F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 198 Little Belly Little Belly
"He's right there, what should we do?"

The three of them crouched behind the crowd, peeked out to take a look at Norris who was being interviewed by the media, and then quickly crouched back down to whisper among themselves.

Reporters and cameras have gradually begun to notice their movements.

Although they gestured for them to be quiet and received a nod of agreement, Norris might discover something at any moment, so they had to act quickly.

Shu Long scratched his brow with his little finger and pondered for a moment, then quickly began to set up tactics using the dust on the ground as a starting point.

"Cial, go ahead and attract Lando's attention. When Carlos sneaks up to steal his egg, give him a look to warn him to be careful. I'll make him kiss the cake on his own!"

"Oh—you're truly amazing! No wonder you have so many clever ideas on the track. But isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to do this? We'll be unhappy if we embarrass ourselves in front of the cameras, won't we?"

Leclerc said it wasn't good, but he was actually rubbing his hands together excitedly, looking more excited than anyone else.

However, the first person to refute his hypocritical saintly heart was not Shu Long, but Sainz, who seemed to have been waiting for this day for a long time and was gritting his teeth.

"That's how it has to be done! Every time before, he'd sneak up on me in front of reporters, he'd already grabbed my crotch!"

2.5 to 0.5, objections overruled! It's settled then!

Sainz got up and started to circle around, while Shulong also picked up the cake and began to sneak around in the shadows behind the crowd. When the two were almost in position, Leclerc stood up and waved to Norris.

"I'm not sure what the new ground effect vehicles will be like next year, since I've only driven them two or three times on the simulator. Of course, they're very different from the current ones, and some things are strange. Maybe I haven't gotten used to them yet?"

"What about tomorrow's race? We all know that McLaren has made great progress in the last two years. Starting with the P5, have you thought about what kind of results you can achieve?"

What achievements do you expect from me?

"You know, this track offers countless opportunities and has already produced countless miracles, like the podium?"

what!
Norris gave a somewhat awkward laugh.

Can you reporters please be a little more realistic? Just because someone was able to drive a cheap car twice during their rookie season and force their way onto the podium doesn't mean everyone has that ability.

Who will I be competing with if I want to stand on the podium tomorrow?

Lewis Hamilton, who is vying for his eighth career title, and Max, who is vying for his first career title, do they look like pushovers that can be easily defeated?

Even if we don't focus on the top two positions, we'll at least have to compete with Bottas and Shulong for the remaining podium spot.

Although Bottas is a bit too aggressive in close combat, his lap ceiling is extremely high. If he starts in P1 tomorrow and takes the lead, he'll likely be a formidable opponent.

As for Shulong
He might be a little stubborn in public, but anyone who knows him even slightly knows what kind of abilities he has. This has even become a consensus in the racing community.

Other drivers might need to be measured by the number of championships and honors, but for Shulong Norris, there is only one adjective to describe him.

Chun Chun is a pervert!
My car isn't even as fast as Red Bull's to begin with, and you expect me to compete with it?
But saying it out loud seems to boost others' morale and diminish my own. The truth is the truth, and I'm still a little unconvinced. But I really can't bring myself to say something that goes against my conscience.
After reviewing his performance in the qualifying sprint, Norris decided to set some realistic goals for himself.

"I don't know if I can make it to the podium. My primary goal for tomorrow's race is to beat those two Ferraris. After all, there's Carlos, who starts at P4, and Charl too! He's there!"

It's true what they say about Napoleon: Waterloo is where he came from.

Norris happened to mention Leclerc's name when he saw the person in question standing not far in front of him, waving at him. He immediately felt embarrassed, as if he had been caught red-handed talking behind someone's back.

Fortunately, the person in question didn't seem to be there to confront him. After a brief greeting, his gaze seemed to focus on what was behind him, and he gestured with his hand, somewhat alarmed, as if there was something there.

what?
As the most childish person in the paddock who loves to steal peaches like a monkey, Norris has a very keen sense for people with Stands of the same type as himself. In an instant, he saw a red, sneaky figure approaching him through the dark lens of the cameraman in front of him.

Aha! Trying to ambush me?

As a virgin who could stick magazines together, Norris, with his excellent awareness of protecting his private parts, reacted very quickly and immediately activated the Shaolin Crotch-Covering Kung Fu.

He leaned forward, stuck out his butt, and tried to jump backward with his eyes closed.

Who would have thought that there was another guy, Lao Liu, squatting on the other side, holding a cake and handing it forward.

Happy birthday, Lando.

"puff--!"

Shulong's timing for his appearance was extremely precise, catching Norris just as he was leaning forward to stick out his buttocks, making it look as if Norris had slapped his own face into a cake.

Immediately afterwards, Shu Long quickly put on a look of panic and regret, as if he felt a little helpless because the carefully prepared surprise had turned into an accident, or as if he regretted that such a good piece of cake had been wasted.

Invincible!

If you don't believe me, go watch the replay; you absolutely won't find a single flaw!
"I watched the replay! You bastard!"

Norris didn't even bother to wipe his face. After blinking a few times at his eyes, which were covered in cream, he immediately asked the cameraman for a camera to see what was going on.

Such a sophisticated combo, who would believe it wasn't intentional?

However, the three people present all spoke with the same caliber.

Leclerc said he was just there to say hello, because he was going out for dinner to celebrate Norris's birthday and wanted to ask when they were leaving.

He even kindly reminded Norris to be careful not to be ambushed, so how could he say something so hurtful now?

Shu Long's reasoning was also quite valid; he simply wanted to surprise Norris ahead of time.

Don't ask why I had to sneak over while someone was being interviewed; a surprise has to be unexpected to be a real surprise!
And look at this, where is there any deliberate action of slapping cake on someone's face? It's obvious that you deliberately bumped into it.

Alright! Even if you two barely manage to get through, what about Sainz?

Sainz was even more direct; he didn't need a reason to steal the eggs because that's just how Zaunites are, that's how McLaren drivers greet each other!

Norris, Ricardo, and Sainz, who just came from McLaren, are all well-known underdogs in the paddock.
Well, Sainz's rank might be a little low, but his reasons for going along with the wrongdoing are perfectly valid!
Without giving Norris a chance to continue his tantrum, the group grabbed him by the armpits and pulled him away from the reporters. They then washed up, left work early, and went out for a meal to celebrate his birthday.

then
"How many minutes until the game starts? Is there still time for me to go to the bathroom?"

"There are four minutes left, Lando. I'm afraid you won't have time."

"Damn it! Is it too hot in the race car? Why do I feel a bit uncomfortable in my stomach? Does anyone else have an upset stomach?"

How would the team know who else had an upset stomach? We already told you not to eat anything indiscriminately in Brazil before the race.
However, the public release of TR has aroused the curiosity of many other teams. First, the teams that went out to celebrate Norris's birthday yesterday were questioned by the teams.

Then, as if a trend of caring about physical health had begun, everyone started asking their drivers in TR if they had any discomfort.

You won’t know until you ask, and you’ll be shocked when you do.

Leclerc said he started having diarrhea this morning, Sainz said he felt a little off, and even Verstappen silently raised his hand while sitting in the car.

Um.
Although he couldn't always drag Verstappen into playing those random games, he was usually quite accommodating when it came to celebrating Lando's birthday. Who would have thought he'd soften his heart so easily this once?
Russell and Gasley, who were also having dinner together yesterday, were among those experiencing some gastrointestinal discomfort.

On the contrary, Shu Long didn't feel anything. However, after being hinted at a few times by René, his stomach seemed to spasm due to tension, but it was probably just psychological.

Thank you for being physically strong!
Upon receiving the "good news" from various places, Joseph, Norris's competition engineer, was somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Go Lando, your chance to stand on the podium has come!" "Haha, oh? Thank you, William, thank you so much for thinking so highly of me!"

Anyone could hear Norris's gritted teeth, but there was no time for him to dwell on it.

The race started with 30 seconds to go, and the race command center relayed the message to each team. The crew members surrounding the cars began to evacuate in an orderly manner.

Norris could only try to adjust his sitting position slightly in the race car, trying to clench his buttocks tighter.

"If F1 cars could burn ethane, we would definitely be the fastest car today."

Led by Bottas, the cars began warming up their tires, with all drivers and teams opting for yellow tires for the start.

This even includes Bottas, who started from pole position and carried a heavy responsibility.

Judging from yesterday's sprint race, Bottas has a good chance of winning if he starts from the front row, which is also a good thing for Mercedes from a strategic point of view.

Of the points that the top ten players in each game can obtain, the difference between the first and second place is the largest.

Mercedes has now settled this score. As long as Verstappen doesn't win the championship, even if Shu Long wins, it's not impossible for Hamilton to make a comeback at the end of the season.

The requirements aren't high at all. Even if Bottas gets knocked out by Shulong at the start, as long as their second car can keep Verstappen in check, every extra bit of delay that gives Hamilton more time to catch up is a bonus.

Therefore, there was no need for such an extreme start with red tires as yesterday. What Bottas needs most today is endurance!

Five red lights lit up in succession, and the entire Mercedes-Benz stadium held its breath in a somber atmosphere led by owner Toto.

The lights went out and the race started. Not long after, the Mercedes pit lane erupted in excited cheers, as if they had already won the championship.

As a championship contender, Mercedes has always had a somewhat complicated relationship with Bottas, because he seems to possess a certain duality, both divine and demonic.

The fainting start seems to have become a stereotype of this legendary wingman in the paddock, but before Shu Long arrived, Bottas had also contributed many classic rocket starts even in Williams.

Most importantly, the current record for starting clutch reaction time is not held by Shu Long, but by Bottas.

Without a doubt, Bottas's start today was absolutely cannonball-level!

The clutch response of 0.172 is significantly lower than that of the Shulong (0.109). The problem is that Bottas, starting from P1, is on the clean racing line, so its traction at the start can be released more than that of the Shulong, which is on the dirty side.

In addition, Bottas deliberately pointed the car toward the left inner line when parking. As soon as the race started, Bottas followed Shulong's starting rhythm and began to squeeze his opponent's entry space into the corner. He never gave Shulong any room to turn into the crossroads.

There is no doubt that this was a very successful defense.

The first and second turns of the Interlagos circuit are similar to those of the first and second turns in Turkey in terms of structure and connection. The biggest difference is that the circuit is not as wide as the Istanbul Park circuit, which means that there are not as many entry lines to choose from.

Shulong, squeezed by Bottas, could only barely enter the corner by hugging the apex. If Bottas hadn't blocked him on the other side of the line, even Verstappen might have had a chance to overtake him.

However, the line gradually widened from Turn 2 to Turn 3. Bottas' main opponent today was not Red Bull's number two car. He quickly switched to the other side of the apex to keep an eye on Verstappen, giving Shulong a little breathing room.

The team was worried that Shulong's poor start might make him lose his temper and affect Verstappen's rhythm, so they quickly had Reni calm him down in the TR.

"It's okay, let's stabilize first and then look for opportunities later."

"Copy! I'll bite him!"

Shu Long actually took this result quite well.

If his monstrous starting reaction speed was a killer weapon against the entire paddock at the beginning, now that he has been competing in F1 for almost a year, many people have gradually figured out a way to deal with this kind of starting ability.

Starting ability is not something that can be invincible, and Shulong cannot always rely on a good start to gain a significant advantage.

Hamilton, Verstappen, Vettel, Bottas, and even Gasly gave Shulong a bad start when he drove Haas last year.

Slaying weaker opponents shouldn't create illusions for the audience; the two years of training in the Earth and Earth Core groups actually helped Shu Long gain a clearer understanding of himself.

At the same time on the other side.

Hamilton also performed brilliantly at the start, moving up three places to P7 right from the start.
Ricardo and Gasly were overtaken by himself, while the other was a generous gift from his fellow Englishman Norris.

Norris did indeed keep his promise made before the game yesterday. Perhaps his stomachache triggered his adrenaline, because he cleanly and decisively overtook Sainz from the outside as soon as he started.

Unexpectedly, Sainz, due to stomach pain and a bit of temper, slammed on the brakes late, causing his right rear wheel to collide head-on with Norris's left rear wheel.

The poor kid just celebrated his birthday yesterday, and now his tire has blown out on his first lap.

Not only did he almost throw up a few drops of fluid, but his mentality also completely collapsed on the spot. Joseph and Zach Brown had to talk to him for a long time before Norris finally gave up the idea of ​​withdrawing from the race and changed into a set of white tires to prepare for the long distance.

If you lose your horse, you will know no blessings.

While pitting on the first lap was incredibly unlucky, it also allowed Norris to escape the chaotic and dirty air of the car battle, giving him a safe window of at least 30 laps to maintain his tires.

McLaren's pace in this race wasn't slow, and their advantage over the back and midfield lanes was very obvious. They might even be able to retain their points qualification in the end.

Now is a crucial moment in the battle for third place in the team standings with Ferrari, and we must fight with all our might for even the smallest margin!

If the battle for third and fourth place is this fierce, then the battle for first and second place is even more intense. As the current leader in the standings, Red Bull is having a very tough time right now.

After failing to overtake at least seven times within 15 laps, Shu Long was instructed by the team to switch to tire preservation.

Mercedes' top speed is just too fast. Even with DRS, Red Bull would have a hard time getting enough top speed to pull away, and would hardly have a chance to even try to brake late.

Verstappen was also firmly confined to P3, while Hamilton, on the other hand, had quietly moved up to P4 after a series of victories.

The start of the match was quite chaotic.

Perez's front wing was destroyed by the young master, triggering a yellow flag not long after the start of the game.

Lap 11.

As the most senior members of the paddock, Kimi and Mick engaged in a battle at Turn 1 that was more than 80% similar to the one that occurred during Michael Schumacher's Mercedes era, with the final outcome being Mick losing his front wing.

Another yellow flag.

The two consecutive yellow flags disrupted the rhythm of the game, allowing Hamilton to quickly close in on Verstappen as he advanced through the ranks.

These two are the biggest rivals in the paddock right now!
The broadcast cameras didn't even care about Bottas and Shulong, who were in first and second place, focusing almost entirely on the upcoming fierce battle.

Verstappen's defense was quite tough. Hamilton, who felt that his car had an advantage, did not rush to launch an attack. Instead, he stayed in the back and let Verstappen take the initiative to go to the defensive line, thus damaging his own tires.

On lap 20, Red Bull gradually realized something was wrong and prepared to have Shulong change its strategy.

"Buddy, now's our time. Let's try to take him out!"

"Watch me, I've been prepared all along!"

(End of this chapter)