F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 220 Crotch Battle

Mercedes has its own tricks, and Red Bull is certainly not unprepared either.

In fact, it wasn't until the third day of the second round of testing, an hour after the start of the test, that Red Bull finally unveiled their upgraded sidepods, which could improve the car's aerodynamic performance to some extent and improve the overall weight distribution of the car.

The most direct benefit of this is that Red Bull can now slightly raise the rear of the race car off the ground, which indirectly alleviates the problem of the car jumping like a dolphin.

Of course, it hasn't been completely solved. In fact, it seems that Ferrari has done the best job of solving the dolphin jump problem so far.

The three elite racing teams – Mercedes, Ferrari, and Bull – have completely different understandings of sidepods this year.

Red Bull uses a longer undercut to make the overall structure closer to a suspended structure, and the double sliding edges are also very novel.

The narrow downward sliding surface at the front end induces the airflow to wash downwards, while also protecting the airflow at the edge of the side box and trying to prevent airflow stripping from occurring here.

Mercedes goes without saying; this year they were definitely the most extreme team, almost making the sidepod structure semi-invisible on their cars.

Ferrari, on the other hand, went to the opposite extreme from Mercedes. They created a rather large side case, but based on the dynamic analysis of Ferrari's performance on the track, their robust trapezius side case seems to have excellent aerodynamic efficiency.

The side cases also have a groove on the top and bottom to guide airflow upwards, ensuring that the rear wing has more clean airflow, and ensuring that the rear of the race car has a sufficiently stable high downforce foundation while minimizing drag.

As a result, Ferrari's lap times were consistently fast and stable for several days in a row, while Mercedes struggled considerably in comparison.

Hamilton has been complaining about excessive oversteer in the car, but it's not the kind of oversteer that Red Bull has set up for sensitive front-end steering; it's purely that the rear-end stability of the car is very poor.

The most common problem in the paddock right now is that the front of the car lacks downforce, especially in Turn 10 when braking while turning, which makes it very easy for the inside tires to lock up.

At the same time, their dolphin-like jumping phenomenon was extremely serious, and the old man was so shaken that he kept groaning "ouch, ouch" all day long on TR.

Of course, this isn't the first or second time the old man has complained about how bad the car was during preseason testing.

In the first two years after Shu Long entered F1, every year during winter testing, the old man would envy Ferrari's cars, but as soon as the season started, Mercedes dominated.

Especially in the first year of a brand-new rule system, no one wants other companies to figure out their secrets. It's common for them to release smokescreens and such, which can be taken as nonsense.

Even Red Bull and his team, Shu Long, sat in the car every day complaining that this wasn't right and that wasn't right.

The only problem that can't be hidden is that the Mercedes-Benz dolphin jump phenomenon is really bad.

However, this problem does not have a significant impact on the performance of the race car. In other words, as long as the driver can withstand the impact and the bumps do not affect the precision of the operation, it can be completely compensated for by the driver's skill.

In other words, Hamilton might have a painful drive, but he might not necessarily be slow.

As for whether each team is truly not competitive this year, only they themselves know the truth, but judging from their position on the lap time leaderboard, Red Bull's performance these past few days has indeed been so-so.

There are many reasons. Hiding is one aspect, and another is that the team had repeatedly instructed the two of them to be careful.

The situation of being hit by a crane during a winter test due to an accident is quite terrible.

Williams was lifted by a crane once because his engine caught fire, and Bottas' Alfa Romeo also suffered a mechanical failure and was lifted again. The entire Venturi tunnel layout of the floor was clearly seen by the Sharingan of the paddock.

However, the cars of these two teams are generally not very fast, so it's unlikely that anyone would be so foolish as to voluntarily downgrade their own car.

Other companies, like McLaren, which saw a significant upward trend last year, fall into the category that we need to be wary of.

McLaren also had a rough start to the year. Ricardo tested positive for COVID-19 and is now in isolation. Norris completed all three days of testing by himself.

However, they also experienced frequent mechanical failures. On the second day of testing, Norris encountered a brake problem and had to stop on the side of the track. McLaren was afraid that their team would also be dealt with by the crane, so they specifically instructed Norris to push the car to a safe place after getting out of the car.

Shu Long, who was in charge of the second day's testing, also witnessed this scene. The poor little orange guy was already exhausted from taking on two days of testing tasks and was almost foaming at the mouth. Now that the car had broken down, he had to huff and puff as a human-powered rickshaw driver.
Tragic, Norris, tragic.

Of course, Shu Long had no time to sympathize with others. What he said did contain some truth and falsehood, but Red Bull does have quite a few problems now that it's open.

The main reason is that they have just transitioned from aero-powered vehicles to ground-effect vehicles, and the products from the first year of the new regulations are naturally not as mature as aero-powered vehicles that have been developed for many years.

From the driving experience to the lap times on every corner, the current car doesn't feel as good to drive as the 2020 Haas.

Especially for Shu Long, whose time perception can be measured in milliseconds and who has a photographic memory that allows him to remember the specific driving experience of every race car on every track, this broken car is now as slow as a snail in his brain's database!
It's so slow!
To ensure the overall performance of the race car in corners, he had to make many compromises in his driving style; many of the small details that used to push the limits of the race car are no longer applicable.

So although many of his complaints in TR were smokescreens deliberately put out according to the team's instructions, many of them were indeed genuine expressions of his feelings.

Shitbox!

The good thing is that everyone is still exploring the new rules. What Shulong needs to do is not to compare itself with its past self, but to be faster than its competitors.

But can it really be faster?
Previously, Shu Long had been following the team's instructions to conduct segmented advancement attempts on the track based on the A, B, C, and other bends grouped according to the plan made at the meeting.

就比如在巴林这条赛道上，A组推进就是在1、2、10、11、13这几个弯道部分全力push，其他地方就收着点开。

The same principle applies to Group B. The teams randomly divided all 14 corners of the track into several sets to test the limits of the cars without revealing their specific competitive advantages.

Based on the track lap time model created by the engineering team, Red Bull's overall competitiveness this year should still be in the top tier. It's just unclear whether they or Ferrari have a higher ceiling.

After all, Ferrari is definitely hiding something too. Although Mercedes' data model has collapsed, we'll still include them in the top tier just to be on the safe side.

Those in the know understand their own situation. Last year, Red Bull invested too many resources in its bid for the annual championship, and this year's car is, in reality, a half-finished product.

The race car was too heavy, by more than 20 kilograms, which, optimistically speaking, slowed down the lap time by at least 0.2 seconds.

Unfortunately, at this stage of the race, the teams are engaged in an intelligence war. Even though Shu Long was itching to push the car to its limits, it was really difficult to reach the car's limits when faced with extra weight and fuel.

By the end of the third day of testing, Shulong's best lap time was only ninth.

Then he turned around and saw that Verstappen had inexplicably switched to a set of C5 soft tires in the afternoon, which directly pushed his fastest lap time in the three days of practice to 1:31.720.
He was 0.695 seconds ahead of Leclerc in second place, but Leclerc's best time was achieved on C4 red tires, so comparisons under different conditions are almost meaningless.

Shu Long wasn't concerned about not being at the top of the test rankings; what bothered him more was the team's leniency towards Verstappen.

So after the second round of testing was completely stopped, Shu Long simply stood there with his hands on the Pit Wall. Almost everyone in the Red Bull camp who had any influence in the game was there.

"Then what's the deal with the rejection I got after asking all morning?"

"Sorry, buddy, this is Max's insistence, and we can't persuade him otherwise."

"So you mean I'm too easy to talk to, right?"

René looked at Horner, Horner looked at Whitley, and then Whitley glared back at Horner.

Fine.

Some things are just a matter of habit. We've always been used to pampering Verstappen, so if he makes any reasonable requests, we usually just go along with them.

Regardless of whether the team was deliberately treating them differently, Shu Long didn't come because he felt wronged and wanted an explanation; he simply came to express his opinion.

He didn't give Horner and his team any extra chance to explain. Making threats was too childish and he didn't care to do that. But if it happened again, let's see if he still cares about the team's interests. Let whoever wants to cooperate can cooperate!

Don't worry about how you win the game; just focus on winning in the end.

right?

The race was just a week after the two rounds of testing, so the teams and drivers didn't go off on a whim and settled down in the local area.

Putting everything else aside, the oil tycoons' financial resources are certainly secure, and the accommodations in these hotels are quite luxurious. But the oil tycoons are also a bunch of people with nothing better to do. Someone came up with a plan to have Shu Long take these nouveau riche on a trip back to the place where his accident happened, to see the retaining wall, and to have him personally recount his feelings at the time.

It's fortunate that Shu Long has an overly calm and indifferent attitude towards the accident; otherwise, being constantly seized upon and emphasized by these media outlets and car enthusiasts would have almost given him a psychological trauma.

Compared to serving these important men, Shu Long looked forward to the presence of his own family members.

The lineup is the same as before. To be on the safe side, the elders from both families were not invited, but Shu Long's parents and Gan Mengning's parents will all be present.

Of course, Shu Long's childhood sweetheart was also present.

The re-examination cutoff scores for the postgraduate entrance examination have recently been released, and the re-examination will be held around the end of the month. However, Gan Mengning does not seem to be under much pressure.

Her initial test scores were already high, not to mention that the tutor she had contacted was a former classmate of her father, Gan Guangchen. She was so sure that unless her performance was so terrible that it was unthinkable, there was no chance of anything going wrong.

Not to mention that this is Shu Long's first season with the Mars team in a real sense. As his girlfriend, she can't possibly miss such an important moment, right?
In addition, it seems that David and two other big names will also be present. They were invited by the team to the pit room to watch the opening race up close. From the sporadic conversation between Horner and David, we can probably hear some useful information. It seems that the collaboration between the fuel drink and Red Bull is going very smoothly.

If all goes well, there may be a few races in the second half of the year where special liveries will be seen on the race cars.

I drive an itasha (decorated car) in F1

Of course, in addition to inviting several of Lao Mi's executives, the first game also included some other promotional activities. Along with Dawei and his team, Lao Mi's team also brought a large number of plush toys.

Judging from its appearance, it should be the round little mascot that appeared in ZZZ's first PV. According to the introduction, it seems to be called Bangbu or something like that.

It's a small thing that looks ordinary at first glance, but the more you look at it, the more quirky and cute it becomes. It's also bouncy and chewy when you hold it in your hand, and it's very popular with the children in the hunting grounds.

Yes, there are so many children in Weichang this week!
Besides the young spectators brought by their parents to watch the race, many drivers brought their families to their first race of the new season.

Take Magnussen and his little princess, for example. Two years ago, Shu Long held her, and the little girl's face was pinched so hard by Shu Long that it hurt terribly.

The little girl has grown up quite a bit now. She seems to still remember this unusual, strange-looking man with an Eastern face. She was a little embarrassed when she took the little babe, and before leaving, she reached out her hands for a hug.

Being good-looking is an advantage everywhere, and Shu Long wasn't in a hurry, so he readily agreed to this trivial request.

Thankfully, this time I didn't get my face pinched.
Gan Mengning, standing to the side, blinked with envy, seemingly wanting to interact with the child as well. However, the little girl didn't give this empty-handed older sister (aunt) a friendly look.

Fortunately, after a year of being idle at home, Lao Ma has a new baby this year. The little one, who still has a pacifier in his mouth, doesn't discriminate against people. As soon as Gan Mengning spreads her hands, the little guy stretches out his arms and comes to greet her.

Shu Long was a little flustered for a moment. Was he planning to have a child at such a young age?
Fortunately, Gan Mengning was only curious about what it would feel like to hold a baby. She wasn't ready to be a mother yet, but she was thinking about getting a kitten and was planning to discuss with Shu Long what breed they liked.

There was no rush to make a decision on that. Then Shu Long went to Williams' room and gave one to each of the Perez kids.

Last year, because Shu Long took their father's place, these kids didn't give him a very friendly look. Now, they're holding his gifts, feeling indebted to him, and their awkward and hesitant manner is quite amusing.

Then they went to Aston Martin and gave the Hulkenberg kids a round of perks.

Don't ask why Hulkenberg is at Aston Martin. After Ricardo tested positive last week, Uncle Tilhead's nucleic acid test result also went wrong this week.

Hulkenberg had previously saved Racing Point from several emergencies, and naturally he would step up again this year in a similar situation.

A tribute to the legendary boosting specialist, Hulk!
There are only a few married men in the hunting grounds. Although Brother Tou is quite old and has had many girlfriends, he still doesn't have any children.

For reasons unknown, Shu Long also gave two baubs to his agent, which made Alonso wink in amazement.

After Brother Tou started it, Shu Long didn't let any of them go. He sent one to every driver in the paddock who had a girlfriend. Even the baby-making office wasn't as dedicated as him.

He even gave one to Kakuta, who doesn't have a girlfriend, simply because he felt Kakuta was too much like a child, and he wanted to cheer him up as well.

The old man was also given one; to be precise, Hamilton asked for it when he saw Shu Long running around with one ear in each hand.

He also brought Shu Long some new information about the film, saying that they had secured a new sponsor and added a producer, who would also be the lead actor.

"Who?"

"Pete."

"Spider-Man?! Which one? Tom Holland or Andrew Toby? They're getting a bit old now, aren't they?"

"No, no, no, that's Peter! I'm talking about Brad Pitt!"

"Oh, that seems quite suitable."

With a comma on his lips, Shu Long opened his mouth as if preparing to say something, but after staring blankly at Hamilton for a while, his mouth opened even wider.

"Who are you talking about? Isn't this him? Isn't he almost 60?!"

"Yes, but he doesn't look that old, does he? And I remember you also heard that the protagonist of the story was a legendary driver who had been away from the racetrack for a long time and was returning."

That's truly a bit too legendary.

However, considering that Sainz's father is quite old and still competing in the Dakar Rally, and Verstappen's father has recently been trying out new motorsport events, it doesn't seem so surprising that someone in their 60s is not surprising.
Weird!

F1 is called an extreme sport for a reason. Hamilton suffered quite a bit from the dolphin jump this year. In fact, Alonso also complained to Shu Long in private that his old back couldn't take it anymore.

Damn it, I'm going to keep driving until I'm 60!
While marveling at how daring these Americans were to make things up, Shu Long ignored the cameras that had been following him all the way and strolled back to the Red Bull pit room.

Don't be surprised, the drivers who should have been busy dealing with the media and fans were actually quite free on Thursday.

The FIA ​​has made some adjustments to the race week schedule this year. At first, they tried to extend the first and second practice sessions to an hour and a half, and even sent notices to each team.

However, for some reason, it was suddenly dropped, but the cancellation of Thursday's media event was temporarily retained, and all media day events were condensed to Friday morning.

The session shall last no more than two hours and shall end no later than one and a half hours before the start of the first session.

This was originally a good thing, and the FIA ​​also hoped that the teams would have more time to integrate with their cars in the first year of the new regulations.

After the initial excitement of facing the media with trepidation over the past two years, Shu Long is now thoroughly fed up with the repetitive questions from the media and tries to keep things as concise as possible.

However, this effectively reduces the drivers' sleep time on Fridays. On the contrary, even if they are free on Thursdays, the team doesn't always have missions, which has led to Shu Long and his team's current idle situation.

Many drivers have already expressed their dissatisfaction with this arrangement, and it may be changed back after a trial period.

After all, reducing the time drivers and teams spend in the public eye is equivalent to compressing their commercial value. Liberty Media Group certainly doesn't want to see this happen. If they don't learn how to create buzz and just keep running around the track, how can they harvest new customers?
Thanks to the FIA's new schedule, the cameras in the paddock were filming everywhere all Thursday, and the only thing that could be considered news was Shulong's act of distributing brochures everywhere.

Old Mi inexplicably got exclusive screen time for the whole day, which was absolutely eye-catching.

As usual, a meeting was held in the evening to arrange the competition week's events. The main topics discussed were their schedule for Friday morning and some practice match testing.

This year is quite special, as the winter testing and the opening match are in the same place. Many testing items have already been done, and arrangements can be made in advance, without having to wait for the data from practice matches.

There wasn't anything particularly complicated in the morning. The main thing was that each car team would enter the venue as a group, guided by the host, and interact with the fans on both sides of the road.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's welcome the 2021 World Champion – Max Verstappen!"

"And his teammate, Shu-Long!"

Shu Long's eyelids twitched imperceptibly, and he pretended to be calm as he accepted the baseball cap handed to him by a fan on the roadside and began signing autographs.

Isn't your introduction a bit perfunctory?
(End of this chapter)