F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 159 Life is Like a Grand Play

Prior to the Monza Grand Prix, the FIA ​​issued a new technical directive that directly impacted the course of the race.

The reason is that in the past, during the development of engines, a high-power output mode was often added, which sacrificed engine life in exchange for a higher lap time in qualifying, also known as "party mode".

But now the FIA ​​has spoken out, and not only in qualifying, but all teams can only use one engine mode in both qualifying and the race.

In other words, the tactic that Shulong used in the past to gain a power advantage in a short time by adjusting the steering wheel knob during the main race to overtake is no longer effective.

Such new technical regulations will shift the focus of engine development and team tuning, making the emphasis on how to ensure the engine's lifespan and the highest possible output power in a single mode for extended periods.

Essentially, it's designed to prevent a recurrence of practices like Ferrari's last year, where they profited by tampering with engines. With Ferrari's engines now completely obsolete, this rule was originally intended to limit Mercedes' lead.

However, when the rules were actually implemented, everyone found that although Mercedes was inevitably affected, other teams seemed to be more affected. While all teams were nerfed, Mercedes actually received a boost.

It's pretty speechless anyway.

However, Haas is definitely out of contention for the championship this year. Whether Mercedes is strong or not this year has nothing to do with him. Next year, their DAS system will be banned again, and it's hard to say whether they can still maintain this speed.

Moreover, from a driving habit perspective, this change actually suits Shulong's taste quite well.

Because Shu Long is the type of driver who doesn't like to frequently adjust the car settings. Besides being a bit lazy by nature, he prefers the sense of participation of controlling the speed himself rather than relying on other technologies.

This FIA rule does indeed reduce the car's dominance over the race result to some extent, and instead emphasizes the role of the driver.

Haas' mid-season development capabilities this year are far inferior to those of other teams, because they simply don't have enough extra money to produce new upgrade parts.

Even a prestigious team like McLaren, with its long history, is preparing to alleviate its financial pressure by selling its Woking headquarters for £2 million and then leasing it back after being hit by the pandemic this year.

Not to mention Haas, which was sponsored and defrauded last year and is now on its last legs. The team owner is now seriously planning to sell the team.

Without this technical directive, given the pace of improvement taken by each team in the previous races, it might not be long before entering the points zone becomes a pipe dream.

The new regulations will not have a significant impact on Mercedes, but for customer teams such as Renault, McLaren, and Racing Point, this actually gives Shulong an opportunity to compete head-on with them.

The green flag waved, the five red lights went out, and a whole host of unexpected problems arose right from the start of the competition.

Having tasted the sweetness of the Rockets' previous start, Magnusson is trying to repeat the same trick this time.

To be fair, Lao Ma truly deserves to be called a genius like Shu Long, who can make his debut on stage. Although his car is a bit bad, his ability is undeniable. Even though he is almost 28 years old, married, and a father, he still managed to deliver a 0.19-second start-up clutch response.

Just as Shu Long took down Kvyat, Magnussen also launched a challenge against Kimi ahead.

However, the car formation behind is always chaotic at the start. Not everyone is as lucky as Shu Long, nor does everyone have the broad field of vision and reaction speed to pay attention to the surrounding situation of their race car.

Although Old Laitou's edges had been completely worn down by Aro's racing in the past two years, he was not someone that anyone could bully. He went straight for Magnussen and stubbornly resisted, not revealing a single line of his own.

Left with no other choice, Magnussen had to fly onto the sausage kerb at Turn 2, and landed in a way that damaged his front wing. He had to pit on the first lap to change tires and the front wing.

In that one move, more than two hundred thousand dollars flew away.

Look at Haas's financial situation this year. If both of their drivers are like this, who knows if they can even make it to the end of the season?

Fortunately, Steiner borrowed Shulong as a last resort; otherwise, with Grosjean, another master of causing even more damage than Lao Ma, the finance department might have been in tears from car repairs alone this year.

Of course, the chaos in the first lap didn't stop there.

After securing a contract extension for next year, Bottas once again staged a completely disastrous start, dropping from P2 to P6 in the standings.
There were reasons for his performance being flawed, but there was also the factor of bad luck.

Perhaps due to the psychological trauma of his previous false start, Bottas' clutch response time this time was over 0.3 seconds.

The new engine technology regulations seem to have led Bottas to choose the wrong engine mode. His already poor start was compounded by his inability to reach the appropriate RPM in his haste, leaving him helpless as he was overtaken by the cars behind him.

Meanwhile, it seems that Bottas' right rear tire developed a bulge, perhaps from running over something during the warm-up lap, which briefly gave him the illusion that he had a flat tire.

Red Bull is also making waves.

If there's one team most affected by the new engine technology regulations, it's Red Bull's Honda engines.

Red Bull was able to challenge Mercedes-Benz multiple times with Honda engines that weren't as powerful in the conventional version, and this so-called "party mode" certainly played a significant role in that.

However, it's hard to say that the new regulations are a weakening of Red Bull, because the advantage of Honda engines has never been in the so-called qualifying mode; its superior long-distance stable performance is what makes them better than Renault engines.

It wasn't just Bottas who couldn't get used to the new engine regulations at the start; Verstappen also seemed to have some issues, especially with the already fierce competition in the front row, where he was noticeably dragged down to P7 after starting at P5.

Albon seemed to be affected as well. He finally managed to get into the starting lineup of Q3P9, but was immediately overtaken by Gasly, who started in P10.

Then, before the Chicane combination corners 1 and 2, he first squeezed Shulong, who was preparing to attack both Gasly and Albon, to the outside, and then closed the door on Gasly to the inside.

Shulong was forced onto the grass, and Gasly, who was in the paint, had no choice but to use his Vibranium left front elbow to send Alben flying.

Just now, the incident caused Shulong's right front wheel to be grazed by the Red Bull side case floor, and the flying carbon fiber fragments hit his helmet with a "crackling" sound. Even though Shulong had calmed down to some extent, he couldn't help but mute himself and curse a few times.

However, considering that I gained another position for free, and Albon also had a five-second penalty, I decided not to dwell on it.

Vettel has been stirring up a storm in the paddock lately, and while Red Bull may seem to be standing aside, things are actually not peaceful inside.

Based on information recently revealed to him privately by Horner, Albon's position at Red Bull may not last much longer. Every result Albon receives now could lead to his complete unemployment after the 2020 season, and his driving behavior shows just how anxious he is.

Indeed, judging from his current performance, he is quite qualified as Red Bull's number two driver. However, both Austrian and Thai Bulls have higher expectations of him than just being a number two driver.

Alben may be in a bad situation, but Shulong felt that he wasn't as bad off as he was this year when he started driving Haas.

Moreover, the sidewall of the tire being rubbed does pose some potential risks, so he could only ask the team to pay close attention to the tire pressure readings and to drive more gently.

Shulong was caught in a stalemate, unable to attack or defend, but chaos continued to erupt on the field.

On lap six, Vettel's braking system malfunctioned, and the left rear brake disc exploded, sending equipment flying everywhere. He crashed headlong into the buffer escape tunnel after Turn 1, smashing the foam posts that served as roadblocks to pieces.

Right there in Monza, Italy, Ferrari's first driver happily announced his early retirement, allowing this iron-willed driver, who had been heartbroken by Ferrari, to finally let go of his burden.

On lap eighteen, Gasly pitted ahead of him, and the team asked Shulong if he wanted to follow. After hesitating for less than a lap, Shulong decided to follow.

Actually, he and Gasly have different strategies. Gasly made it into Q3 yesterday with red tires, which means he's using an old red starting setup today that he's already done with flying laps.

In Q2, the Shulong car naturally doesn't have such starting tire restrictions. Analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the car over long distances, using the yellow and white tires to run and stop as much as possible is currently the most suitable tactic for Haas.

Gasly pitted on lap 18 with his red tires. Logically, to maximize the advantages of his yellow tires, given that his tires are currently in pretty good condition, Shulong should have waited until around lap 25 before considering his first pit stop.

However, his right front tire was damaged by Albon earlier, which will more or less affect the tire's actual durability. To avoid unnecessary tire blowout risks, pitting is indeed the safest option at this time.

It's unclear whether the previous collision caused a slight deformation of the bolts, but this time Shulong's right front tire took a full four seconds to remove during the pit stop, and the last six-second tire change almost left everyone dumbfounded. When they left the pit stop, they dropped directly to P14.

It was thought that the race was ruined, but on the 20th lap after Shulong left the pits, his good teammate Magnussen stepped up decisively and the car slowly came to a stop on the grass by the track.

It's possible that the previous off-road swerve caused the car to be jolted off course, and no matter what they did, they couldn't get the car back to work, so Magnussen had no choice but to retire from the race.

In fact, his race was ruined from the very first pit stop when his front wing was shattered. A car like Haas cannot afford such a big mistake if it wants to score points.

However, considering the team's few remaining sponsors, he had no choice but to reluctantly finish the race in hopes of gaining more exposure. Now, retiring from the race is a relief for Magnussen.

As I said before, in situations like Shu Long's, where he just changed a tire and then encountered a yellow flag, the car that had just entered the station would undoubtedly suffer a huge loss. Meanwhile, the other cars that hadn't yet entered the station would get a free entry, and Shu Long could simply say goodbye to his points for this race.

But this is the second time this season, and the position where Magnussen triggered the yellow flag was indeed quite clever.

Whether it was a deliberate act by our Lao Ma after careful calculation, this black T-frame Haas race car just happened to be parked not far from the pit lane.

Furthermore, since the race car itself did not actually suffer any mechanical damage, it would be inappropriate to send a crane out directly from such a location. Therefore, the organizers chose a very understandable way to clear the obstacle – having the mechanics push the car back.

Pushing the bike definitely requires passing through the pit lane entrance, which makes this yellow flag different from other regular yellow flags. From lap 20 to lap 22, the pit lane entrance is actually closed.

As a result, Hamilton and Giovinazzi were notified to enter the station without their knowledge, which resulted in them being penalized with a 10-second stop & go penalty.

This is not just a simple ten-second penalty.

Instead, the race car has to enter the pit area and then wait in a designated area at the entrance of the pit garage for ten seconds. During this time, the team's mechanics cannot have any direct contact with the race car. In other words, even if they want to change a tire or something, they have to wait ten seconds before they can do so.

Even if the team chooses not to change tires, Hamilton and Giovinazzi will still lose at least 32 to 35 seconds, a penalty that can be described as devastating in F1 racing.

With these two tragic examples as a warning, other teams naturally dared not break the rules again and could only wait until the pit lane entrance reopened on lap 22 before entering the pits.

At this point, the car formation had been compressed to a very tight size by the yellow flag. As the cars in front moved aside, Shulong, which was originally in P14, inexplicably took over the position back to P7.
Of all the people currently in front of the dragon, Hamilton and Giovinazzi both have a huge penalty time on their backs, meaning they are currently in position P5.
Another one is Kimi, who drives an Aro car. If he tries his best, he might be able to get a P4 for himself in the end.

I don't know what to say. If there really is a god in this world, I hope he can spare some pity for such an unfortunate kid as Magnussen.

Shu Long's loan to Haas this year may be considered a bad thing, but being able to have a teammate like Magnussen can be considered a small compensation from heaven.

The race restarted on lap 24, and then Leclerc crashed on lap 24.
It was another yellow flag, and this time the crash was quite serious. After the safety car swerved a few times, it turned into a red flag.

Fortunately, Leclerc was unharmed.

The collision was actually a mistake by Leclerc himself, and with that, both Ferrari drivers were forced to retire early at the Monza circuit, Ferrari's home track.

Ferrari was already in turmoil, and then this bad luck at home made it so unlucky that even the fans who were initially cheering for "Binoto" started to feel sorry for him.

Since they've already encountered a red flag and there are only twenty laps left in the race, switching to a new yellow suit to finish the rest of the race is naturally the best option.

After Hongqi was led by the safety car to complete a warm-up lap, the race restarted with a static start from the starting grid.

What does it mean when good fortune is about to arrive and you can't stop it?

Although Monza is very fast, because everyone's setup is based on the lowest drag solution, the top speed advantage that DRS can bring on this track is not actually that much, and overtaking is not as easy as you might imagine.

Furthermore, the new regulations on engines have restricted power output, and there is no engine protection mode to ensure stable operation over long distances. How to use the engine can only be controlled by the drivers themselves through gear shifting and throttle, so many people dare not drive freely.

Under these constraints, the number of overtaking maneuvers in this Monza Grand Prix was actually very limited.

Starting over would undoubtedly be giving Shulong a free opportunity to overtake and leap forward.

The five red lights lit up one by one again, and then went out again.

Shulong overtook both cars ahead of Arro at the start and launched another attack on Verstappen, who seemed to have had another problem starting. Unfortunately, Arro blocked his way and affected his rhythm, so Shulong had to strategically give up this hard-won overtaking opportunity.

By letting go this time, he has essentially given up all his overtaking opportunities after this race.

However, Gasly overtook Stroll at the start, and then Verstappen surprisingly retired on the next lap. Just that lap, Shu Long felt that the opponent's rhythm was a bit strange. A Red Bull was actually able to be two seconds ahead of the car in front in one lap.

However, with Max leaving, Shulong was promoted to P4, and Hamilton, who still had penalties that hadn't been processed, was removed. Shulong is now clearly in the P3 position.

On lap 35, Hamilton and Giovinazzi were penalized for pit stops, and Gasly, with clean air, went all out, extending his lead to three seconds.

As soon as Shu Long officially reached P3, he began to relentlessly pursue Stroll ahead of him. It wasn't until lap 41 that he used slipstream and late braking to forcefully cut into the inside line, causing the young man, who was also trying to brake late, to miss his braking point and go off the track.

The team allowed Shulong to continue for two more laps, but the gap with Gasly, who was 4 seconds ahead, was reduced by less than 0.1 seconds. On the contrary, the sensors gave an engine overheating warning.

That damn Ferrari engine!

Meanwhile, engineers also reported that McLaren was closing in on Kimi at an extremely fast pace, and at that rate, the position of the dragon was also in danger for the remaining twelve laps.

After considering all options, it seems that teaming up with Arrow to block McLaren is more cost-effective.

Just do it!

There was absolutely no need for prior practice. As a former world champion, he immediately understood Shu Long's movements perfectly.

The train pulled the cars together for twelve laps until the checkered flag fell, and the three cars, which were the most despised in the season, took over the three podiums.

Although Ferrari has left, a part of Ferrari remains.

Toro Rosso, also an Italian team, went straight to the top, while the remaining two spots on the podium were also occupied by Ferrari, which was a slight consolation.

(End of this chapter)