao's resilience in driving a less competitive Mercedes car, or Zhou Guanyu's debut showcasing overtaking skills and long-distance pursuit abilities, both provided a morale boost for domestic fans.

The competitiveness may be gone, but at least both Qin Miao and Zhou Guanyu performed brilliantly on the track.

Moreover, as the race went on, viewers began accepting the reality of Mercedes losing its competitive edge and even started getting used to this sight.

…

Lap 44, Verstappen, who had been attempting to chase down Leclerc, eventually opted for a third pit stop due to tire lifespan issues.

Before entering the pits, the gap between Verstappen and Leclerc was 5 seconds.

When Verstappen emerged from the pit, he was positioned two seconds ahead of Qin Miao.

Watching Verstappen emerge from the pit lane, Qin Miao suddenly regretted choosing to complete the race with a single stop.

Watching this scene was really frustrating.

Last season, he was still leading the pack, still quite competitive, but now?

In a single race, Verstappen appeared in front of him three times! Three whole times!

Each time emerging from the pit lane, just happens to be right in front of him.

And then quickly speeding away.

But when the race reached lap 45, Qin Miao realized that Perez did not choose to pit.

It seemed Perez was planning to complete the race with two stops.

Red Bull had to admit that Qin Miao's tire management skill was indeed extraordinary, but Perez's tire management was the strongest before Qin Miao came.

So Red Bull simply didn't let Perez pit, as they didn't want to risk Perez appearing behind Qin Miao.

Who knows if, with Qin Miao's defensive ability, he might directly lock Perez on the track.

Seeing this, Qin Miao clicked his tongue, then resigned himself to the situation, as the performance gap in their cars was too large.

What was unexpected, however, was that Ferrari didn't continue copying Red Bull's strategy, but instead chose to keep Leclerc, who was on mid-range tires, outside, while Sainz also stayed out.

Nothing much to say about Leclerc; the tire consumption was minimal, allowing him to complete the race at a relatively fast cruising speed.

But Sainz didn't pit for tire change because of Qin Miao, as it would also result in him falling behind Qin Miao if he did.

Another reason is that Ferrari wanted to secure Leclerc's first race victory in 2022, so they let Sainz remain outside to block Verstappen, who was catching up.

Thus, it was only Verstappen who wasn't satisfied with his second position, wanting to try pitting for soft tires.

However, an unexpected scene appeared next.

Lap 46, Gasly's engine suddenly caught fire, halting at the spot where Grosjean crashed and caught fire years ago.

It must be said, history is eerily similar, or perhaps the Matthew entrance at the Bahrain Grand Prix is inherently linked with fire.

Simply put, Red Bull was a bit too hasty with their tire change this time.

As expected, the safety car was deployed.

Not only did Verstappen lose two positions, but Red Bull's two drivers also had an opportunity to return for fresh tires.

Meanwhile, another unfortunate person was Qin Miao.