F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 256 "Let's Just Call It Azerbaijan"

[6 month 3 day]

[I'm starting this new diary entry to encourage self-discipline and to make sure I complete my workouts on time, even when my fitness coach isn't around.]

[6 month 4 day]

Playing poker

[6 month 5 day]

Playing poker

[June 6]

Is this supposed to be a date? It looks more like a counter.

【Shulong, Shulong! How could you fall so low! Have you completed the training plan you set for yourself?】

"Who are you chatting with on your computer?"

"Uh—my teammate is so bad, I'm just here to criticize him!"

In a panic, Shu Long quickly slapped Alt+Tab twice to switch back to the Valorant results screen where he had lost a game with his girlfriend. Seeing that Gan Mengning seemed to be focused on drying her hair, he quietly switched back, clicked save, and then closed the window.

But then he realized that he seemed to have overlooked something important, and after subconsciously activating the automatic target acquisition, he couldn't look away from it anymore.

"Go on, keep washing, the water's still hot!"

"Hmm, hmm?!"

"As I just said—you are a public figure, after all, so you should be careful with your words and actions online. So many eyes are watching you, be careful that someone with ulterior motives doesn't use them to create dirt on you."

As a veteran who started playing in the internet industry many, many years earlier than Shu Long, Gan Mengning has a lot of experience in this field and is more adept at handling many things than Shu Long, who has undergone several years of public relations training.

She lectured her boyfriend like a little adult, then squatted down in front of her suitcase, pulled out a small hairdryer, plugged it in, and started styling her chin-length short hair in front of the mirror.

Perhaps because she found wrapping herself in a bath towel too troublesome, Gan Mengning would forcibly requisition one of Shu Long's T-shirts every time she took a shower, as long as they lived together.

Loose, skin-friendly, and absorbent, it's almost as effective as a bath towel when worn over the head. It's not only convenient but also satisfies a little bit of your own dependency.

The light cast cool shadows, and just looking at the two slender, white legs peeking out from under the hem of her clothes, one couldn't help but feel a strong urge to protect them.

The kind of protection that involves fierce safeguarding.
The hem of her dress rose and fell with the girl's movements as she constantly tousled her hair, revealing two perfect teardrops that resembled the reflection of a setting sun and the interplay of light and shadow. The soft curve then tapered upwards to accentuate her firm and alluring waistline.

I could still vaguely glimpse a few sparse tendrils?

It felt as if it had directly scratched the tip of Shulong's nose from a distance. The tingling sensation he had felt while eating this morning seemed to reappear in his nerve endings, making him so itchy that he quickly pinched the bridge of his nose and tapped the back of his neck a few times with his hand.

Nothing!
Young and vigorous, yet surrounded by so much extravagance and debauchery, and even before confirming his relationship with Gan Mengning, Shu Long had experienced the aftermath of his relationship with a race queen—it's hard to believe how he endured it all before.
It seems that he has never even felt any attraction, and he only felt that nothing was more interesting than driving. Just thinking back to Shulong makes him sincerely admire himself.

Unlike now, we can't control it at all!
Gan Mengning seemed to see Shu Long's childish and strange behavior in the mirror. A slight wicked smile appeared on her lips as she rubbed against him and climbed over to sit in her boyfriend's lap.

"what happened?"

Does she really have to use such a sophisticated voice?
Don't sit back!
"I played games for a while just now, and my neck feels a little uncomfortable."

"."

I'll give you a look; figure it out yourself.

A group of people with the strongest necks in the world, who can run for more than an hour continuously with tens of kilograms of lateral force, would feel neck pain from just a few rounds of first-person shooter games?
Of course not, this is nothing.

It has both a delicate, bony figure and a perfectly plump, elastic body. Snuggling up in your arms feels warm and cozy, like a little kitten, making your heart itch with desire.

The scent of shampoo and shower gel, carried by body heat, wafted into my nostrils, like some perfect seasoning, instantly crushing my already wavering will.

Like a raging beast that has been provoked, his explosive breath, like that of a double-barreled shotgun, pounded heavily on the girl's earlobe. Knowing something was wrong, she could only manage a shallow sigh and a plea filled with both expectation and fear.

The next second, Gan Mengning was pinned down and deeply sucked in, then a strange force took her away without warning.

What is the FPS rating of a keyboard and mouse game like "DaVa"?
Perhaps they haven't yet experienced the power of the real Negev!

【June 7 "Day"】

[My boss asked me to go to the factory during the day. This damn capitalist is making me work overtime on a holiday?! But considering it's related to our promotion in the next match, I'll just have to put up with it for now!]

When I got home, Mengmeng prepared a low-fat meal for me. Her cooking skills weren't really important, since it wasn't very flavorful anyway, but I felt a surge of indescribable gratitude. So I spent the whole evening playing cards.

I still feel guilty, but she was just too perfect.

[6 month 8 day]

Today I'm heading to Azerbaijan, and when I woke up this morning I noticed I looked a little tired, though not quite noticeable.

I never imagined that alcohol and women could hurt me so deeply!

In order to perform at my best in the upcoming matches, I've decided to abstain from alcohol starting today!

Anyway, I don't drink alcohol.

"Ready to go! Guess where we're going?"

A denim overall jumpsuit paired with a light yellow smiley face t-shirt underneath, and long, fair legs that need no extra embellishment, just a pair of canvas sneakers is enough to exude a youthful vibe.

The girl, beaming, flashed a "V" sign at her reflection in the mirror. The next second, she pulled Shu Long, who had been watching her with a silly grin, into the frame. Shu Long puffed out one cheek as if expecting something.

Do you think you can just give it to us like that? Don't you have any dignity?

Shu Long obediently reached out and lifted his girlfriend's cheek with one hand. When Gan Mengning narrowed her eyes nervously, he then forcefully turned her face towards him.

He lowered his head, sucked on his lower lip, which was smeared with strawberry-scented lipstick, and pulled it outwards, then mischievously let go, deliberately listening to the rather bouncy "pop" sound when it collided with his gums.

"Haha~"

Oh dear.

Before Gan Mengning could react and start baring her teeth, Shu Long pulled out a light brown Red Bull baseball cap from somewhere and slammed it over the girl's head, suppressing her.

"Hmm—not bad, not bad. I felt like something was missing earlier, but you look much more energetic now."

"Really?"

Even a fake one can block out the sun a little.

Temperatures in Azerbaijan have been consistently above 30°C lately. Coupled with the typical semi-arid climate along the Caspian Sea, the ultraviolet radiation during the day is incredibly strong; standing in the sun for even a short while will make your skin hurt.

To be honest, Shu Long didn't recommend Gan Mengning to choose an outfit that exposes so much skin, but considering that Gan Mengning spent most of her time indoors in Baku, whether she got sun or not wasn't really important.

If all else fails, you don't only have one set of clothes in your suitcase; maybe you can still make use of the black stockings or thigh-high socks.
I got to ride on the convoy's chartered plane for free again.

After landing, Shu Long first took Gan Mengning to the hotel, where she chuckled and picked out the footage she had just shot. It was quite amusing to see her conflicted expression, wanting to show off but unwilling to share her little happiness with others.

Unfortunately, Shu Long himself wouldn't be able to appreciate it for long.

Before the jet lag kicks in after the plane lands, I need to have a short meeting with the team to go over the upgrades from this week's racing and roughly assign the main tasks for the test day. Finally, after Horner gives everyone a pep talk, I can head back to the hotel to get some rest.

The earlier talk about quitting drinking was just a joke. Getting into race preparation mode quickly during race week is a professional ethic that every qualified driver should have. Although he indulged a little during the previous short holiday, Shu Long actually started following a strict diet plan again last Wednesday, and he also goes through a full day of exercise every morning between 8 and 11 am.

It's unclear how much these actions will benefit his body, which is almost always in peak condition.

The reason why Shu Long insists on these unnecessary little details is simply that he hopes his mind can always be kept at a just-right level of tension, and will not suddenly relax because of the achievements he has made or the pressure he lacks.

Lying down for too long may not cause your body to rust, but the damage it does to your fighting spirit can be quite terrifying if you don't realize it.

Although Verstappen only managed a P3 finish in Monaco, all the signs he displayed in the main competition undoubtedly showed one thing: even though he is now 67 points behind Shulong in the standings, his determination to win has never wavered.

If he manages to bite you even slightly, he will never let go, even if it means bleeding from his gums!
So even though Leclerc is currently the closest competitor in points, Shu Long has never underestimated Verstappen.

If it weren't for the several major withdrawals during the season, Verstappen should be second in the standings right now, and the points gap between him and Shu Long might even be smaller than that between him and Leclerc.

Leclerc also has to contend with the Prancing Horse and Shu Long, and Shu Long knows exactly how strong Red Bull's current team is. His former strongest supporter can often become his toughest opponent on the road to the championship.

I got up especially early on Thursday.

Before the sun became too intense, Shu Long deliberately dragged Gan Mengning out of bed, grabbed her cycling gear, and took her for five short laps around the track. After a quick shower and change at the hotel, they went out again to attend the racers' media event.

The FIA ​​has not yet officially announced any changes to its schedule of concentrating all press events on Friday mornings, but in terms of implementation details, it has already begun to shift some of the focus back to Thursdays in order to reduce the workload of the teams on test days.

Some of these arrangements were known to be unreasonable from the outset. Blindly planning things only caused trouble for everyone and reduced the exposure of F1. None of them were beneficial for Liberty Media to make money.

When the teams started to comply passively, the FIA ​​had no choice but to gradually compromise; they were just temporarily too embarrassed to back down.

Shulong was assigned to the second wave.

Along with him, Alonso, Zhou Guanyu, Magnussen, and Russell also faced questions from the media.

The questions for Zhou Guanyu and Russell were relatively normal. The questions for Russell mainly focused on the progress of Mercedes in solving the dolphin jump, while the questions for Zhou Guanyu were his views on the track as a rookie.

Mercedes' new upgrades in Spain seemed to have completely solved their dolphin jump problem, but it came back even worse in Monaco. Hamilton, who finished the race in P7, was lying on the side of the car clutching his back for a while before he could recover.

Baku, a street circuit featuring both an ultra-long, full-as-gas straight and a bumpy surface, is known for being incredibly friendly to dolphin jumps. Not to mention, Baku is also known as the Windy City, so just imagining how bumpy the ground effect cars would be here is enough to make you laugh out loud.

Russell didn't laugh at the press conference; his pained expression made him look like a struggling powerhouse.

Asking Zhou Guanyu questions is understandable, given that this is another track with "walls," and Zhou Guanyu has shown a huge difference in lap time ability compared to Bottas in several races with "walls," which has undoubtedly sparked a wave of doubts about his abilities.

Among them, Sauber's F2 youth trainee, Boscher, was particularly enthusiastic in stirring up trouble.

But Zhou Guanyu's brilliant save in Monaco not only created a new hot topic in the F1 community, but as a pure rookie, his excellent car handling on the wet track also stood in stark contrast to Mick's "two Haas cars".

Many people outside now think that Zhou Guanyu has finally figured things out, and they are looking forward to seeing what kind of performance he can deliver in Baku.

As for Mick
Not only does he still have a record of zero points earned throughout his career, but he also suffered another million-dollar car damage not long after. How could Haas, which already lacks the sponsorship and support of Ma Zeping's family, withstand this young master's repeated mishaps?

Even Steiner has recently been losing his temper, publicly criticizing Mick without reservation in front of the media, stating bluntly:

“Mick can’t afford any more major accidents; the team’s budget is already under tremendous pressure!”

They don't even expect Mick to bring the team a point or two; they just hope he doesn't crash.

The English teacher swallowed back his usual "F" punctuation mark several times. Damn it, we're trying our best to save the team's budget, and you've crashed out of the car in just two races. How are we supposed to play?
This week, eight out of the ten teams in the paddock have brought new upgrades.

Of the two teams that haven't upgraded, Aston Martin is because they just introduced the B version of the "Aston Green Bull" rework, and subsequent upgrade plans haven't been implemented yet.

Hass simply doesn't have the budget for upgrades; they even have to be very careful with their spending when buying spare parts from suppliers like Darella and Ferrari.

How similar is our current situation to that of 2020?

The same perfect start, followed by a steady decline.

Back then, there was still Shu Long in the team to support the team's image. Now, even if Magnussen goes all out, he can't guarantee a stable income of points. Can we still rely on Mick for the rest?
I'm so desperate that I don't even know how to write the word "despair" anymore!

After grilling Magnussen about Haas, the reporter suddenly shifted the topic to the Le Mans 24 Hours that were happening next door, and incidentally brought Shulong into the conversation as well.

Last year, both of them participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, one of them won the overall championship in the Hypercar category, while the other did not achieve any impressive results in the LMP2 category.

According to current popular personality classifications, Magnussen is actually a super i person in general.

The contrast between his face and the reporter's direct confrontation made him look somewhat embarrassed. It was only thanks to Shu Long's intervention that he was able to smooth things over and steer the conversation away from the topic.

One of them was in a championship-winning car that had dominated endurance racing for several years, while the other was in a team that was practically just a hobby for a Danish individual sponsor. The resources they had were completely incomparable.

that's the truth.

The very next day, even without Shu Long's help, Brenton Hartley, who was in car number eight last year, successfully secured pole position in the Hypercar class, further supporting Shu Long's defense of Magnussen the day before.

Let's put the main race aside for now, since anything is possible in endurance racing.

Perhaps this statement also applies to Formula 1.

Firstly, Zhou Guanyu demonstrated lap times comparable to Bottas in three consecutive practice sessions during his least favorite weekend of street racing, truly changing the stereotype of him being a "weak link" that fans had generally held since the start of the season.

In addition, Alonso, driving the Alpine car which was not favored at all, achieved an amazing lap time this week despite the old wrist injury he sustained at Albert Park.

This matter was specifically discussed at the media conference. It was mentioned that Alonso's injury made it inconvenient to undergo surgery or other treatments, and doctors advised that Alonso should ensure sufficient rest and recuperation.

However, the schedule of almost one game every two weeks or even one game a week meant that Tou Ge (Tou Ge) had no chance at all. Now he is gritting his teeth and persevering, which is simply superhuman!

Shu Long’s three practice sessions went smoothly. After seven Grand Prix races with patchwork modifications, the team finally started a brand new power unit for both of them as a precaution.

This powertrain unit has undergone a comprehensive upgrade by Honda, mainly focusing on improving the frequent malfunctions that had previously occurred.

The timing is perfect for the switch, prioritizing maintaining Shulong's current annual points advantage, and the two new power units won't be too much of a burden when allocated to the remaining 15 Grand Prix races of the season.

As expected, Shu Long and Leclerc, the two "extreme guys," took turns dominating the leaderboard during the three practice sessions.

Verstappen's first two practice sessions were not very smooth. His DRS had problems again, and once it was activated, there would be a similar violent fluctuation as Red Bull experienced at the end of last season.

It feels like Red Bull is following the same path as last season, except this time it seems like Verstappen is the one paying the price and helping Shulong learn from their mistakes.

The two used completely different rear wing kits for comparative testing during practice. Shulong used a relatively extreme ultra-low drag rear wing, so it has not encountered similar situations yet. The only tricky point is how to handle the stability in several high-speed corners.

Based on my personal driving experience, the main problem I've identified is with the rear of the race car; the overall dynamics are still a bit unstable.

It's not the kind of drifting that involves oversteering.

Instead, with insufficient downforce overall, the front end slightly understeered while the rear end of the car drifted a bit.

In short, it's extremely fun to drive, which is one of the main reasons why Verstappen is hesitant about whether to follow up on the dragon-binding scheme.

However, while it was a bit difficult to open, Red Bull's stop was indeed incredibly fast.

The team brought three upgrades to this race: front brake cooling ducts, floor edge, and a new floor support component.

The first two improvements are minor aerodynamic enhancements and don't have a significant impact on the driving experience. In Shulong's view, the most crucial upgrade is actually the last one: the floor support component.

While Mercedes, Ferrari, and the completely stalled Haas all suffered from deadly dolphin jumps of varying degrees during practice, Red Bull was almost negligibly affected by them.

These two seemingly insignificant thin support rods play a crucial role in stabilizing the car's dynamics.

To be honest, it was Haas's seemingly haphazard hardening and upgrade in Imola that inspired Red Bull's technical team.
Thank you to my former employer!
(End of this chapter)