F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 189 Cannonball Drills Through the Buttocks
Honda engine.

From being a trial run for the return of the Toro Rosso team when it debuted, to rapidly growing to the point where it could be dragged to the podium by the team in 19, and now being the heart of the car that supports Red Bull in its continuous struggle for pole position and championship.

His own experiences are like those of a typical hot-blooded male protagonist in Japanese anime.

At first, he was not favored by everyone outside, but he grew quietly step by step until he made a triumphant return.

Unfortunately, like many magnificent and legendary epics, the story always comes to an end.

It's an ending, but it doesn't seem like it's truly over.

Next year, Red Bull and Honda will continue their collaboration in various motorsports, including the transition from Honda to Red Bull Powertrain for power unit development, as well as continued support for Red Bull in power unit assembly, track engineering, and race operations.

Now, the two are like a divorced couple who are still living together for the sake of their child. Due to various reasons in life, they can no longer make it work, but they still have a very deep affection for each other.

Red Bull gave Honda a substantial settlement in the divorce settlement and will fully inherit Honda's intellectual property rights related to powertrains next year. This forms the basis for the somewhat unusual partnership between the two companies.

This gives Red Bull, as a customer team, an advantage that factory teams only have: the cost of replacing their own engines is very low.

This is especially crucial under the budget cap. Simply having one more power unit than the competition without affecting the development process is enough to influence the championship race.

So after learning that Hamilton would be penalized for choosing to replace the excessive power unit, Shu Long had already prepared for the possibility that the team might want him to follow suit.

Just like the task Mercedes assigned to Bottas in the last game, Shulong's task in this game is also to stop Hamilton, who was penalized and leave the game, and give Verstappen the opportunity to widen the gap.

The premise is that Shu Long himself is willing to agree, and of course, Red Bull very much hopes that Shu Long can agree.

Based on the weather forecast, this week will likely continue to be a rainy week, with only Friday's forecast showing cloudy skies, and the following two days expected to see showers.

Showers are the most troublesome situation, but also the one where Red Bull has the most opportunities to maneuver. If Shu Long is willing to cooperate, Mercedes' entire race weekend rhythm could be completely disrupted.

"Ugh! Tsk~"

Hearing the sigh and gasp that clearly didn't reflect a very positive emotion, Horner was about to skip to the next topic when Shu Long asked instead, "How many races has my current engine run?"

Hmm? There's a chance?!
"Since the summer break, there have been four games. Telemetry data shows that its performance has begun to decline, but it has not yet reached the point where it needs to be replaced."

The one who answered Shu Long was Reni, who was standing next to him. This match was also the one he and Shu Long completed together after he returned to the front line.

The FIA ​​stipulates that each team can only have three power units per season, including an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger, an MGU-K, and an MGU-H; two battery packs, electronic control units; and eight exhaust systems.

Few teams and drivers can complete an entire season within the quota. It's impossible for drivers not to have some bumps and scrapes on the track. It's common for them to have four or five accidents.

Perez had already changed his unit once in the first half of the season, and then Hungary changed it again after Bottas cleared the table in one shot. By the time it was Shulong's turn, it was the last power unit.

However, the battery is still the same old one.

The new battery components were originally an upgrade that Honda planned to release next season, but in order to stabilize their championship aspirations, they decided to unveil them earlier this season. They had already been installed on Verstappen's car.

This is a genuine upgrade component that can increase the horsepower of a race car. In order to compete with Mercedes' rocket engine, it was only a matter of time before Shulong would look for an opportunity to upgrade.

There are still 6 races left, which is about the same as the normal engine lifespan.

The Istanbul Park circuit's characteristics are more favorable to Red Bull's cars, and with the extremely high probability of a rainy race on Sunday, it seemed there was no more suitable time to upgrade than this race, so Shu Long reluctantly agreed.

"Boss, now you owe me two small requests."

"That's great, the team will remember your contributions! In addition, our plan is to simply upgrade your entire system."

“That’s what I think too. There’s not much difference between being fined to P15 and being fined to P20. I don’t have the habit of paying in installments.”

The first excess power unit kit results in a 10-person penalty, and each subsequent excess component results in a 5-person penalty. However, if the total penalty exceeds 15, even if you are in pole position, you will be penalized and start at the back of the grid.

Therefore, when there is such an opportunity to clear the penalty amount, it is most cost-effective to simply pay it all at once. After that, even if any part malfunctions, it will only result in a penalty of 5 digits.

Furthermore, if Shulong is penalized to the back of the pack, there's no need to worry about deliberately controlling points in qualifying, while also greatly interfering with Hamilton's crew's choice of the first pit window.

Since there hadn't been any practice races yet, the meeting mainly consisted of routine team assignments and wasn't particularly lengthy.

Horner didn't waste any more time and called on everyone to take some commemorative photos of Honda, with each person recording something they wanted to say to Honda, and then they would get together to eat cake.

However, before Shu Long got up to leave, Horner couldn't help but ask the question he had been holding back for a whole week.

"So what exactly do you want me to agree to?"

"Emm~ I don't know, I haven't decided yet, I'll just owe it to you for now!"

This time it was Horner's turn to click his tongue.

What's free is often the most expensive. Although whether or not to keep a promise made in jest depends on his mood, Shu Long's significance within the Red Bull team is different. With these two promises hanging over his head, Horner might become more passive in handling many things.

For example, the issue of contract renewal.

During his time at Milton Keynesian Base last week, Horner approached Shu Long more than once, offering to extend the contract between the two parties.

Shu Long's driver agreement with Red Bull after the accident last year was for two years, which means he will become a free agent again at the end of next year.

Things are different now than they were in 19 and 20.

The pandemic has thrown the paddock into chaos, with all teams having saturated their lineups. In addition, with Shu Long's condition uncertain after his injury, not many people are willing to place a high bet on him.

However, there is no doubt that Shulong is not only in excellent condition, but also on a roll.

After 15 races, Hamilton and Verstappen currently have 229 and 233 points respectively.

Including the race before the summer break when Hungaroring drove Toro Rosso, Shulong has won four out of five races since returning to F1, bringing his points total to 106.5.

Hamilton has already achieved seven championships, and the situation regarding his eighth is unclear. Analyzing Toto's move to promote Russell next year, Mercedes may soon be shifting its focus from Hamilton to the next driver with the potential to become a seven-time champion. Ferrari, needless to say, has had the most ambiguous relationship with Shullon since Red Bull loaned him to Haas!

Fortunately, Ferrari's engine made a huge mistake in 2020, which made Shu Long hesitate. Otherwise, given the chaotic internal strife at Red Bull at the time, someone might already be wearing a red suit this year.

There are only a few leading teams. As for the teams behind them, including the recently popular McLaren, it's not a matter of the teams choosing the riders, but rather whether Shulong wants to go or not.

Therefore, Horner was in a hurry. He had made so many preparations, both overt and covert, and if he couldn't retain people, wouldn't most of his plans be in vain?
Verstappen's current contract with the team runs until the end of 2023. Horner seems to be looking to make a big splash by extending Shullon's contract until the next regulatory cycle, at least until 2025, while Red Bull is currently in contention for the championship.

However, Shu Long was no longer in a hurry. Next year would be the first year of the ground effect rules, and he planned to wait and see how things went.

Friday's practice session.

Relying on his upcoming engine replacement, Shu Long, adhering to the principle of "might as well make the most of it," directly achieved the fastest lap time of 1:24.107 on red tires with moderate fuel levels.

During the second practice session, Max and Verstappen reviewed their tuning plans. Max seemed to feel that there were some issues with the car's balance, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable with the new upgrades implemented on the car.

Shulong used the new tail system in the last race, so he definitely has more experience than Verstappen.

After discussing a few details, Shu Long's task in the second practice session became a long-distance test, while Verstappen continued to seek the single-lap limit after making corrections, and finally achieved a lap time of 1:23.897 under the same conditions.

The driving experience was actually fine by this point, but Verstappen only finished P2 in the final standings of Practice 2, while Hamilton dominated the standings after getting the new engine kit.
Red Bull's new chassis characteristics give them the most comfortable performance in medium-speed and high-speed corners, while their performance in the low-speed corners, where they used to excel, is now relatively average.

However, both Shulong and Verstappen are now extremely oversteer-tuned and driven in an extreme manner, and they are also very good at dealing with the problem of rear-end dynamic instability, which is why Red Bull still ranks among the top in low-speed cornering performance.

The problem is that Mercedes' performance in medium and high-speed corners is also very strong, and Hamilton's precise handling, nicknamed "Liu Yihuan," is also outstanding in low-speed corners. The key is that they also have the rocket engine that is invincible on the straights this year.

This is something that the two Red Bull drivers cannot make up for with more refined driving skills.

It rained during Saturday's third practice session, and the organizers provided each team with an extra set of semi-weather tires. As a result, everyone had to switch to high-downforce kits to find new setups.

Gasly miraculously reached Phase 1. The Dragonbane, which had just been upgraded with a new engine before the third training session, didn't push much. After finding the balance, he finally reached Phase 7.
Hamilton probably had a similar mindset, and perhaps even hid his abilities even more than Shu Long, managing to rank only P18 in Q3.
However, in the afternoon's qualifying rounds, the situation completely reversed for the two.

The weather forecast predicted rain before the start of the race, and raindrops did start to fall on the track, but it didn't turn into a significant rainfall event, so everyone opted for dry tires for their qualifying lap times.

Just like Verstappen at the previous race, Shulong simply went out for a few laps and didn't set any effective lap times.

Whether it will rain during tomorrow's race is still unknown. There isn't much room for adjustment with the current high downforce setup. Shu Long's task is more about helping the team redefine the single-lap discharge strategy for both cars.

Since we'll be starting from the back of the grid even if we get pole position anyway, we might as well save some mileage for the engine and also save a few sets of new soft tires for tomorrow's race in case of emergency.

Tanking was no surprise; they were eliminated in Q1.

To be honest, this feeling is quite novel for Shu Long. Even during the time he was driving Haas last year, it was quite rare for him to be eliminated in Q1.

In stark contrast to his relaxed demeanor was Hamilton's team.

Shulong starting from the back of the pack is practically an open secret. All Lao Han can do now is to stay as far away from this little rascal as possible. He even opened a new set of red gear in Q2 to find the feel for the fastest lap.

Liu Yiquan's performance was indeed outstanding, and he won pole position with a time of 1:22.868, with his teammate Bottas close behind with a time of 1:22.998.

Verstappen seemed to have given it his all, but the version's numerical monsters were simply too difficult to defeat, and in the end he could only place in Phase 3 with a score of 1:23.196.

Hamilton was penalized 10 places and his pole position was not certified. The commemorative pole position tires were given to Bottas.

Originally, Hamilton was supposed to replace both the internal combustion engine and the MGU-H engine at the same time, but to avoid unnecessary risks, Mercedes only replaced Hamilton's internal combustion engine at this station, and he will start from P11 tomorrow.

Mercedes is taking a gamble; they're betting that Shu Long won't just sit back and wait to disrupt Hamilton's pit window. A driver like that will definitely be pushing forward to score points.

Moreover, Shu Long has participated in 44 Grand Prix races since entering F1, and still maintains a record of earning points as long as he finishes the race. It is likely that Shu Long himself would not want to set a precedent.

But Red Bull has already made a huge profit so far. The consequence of not wanting to face off is that Mercedes will still have to face the risk of being penalized in subsequent games.

While Red Bull was relegated to the bottom of the team, Shu Long didn't have the pressure of competing for the championship this season. Even if he faces being penalized again, the cost will be the same as Hamilton's – just one component and five positions, which is very cost-effective.

However, Mercedes may also have their own considerations.

After all, Hamilton is currently behind Verstappen in points. If this penalty causes them to fall further behind, Hamilton will be in a very passive position for the next six games.

As expected, it rained on the second day of the race. The tire strategies that the teams had laid out in Q2 of qualifying the day before were rendered useless, and all cars started on green semi-rain tires.

With the five red lights off, Hamilton had a very good start today, moving up two places to P9.
Alonso spun out at Turn 1, triggering a brief yellow flag, but it also helped Hamilton quickly regain his starting advantage.

The race resumed with the green flag within seconds, and the old man immediately turned on his TR to check with the team to confirm the positions of his opponents.

"Where is Max?!"

"He's still in P2. Valtteri has a very good start and is quickly extending his lead."

"Thank God, what about Long?"

"He's on page 14, oh wait, he's already on page 13!"

"I'm sure you're joking with me!"

"Who says it isn't? I hope it is."

Mercedes is truly fortunate that they made the right choice yesterday. If Hamilton had been penalized to start at P15, given Shu Long's momentum, even if they were ahead, they probably wouldn't have been able to stop him on the first lap.

With an unbeatable clutch time of 0.116 seconds, coupled with traction control that is completely efficient, Shu Long's starting performance in the rainy rear of the car was even more visually striking than when he was in pole position.

Even just entering the second lap, he passed Kimi and then easily overtook Giovanni, moving up to P12.
He was only three places behind Hamilton, with a time difference of less than six seconds.

(End of this chapter)