F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 162 New Dream
I dreamt of a ship, a ship suspended in the sea.

But where am I?

Oh, I'm on the boat.

Is this ship sinking?

It doesn't matter anymore.

Looking up, you can admire the star-like speckles trailing across the sea surface, while the seabed beneath your feet seems to rumble like a sleeping giant.

[Besides the immense water pressure that felt like it was going to burst my eardrums, my eyes were also gradually swelling and feeling sore. This should have been a pleasant moment.]

[Quiet, silent, yet not suffocating.]

Wait a minute, am I floating upwards again?

The seabed roared, breathing heavily; scalding smoke and seawater mingled into a boiling torrent, shattering the moonlight on the waves.

Sulfur is the stench of hell that permeates the nasal passages.

Pain is like a birthmark, a scar that grows new life after being scorched by fire.

He groggily opened one of his dry eyelids, feeling lightheaded all over, as if he were still drifting in some mysterious sea. Shu Long couldn't immediately align his memories, dreams, and reality.

However, the subsequent sharp pain still caused him to let out a hoarse whimper, instantly waking Gan Mengning who was standing beside him.

The girl was afraid that her sleeping posture would aggravate Shu Long's sore spot, so she refused to lie on the same bed. Instead, she found a small blanket and curled up on the recliner by the French windows.

It's a five-star hotel built by oil tycoons, after all. I slept in this recliner before I was injured, and it was actually quite comfortable.

But nothing is more comfortable than a bed. It seems like my girlfriend is still on her period these past few days, and I'm worried she might catch a cold if she sleeps in that bed every day.

Actually, apart from being a little inconvenient to move around, Shu Long no longer needs someone to watch over him all the time, but Gan Mengning just wouldn't let him go.

Just as Shu Long was filled with emotion but didn't know how to express it, Gan Mengning didn't want her worries and fears to affect Shu Long's mood.

Watching your boyfriend get engulfed in flames is a trauma that's not easily erased.

The lingering fear didn't fade with time; instead, it slowly fermented into an indescribable terror, as if Shu Long would never return if he disappeared from her sight for even a second.

Shu Long has been trying his best to stop thinking about the details of the accident that day.

There might be some fear, but there was also a greater desire to completely succumb to it, as if a hysterical laugh was brewing in my chest.

However, he could understand Gan Mengning's feelings, so he could only try his best to act normal in front of her and try to downplay the impact of the accident on him.

Just as he was about to tense his core muscles and sit up, Gan Mengning exclaimed and jumped over to support him. However, Shu Long suddenly lost all strength and resignedly fell back onto the soft pillow.

Today seems a bit different; I feel weak and my head feels foggy.

Gan Mengning seemed to have noticed something was wrong as well. She tried it on Shu Long's forehead, just like Shu Long's mother had done a couple of days ago, and then, as if she didn't believe it, she pressed her lips up to his forehead.

It seems a bit hot, but what does normal human body temperature feel like again?

She helped Shu Long brush his teeth and wash his face, and then carefully wiped the sweat off his body with a towel. Only then did the girl notice the thermometer on the sink. She immediately picked it up and shot Shu Long in the head.

38.6℃, a fever?!

Originally, he had planned to go to the Sakhir Grand Prix today to watch the main race, but now that he was in this state, he had no room to resist or choose, and was directly forcibly taken back to the hospital.

Blood was drawn for testing, the packaging was removed for inspection, the dressing was changed, and then it was wrapped up again like a brand new mummy.

There are no signs of infection yet, but it is indeed a bit inflamed. After all, the burn wounds on Shulong's body are not small. The doctor's advice is to stay in the hospital for observation for another two days. He should not run around during this time.

After all, it was a burn that almost required skin grafts. The fact that Shulong was so lively and energetic a while ago is probably thanks to that collision a few days ago.

First, there's the "Candlelight Gaze" entry related to adrenaline; after this one hit, the unlock progress immediately jumped to 93%.
The effect was not much different from the previous guesses. It was similar to the adrenaline state of bullet time. In principle, it could make it relatively easy for Shulong to arouse his emotions and quickly secrete a large amount of adrenaline in a short period of time.

Is it equivalent to a mechanism that generates its own stimulants?

However, maintaining this state for too long can affect emotional control, making it easy to lose composure, or in short, to lose your temper.

This is actually a taboo situation in competitions, so it can basically only be used to deal with emergencies and other unforeseen circumstances.

However, it can also inspire Shu Long's fighting spirit on the field.

Because of experience in activating the permanent special effects that are converted into active skills by "empty", it is not too difficult to get started.

However, for Shulong, whose reaction speed is already at its maximum, the effect of this skill enhancement is not very useful. The most obvious benefit may only be that it can help him regain the passion he feels in speed.

Another thing is that, by a stroke of luck, the three basic attribute modifiers, namely 【Endurance】 and 【Tolerance】, were directly unlocked to 100% by chance.

Instead, it was replaced by [Abyssal Stillness and Lofty Steadfastness]. The fact that Shu Long has been able to endure the pain and maintain a normal complexion these past two days is indeed due to the crucial role this thing has played.

It really hurts, I'm not kidding. It feels like my skin is being stabbed with hot steel nails all the time.

Normally, it's impossible to fall asleep without painkillers. If Shu Long hadn't been so calm, the doctor wouldn't have agreed to let him go back to the hotel.

Of course, whether things are peaceful or not is irrelevant now. That night, Shu Long could only watch the second match in Bahrain from the hospital with his family.

Although the Sakhir Grand Prix is ​​also held at the Bahrain International Circuit, it uses a smaller layout, with lap times of just over fifty seconds, and the race requires 87 laps.

Hamilton, who had already secured the annual championship and achieved his seventh title, was replaced by Russell in this game because he tested positive for COVID-19 before the game.

After driving a garbage truck for two years, Russell finally got a good meal. His lap time was almost on par with Bottas, who was known for his "one-lap challenge," and he finished second by a mere 0.026 seconds.

Then, shortly after the start of the main race, Russell overtook Bottas to take the lead. Based on the current situation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Russell is very likely to win his first career title in his very first race at the Mercedes.

If nothing unexpected happens
Leclerc kicked Perez, who was still desperately looking for a new team, out of the game right at the start, and also took Verstappen with him.

Perez was just lucky and didn't suffer too much damage. Although he fell to last place, he didn't fall too far behind the main group because of the yellow flag.

At first, Shu Long didn't pay attention to this pink car that was quietly rising in the rankings, because he was watching the chaos of the Mercedes-Benz in the front row the whole time.

With a relatively small lead, Mercedes took advantage of the yellow flag and made a double pit stop. They first swapped Bottas's tires for Russell's, and only realized something was wrong when they changed Bottas's tires.

Bottas couldn't get the tires changed either, but Mercedes still kept him in the pit for 27.4 seconds of disassembly and reassembly, leaving Ferrari, who had just completed a tire change in 6.5 seconds, dumbfounded.

Russell had to make another pit stop to change the tires because he had the wrong ones installed.

Towards the end of the race, the left rear tire blew out again, forcing him to pit once more and giving up the championship that was almost in his grasp.

Perez fought his way through the competition, catching up from the back of the pack, and finally brought home his first victory after participating in 190 Grand Prix races.

"Checo is a legend!"

As the narrator passionately called out the name, Shu Long let out a long breath and slowly collapsed back onto his bed.

It seems so? Probably?
Some things can now be put to rest for the time being.

After the competition, Shu Long did not rush to leave, but stayed in the hospital for another two weeks to observe his condition.

The final match ended with Verstappen's powerful pole-to-win, seemingly foreshadowing the competitive landscape for next year.

In the post-season testing for the final race in Abu Dhabi, Zhou Guanyu will represent the Renault team and complete the test with his idol Alonso, Kakuda will officially sit in the Toro Rosso, and Mick will complete the test alone in the Haas car with the dragon completely removed from the No. 69.

As for why it was alone, it's probably because another Haas driver, Mr. Ma Zeping, has recently been embroiled in another sexual harassment scandal.

If they lose their seats because of someone like that, I bet both Magnussen and Grosjean would laugh silently.

However, all of this was temporarily irrelevant to Shu Long, because right after the tire test ended, Shu Long, accompanied by his family, came to Red Bull's headquarters in Milton Keynes.

The purpose of this visit is to discuss the specific arrangements after the suspension of the race. Red Bull has offered a contract for both a regular driver and a reserve driver.

The terms of the official driver's contract are largely the same as previously agreed, but for it to take effect, Shu Long's body needs to recover to the point where he can participate in races. Specifically, some of the races he misses may be cut, and it is clear that Shu Long's current physical condition does not meet the requirements for sitting in a car.

This was something Horner had already discussed with Shu Long during their previous meeting. As for the relevant compensation terms, they were already agreed upon in the contract that Horner brought with him after the Bahrain match.

The reserve driver's contract is practically just a figurehead, because it's clear that Red Bull can't expect Shu Long to help them test the cars intensively right now. It's just a way to find a reason to pay Shu Long a salary.

The contract is for two years, and from Alonso's analysis, this timing is indeed quite suitable.

Since next year is the last year of the old regulations, and the new regulations for ground-effect vehicles will be implemented the year after, it's good to sign a contract now for protection. Whether or not you actually use it in the future can be decided based on the situation.
So who will take over the mission before that?
The very next day, Red Bull officially announced their driver lineup for the next season – Verstappen as number one, and Perez, who has temporarily escaped the crisis of unemployment.

In an effort to salvage its reputation, Red Bull subsequently released a separate PR statement on social media announcing the details of the contract with Shulong.

Unfortunately, the reason Tai Niu decided to switch to Shu Long was not only because of its achievements, but also because of the huge energy drink market in China.

The legal dispute between Thai Bull and Huabin Group, the former domestic distributor of Red Bull, has come to a complete end recently. The Supreme People's Court ruled against Huabin in the final instance, ordering it to cease using the Red Bull trademark and pay 1.6 million yuan in compensation to Tiansi Pharmaceutical.

Many domestic markets in China have opened up to foreign trade considerably compared to before. Thai Beef Tiansi is preparing to take over the domestic Red Bull market. If they were to take advantage of this situation and kick Shulong out, it would be a complete waste of money.

Albon, however, did not receive protection from Tayron this time and will remain with the Red Bull team as a reserve driver for another year.

Of course, this decision is unlikely to make Perez very happy. His Mexican telecommunications company originally planned to sponsor the Red Bull team with $2000 million in 2021, but now it has been almost halved to $1200 million.

It seems they intend to use this condition to pressure Shulong, saying that as long as they can ensure Perez completes a full season with Red Bull and secures a contract for next year, they will increase their sponsorship to $2500 million after the season.

What does it mean to be rich and powerful?

Let alone 2500 million, or even 1200 million, Shulong had a lot of trouble raising a $500 million sponsorship for Little Red Bull last year.

In this respect, we really can't compare to them.

However, the Red Bull saga has finally come to an end. All the messy stuff has been settled, and it's almost January of next year.

Shu Long stayed home to recover from his injury and spent a rare Spring Festival with his family before finally returning to the Red Bull factory for winter testing.

All I can say is that it's been a long time.

Although we can't officially start working yet, it's a good idea to take a look at the development of racing cars under the budget cap this year, and check the track data and the specific performance of the new 18-inch tires.

Now, let alone participating in competitions, Shulong has not yet been able to recover even his daily physical training.

The wound has barely closed, but it is still a very fragile layer of pink flesh. It still needs to be bandaged to protect the wound. Sometimes even a slightly larger movement can cause tearing pain.

Before the skin has fully recovered its normal sweating and heat dissipation functions, both the doctor and the team advised Shulong not to rush things.

So during this time, besides staying in the factory doing nothing, Shu Long was also recording some footage with the crew of Drive to Survive, which seemed to be preparing to make some big production.

However, simply waiting around like this wasn't a good idea. While cooperating with the Alpine team's winter testing, Alonso also approached Shu Long to ask if he was interested in endurance racing.

Perez is backed by a large sponsorship, and unless his performance is particularly poor, Shulong really won't find a chance to play in the short term.

Horner also strongly supported this, saying that if the body recovers well, it would be good to train and maintain competitive condition.

Especially this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most prestigious racing events on par with Monaco, was postponed to August due to pandemic control measures. By then, the injury should have been almost fully healed.

Besides maintaining a close partnership with Honda in F1, Red Bull also has a strong relationship with Toyota in WEC.

(End of this chapter)