F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 129 Prisoner’s Dilemma
That's because Shu Long took a super long outside line before Turn 9 in order to make use of the blue asphalt buffer zone on the outside of the track.

Actually, it wasn't much; Shulong only caught up by less than 0.3 seconds. Any longer and he wouldn't have been able to get into Turn 9 at the right angle.

But in that less than 0.3 seconds, Shulong gained a cornering speed advantage of 10 km/h by accelerating earlier, entering the corner at a larger angle, and having stronger grip.

And finally, almost at the zero point of the off-road cornering judgment, he crossed the curb of the fake corner and climbed ahead of Norris, successfully moving up to P5.

This method does not mean that Shulong's cornering speed is faster at this time. The track layout took this into account from the beginning of the design, and so many teams and drivers have considered this.

This technique only worked on the first lap. Doing it in qualifying would be suicidal. Shulong made use of clean air, good grip, and the car in front effectively blocking Norris's line to complete this imaginative overtake.

This is nothing short of a dream start. If Shulong can maintain this position and finish the race, then Shulong can be said to have returned to the top ranks.

But that's impossible, because Vettel is still lurking in the shadows.

Norris, who was left behind, could hardly put any real defensive pressure on Shulong. As the car formation gradually became more stable, the influence of the dirty air and the longer defensive margin would greatly increase the margin for error for the car in front.

In other words, Shu Long's rhythm in the competition is completely under his control.

But what's most frustrating is that even though the two rivals ahead of him are influencing each other's rhythm and launching attacks and defenses whenever they find an opportunity, Shu Long finds himself being constantly outpaced by Verstappen and Leclerc.

They can't keep up, and they don't want to.

Ferrari's performance in this race was similar to Red Bull's. Ferrari was able to regain speed on the straights by taking advantage of its engine, but the corners of the Paul Ricard circuit made Ferrari feel very uncomfortable, especially in the third stage.

Red Bull, on the other hand, had a significant disadvantage in terms of engine, but their superior aerodynamics allowed them to excel in continuous medium- and high-speed corners, making for a thrilling competition on the track.

But they are themselves, and Red Bull is Red Bull.

Ferrari and Red Bull have the luxury to keep up with this kind of play, but Shulong can't afford to compete with them. The saying "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" is truly exemplified in the world of motorsports.

The polluted air was really unpleasant on this track. Considering the pre-race strategy of stopping the yellow and white cars, Shu Long decided to maintain a safe distance from the two cars in front of him after confirming with Hamelin.

On lap 15, Vettel caught up from P8, without being significantly hindered by the two McLarens.

Similarly, after glancing at the approach speed of the other party using DRS, Shu Long didn't put up much resistance and let Uncle Waitou pass.

If you're going to leave, leave quickly! Once you're up there, push hard!
In a few more laps, they would reach Shulong's first station entrance window. He didn't want his brand-new white tires to be exposed to the dirty air from the car in front of him after exiting the station.

Fortunately, Vettel did give him face, pulling away from Shulong by more than two seconds after three laps, and Shulong took the opportunity to pit on the twentieth lap.

The race then proceeded uneventfully until lap 45, when Lando, who had finally gained a lead over the other car, launched another attack on Shulong.

As a result, at the end of the DRS after Turn 8, Norris, who was firmly stuck in the center line of the track by Shulong, struggled to brake late, but in the end he could not find the angle to enter the corner and had to cut off the entire Turn 9.

Cutting the bend did allow him to briefly overtake Shu Long, enjoying a moment of fresh air, but he quickly had to give way to Shu Long again.

However, after locking up in the blue buffer zone, it was a devastating blow to Norris's tires, and the gearbox also seemed to have some problems, making shifting very difficult.

Knowing things were going badly, Norris decided to make one last attempt at the DRS zone on the starting straight; if he couldn't get through, he would have to start protecting his car.

As a result, one bad thing after another happened. Even though he was within a second of Shulong, the DRS button malfunctioned. The race car's rear wing only opened for a moment before being blown back shut by the wind with a "pia," and then there was no more movement.

With this, Norris not only couldn't overtake Shulong, but without the straight-line speed advantage brought by DRS, and with dirty air affecting his cornering speed, he soon couldn't even stop his own teammate Sainz.

Then it was Gasly's turn. In the end, because the highest gear was sixth, Albon overtook Norris without much effort.

Fortunately, with only a few laps left in the race, Norris, who started in P5, managed to retain a points position in P10.

In the end, the best driver of the race was not Vettel, who climbed from P8 to P5, nor Hamilton, who once again pole-to-winned, nor even Gasly, Grosjean, or the two Renault drivers from the French home field.

Instead, Norris was demoted from P5 to P10.
The reason is that many fans heard the part about Norris's car malfunctioning on the radio, and felt that the young man not only had a high speed limit, but was also calm and humorous when facing difficulties, which won over many passersby.

Upon hearing the news, Shu Long only offered a brief congratulation to Lando in TR, but he couldn't bring himself to smile. Another P6 victory left him feeling utterly unmoved.

The results weren't great, but at least it was the limit for the Toro Rosso car. If Shu Long hadn't overtaken the two McLarens at the start, Toro Rosso's best possible position in this race would have been P8.

It's one position lower than his starting position today, after all, the original P8 behind him is a Ferrari, there's no comparison.

Even Hamilton questioned Ferrari's car performance after the Canadian Grand Prix, saying he suspected that Ferrari's engine had a mode that other teams didn't have because they were too fast on the straights.

Most importantly, Shulong once again took the lead over Gasly and Alben in the competition, which undoubtedly adds another advantage to his future seat competition.

To be honest, Shu Long didn't really like this. Even though everyone was speaking with their strength, it still made Shu Long feel a sense of unease, like someone was bullying others.

Just like that fat kid in school who likes to bully others because he's big, he's also speaking with his strength, but that doesn't stop a person with a conscience from feeling guilty, does it?
The key is that Shu Long has to convince himself that he not only wants to bully others, but also wants to bully them with a clear conscience!

What bullshit!
This cutthroat competition made Shu Long feel that his relationship with Gasly, Albon, and the others was gradually souring. The most obvious change was that he had become increasingly taciturn in the team recently. Even when they bumped into each other in the paddock, he didn't know what to talk about with his teammates except for exchanging greetings.

Only when talking to his competition engineer, Hamelin, could Shulong open up a little and start talking.
Facing the harsh realities of the workplace at such a young age caused Shu Long to appear somewhat impatient during the competition, which was even reflected in his driving techniques.

The Canadian Grand Prix already showed initial signs of this trend, and it became even more pronounced at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France.

The Canadian Grand Prix was won thanks to the right tire strategy and a bit of luck, but the player's actual ability wasn't really showcased. Shu Long is eager to prove himself as the better choice in the French Grand Prix.

It's clear that Shu Long was using a very aggressive approach to squeeze the car's speed during qualifying and practice. The curves of his braking and throttle, his cornering maneuvers and lines, including the actions he took on the steering wheel in the footage, all confirm this.

Hamelin and his team didn't have much of a solution but to try to be more considerate of Shulong's emotions and keep him calm during the competition.

The crux of the problem is that Toro Rosso's race cars are not competitive enough right now.

Based on the telemetry data analysis of the race, Toro Rosso's lap time in qualifying for this race was third to last, and in the long distance of the race, due to that damn balance issue, it was fifth.

The more eager Shu Long was to prove himself, the more he felt that his current Toro Rosso car couldn't meet his needs, and the more he wanted to move up to Red Bull to prove himself.

However, if he wants to upgrade to a larger Red Bull, Shu Long can only rely on this smaller Red Bull, which is no longer sufficient for him.
It's a vicious cycle.

In terms of performance, Shulong is absolutely qualified, but in the paddock, strength doesn't always determine everything, and Shulong can only rely on his strength to earn his place.

The next stop is a back-to-back tournament week, and it's Red Bull Ring in Austria, Red Bull's home ground. You could say that you can mess up anywhere else in the year, but not here!

Hamelin didn't even dare to imagine whether Shulong's pressure cooker would explode.

Fortunately, there is still some hope. Most teams will not have time to introduce new upgrades for the next race, but Toro Rosso's Dragon crew can still get a small upgrade.

Honda actually upgraded their engines again for the French Grand Prix; both Red Bull cars and Albon's cars were equipped with the new engines.

Shulong did not choose to launch the new engine at this station.

It's not that the team is skimping on his resources, it's just that he's already used two engines this season, and if he changes them again, the FIA ​​will have used up all the available power units for each car.

This is only the eighth race of the season, and there are still thirteen races to go. If something unexpected happens and a new power unit has to be started, Shu Long will be forced to accept at least 10 position penalties.

He understands that this year is a trial-and-error year for Red Bull, paving the way for Honda, but it's also a trial-and-error year for his own career. For the sake of his career, he figures it's best to save as much as possible.
Moreover, engine upgrades are not a reliable thing. After all, Shu Long is nominally the "number one driver". What's wrong with letting the "number two driver" test the waters before the new upgrade kit is released?
Of course, it's also a win-win situation for Albon; being the first to use the upgrade kit and aiming for a good result is a good thing.

However, judging from the final results of the ranking matches, the effectiveness of this upgrade seems to be as expected.

Gasly seemed to be struggling with Red Bull's new car setup, while Albon's performance appeared to be similar to his usual results.

However, considering that other teams have also made some similar upgrades, which may indeed be somewhat useful, Shulong has decided to install a brand new power unit for himself at the next Red Bull home race.

When they arrive at Red Bull's home turf, Red Bull, who are always keen on creating hype, are not going to let this golden opportunity slip by. Even if three out of the four drivers look grumpy, they still have to do a good job with the marketing activities that are appropriate for a home turf event.

The fan meet-and-greets, sponsor events, and various pre-race warm-up performances were even more extensive than those at the last race.

That's fine, after all, Alonso also instructed Shulong to take these events seriously at home. Drivers who are favored by sponsors and have a lot of fan support will have more leverage in negotiations.

But the key question is, what if the race car has absolutely no speed here?
Shu Long made up his mind to unseal Honda's newly upgraded engine, but its competitiveness has decreased instead of increased. How can this be resolved?
All these off-track distractions are ultimately just gimmicks; nothing matters if the driver can't produce results!

After the first practice session, Shulong didn't even manage to squeeze into the top ten. Haas and Arroy were incredibly fast in this race, and with McLaren already taking off, there was no room for Toro Rosso in the top ten.

The Red Bull Ring in Austria has a relatively simple track structure, and Haas and Arro, whose engines are powered by Ferrari monsters, have really benefited from the track's advantages at this race.

The Red Bull Ring only has ten turns. Even though Shu Long has meticulously refined the details, he can only make up for a time difference of about 0.2 seconds, which is at most enough to squeeze into the top ten.

In an effort to compensate for Toro Rosso's increasingly significant performance disadvantage at this race, Shu Long even damaged his front wing twice on the "killer kerb" of the Red Bull Ring while searching for the limits of the track and the car during the second practice session.

Finally, under the insistence of the team and Hamelin, they had no choice but to slightly raise the chassis height and were forced to choose a conservative driving line that would not be too extreme when driving on the curb.

There's no other way; if another one gets damaged, Shulong will have to borrow a spare forewing from Alben.

Fortunately, Shu Long reached P6 in the second practice session, which gave him a glimmer of hope, though it was also partly due to the chaotic situation on the track during the second practice session.

It's not just Shulong who's dissatisfied with the status quo.

Verstappen and Bottas were both pushing their limits in the second practice session, but their overly aggressive braking and racing lines caused them to lose control of their cars, resulting in serious crashes that led to red flags.

In the final two practice sessions, Verstappen only managed to reach P9, while Gasly, on the other hand, managed to get to P3.
It's unclear whether this is the reason, but Verstappen, who was the most stable of Red Bull's four drivers, suddenly faced rumors that Marko was worried he might opt ​​out of his contract and transfer to Mercedes.

This left Shulong, Gasly, and Alben completely bewildered. What were they trying to achieve by arguing like this for so long?
　Not counting the extra chapters, this is a make-up for the leave I requested on the 31st.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)