F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 236 It’s a blessing, not a curse, it’s a curse that cannot be avoided

"Leclerc is now at P3."

"What?! I didn't know I had hurt him so badly, or that I had damaged the car?"

Shu Long hopes it's not the latter.

After all, his action against Leclerc was somewhat controversial. Given the FIA's results-oriented judging standards, if Leclerc had actually suffered damage to his car because of his defensive action, it might have implicated him.

But it's okay.

"It's because of profits earned outside the track; Max is now in P2."

Shu Long glanced at the rearview mirror.

刚才因为赛道上的那一通让车闹剧的瞎胡闹，他在完成超车后的第二计时段——特别是在8、9、10号全油高速弯的这一段区间，直接利用红牛赛车在200KM/h以上高速弯的优势把勒克莱尔甩到了1秒开外。

This station features a very peculiar contrast between Red Bull and Ferrari.

Red Bull's dolphin jump phenomenon is quite serious, but he doesn't bounce much in this section of high-speed corners, which is an important reason why Shulong was able to successfully get purple in the second time segment of qualifying.

Ferrari's dolphin jumps are quite severe, even bouncing around quite happily in high-speed corners, but the strange thing is that they need to bounce up to maintain speed.

Otherwise, when the FIA ​​temporarily changed the four-stage DRS to a three-stage DRS, Ferrari also tried raising the floor height, and as a result, Leclerc and Sainz almost turned F1 into an off-road race.

With Verstappen pressing down on it from the front, the car that should have been bouncing suddenly stopped bouncing, and it lost its grip. What should we do?
Perhaps because Ferrari consistently displayed the fastest speed in this race, it's clear they didn't consider how to break away from following cars when fine-tuning their car.
With three DRS segments, why worry about overtaking?

Yes, yes, yes!

With no DRS threats from three consecutive stages behind him, Shulong was having a great time running in the clean air, and by lap 37 he had solidified his lead at 2.3 seconds.

On the contrary, Leclerc, affected by the polluted air, had to slow down and move to about 2 seconds behind Verstappen after several unsuccessful attempts to overtake him.

If you try to follow another car with insufficient grip, the burden on your tires will be too heavy.

Not only does the tire surface overheat easily, but a larger slip angle will also scrape off more tire debris in corners.

The race has a total distance of 58 laps, and there are still 20 laps to go, so there should be plenty of opportunities later on.

Even if a yellow flag could be issued
Right now, there's someone even more eager than Leclerc for a yellow flag to appear on the track: Alonso, who started on white tires and has already carried the team for 37 laps.

Using the first super long stint on the white tires, Alonso took advantage of the opportunity when everyone else had pitted to move up to P6, but now the tires' grip is getting worse and worse, and he was just overtaken by Ricciardo.

Vettel's triggering of the yellow flag was incredibly unfortunate, putting Alonso in a very awkward position.

It's better now.

While the safety car helped him achieve a significant portion of the tire maintenance, the tightening of the car formation also greatly increased the intensity of Alonso's defense.

Then it was Hamilton's turn. He didn't even wait for the second DRS after Turn 2, and directly overtook Alonso on the starting straight.

Mercedes struggled a bit in the corners this year, and the dolphin jump was indeed a bit bumpy, but the zero sidewall design made their drag really low when they opened DRS on the straights.

Or perhaps it is precisely because of their extremely low drag that Mercedes-Benz is more prone to more dramatic dolphin jumps at the end of long straights.

Mercedes' slowness this year is only relative to Ferrari and Red Bull. In reality, they can be considered second-tier cars, which still have a significant advantage over the teams behind them.

So facing a mere Alpine
Anyway, Alonso was in a bad situation. The second DRS was also not his, and he could only watch Hamilton drive away. The wear and tear on his tires made even the slightest defensive move impossible for Alonso.

Chicken Skin Rabbit Eun-jung!
With Ocon closing in quickly behind him, Alonso, determined to avoid humiliation, roared and called for a pit stop on lap 39.

Rather than succumb to the reality that he was slower than his teammates, Alonso preferred to be eliminated by the team's strategy and pitted directly in front of Zhou Guanyu.

Isn't this kid much cuter than Aokang?
Even though Alonso chose to become Shulong's agent, it cannot be denied that he and Zhou Guanyu have a very special connection.

He became a fan of F1 from a young age because he liked Alonso. When he signed with Ferrari's youth training program, it was Alonso's last year with Ferrari. Later, he and Alonso entered the Alpine system together.

Since there was no direct conflict of interest between them, it didn't prevent Zhou Guanyu from leaving a very good impression on Alonso.

However, after Zhou Guanyu replicated Hamilton's steps and overtook Alonso before Turn 1, it seems that this loyal fan who has successfully chased his idol all the way has become a bit hateful. What's wrong with this damn broken car?

New Yellow!

Can't outrun the old white?!

Not only could he not outrun Alonso's old white, but Alonso found that he seemed to be able to outrun everyone's old white.

When Stroll, Mick, and Kakuta all started taking turns arguing with the old man, Alonso finally couldn't take it anymore. He didn't care about the team's final results and retaliated by making a pit stop on lap 49.

At the same time, Shu Long also began to sense that something was wrong with the race car.

It can't pick up speed in gears eight and above.

This situation is actually somewhat familiar. Last year at Le Mans, when he encountered a hydraulic pressure failure in car number 8, he felt a similar sensation when he stepped on the accelerator.

I glanced at my real-time lap time on the steering wheel: 1:20.611, a drop of about 0.12 from the previous lap.

"How are the other people's lap times? Who has the fastest lap time right now?"

"The fastest lap time is Leclerc's, with a time of 1:20.472 last lap. Now the fastest lap time is being updated almost every lap. Do you have a chance to compete for it?"

Shu Long did not answer directly, but instead inquired about the situation on Vestapan's side.

Verstappen's lap times seem to have dropped even more, now only around 1:20.8, with Leclerc closing the gap to him by about half a second almost every lap.

However, Verstappen did not report any engine problems, and the current decline in lap times seems to be solely due to tire wear.

With just over eight laps left in the race, it's time for Ferrari to launch a counterattack. Can Max hold them off?

"Keep an eye on Charles' lap times for me."

"Don't tell me you're going to help Max defend?"

That depends on the situation.

Shulong's lead over Verstappen is now less than 4 seconds. If Leclerc's momentum continues, he really needs to consider helping his teammate gain an advantage.

After all, Leclerc is currently the driver with the smallest gap in points with him, and the most beneficial approach for Shulong is to take turns suppressing the scoring momentum of Leclerc and Verstappen.

On lap 51, Leclerc continued to improve his fastest lap of the race, and on lap 52 he even pushed his lap time to 1:20.315, directly closing in on Verstappen's DRS range.

On the other hand, Shulong's lap time has dropped below 1:21. Now, he is even hesitant to accelerate when exiting corners, and he needs to release the throttle and coast before entering corners to reduce the load on engine braking.

Having already driven two races with bated breath, of the four Red Bull cars, his was the only one that hadn't encountered any problems yet. At this point, Shu Long actually felt a sense of relief.

If things continue at this pace, they might not even be able to hold onto their position in Shulong.
"Should I go and slow down his wake?"

"That would be great if you were willing! Should I add a small request for your share?"

This time, Horner replaced René in TR, but Shu Long, considering his current car condition, didn't take over, only replying that he should focus on defense first. Alonso had specifically warned Shu Long about the importance of seeking benefits; sometimes being too greedy can backfire, and it's crucial to strike the right balance in one's relationship with the team.

As the saying goes, "Those who do not heed the advice of their elders will suffer the consequences."

Throughout his long career, Alonso has learned many lessons from similar experiences. After the race, Shu Long will definitely report on the condition of his car. Even if he doesn't tell, the engineers may be able to find the anomaly in the telemetry data within a few laps.

In a situation where I could have profited anyway, I might as well do someone a favor now.

He deliberately slowed down at turns 9 and 10, and then braked hard before turn 13. The difference of more than 3 seconds was lost in an instant. He took advantage of his teammate's momentum and gave the other teammate a DRS checkpoint before turn 14.

That really saved my life.

Verstappen, who had already begun preparing to use his dragon-drawing defense, breathed a sigh of relief and easily withstood Leclerc's two consecutive DRS attacks using the tail current of the dragon-drawing defense.

After following for two laps, Verstappen noticed something was wrong. When exiting the corner, Shulong could maintain a normal rhythm by discharging electricity, but it seemed that his teammate was not able to accelerate at the end of the full paved section.
Is it out of power or just an illusion caused by DRS?
It shouldn't be the latter.

Because of the entire high-speed, all-asphalt section of curves 8, 9, and 10, even the cars behind them without DRS could clearly feel the lack of power in the Shulong.

This is an opportunity!
Verstappen was caught in a rare internal struggle. Lambias reminded him in TR that it was Shulong who had offered to create a wake for his teammates to defend, and it would be somewhat shameless to take advantage of the situation at this time.

The problem is that Shulong's cooperation was clearly motivated by a purpose, unlike the selfless dedication he showed in last year's final match. Logically, even if he targeted his teammates, Verstappen's side wouldn't seem to suffer any loss.
I don't know what kind of brainstorming session Verstappen went through, but he clearly convinced himself in the end.

Faults are a part of Formula 1 racing, and the driver's job is to do everything possible to achieve better results. It would be unreasonable not to cherish such an opportunity!

On lap 55, Shu Long could clearly feel the pressure from behind becoming more intense.

Verstappen now seems to be more than just using his DRS for defense; his several aggressive shots undoubtedly demonstrate the bull's desire for the championship.

Unfortunately, Shulong doesn't have a better solution right now. The current state of the car is too similar to that of Le Mans last year. It's far less durable and reliable than a Hypercar. F1 cars can break down at any time if the competition gets a little more intense.

But the lack of a better way doesn't mean there's no way; it just depends on whether Leclerc cooperates later on.

That should be a coordinated effort. Lock & Lock seems to be a bit carried away now, and doesn't have the time to weigh whether it would be more beneficial for him to win between Shu Long and Verstappen.

All he knew was that his race car was faster than both Red Bulls, and much faster!
The engineers in the paddock weren't blind. Shu Long had lapped the car more than two times with a limp, and anyone could see that Red Bull's number two car seemed to have a problem.

Instead of hoping Verstappen can eliminate Shulong to control the points in the driver's championship race, it would be better to take down Verstappen first, and then take down Shulong.

With his recent string of record-breaking lap times, he's practically guaranteed 26 points!
Why do we need to rely on others?
So, just as Verstappen was about to take a shot from the outside before Turn 1, Leclerc opted for a more conventional braking point, preparing to use a more precise exit from the corner to go head-to-head with Verstappen, who was already inflicting heavy losses on both sides.

Everyone has DRS, and my line is far better than yours. What do you have to compete with me?

Verstappen used his brain to fight.

There's a reason why the train formation was so difficult to break through. Before attempting to overtake the train, Verstappen had already observed Leclerc's movements.

The conclusion is that if he continues to push his luck here, he will most likely lose even his current P2 position.

Left with no other choice, Verstappen had to coordinate with Shulong again, slowing down his cornering maneuvers to completely disrupt Leclerc's cornering rhythm.

As a result, Shulong, who originally played the inside defensive line, became the only car that was not affected in this round of melee. Even though there was a second DRS segment to come, it did not take much effort to defend against this round of strong attacks.

It would take some time to regroup and launch a new offensive, and Shulong managed to survive for the time being, albeit temporarily.

However, the car's disadvantages were still too great. On the starting straight of lap 56, there was hardly any room for defense. Shu Long could only watch helplessly as Verstappen pulled ahead and then hurriedly grabbed his teammate's slipstream to try to resist Leclerc's surging attack from behind.

Fortunately, Verstappen's overtaking maneuver interrupted Leclerc's momentum, and the red car in the rearview mirror temporarily fell 0.6 seconds behind Shulong. The relatively short DRS zone did not pose a significant threat to the car in front.

However, just as Shulong breathed a sigh of relief, Verstappen, who was cutting into Turn 4 ahead, suddenly started shaking.

It was the acceleration phase of exiting the corner, and the black rear end that was almost touching his face made Shu Long shudder. He swerved sharply to the left, almost breaking through it!
The thick smoke that rushed into the helmet undoubtedly indicated that something strange had happened with the Red Bull car.

"What happened? I smell something...some kind of oil!"

Due to the intense infighting within the team, René, who hadn't spoken for nearly three minutes, finally opened his mouth and, after confirming the situation with the other crew, began to report the situation on the field to Shulong.

Unfortunately (luckily), Verstappen withdrew from the tournament again.

The specific cause of the accident is still unknown, but it is an undeniable fact that Verstappen's car is now on fire, just like Gasly's in Bahrain.

Of course, that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that Verstappen is in a rather awkward position right now. He was the first to show two yellow flags for the first and second sections, and it didn't take long for it to turn into a full section of yellow flags.

Virtual safety vehicle.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, there shouldn't be any more surprises.

On lap 57, as they passed Turn 4, the Matthews had just extinguished the fire at the rear of Verstappen's car and were now struggling to push it into the parking lot on the side of the road.

The problem is that the race only has 58 laps in total. No race steward would have decided to restart the race at that point. The fierce battle that almost made the dog's brain explode ended in a somewhat anticlimactic way.

The team won three consecutive championships at the start of the new season.

But this was probably Shu Long's most speechless "finish line crossing" since his 12.5-point victory in Belgium last year, and also the race in which he felt most like he had survived a disaster.

Tapao is still kind-hearted. Considering his teammates worked hard to help him pull the wake for two stops, he angrily blew up the engine to repay the favor.

Without Verstappen's selfless contribution, Shulong would most likely have lost his runner-up position, and in a more pessimistic scenario, the car that broke down might very well have been his.

Of course, aside from Verstappen, who was speechless to the point of laughing out loud, and Leclerc, who was so angry he was speechless, the person with the most resentment was undoubtedly Alonso.

Some people might find it a little strange. Betting on a safety car with white tires is inherently risky. If you feel you can't hold on any longer, pitting to change tires is a normal race procedure, right? At most, it can just be considered bad luck.

But people are afraid of comparison.

Albon, who became a Williams driver this year, also adopted the strategy of starting on white tires. Perhaps drivers who come from Red Bull have some of the characteristics of being reckless. He carried the white tires for a full 56 laps!
He's an amazing person!
Albon was just trying to prove a point, since it was practically a dream come true for Williams' car to be in the top ten this year. He just wanted to stay in P9 for a little longer so that his mother and younger siblings watching the race could be happy for a while longer.

In the end, Albon actually got a yellow flag, so he went into the pits and got a set of red tires as a token gesture.

After pitting, Williams dropped from P9 to P11, and was automatically moved up one position due to Verstappen's retirement. Williams, who were expected to finish the year with zero points, actually opened their scoring in the third race. The entire pit area was even more excited than the Shulong team, who won the championship.

Shu Long, who had just learned the news from Reinina, didn't know what kind of expression to make. The wise words Alonso had said to him last year came flooding back to his mind once again.

Sometimes, slow and steady is true, and steady is true speed; sometimes losing is winning.
Besides congratulating him, Shu Long also felt a little regretful.

Albon was unfortunate to be born into the Red Bull system. With such ability, he would be a mainstay in any other team. If he were lucky enough to find a car that suited him, it wouldn't be impossible for him to compete for the championship.

Unfortunately, he encountered Verstappen during his most crucial development period, and then Shu Long at the crossroads of his career.

Fortunately, Albon was born into the Red Bull system, so at least he still has the opportunity to prove himself with Williams, right?
after this war.

Shu Long's points reached 75, followed by Leclerc with 53 points, and Russell, who came from behind, reached 35 points after taking a podium finish today.

In contrast, Verstappen, who was the most talked-about title contender at the beginning of the season, has a pitiful 19 points, ranking only sixth, almost as low as Ocon.

Even without going back to P-room, Shu Long could guess that someone there would be unhappy again.

(End of this chapter)