F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 209 Burned Out (Me!) 12,000 words
Shu Long started in 11th place, ahead of Alonso and Ricciardo.

Although saying this might be disrespectful to his agent, the two opponents that Shu Long first had to face in the early stages of his career had only one thing in common on the track—they were old!
Alonso is already 40 years old. Although his rich experience and superb driving skills, which are older than Shu Long's age, can make up for his performance on the track, his starting reaction is a major weakness brought about by his age.

As for Ricardo?

He's not that old, but at 32, he's certainly not considered young in today's paddock.

It's hard to say whether Ricardo is still at the peak of his career. In fact, since leaving Red Bull, he seems to have been on a downward spiral in his professional career.

Although they managed to snatch one title from Red Bull and Mercedes this year, their performance throughout the year was still very difficult, and they were almost completely overshadowed by Norris for the entire season.

It could be said that Ricciardo's frequent team changes forced him to constantly adapt to new cars, but Sainz, which was twice relegated to other teams because of him, did not seem to have the same problem, and its annual points were even comparable to Leclerc's.

In short, this veteran, who was seen off by Shulong from Red Bull, is indeed in a somewhat worrying state now.

As soon as the five red lights went out, Ricardo followed the movement of the Red Bull in the rearview mirror, seemingly intending to go head-to-head with Shulong.

Although the control over the limits of racing cars has decreased, Ricciardo's wheel-to-wheel experience is still invaluable.

The 0.279-second clutch response time seems difficult to compete with Shulong's 0.121, but Shulong's reaction speed is no longer an insurmountable first-time killer in the paddock. Skilled drivers can always find ways to overcome this challenge once they understand the game mechanics.

For example, when both cars started from the clean side of the track, Ricciardo slightly turned the front of his car towards the inside left line when he first stopped.

Knowing you have a fast reaction time, I'll just openly defend the inside, leaving the outside players with better grip and openings for you to exploit.
Of course we'll drill! Why not drill if we're going to waste our time!

To put it somewhat arrogantly, even if it were a trap, Shulong could simply ignore it.

The conditions on the track are constantly changing at the start, and all he needs to do is adapt to the situation.

But here's the problem.

The starting straight in Abu Dhabi is very wide, which usually means that there are gaps everywhere on the track that can be opened for attacking cars from behind. Under normal circumstances, Shu Long has a very high chance of gaining a position at the start of the race.

However, Turn 1 in Abu Dhabi is a high-speed right-angle turn, which means that if you want to gain a significant advantage at the start, you either need to go inside and lock your position early, or you need to go outside and get a good angle to enter the turn.

Unless there is a really good opportunity on the inside, most drivers will usually choose the second option.

Ricardo's move was essentially a concession on the board, but he used this move to limit the dragon's options to only one.

Despite seemingly suffering a slight loss, the large number of cars surging towards the outer line in front of him became Ricciardo's second wall of defense, in addition to himself.

Trying to climb the ladder?
Don't even think about it!

Unless Alonso, who starts at P10, goes easy on his drivers, Shulong's plan to quickly rise in position at the start of the season will remain just a pipe dream.

Don't ask, the answer is that McLaren is a customer team of Mercedes, and Ricciardo also aspires to a seat at Mercedes.

Or perhaps Ricciardo's choice of McLaren back then was also closely related to Mercedes' position; those who have truly tasted the highest podium cannot convince themselves to give up their desire to return to the top.

but.
Alonso certainly didn't intend to hold back. Knowing that his current starting ability couldn't compare to the freakish youngsters, he had no intention of joining the fray on the perimeter from the start.

Everyone knows that the perimeter players are fast, which leaves room for the inside players, right? Alonso is looking for opportunities that might arise in the paint at any time.

Of course, Alonso also knew that he didn't need to consider Shulong as a competitor. His primary goal at the beginning was to take down Ricardo!
Even though he was chatting and laughing with the other person yesterday and even made a temporary tattoo of the other person's headshot and stuck it on his own body, Alonso has no intention of showing any mercy.

So the old man and the young man reached a consensus without any prior discussion: to pull out their poor molars first!
Alonso was battling Ricciardo on the inside line, while Shulong started braking earlier on the outside line, giving up some of the advantage he had gained at the start, and cutting in through the gap Alonso had created for him by crossing the McLaren's rear end.

Thanks!
This backfired, turning into Ricardo's own trap. The wall formation he had just used to defend against the Dragon's Binding had become an obstacle that trapped him. Seeing this, Alonso stopped arguing with Ricardo and turned to follow the tail of the Dragon's Binding to steal his teammates' wallets.

Yes. Originally, the competitor in P8 was O'Connor.

The four high-speed corners from T1 to T4 then effectively eased the congestion, bringing the most chaotic phase of the race to a close. Shulong, who had reached P8, could only temporarily catch up with the pace and proceed slowly.

"Well done, buddy! When you have time, you could consider moving the brake ratio at Turn 6 forward to 65%, which should improve your overtaking efficiency even more."

“Copy”

After Renee finished speaking, Shulong did as he was told.

However, since everyone has slipstreams to exploit and no DRS is available, Bottas defended against Shulong's late brakes before Turn 6 very decisively.

Then there's no rush.

Bottas changed his engine again before qualifying yesterday, this time citing concerns about its reliability and opting for an older engine that had been used at the beginning of the season.

Red Bull predicts that Bottas' lap time in qualifying was reduced by at least 0.3 seconds, and he may lose even more power over a long run in polluted air, so he can be said to pose little threat.

However, the DRS area after Turn 7 is a large leftward arc, and the distance between the cars in front was not yet wide enough, which allowed Shu Long to see the scene that Red Bull definitely did not want to see at the moment.

"Why is P1 a Mercedes? What happened right at the start of the race? Did Max stay up all night playing simulators again?"

Forehead.
Verstappen has indeed recently shown a tendency to use simulators as a way to relieve stress. It seems that only by numbing himself again and again can he gain a moment of peace, often staying up until two or three in the morning.

Sleep deprivation can indeed lead to poor concentration and slow reaction time. Although the team had specifically reminded them of this, they didn't emphasize it in particular, considering that the race the next day was a night race starting at dusk.

After all, a more positive mindset for practicing driving is much better than lying in bed overthinking and unable to sleep, right?

Similarly, the team has no intention of adding any extra burden to Shulong at this time. They simply said that Hamilton benefited from cornering, but did not explain in detail how Verstappen lost his position.

Anyway, don't think about anything else. The most important thing right now is to seize the time to improve your position.

Overtaking was indeed difficult in the first few laps, especially with everyone having DRS. Even if Red Bull was fast, it wasn't easy for them to break through the train formation.

However, Abu Dhabi's new layout with its many high-speed curves has also brought a new problem: most cars find it difficult to stay close to the exhaust of the car in front for long in polluted air.

So around lap 7, apart from Verstappen and Hamilton who had gradually pulled away from the front, the distance between Sainz in P3 and Bottas in P7 was about 1.2 seconds, and it was gradually increasing.

As for Alpine, the leader of the Earth group at the back, he didn't even have the right to sit at the table. In just 6 laps, Alonso was almost 4 seconds behind.

There's no need to feel embarrassed; as the gaps between the vehicles are gradually widened, it's also a signal that the hunt for the dragons is about to begin.

Once Shu Long officially started to improve his lap pace, everyone quickly realized that there were only three cars that could truly compete in this race, and the others were just about equal in skill.

Verstappen's ability to pull away from Sainz by more than a second per lap already demonstrates this point. Shulong's pace may be somewhat slowed down by the car in front, but he can still maintain a lap closing efficiency of 0.8 seconds.

Bottas was quite tenacious and made it to lap 9.

The main reason was that after learning about the battle situation ahead, Shulong slightly changed his mind and did not adopt the aggressive braking plan that René had just given him, intending to protect his tires a little.

Therefore, there was no intention to engage in a fierce battle with Bottas, and they simply took advantage of two consecutive DRS periods to smoothly pass by.

On lap 10, he used his position to get closer to Perez, and on lap 11, he finally caught up with Lape.

Then Shu Long was surprised to find that the opponent had no intention of defending him at all, and even seemed to deliberately drag him down for two DRS, just like the car pull in yesterday's qualifying race, letting Shu Long go forward before turn 9.

So kind?

That's a question for Horner.

Verstappen wasn't the only one who was so nervous yesterday that he almost looked deformed. Even when Horner was delivering his best pre-battle mobilization speech, his facial expression was so stiff that it was completely unnatural.

Under the leadership of this founding father, the Red Bull system often exhibits a special cohesion, but this cannot conceal the cruel nature of Red Bull's internal focus on performance and ability.

To gain more control over the team, the first step is to ensure that the team has impressive results.

In the years following Vettel's departure when Red Bull was thoroughly outplayed by Mercedes, there were numerous rumors circulating in the paddock that Red Bull intended to get rid of Horner. Now, if the championship opportunity slips away, Horner, as the person in charge, will likely bear some responsibility.

So even though Horner was so nervous during dinner last night that he awkwardly chatted with the drivers, he was still faithfully fulfilling his duties as team leader.

People who can build a skyscraper from scratch are likely to have a well-thought-out purpose behind every step they take at this stage, rather than simply trying to "build relationships".

Holding up signs that read "Red Bull and Big Red Bull are one family," everyone gathered for a meal, creating a sense of belonging and identification with the team in a slightly tipsy atmosphere.

At the same time, they lowered their stance, used slightly vulgar jokes to quickly close the distance between them, and began to intentionally or unintentionally shift the focus of the conversation to Perez.

Humans are creatures that are always swayed by emotions. Perez was completely taken in by Horner in that atmosphere and agreed to cooperate with Red Bull's tactics today without really thinking about it.

Not only did it not generate much resentment, but it even unconsciously created a kind of dedication impulse similar to that of a "convert".

It's strange, but that's what Horner is good at as a team leader. Outsiders usually describe him as "charismatic," but Shu Long thinks that Horner is somewhat wasting his talents by developing a racing team. He should develop a religious sect instead.

Of course, none of this has much to do with Shu Long. He was already exhausted by Red Bull a couple of years ago and now has extremely high mental resistance.

On lap 14, Verstappen, who was already about 3 seconds behind Hamilton, turned on his TR again, anxiously urging the team to cooperate with him to complete the first stop.

However, based on feedback from Shulong, GP ultimately gave a negative answer.

"Why?! My tires' grip is like a pile of shit! Why are we just sitting here waiting to die in a race car that's getting slower and slower?"

“It’s not time for Max yet. Long is trying to find a pit stop window for you. Also, he asked me to tell you that it’s not that the tires don’t have grip, it’s that you don’t have the patience to let the tires find grip.”

"How did he know what was going on here? There's that damn dirty air in front of me!"

“Long faced even worse air pollution than Max, but his lap times on red tires are now almost the same as yours, which is what I’m trying to say. Sensor data shows that you have signs of tire overload in several corners.”

"Okay, what places are there?"

The team would much rather see Verstappen regain his composure than improve his position here in Shulong.

During those dozen or so laps, Verstappen was in a very chaotic state. His driving rhythm was completely messed up, and almost every time he pressed the accelerator, the tires spun excessively.

Disadvantages accumulate, and it's no wonder that the tires' grip feels worse and worse.

If we really have to talk about a window, we can actually get in now.

Verstappen is now 14 seconds ahead of Sainz, followed by Norris who is 3 seconds behind, and then Leclerc who is 2 seconds behind. Oh, now it's Shulong.

A normal entry into the Abu Dhabi pit takes about 23 seconds, and with this entry, Verstappen has more than 4 seconds of space to advance, or even more.

Yesterday, quite a few cars started Q2 with yellow tires for laps, but few were able to achieve significant speed. Many only managed to advance by switching to red tires in the final stages.

In fact, not many of the drivers who started in the top ten today used yellow tires. Only Verstappen, Perez, and the two Mercedes cars started. Even Alonso, who was eliminated at P11 yesterday and moved up to P10 today, chose to start on white tires.

In other words, both Ferrari drivers and Norris actually started the race on red tires.

Once they enter the station and Shulong follows suit, it means Verstappen can get nearly 30 seconds of clean air, making it the perfect choice for implementing an undercut tactic.

But as we all know, what's the problem? If you're a race car that starts with yellow tires, what's the point of running it on the same Stint specifications as one with red tires?
That's a 3-second difference. How confident are you that you'll get undercut when you pit? If you fail, you'll just be putting yourself at a disadvantage in terms of tires later on.

Shu Long was pleased to see that Verstappen seemed to have regained the courage to take a gamble, but courage without reason is nothing more than recklessness.

However, his tires, which have already completed 18 laps including qualifying, are now on the verge of reaching the theoretical limit after a long chase.

After overtaking Leclerc, Shulong didn't rush to catch up. Instead, he gradually slowed down his pace, giving Leclerc, who was behind him, a vague sense of opportunity.

"Simon, my tire's about to burst! How about we consider Plan A?"

Reni subconsciously responded and was about to coordinate with the Verstappen crew to synchronize the entry of the two cars into the station, but was stopped by Will Courtney, the strategy director next to him.

Think it through!

Isn't Plan A the strategy used by the first Stint to pit after 20 laps? What does it have to do with the tires almost dying?
Plan B was the one-stop tactic for entering the station early, and later they even arranged the more extreme Plan C with two stops (red, white, and yellow). Isn't this brat obviously trying to commit telecom fraud?

Red Bull's strategy team wasn't going to be idle either; they quickly connected with Shu Long on a telepathic level, pretending to repeat "Box!" a few times in the TR.

Besides Ferrari and Norris's teams keeping an eye on Red Bull's conversation, Hamilton was also on the other side.

Ferrari and Norris were unwilling to give Shulong an undercut. Although they knew Red Bull was fast, they would be unhappy if they let someone pass them by without a chance to "compete" on the track.

Mercedes is paying attention to Shulong because his current position is somewhat awkward, not too early and not too late, just right near the old man's entrance window.

In other words, if Shulong really chooses to enter the station, then the plug stuck in Mercedes' throat is essentially removed by itself.

However, Hamilton meant that he didn't need to pay much attention to it. After all, there was still a strategic gap between him and Shulong, like the difference between a yellow tire and a red tire. Sooner or later, Shulong would give up his position to him. He mainly wanted to keep an eye on Verstappen's movements.

If you follow Shulong's lead and enter the station now, you'll most likely fall into Red Bull's trap.

The old man wasn't fooled, but many others were; or rather, the old man fell for another kind of trick.
On lap 17, McLaren was tricked into pitting by Norris due to Red Bull's repeated "Box!" chants. Sainz, who was still leading by 6 seconds, decided to wait and see Shulong's lap time after exiting the pits before deciding whether to pit.

Getting to Leclerc would take some effort. Shulong feinted at the entrance of the repair area, and only jumped out when he saw that Locke had been fooled.

"Oh, man!"

Leclerc was initially furious at this bastard's emotional fraud, but after thinking about it, she couldn't help but chuckle.

What speed is Ferrari at this year? What speed is Red Bull at?

Do you really need to play mind games with us? Is that really necessary?
Harvey said "It's OK!" to Leclerc several times in the TR. Entering the station at this time might not be a bad thing. Maybe they could try to undercut the dragon.

With red tires that have already covered 20 laps, how fast can you go?
However, Shulong didn't care about the so-called undercut at all; it was just about bouncing around a few more times after the first pit stop.

His brand-new engine only needs to serve this final race. The output power set before the race was set to be huge. As long as the engine doesn't overheat for a long time, he can push it to its limits in this race.

“Go ask Max for his opinion. You can let him in now. Also, keep an eye on the gap between me and Lewis, and compare our speeds in each time slot.”

"Currently, the gap is 21.7 seconds, and you are 0.4 seconds slower than him on a single lap. If there is any leeway, you can speed up a bit."

"Aye! Let Max push with all his might!"

Just four body lengths away from Pit Wall and Reni, Lambias was also simultaneously following up on his communication with Verstappen.

"Despite the twenty-second difference, Long is currently engaged in a war of words with Hamilton. Do what you need to do, Max."

"Yes! Please tell him thank you for me!"

"I suggest you talk to him in person after the race. Also, we don't have much time. Long's red tires are almost at their limit."

This is the advantage of Glory having two against one: Red Bull can begin to make orderly arrangements, but Mercedes has a real headache.

Entering the station will be blocked by the dragon, and it will be a real two-on-one situation when Verstappen catches up.

If you don't make it to the pits, you can only try to run at full speed on the yellow tires until the Red Bull No. 2 car's tires can't hold on any longer, or until you can make it to the pits.

But how fast can a yellow tire with a total mileage of 21 laps on heavy oil go?
Shu Long and Hamilton battled for lap times for three laps, and finally on lap 21, Shu Long made an emergency pit stop, tricking Hamilton into staying on the track for another lap.

He simply couldn't hold on any longer. His lead went from 0.3 to 0.57 in a single lap, and there was little point in continuing to push through.

Meanwhile, Verstappen, with a lap time of 1:28.1, successfully squeezed into the range within one second behind Hamilton, finally regaining the position that should have been his at the start of the race while Hamilton's tires were still warming up.

However, his good fortune was short-lived. After extending his lead to 2.7 seconds on lap 25, Verstappen was no longer able to maintain the lead over the cars behind him and was even gradually worn down by Hamilton.

His engine is really too old. It has been in use ever since the "overpowering the seven-time champion" accident in Monza. In addition, he also ran an extra sprint race, with a total mileage of nearly 3300 kilometers.

To avoid reliability issues during the race, Red Bull opted for a lower-power engine output mode before qualifying, just to be on the safe side.

Compared to Hamilton's original, more powerful engine, which only had a range of less than 750 kilometers, it could be said to have no competitive advantage whatsoever.

Finally, on lap 32, Hamilton, who had caught up, returned to the lead.

With two-stage DRS and an absolutely unbeatable rocket engine, it's that easy to dominate straightaways.

However, Verstappen is not one to resign himself to fate.

When the lap time difference between the two players reached 0.5 seconds, he began to contact the team to try to determine whether the tire advantage from the two stops could make up for the loss caused by this power difference.

The answer is that it is indeed possible, but the probability is not very high.

Hamilton's white tires were not brand new; there were several red flags during practice, resulting in wear on both of Hamilton's white tire allocations.

However, because Hamilton changed tires late, even if he went all the way, the total mileage would only be 33 laps. Combined with the decrease in fuel, he might not have much of a lap time disadvantage.

However, Red Bull had no choice. Verstappen himself felt that he would rather make a mistake than do nothing, otherwise, even if he stayed on the track, the outcome would not change.

As if they had heard Verstappen's thoughts, Red Bull's opportunity had arrived.

Kimi seems to encounter some kind of mishap in every final race before leaving the team. On lap 25, he happily retired early due to a brake system failure.

Following in the footsteps of Raito, Arro's Giovinazzi also suffered an unfortunate incident, experiencing a gear failure on lap 33 and being asked by the team to find a place to stop and retire from the race.

With a yellow flag triggered by a virtual safety car, what could be a better opportunity?
He entered the station, changed into white, and came out just in front of Shu Long, only 18 seconds behind Hamilton.

With 22 laps left in the race, and Verstappen's tires being 14 laps newer than Hamilton's, his chances of a comeback in the final moments depend on this move!

However.
Even with a brand new set of white tires, Hamilton, who only pitted on lap 22, still had limited advantages. With full throttle, Hamilton could only be 0.7 seconds faster per lap than Hamilton, which was simply not enough to bridge the 18-second gap.

The race dragged on aimlessly until lap 50, with Verstappen still 10 seconds behind Hamilton ahead.

The drivers, the teams, and even the commentators were all affected. With only eight laps left in the race, no one could see any hope of winning.

Even Red Bull is starting to doubt whether it made the wrong decision.
It was precisely because they initially had a points lead over Hamilton that they hesitated to let Verstappen accept the engine replacement penalty. On the contrary, Hamilton, who were behind in points, went all out and are now in control.

It was precisely because Red Bull dared not let Verstappen take a gamble and risk being penalized that they chose to have Shulong change engines to find an opportunity. Now it seems that if Shulong had been allowed to conserve its strength, it wouldn't be in such a passive position now.

It seems not.

After all, the previous accident meant that Shulong would be penalized and driven back due to the excessive transmission. It seems that replacing the engine would be the least damaging option.

After successfully gambled on Hamilton's retirement penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Red Bull seems to have fallen into a dead end where it has driven itself to its demise.

"It seems there's no other way. Eight titles is still a remarkable achievement, and I feel we can already congratulate Hammir in advance."

"Ouch!!! Wait a minute!"

"Someone's hit me! Latifi!"

On lap 53, when everyone had completely lost hope of Red Bull winning, a Williams car parked at the exit of Turn 14 lit up a ray of dawn.

Yellow flag!

"Long, watch out for the yellow flag! Latifi crashed at the exit of Turn 14 and is now blocking the track. Be careful!"

At this point, Shulong was still at Turn 9, and with the yellow flag slowing down, there was still a considerable distance to go before Turn 14.

He ignored all the other random things and quickly picked up a few keywords: "Turn 14" and "sideways on the track".

A very immature idea popped into his mind, but he didn't have time to think it through properly, so he just added a sentence, pretending the signal was bad:
"where?!"

Ignoring René's repeated emphasis on Turn 14, Shu Long took advantage of the slow cruise to find a large roadside screen and quickly glanced at the rankings and time differences of each driver. He also noticed the Williams car lying across the track and Latifi, who had already stood up and jumped off the car.

The appearance of a yellow flag usually indicates a chance for the car behind to turn the tide, but the location of this collision is quite awkward!

The collision at Turn 14 means that the debris on the track may not be cleared in the remaining 5 laps. The safety car might carry the car to the end, which would be a real disaster!

The dynamic vision and photographic memory that are theoretically at the peak of human capabilities allowed Shu Long to remember almost every detail of the scene he had just witnessed.

If I'm not mistaken, the collision occurred at a section of all-metal guardrail, and the barrier itself didn't show any obvious damage, which doesn't seem to meet the conditions for the race organizers to issue a red flag.

However, meeting the conditions for displaying a red flag is not limited to just a damaged retaining wall, right?

Lost in thought, we had unknowingly arrived at Turn 11. Suddenly, Shu Long activated the TR and hurriedly shouted in a muffled accent:
"Where did he hit?!"

Even Red Bull didn't expect Shulong to pull this stunt. They had mentioned Turn 14 several times, and when they heard nothing, they thought Shulong had heard them clearly!
However, Red Bull's electric microphone TR is notorious in the paddock, and sometimes the "click-clack" noise can be quite loud and difficult to hear.

"At number 14."

"Fxck! Jesus! What's he doing here?! Why isn't he showing his red flag? I have a flat tire!"

What?
Renee's mind went blank for a moment.

Then, all that could be heard was Shu Long cursing angrily in the TR, before asking with lingering fear, "Is the driver still in the car? How is he?"

"He's fine; he already left the race. What did you say happened to you?"

"I got a flat tire! And the front wing came off too! That car was completely blocking the road, and there were pieces of debris everywhere!"

The camera finally focused on the pitiful Shulong, whose front wing was nowhere to be seen and whose right front tire was also missing. He was slowly driving back, leaving a trail of sparks in his wake.

Then look at the Williams that was originally lying on the side of the road. Now it has been swept into the middle of the road by an unknown force, leaving almost no passage for driving. The already scattered carbon fiber pieces are now scattered everywhere.

At the same time, a slow-motion replay showed the cause of this secondary accident.

Shu Long first adjusted the cruise control settings on the steering wheel, and after passing Turn 11, he suddenly seemed to remember something and asked about the location of the accident.

Turns 11 through 14 form a series of very tight corners, with buildings blocking the way and the guardrails very close to the track, giving it a street racing feel.

When a driver is going through a corner, he cannot see what is happening in the next corner; each corner is essentially a blind corner.

The built-in camera on the helmet clearly shows that the horizontal race car suddenly appeared in his line of sight after he turned 14, and he shuddered as if he was startled.

While still fiddling with the knobs, his left hand hurriedly gripped the steering wheel. An ill-coordinated throttle input caused the race car to drift uncontrollably, requiring a sudden counter-attack to finally bring the car back to a stop.

However, by then a collision was unavoidable, and Shulong crashed headfirst into the rear side of Williams' race car.

Generally, to make it easier for Matthew to clean the race car, the driver will shift to neutral, release the brake, and press the MAR switch to cut off the engine and the entire MGU-K high-voltage system before leaving.

This way, the tires won't lock up, and if the damage isn't too severe, the vehicle can be pushed away manually.

So remembering to engage the handbrake after getting out of the car is a good habit. With that collision from Shulong, the poor Williams' loose tires sent it straight to the middle of the road.

Our culprit had no choice but to shift into reverse and exit from the other car, leaving its shattered front wing behind. It carefully slipped through a crack, its tires punctured by either its own or the other car's carbon fiber fragments, blocking a large number of race cars behind it.

This is a mess that can't be solved by ordinary yellow flags and safety cars. Even the safety cars have to get stuck here and slowly move forward.

The main event steward, Massey, who had been hesitant about whether the ruling would affect the course of the competition, no longer hesitated and decisively decided to stop the competition with a red flag.

This is really
Very good!
I really don't know what to say. In front of the pit wall outside the Red Bull pit room, from Renée to Courtney, and then to Newey, Whitley and Horner, they exchanged some indescribable glances and expressions.

The accident looked quite realistic, and the entire collision process seemed to be understandable.

But based on their understanding of the dragon-binding ability, do you think you can be so easily frightened by something so trivial?
Fortunately, a red flag was introduced, and everyone, including Shu Long, received a free opportunity to repair the race car and change its tires.

Although they cannot be sure that the final result will be what they want to see, compared to the desperate 10-second gap at the beginning, Shulong has undoubtedly given them hope to start over.

Hamilton remains in P1, wearing a semi-new red suit that he used to set lap times in Q3. Verstappen is in the exact same situation.

Because there is a set of red tires that can only be used by Q3 drivers, apart from those who focused on long distances in the Shulong practice session and only did one flying lap in Q3, currently only Alonso, who did not make it into Q3, has the new red tires available among the top ten drivers on the track.

The red flag will remain in place for 15 minutes, after which the race will restart on lap 54. They will then have five more laps to fight for their respective championships.

Shulong inadvertently did the event organizers a huge favor, creating the biggest suspense for this year's competition.

However, considering that this guy was the one who caused the chaos, although Massi wanted to hug and kiss Shulong right now, he still symbolically gave him a 5-second penalty for unsafe driving under the yellow flag, which was a fair and moderate explanation to Mercedes.

Unfortunately, Hamilton was far from happy; Ferrari and Sainz were the happiest about the punishment.

In a five-lap race, just imagine how much faster Shulong would have to be to avoid being penalized behind Sainz? Regardless of how those three teams in front ultimately fared, Ferrari has practically gotten a P3 for free.

With three minutes to go before the race restarted, Horner put his arm around the two drivers' shoulders and stood in front of their cars before they put their helmets back on and got back into their cars.

"This is your last chance, don't you have anything to say?"

Shu Long shrugged. He had indeed imagined how the final match would unfold, but the only conclusion he could reach was to mind his own business.

According to the conditions Horner gave him before the match, even if the match ended in P3, his points and bonuses would still be calculated as if he were the champion.

Perhaps he didn't want to see regrets, or perhaps he also had some expectations of ending his season with the championship.

You could say he acted on impulse, making that decision in the blink of an eye during those three short turns, after a brainstorming session.

"Perhaps it's a little unfair to Lewis, but isn't this the best possible outcome?"

"Yes. So, Max?"

Verstappen paused as he was about to put on the fireproof hood, his lips moving but he didn't say anything. Horner was somewhat helpless but had no intention of forcing him.

However, just as Shu Long finished preparing his equipment and got into the race car, busy fastening his seatbelt, Horner was about to finish what he hadn't said earlier when he noticed that Verstappen, who was also wearing a helmet, had somehow ended up standing next to Shu Long's race car.

"Although I always want to say that as drivers we can only fight for ourselves, and in fact I have only fought for myself in the six years I have been in F1, I am also thanks to the efforts of the team to achieve what I have today."

"so?"

"So when I realized I wasn't strong enough, perhaps today I have to rely on the strength of the team."

I never thought I'd need to wear a helmet to have the courage to ask for help. Could this be interpreted as some people appearing to be wearing a mask, but in reality, they've removed the mask of feigned toughness?

Shu Long shook his head with a somewhat amused smile and offered one of his hands to Verstappen.

"Let's win this fxcking race!"

Verstappen finally laughed a few times as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Without further hesitation, the strength he conveyed when he grasped that hand was filled with unwavering determination.

"Let's win this fxcking race!"

"Oh, by the way, stick close to me later!"

"Keep up with you? But you're behind me. Ah! I won't make the same mistake twice!"

Ah, yes, yes!

Ignoring Vestager's muttered complaints, Shu Long simply gave him a "salute" salute, then snapped his goggles shut, hiding his teasing gaze behind the reflective protective film.

"Okay! The race starts in 1 minute. The safety car will lead you through a lap to warm up the tires. We will start in P3."

"I'd love to give you a positive response, but you're ruining the mood by speaking now, Simon."

"Sorry"

Horner covered his face and laughed a few times, then took out a 5-pound note from his pocket and handed it over.

"Don't be sad, let them enjoy this last game."

"Only five pieces? You clearly have such a large estate!"

Horner rolled his eyes in annoyance.

What, you want to stay at my house?
Regardless of the final outcome, everything that could be done has been done, and the entire Red Bull team seems to be showing a slight sense of relief.

The five red lights lit up one by one again, and even the roar of the engine seemed to carry a sense of destiny.

"It's lights out and away we go!"

"Hamilton's start was still solid! The series of unexpected events could not break the steely will of this seven-time world champion!"

"Verstappen had a great start, but it didn't seem to give him a significant advantage to overtake!"

"Shu still showed his magical starting ability! We might thank him for giving this game a legendary farewell, but why did he choose to attack his own teammate first?"

"Oh no! He's trying to attack both of them at the same time. Will Hamilton choose to defend? He won't!"

"As the man with the most dazzling honors on the field right now, Lewis Hamilton clearly knows what he should be doing! He knows that he only needs to beat Verstappen!"

Just as Hamilton abandoned defending Shu Long at Turn 1 and instead went inside to shut down Verstappen, Shu Long also abandoned his offensive moves against Liu Laohan.

With a five-second penalty on his hands, he can only pose the greatest threat by staying behind Hamilton, rather than helping the opponent pull the DRS train to defend his own teammate.

But as I said before:

"Keep Max close to me!"

He said 'cheeky bastard'!

"anything else?"

"And 'Thank you!' and 'Fxck off!'"

haha~
Having practiced with a tow truck in Q3 of qualifying, Shulong and Verstappen already had a tacit understanding of the slipstream tactic on this track.

The two followed each other almost head-to-head, taking full advantage of Hamilton's slipstream, and made a spin attempt before Turn 1.

Without any prior communication, as soon as Shu Long made a slight move to the outside, Verstappen immediately followed up by moving inside to try and stop late.

No way
Hamilton knows exactly how to defend here, especially after being squeezed out by Verstappen's late braking on the inside on the first lap. He only needs to sacrifice a little cornering angle and go to the center line to completely block both cars' opportunities.

Verstappen's entry angle into the corner was extremely uncomfortable, and after Turn 7, Shulong, who had a more efficient exit, climbed up again.

They don't interfere with each other.

Then came another round of slipstream following the car, followed by a second phase of low-drag acceleration in the DRS zone. This time, Shu Long opted for an inside turn before Turn 9, giving his teammate the outside line where he could maintain higher cornering speed.

But Hamilton was frighteningly calm, completely ignoring Shu Long's intentions, and went around blocking Verstappen's line on his own.

"No, we'll never get past them like this!"

"Don't rush! Wait for DRS, and remember to pay attention to my movements."

The two Red Bull engineers used their race engineers as a relay station, openly communicating remotely to protect the tires and build up battery power before delivering a decisive blow at the crucial moment!

Hamilton's thinking was clear, straightforward, and very simple.

If Abu Dhabi retains the same layout as last year, with each DRS followed by a very tricky and narrow low-speed Chicane bend, then the old man might really be able to block it out single-handedly.

However, Abu Dhabi made significant changes to its strategy this year, and with a two-on-one advantage, Shu Long was confident that Hamilton would be unable to stop him.

Just as the old racetracks will eventually fade into history, a new era will always arrive.

It's time for the senior to step down!
On lap 56, DRS finally arrived. Shu Long tried the same trick again before turn 6, but this time Hamilton didn't move, and Verstappen, who knew there was no chance to overtake, also didn't move.

It looked like there was a problem with the two's coordination, but it also inadvertently lowered Hamilton's guard.

During a race, drivers can't really communicate in real time. Just like in table tennis, two people often can't beat one person. If they can't coordinate well with each other, even a one-on-two situation might be easier to handle than a one-on-one duel.

The difference is that this car has DRS, and the new power unit of the Dragon doesn't necessarily mean that its engine power is weaker than Hamilton's.

This round might be hard to defend, but as mentioned earlier, sometimes it's easier to fight one against two than two against one. Hamilton is prepared to strategically let the dragon pass and use the opponent's tail to focus on dealing with Verstappen behind him.

This time, Shulong didn't hold back any longer and decisively pushed forward before Turn 9, using the same inside-out maneuver.

Just like in the previous round of offense and defense, Verstappen also followed up with a three-pointer, and Hamilton also kept a close eye on the Red Bull's No. 1 car's movements.

But Turn 9 is so wide that there are just too many routes to choose from.

After climbing the inside line, Shu Long chose a wider arc and cut diagonally in front of Hamilton, effectively blocking the old man's cornering line.

On the other side, Verstappen knew he would be heavily guarded on the outside. After pulling up, he had a sudden inspiration and, almost inexplicably, braked early, using the space created by Shu Long to cut straight into the inside cross line.

"Charge! I'll take care of him!"

Unfortunately, the TR from Shulong didn't get a human reply; the noise from the other end of the headset sounded like the monkey enclosure at the zoo I visited as a child.

"Yeeeees! Yes!"

"Well done, Max! Take him down!"

Forget about whether or not to open the champagne beforehand; the Red Bull pit room has now become a sea of ​​jubilation.

Although there were still two laps left in the race, almost all the mechanics rushed out and crowded around the wire fence beside the track, cheering wildly for the two Red Bulls that roared past one after the other.

Verstappen's car dealership isn't low either, but he's used to being aggressive on the track, and everyone is afraid of crashing into him, so they subconsciously give way to him, which has led to this most savage yet most efficient overtaking habit.

But the battles with Shu Long in the second half of the season seemed to activate his brain, and after weighing the options, he always made a smarter choice.

Two laps of the race can feel long, yet they seem to have passed in the blink of an eye.

Starting at dusk and ending under the night sky, the black and white checkered flag waved amidst the dazzling fireworks that brought the 21st season to a close in a fleeting moment of glory.

Horner's pent-up emotions seemed unable to be fully released even with shouting, leaving him looking completely red-faced and visibly frustrated.

He turned to face the camera, pumped his fists, and shouted out the praise he would give to every world champion on the team.

"Max Verstappen! You are the world champion! The world champion!"

Shu Long, who was connected to the public channel, felt his head buzzing. Just as he was about to ask why he wasn't included, he heard a sob that sounded like Horner's voice, indicating an immediate loss of control.

This is ridiculous. If you don't want to pay, you could at least say something nice about us.
"Long!"

"Ok?"

"You are definitely a legend!"

(End of this chapter)