F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 247 LEGO God of War
Lawrence Stroll is really good at creating entertaining content.

It's one thing to spend lavishly to buy an entire F1 team for his son, but this isn't the first time there's been a case of suspected car plagiarism. The last time was when he bought Force India and renamed it Racing Point.

In the 2020 winter test, a pink Mercedes-Benz was brought out, leaving the other teams in the paddock completely bewildered. The debate over whether it was plagiarism lasted for more than half a year.

However, they were not judged by the FIA ​​to have violated the rules by copying that time. They simply took advantage of the gray area before the implementation of the new rules and bought the design from Mercedes-Benz, and derived the result through so-called "reverse engineering".

As for this instance, it would probably be difficult to classify it as illegal technology exchange.

When Stroll first entered the F1 paddock, he was like a troublemaker, and every move he made revealed the arrogance of a nouveau riche who didn't care about money.

It's another case of buying Mercedes engines and Mercedes designs. They've also just poached a lot of key R&D personnel from Red Bull, including the former head of aerodynamics. Marco described the cost as "outrageously high."

The point is to buy the right one and the most expensive one. Just grab whichever team is the champion and exploit them, right?

The staff were poached last year, and the vehicles were brought in this year; the efficiency is truly remarkable.

Although Red Bull was dissatisfied, it couldn't find any obvious evidence. After all, it had built its business by poaching talent from all over the place, so it wasn't convenient to publicize it openly.

But as a team whose talent for creating drama is second only to Ferrari in the paddock, they naturally couldn't remain silent about it.

While protesting to the FIA ​​and requesting an investigation into Aston Martin, the company replaced all Red Bull drinks served to employees this week with the sugar-free green can version.

From Pit Wall to Pit Room, from every employee to the roof of an idle F1 race car, this thing is ubiquitous. Even Shu Long is required to hold one of these jars whenever he appears on camera.

What's going on here, haha~
Actually, Shu Long doesn't particularly like this flavor of Red Bull; he always feels that the aftertaste of the artificial sweetener is not very pleasant.

However, considering the endorsement fee, he'll just accept it. Compared to these insignificant off-track matters, he's actually more concerned about the effectiveness of the car's upgrades this week.

The Circuit de Catalunya was actually run during winter testing.

However, the version Red Bull initially presented was a "Version A" specifically for testing. It was only during the second round of winter testing in Bahrain that the current version was introduced, and it underwent several rounds of minor upgrades, requiring almost all the data to be retested.

As it turns out, Aston Martin's suspected plagiarism was just a minor incident. The aerodynamic efficiency of F1 cars is a complex issue with far-reaching consequences, and the green tractor's rash copying was at best a mere imitation.

The rework did not improve competitiveness much; in fact, the gap between them and Red Bull, which had left room for maneuver throughout the race, increased to more than 1.5 seconds.

What did they copy?
Judging from their explanation, it seems that the high temperatures in Catalonia made the engine's heat dissipation problem quite severe, so they had to make some compromises on lap times and temporarily open larger cooling vents.

This is actually a difficult problem that every team in the paddock urgently needs to find a solution to this week. I don't know why Red Bull cut their most needed engine cooling system upgrade plan for this race. Perhaps the previous experience of Verstappen frequently suffering engine failures and retiring from the race made the team hesitant to make any rash moves.

To address this, Red Bull deliberately reduced the engine's power output, attempting to compensate for this deficiency with a more aggressive wing configuration.

The sweltering heat was truly unbearable. Having just experienced a sauna in Miami, and with the weather forecast showing almost uniform temperatures above 30°C, Shu Long felt overwhelmed and nearly took his manager's nickname for himself.

Even more challenging is the test that high temperatures pose to drivers' tire maintenance efforts.

The average temperature of the track surface exposed to direct sunlight is close to 50°C. Based on data analysis from several practice races, this weekend might develop into a situation similar to Bahrain's strategy of alternating red and yellow stops, which would kick out white tires.

That means there are a lot of variables.

When to pit and what tires to choose can be crucial factors in determining the final outcome of a race.

The good news is that Leclerc's "power unit" seems to have malfunctioned this week, and he has been frequently asking the team in the radio to go to the toilet while still in the car.

The bad news is that the malfunction wasn't too serious; in fact, it somehow stimulated his potential, and he ran incredibly fast in several practice races.

In addition, Mercedes seems to be showing signs of a comeback. This week they also brought upgrades to the front wing endplate, floor plate and rear brake winglet, which unexpectedly alleviated the dolphin jump problem to a great extent.

However, nothing was more unexpected than what happened on Haas's side.

As the only team this week that did not bring any car upgrade plans, they simply reinforced the floor, which almost completely eliminated the dolphin jump phenomenon that frequently had a negative impact on the car. Even Haas' own engineers were dumbfounded.

They can now operate their cars at a lower ride height, improving their pre-race performance on a single lap by more than half a second.

This makes Aro's side look like a clown. They brought a whole series of upgrades to the front and rear wing endplates, flaps, front and rear suspension, engine cover, etc., but on paper, it only improved the time by about 0.4 seconds.

This is not good news for Red Bull either. Haas's accidental success just confirms that Ferrari's cars have a pretty good foundation this year. Given the current close relationship between the two teams, it might soon benefit Ferrari.

Why does it seem like all the good news is for other racing teams?
Shu Long had to frequently control the engine temperature, tire temperature, brake temperature, and clutch temperature of the race car. He didn't know if the car overheated in the end, but he was almost driving himself to the red temperature!
Don't rush, there's something even redder.

Based on the test data from the practice sessions, all teams have basically reached a consensus that they will not use C1 white tires in this race. Therefore, during the practice sessions, everyone is coordinating the use and testing of tires with the lowest possible return rate.

The same applies to qualifying; anyone confident in their car's competitiveness will try to save up one or two sets of new tires.

Shu Long completed one flight lap in Q1 and a few more in Q2, but he was still using the same old red outfit he had used in Q1, in order to see if he could spare a new red outfit for the main race.

They might curse in their hearts, but they always make up before they get out of bed.

No matter how demanding this Red Bull race car is, it's not a car that just any team can challenge.

Including Mercedes!

Leclerc and Shulong were in agreement, but Verstappen remained the same workaholic who seized every minute. He didn't keep any of the four new red suits he had reserved before qualifying, and kept practicing on the track in order to run a perfect lap that would be absolutely competitive for pole position.

Can we say that hard work pays off?

In the first round of flight laps, Leclerc lost control and spun at the final corner, Turn 16, allowing Verstappen, who played steadily, to take pole position with a three-stage green-purple-purple lap.
"Oh, just a slight correction, it should be three segments of green, green, and purple!"

"The dragon that came out next has two purple stats! Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should be able to get in front of its teammates!"

The five members of the group took turns delivering a line, and as soon as they said it, you knew that something unexpected was bound to happen.

"Wait a minute—no, no! He seems to have missed the braking point!"

Please, just shut up!

The timing line for the second timing segment is a little ahead of the braking zone at Turn 10, and it ends earlier than the DRS for the second segment. Shu Long has just finished the purple line for the second segment, and then he slams on the brakes to prepare for the slowest hairpin in the entire course.

But as soon as he stepped on the brakes, the feedback from his rear end immediately made Shu Long realize something was wrong.

Where did the downlink pressure go?!

"Oh, it looks like the winglets on his race car's rear wing aren't closed!"

What the hell?!
Then everyone watched as Shulong's rear wheel locked up unexpectedly due to insufficient downforce, and the car spun 720 degrees on the spot. Shulong gave it a final push on the accelerator and straightened it, before it finally shakily returned to the track.

"What the hell?! This car is trying to kill me!"

"What happened, buddy? Are you okay?"

"I just danced a waltz with some brat, and it couldn't have been better!"

God can bear witness, Shu Long's feelings at this moment are absolutely the same as those of the viewers in front of the screen.

Not to mention that DRS automatically engages when the driver brakes hard, Shu Long's habit has always been to manually turn off the DRS switch on the steering wheel before entering the braking zone, in order to ensure that he has the best braking efficiency from the moment he presses the brake pedal. Forgetting is impossible; Shu Long clearly remembers every detail before the loss of control occurred.

Forget about forgetting to turn it off earlier; he's practically smashed the DRS button on the steering wheel to pieces, and the big guy behind him still doesn't seem to care at all.

Come again?

“Magnussen is 15 seconds behind you making his push, remember to clear the racing line.”

"That's fantastic! I'm going to write an essay about it when I get back, and I'll call it 'The Back View'."

The team didn't quite understand the cultural reference in Shu Long's words, but they could roughly guess what Shu Long meant from the literal meaning, because if Magnussen were allowed to pass, he would become the only driver on the track who hadn't yet set a valid lap time.

Is it even possible to make it work?

Shu Long first parked the car in the repair area on the tire changing rack. He watched the mechanics pry and hammer for a long time before shaking his head and calling for a jack to push the car into the pit lane.

It's unclear whether the DRS starter lever is stuck or what, but the crew doesn't have a solution for this problem in the short term. They are currently checking with the team to see if they should replace the rear wing with a new one.

However, the first round of the Dragon's advancement came relatively late, and the tail wing is one of the parts that cannot be modified at will after entering the qualifying round. If you want to replace it, you need an FIA inspector to be present, and there is simply not enough time.

Pao's father was practically grinning from ear to ear.

His son has had so many unlucky matches in a row, surely his luck should be shared to some extent?

But old Joss was too happy too soon. The Shulong and Verstappen were using the exact same kits. Just like the problems that existed in the Red Bull No. 1 car were also present in the No. 2 car, the same kits that came out of the same batch as Verstappen's might also have some problems.

The only difference is that Shulong's side cannot be closed, while Verstappen's side cannot be opened.

Or it could be called intermittent seizures, or persistent episodes.

The longest section of DRS on the starting straight was not turned on at all. It was turned on briefly after Turn 9 and then closed again. It was only after the angry driver kept pressing the button that it was finally opened a little bit.

What else is there to say?

This bag is ruined!

Then Leclerc, spurred on by his defeat, showed no doubt about his lap time ability. In just one lap, he beat Verstappen by 0.323, securing pole position for the day with a time of 1:18.750.

He's practically a master of the pole.

The pole position conversion rate is a bit disappointing. The only race they won was the pole position in Shulong, and their pole position win rate this season is still 0%.

Why did Shulong, who was eliminated early, inexplicably feel a sense of relief?
Even Leclerc himself stated in an interview that if Ferrari cannot solve their high tire consumption problem, even if they take pole position today, it may not mean anything for tomorrow's race.

Of course, it could also be a smokescreen, since starting from pole position offers a clean air advantage that is difficult for following cars to match.

However, this did not stop Shu Long from feeling much better after hearing it.

Let's not worry about how much of what he said is true; at least the sheer exhaustion in Leclerc's voice when she said it is undeniable. Looks like everyone's been having a tough time with their little wives, haha~
When you feel like your life is going badly, why not turn around and look at Alonso?

As a Spanish driver on his home turf, Alessandro's last flying lap in Q1 was marred by communication problems with his team, resulting in him being repeatedly blocked by Norris and ultimately finishing in P17.

After that, Alpine decided to put Alonso in the fourth power unit of the season, sending him straight to the back of the field.

Using four different sets in six games—if you didn't know Alonso came to compete, you'd think he was here to eat the engine.
GP2, I'll eat it all!
Alright, alright, stop laughing at others. Red Bull's recent performances have been equally lackluster.

In other words, the car itself is fast, and the driver is also capable of keeping up with it; otherwise, the current results might not even be as impressive as Mercedes'.

After a thorough review following qualifying, the team ultimately gave only a rather ambiguous answer:

"Sorry, it seems we were a little too eager to achieve results in terms of weight loss."

So all they upgraded at this stop was the floor and the rear wing, and those upgrades even caused problems?

Yes.

Moreover, Shulong and Verstappen now have only two options: either replace the spare parts with a new set and gamble that there won't be any problems in the race, or replace the old rear wing from the previous races and accept the punishment of being sent to the pits to start the race.

That's an outrageous price to pay!
With only two hours left before the closed zone rules were triggered, there weren't many options available, so both of them agreed to replace the parts with spares of the same specifications.

If you're lucky, the DRS might just become unusable, and moving it forward to a higher position would be more difficult. If you're unlucky, you might encounter a problem like the one Shulong experienced today.
It all comes down to whose birth chart is the strongest.

Instead of pinning our hopes on the uncertain tail fin, we should think of a strategic solution.

Verstappen's primary task is to take down Leclerc at the start. As long as he stays in P1, he won't have to worry about DRS. Meanwhile, Shulong, who starts in P10, needs to find a way to move his position forward.

This is no easy task; the Circuit de Catalunya is not a particularly easy track to overtake.

The best strategy based on data analysis was probably to stop on yellow tires twice, or slightly slower on yellow tires twice, but given Red Bull's current tail wing condition, if they just follow the others and stick to yellow tires, they're doomed.

Verstappen's initial plan was to start on red tires, try to beat Leclerc at the outset, and then play a strategic advantage against Ferrari.

Shulong has an extra set of new red tires compared to Verstappen, so he naturally wants to make a big splash at the start with his starting ability, reducing his reliance on DRS and accumulating an advantage for an earlier pit stop and undercut window later on. Therefore, he also decided to start with red tires.

For the first Stint, I'll use the old red tires and then decide what tires to use for the next run based on the situation.

Isn't this just a coincidence?
After the team submitted the tire numbers for the starting position, they watched as the teams removed their own tire warming blankets from the starting grid the next day.

Good guy!
Except for Hamilton, everyone else started on red tires!

"We won the lottery, guys."

"Yes, yes. We can only try our best to do as much as possible at the beginning. We believe you have the ability."

"Wow, so they're already putting a compliment on me?"

Reni, on the other side of TR, made an "uh" sound and then fell silent again. Shu Long looked around and roughly understood that his team's engineer had some unspeakable difficulties.

A Haas P9 is diagonally in front of me; judging from the roof rack, the person sitting inside should be a Mikkel.

Yesterday should have been Mick's first time reaching Q3 in qualifying. Everyone in the paddock probably knows his abilities well enough, but no matter what his true thoughts are, he can't say them out loud on a public channel.

Schumacher is a very prestigious surname; most people wouldn't dare to mess with him.

Directly in front of them was a black McLaren, with Ricciardo, a veteran of Red Bull and also René's former partner, sitting inside. Of course, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to make any derogatory comments behind their backs.

The P7 diagonally ahead is another Haas, with Shulong's old teammate Magnussen sitting inside.

After comparing the two in the 2020 season, the difference in their abilities is probably obvious and doesn't need to be proven again. Considering the good relationship between the other party and Shu Long, it's not convenient to say some things directly.

But with just these few "small fry," even if they all start with red tires, it's unlikely they'll pose much of a challenge to Shulong.
(End of this chapter)