F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 222 New Love and Old Love

During the qualifying session, no one got a break, and Red Bull held an emergency tactical meeting that very night.

Actually, this result is not bad. Even Mercedes and Hamilton, who have dominated the championship for seven years, cannot consistently secure pole position in every race. Moreover, statistically speaking, there is not that much difference between Red Bull and Ferrari.

With the two cars leaving Sainz behind, Red Bull still has a high probability of winning tomorrow's race in a two-on-one situation.

Unfortunately, neither driver's feedback on the car was very positive, so this was a good opportunity to explore future upgrade directions for the car.

Of course, dwelling too much on the already concluded qualifying session is not something a championship contender should do. The primary task at the meeting was to study tomorrow's race strategy, followed by an analysis of the gap between the two Red Bulls and their gap with Ferrari.

This year, a major change was made to the tire regulations. Cars that finish in the top ten in qualifying will no longer be restricted by their starting tire choice. This means that even if they set their best time in Q2 on red tires, they can still choose one of the other two tire compounds to start on.

This makes the teams' tire strategy for the race very flexible, and each team's tire usage plan in practice and qualifying will be completely different.

The most obvious benefit is that it allows for fewer red tires to be reserved for qualifying, enabling each session to push a single tire to its fullest potential for mileage without having to worry about its use in the next qualifying session or the subsequent race.

Before qualifying this race week, Red Bull unusually reserved five sets of red tires for both drivers, saving them a new set for tomorrow's race even though they didn't use yellow tires in Q2.

This is something that has rarely happened under the rules of the past few years for cars entering Q3.

Of course, saving the new red tires does give the team more initiative, but this does not mean that Red Bull has a tactical advantage over Ferrari, because the four drivers from both teams now have exactly the same tire reserves for the race.

One brand new set each of red, yellow, and white, plus three old sets of red.

Based on the data analysis from previous practice sessions, the optimal tire compound strategy for the race is expected to be a two-stop strategy (red, yellow, red). However, since much of the data from practice sessions was collected during the day, the specific situation may change, so a three-stop strategy cannot be ruled out.

In this way, the role that a new set of red gear can play becomes crucial.

After basically defining several strategies, including red-yellow-red, red-red-yellow, and inserting a red tire in any position, the conversation naturally turned to an analysis of the competitiveness of each team in the paddock, and a formal discussion of the issues that Shulong and his team experienced in today's qualifying session.

Mercedes has no new Red Bull; they seem to have really ruined themselves this year. This game didn't even come into the Red Bull's strategy team's sights.

Don't be fooled by Hamilton's P5 finish in the qualifying rounds, just behind Red Bull and Ferrari. This was only because they had exhausted all their new red reserves to barely keep up with the pace.

Even after fighting to this point, they were still more than 0.5 seconds behind P4's Sainz.

This is not the speed a competitive group should be exhibiting!

According to Newey's visual assessment and the analysis of the data team behind the scenes, Mercedes may have misjudged the impact of the new regulations' lack of aerodynamic structures. The zero sidepod design also failed to handle the turbulence created by the open front wheels, which is the crux of the problem that their car's overall balance was quite poor.

In the past, Mercedes might have been able to come up with a new structural solution in no time, but under the constraints of the budget cap rule, Mercedes will most likely have to stick to the old ways this season, which is not a cause for concern.

As for why Ferrari is so fast, you can get a pretty good idea just by looking at the car's dashboard.

Red Bull's current tuning is more like a muscle car compared to Ferrari. It's not that they pursue low-drag engines with high power, but rather that their cars have extremely high overall aerodynamic efficiency.

However, because they use a front-pull, rear-push suspension structure, on a track like Bahrain with its stop-and-go characteristics, they will have less mechanical grip than Ferrari in many corners.

Ferrari not only regained the power unit's former glory from before 2019, but their equally excellent aerodynamic efficiency also allowed them to focus their tuning efforts on cornering. Closer gear ratios made them more efficient at exiting low-speed corners, and these accumulated advantages led to the difference in lap times.

Now it truly is a case of "anyone can step on the gas on a straight road, but speed on curves is what really matters."
However, that's not the focus of today's discussion. The focus is on how to make Red Bull faster.

The debate over "he" versus "she" continues.

However, based on a frame-by-frame analysis of the two drivers' onboard and driving data, there shouldn't have been such a big disagreement between Shu Long and Verstappen, or rather, neither of them was wrong in their understanding of racing.

Shulong has a more nuanced understanding of ground effect vehicles, but Verstappen has a more thorough understanding of Red Bull.

The difference is that Shulong knows how to make a car faster, and Verstappen also knows how to make a car faster.

It may seem like a pointless statement, but there is a fundamental difference between the two, which is due to the difference in their career experiences.

It's a bit sad to say, but Shu Long has gotten used to adapting to racing on his own, whether it's with Toro Rosso or Haas.

In 2019, due to well-known reasons, the development of the race car was completely irrelevant to him at Toro Rosso, and Haas simply didn't have the money for research and development, so he was more inclined to change himself than to change the race car.

Verstappen, on the other hand, understands better how to utilize the characteristics of a race car. His exceptional ability to adapt to different car settings allows him to achieve a high degree of coordination between his habits and the car, thereby maximizing its speed.

No wonder one of them felt that racing was like a girl with a quirky personality, while the other felt that racing was like a brother fighting alongside him.
Comparing the lap times of the two cars side-by-side at this point becomes very intuitive. Verstappen emphasized that the front downforce tuning should increase drag to some extent and affect the car's top speed, but the actual data shows that the top speeds of the two Red Bull cars are almost the same.

Conversely, Verstappen secretly learned Shulong's driving style and also adopted the method of braking early to maintain cornering speed before entering the combination of corners 9 and 10. With the more sensitive front end of the car in low-speed corners, he quickly closed the gap between the two.

"but why?"

Faced with Shu Long's question, Verstappen, who had already been caught stealing his skills, made a face, raised one hand but didn't say anything, just made a slight downward pressing motion with the heel of his palm.

What does it mean?
Shu Long sat there, his mind racing, and finally, just before René was about to explain, he had a look of sudden realization.

Rear pushrod suspension!
Pushrod suspension offers more tuning flexibility because pushrods can create a longer travel, which is why front pushrod designs inherently have better mechanical grip.

The excessively dramatic dolphin jumps of the new ground effect car caused Shu Long to overlook the fact that when the race car reaches its top speed, the long travel of the rear suspension allows the car to have more room to sink.

The downward slope of the rear end allows the race car to have a smaller frontal area and lower drag. After braking, the rear end of the race car rises, and the restored frontal area allows the race car to regain more downforce in corners.

So that’s it.
Our ancestors have already hinted so clearly that only when Yin and Yang are in harmony can things last. His previous stubbornness is truly a disgrace to his driver's number "69" and the entry for "Tai Chi".

But it is only because the dragon's binding ability is strong enough that it can continue to adapt to racing in this way. If others had the same experience, they might either have compromised with reality early on or been eliminated from the paddock.

The pain of the past will always become nourishment on the road to growth. Speaking of pain, Shu Long can't help but think of his old teammates.

On the second day, during the drivers' parade before the main race, Zhou Guanyu, as the only rookie in the paddock this year, naturally became the focus of the interviews and hosts.

Shu Long declined the invitation, wanting to give his fellow villagers more opportunities to shine, and spent the rest of the time chatting with Magnussen and Gasley.

He and Gasly could be considered to have shared joys and sorrows, but with Laoma, it was truly a case of sharing hardships. In fact, when Shulong was finally reaping the rewards, Magnussen was still suffering.

However, Magnussen has finally reaped the rewards of his hard work. After a year away from the competition, he returned as youthful as ever, defeating the highly anticipated Mick by more than 0.5 seconds in his first qualifying session, and yesterday he achieved a good result of P7 in qualifying.

After Haas became Ferrari's 1.5 team, they finally produced a good car this year, but it seems that Arroyo is the real dark horse in the new season.

Bottas qualified P6 yesterday and will start the race tonight alongside his former teammate Hamilton from last year.

Who could have imagined this scene when he announced his departure last year?
Bottas, who rarely acts as the team's leader, was grinning from ear to ear!

However, Zhou Guanyu's performance in yesterday's qualifying session was actually mediocre. Although he made it into Q2 in his first qualifying session, his lack of experience and eagerness to prove himself led to several mistakes that cost him the opportunity to advance further. Toro Rosso, on the other hand, remained unchanged. Gasly fought tooth and nail but barely made it into Q3, while Kakuta couldn't even squeeze into Q2.

With Gasly's abilities, securing a seat should be no problem at all.

However, Toro Rosso is ultimately a team designed to develop young drivers. Although the Red Bull Group has offered Gasly a contract that will last until next year, seeing no hope of promotion, Gasly seems to be preparing to seek new opportunities elsewhere.

These are topics that the drivers discuss privately. The problem is that Gasly is also very uncertain about his future. If he doesn't stay with Toro Rosso, where can he go?

At least Toro Rosso can still make it into Q3. Look at Albon and Perez, who left Williams, they're now at the back of the team, shoulder to shoulder.

Both of them have a lot of sponsorship resources supporting them. Williams may recover his competitiveness quickly after a short period of pain, but Gasly has nothing without Red Bull, and it may even ruin his career.

It's a harsh reality.

Despite having once been the closest teammates with the most similar stances, Shu Long suddenly felt out of place in their conversation, gave an awkward laugh, and retreated back to Max's side.

it's wired.

They'll be teammates fighting tooth and nail on the field in a few hours, but right now I feel more comfortable staying here in Shulong.
Indeed, drivers shouldn't be thinking about so many random things.

Before the race, Shu Long sat in the cockpit of the race car early in the morning. The pressure of officially starting to compete for WDC seemed to be slowly taking shape. Staying in his own little corner of the field made him feel more at ease and at ease.

A doctor cannot heal himself. Last year, Shu Long was pointing fingers at Verstappen while standing there talking without understanding the pain. Only when it was his turn did he realize how painful it was to be hit on the head by a boomerang.

"Redio check."

"The signal is very clear. Say something, Renee. I feel like my seatbelt is a bit tight today."

"Are you nervous?"

"No, maybe I've gained weight these past few days."

Reni chuckled softly across from him, not bothering to expose someone's ulterior motives, but simply reminding him that the match would start in two minutes.

This is really bad. There's a whole bunch of people from home watching in the P-room. We can't afford to lose face in the first game of the season, can we?

The same group of friends and family members caused a major disaster last time, and it's unlikely they'll be caught in the same situation in Bahrain this year.
Pooh!
When people are nervous, they tend to overthink. Shu Long closed his eyes, took a couple of deep breaths, and then, for no reason, repeatedly fastened and reopened his helmet and goggles.

"The match will start in 30 seconds."

"Ah, thank you so much, René, you've saved my life!"

The mechanics surrounding the car began to retreat in an orderly manner. Shu Long instantly felt much better and began to observe the situation of his opponents.

Max, who was diagonally behind, didn't look particularly special. Like him, he was starting on the same old red tires that had only been used once in the Q3.

However, Leclerc on the P1 starting grid was clearly sporting a brand new, shiny red coat, and if I'm not mistaken, Sainz on the P4 grid had the exact same setup, looking like he was ready to go head-to-head with Red Bull right from the start of the race.

After all, although Red Bull's cornering speed was a bit slower, their top speed was excessively fast. Coupled with Shulong's consistently terrifying starting ability, it's understandable that they wanted to take precautions in advance.

The green indicator light came on, and following Leclerc's pace, I completed a lap of warm-up tires and parked the car back in my P2 starting grid.

Shu Long glanced at the Leclerc's parking direction, which was slightly tilted in his direction, gripped the clutch, shifted to neutral, and began to frequently observe the movement of the last cars returning to their positions in the rearview mirror.

"Guanyu, Checo, and Master Kakuta!"

As Stroll, in last place, returned to his position, the flag bearer waved the green flag across the track, and Shu Long finally turned his attention back to the traffic lights ahead, where the second red light had already lit up.

Shifting into first gear and raising the revs to around 1 RPM, Shu Long turned his gaze back to the track in front of him, using only his peripheral vision to catch the changes in the halo.

"call--"

click!
Almost in sync with the moment the traffic lights went out, the traffic line had barely begun to move when the queue had already climbed to a position almost parallel to the Leclerc.

However, the Ferrari's gear ratios in the first few gears were too close, resulting in extremely rapid acceleration in the latter half of the 0-200 km/h range. It not only regained its lead but also forcibly moved from the left side of the track to the right side of the track.

What kind of defensive method is this?
Even Shu Long was taken aback by his old F2 teammate. Since you're giving up the faster outer lane advantage, then I'll gladly accept it.
To be honest, even the commentators were bewildered by the opening situation. Looking at the current car formation, if you didn't tell them, they would have thought that Shulong got pole position yesterday. Even the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth wouldn't be done like this.

However, Leclerc clearly had a specific design for the starting procedure, which can be seen from the gear ratio setting of low-speed cornering and high traction they adopted yesterday.

Despite having the advantageous starting line from pole position, they were aiming for a dirty late brake on the inside line before Turn 1 from the very beginning.

After entering the corner side by side, they blocked the dragon's driving line, and then used the faster gear ratio to quickly widen the gap in the classic slow hairpin turn 1, and stabilized their leading advantage before turn 3.

"Wow, that's interesting!"

"Stay focused and keep going to take him down."

"Ayeaye!"

Having been outmaneuvered by Leclerc, Shu Long completely forgot his previous anxieties.

He grinned and licked his canine teeth, letting the slight stinging sensation from the sharp edges of his teeth stir up his long-dormant fighting spirit. He quickly adjusted his stance and bit down on the taillights of the car in front of him.

Once you calm down and think about it a little, you'll find that Leclerc's defensive logic isn't actually that hard to understand.

Shu Long definitely wanted to improve his position, so once Leclerc blocked the inside, he would naturally turn to the outside to seek opportunities.

The act of changing routes inherently involves time loss, so Shulong, which takes a longer route, naturally doesn't gain much advantage.

As expected of Ferrari's most favored heir, after years of being sidelined in the circus, he can still unleash unimaginable fighting spirit once he gets a car capable of competing for the championship.

If we're talking about who understands the style of the Shulong race car best in the paddock, it might not be Gasly or Magnussen, but rather Leclerc, the F2 driver he's been battling with for a whole year.

Unlike F1, where there are significant performance differences between cars, F2 cars use standardized cars and are teammates. Some drivers can even guess what the other is trying to do just by slightly moving the steering wheel.

Shu Long admitted that he had underestimated his opponent to some extent; in his mind, Verstappen was the most threatening opponent in the match.

On the contrary, Leclerc, in the three years since he entered F1, has never been able to get together with Leclerc on the track for various reasons.

In retrospect, after being suppressed by Shu Long for a whole year, Leclerc never seemed to give up on figuring out how to defeat his former nightmare teammate on the track.

(End of this chapter)