F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 266, Vistapin

The red flag remained in place for about an hour.

Zhou Guanyu wasn't the only one caught up in the accident at the start; Russell, Albon, Ocon, Vettel, Kakuta, and Gasly were also involved. The others weren't entirely unscathed either; almost every car that started behind Zhou Guanyu was affected to some extent.

Russell and Albon's cars suffered the most severe damage and retired from the race along with Zhou Guanyu. After being moved back to the pit lane and repaired, the two Toro Rosso cars were still able to run.

Actually, Russell's car damage wasn't so bad that he couldn't continue the game if he had tried harder. It's just that he was probably a bit stunned by Zhou Guanyu's accident at the time, and his first reaction wasn't to continue the game but to quickly get out of the car to check on Zhou Guanyu's condition.

In Shu Long's view, Russell was actually primarily responsible for the accident.

Since Hongqi had nothing else to do, besides hoping for good news from Zhou Guanyu's test results, Shu Long calmed Gan Mengning down a bit and then reviewed the incident in the P room by playing a replay.

First of all, Zhou Guanyu's own start was definitely poor.

The clutch response when the lights are off isn't actually slow; in fact, it's considered fast among the race cars around it. The main problem lies in the engagement of the clutch in first gear and the control of traction, making the 0-100 acceleration process quite unbearable to watch.

It's hard to say whether it's a problem with his ability or with Aro's gearbox. After all, I've never driven Aro's car, Shulong. But Guanyu always seems to have some issues starting from the lower classes. I feel like I need to have a talk with him after this.

But Russell's start was even worse than Zhou Guanyu's.

Mercedes was one of the teams whose rhythm was disrupted by rain during practice due to the upgrade, and they generally lacked data on white tires.

Russell, that silly kid, was probably fooled by Shu Long's pre-race boasts and thought that white tires were a really good choice. In order to climb to a higher position, he planned to take the opposite strategy and start with white tires.

His clutch reaction was a bit slower than Zhou Guanyu's, and the white tires had no grip at all. He was immediately taken down by Perez in a flash, and he and Zhou Guanyu, these two unfortunate brothers, were thrown back and dropped in position as soon as the lights went out. Then, Gasly came from behind and showed his true colors.

It's impossible for most people not to feel anxious in this situation.

Seeing that he was about to suffer the humiliation of being defeated twice in a row again, Russell slightly closed the door to Gasly from the inside, and then...
This is a completely undeserved disaster.

Fortunately, according to the medical center's examination, Zhou Guanyu was not only fine, but in fact, he was almost completely unharmed.

On the contrary, after being slammed against the wall by Vettel, Albon suffered two more lateral impacts, sustaining multiple soft tissue contusions, and was taken away by ambulance as soon as he got out of the car.

Before the Red Flag game even ended, Zhou Guanyu returned to the pit room and came over to say hello to a few friends in the paddock.

It's good that you weren't scared.

A driver's career will always have a few moments that bring about a transformation in their mindset, and this moment often happens when they experience their first major racing accident.

Some people may be left with psychological trauma and never recover, while others may have their mindset elevated as a result. Once they truly perceive the critical point between life and death, the fear of the unknown will naturally cease to be something to fear.

When they met, Shu Long simply patted Zhou Guanyu on the shoulder and didn't say anything more.

At times like these, what drivers often need is not comfort. As someone who has been through it, Shu Long knows very well that what Zhou Guanyu needs more is space to process his emotions.

With things off the track at ease, the race organizers signaled to all teams that the race would restart in five minutes, and everyone got ready with their helmets and gear and got into their cars.

The good news is that the race will restart with the safety car leading the way for a warm-up lap before returning to the starting grid for a static start.

The bad news is that because the red flag was raised too early, not only the last car in the formation, but even the lead car, Shu Long and Verstappen, haven't crossed the second safety line checkpoint yet.

Therefore, the order of the matches will remain unchanged, with Sainz in P1, Verstappen in P2, and Shulong in P3, making it all a waste of time.

The only difference is that Verstappen's starting tires have been changed.

Red tires have lost their strategic value. Facing a prepared Sainz team, forcing another attempt may not be very effective and could even lead to a loss of initiative in the race strategy. It would be better to take advantage of the red flag opportunity to switch to yellow tires.

But yellow fetus
The five red lights lit up one by one again, and the engine speed was brought up to around 10,000 RPM. While keeping a close eye on the light signals, Shu Long also spared a little attention to Verstappen's movements diagonally ahead.

click!
Unlike the first start, this round of lights went out very quickly; almost the fifth red light had just symbolically lit up when it suddenly went out as well.

It was obvious that almost all the drivers were caught off guard, and the overall pace of the car formation was noticeably slower. Even Shu Long's clutch response was unusually slow at 0.183 due to a momentary lapse in concentration.

It's still as fast as ever, standing out from the crowd, just not "that" fast anymore.

This undoubtedly gave Sainz and Verstappen more opportunities to react.

Sainz had a decent start, but for Verstappen, whose starting reaction is a weakness, not every start can be as amazing as it was an hour ago.

Furthermore, without the grip advantage of the red tires at the start, Red Bull's No. 1 car not only failed to make a start but was also pushed to the far right of the track by Sainz, who held it back by almost half a car length.

This left a huge gap on the outer racing line, and Shulong, who had been waiting for an opportunity since the start was a little slow, certainly didn't miss it.

Even though Sainz initially focused his defensive attention on Verstappen, it didn't mean he was truly at ease with Shulong, his number one rival known for his starting ability. In an instant, he reached a certain consensus with Verstappen, and with a turn of the steering wheel, they both blocked Shulong on the outside.

As long as Shulong doesn't get ahead at the beginning of the game, it's manageable no matter how much they fight or struggle in front of the opponent later on. They can also indirectly use the DRS train for joint defense.

But if Shu Long is allowed to improve his position in the early stages of the race, then they might not be able to see him on the track again by the middle of the race!
Very cruel.

However, there is a fairly unified understanding of Shu Long within the paddock. Whether they admit it or not, everyone knows that Shu Long's current 48-point lead is not simply due to good luck and fewer withdrawals. If you don't keep an eye on him, he can slip away and disappear without a trace.

Having been teammates on Toro Rosso for a year, Verstappen and Sainz still have some understanding in this regard.

Despite their often drastically different racing styles on the track, a little more research into them reveals that Verstappen and Sainz are both drivers who use their brains to compete.

It's just that one is relatively easier to weigh gains and losses and calculate benefits, while the other is more easily ignited into a state of rage.

Faced with the combined attack from the current and current ex-boyfriends, Shu Long was about to be escorted off the track by the crowd, but he did not choose to confront the two of them head-on. He eased off the accelerator slightly before turn 1 and applied the brakes very lightly.

Silverstone's two consecutive high-speed corners, number 1 and 2, can be easily taken at full throttle by modern F1 cars. Even for yellow tires that haven't fully reached operating temperature, only a slight lift of the foot on the accelerator is needed, and the brakes are completely unnecessary.

This made Shulong's movements particularly noticeable in the traffic jam, and he almost immediately slipped through the net formed by the Ferrari and Red Bull.

The loss of speed was inevitable, but what was he trying to achieve by doing this? Before the commentators could even voice their questions, they saw Shu Long make an inward crossover at the high-speed turn 1, and then move to the outer lane of the 2nd turn, which is a combination of right and left bends.

High-speed corners, especially high-speed corners at the start of a race.

What racing cars need most is not the most efficient racing line, but more ample acceleration space and a smooth curve that allows them to accelerate with greater confidence and boldness.

Having escaped the chaotic battle of being surrounded and blocked, Verstappen naturally ended up grappling with Sainz again.

Sainz knew where the acceleration was more efficient. He already had a half-car lead and took advantage of the cornering speed on the outside of Turn 1 to gain the lead. Then he cut in front of Verstappen and moved to the outside of Turn 2.

This put Verstappen in a rather awkward position, forcing him to try and create an outside crossover by entering the corner earlier.

However, already lagging behind on the track, and having lost the space to steadily accelerate from the outside, Verstappen not only had Shu Long come up from the outside to run alongside him when he cut inside, but he also knew that he wouldn't get the upper hand here.

As the second youngest world champion and the youngest current world champion in the current paddock, Verstappen naturally has his own understanding of the track.

The next two turns, number 3 and 4, are two medium-low speed turns that start on the right and then turn left. Cutting into the inside left line of turn 2 gives you priority to occupy the outside line of turn 3. Low-speed hairpin turns require a sufficient entry angle, which means that you will have an advantage in the entry line to some extent.

Perhaps we could consider using the conventional and highly efficient "turret gun" style of inside penetration?
If it were just a single low-speed hairpin turn, Verstappen might actually consider it, but the problem is that there are two consecutive low-speed hairpin turns.

As already mentioned, beneath Verstappen's volatile and irritable on-field demeanor lies a remarkably meticulous and sensitive mind. The reason he appears to be "Mad Max" is mostly because he believes that doing so yields the greatest benefit.

But this is clearly not the case in the so-called "most" cases now.

Not only is it extremely risky to drive into the inside of one of the corners, but it will also have a very serious negative impact on the entry into the next corner, number 4. Even if you only gain a temporary lead, you may not be able to keep up with the pace of your opponents at all later.

In particular, the two consecutive left turns, No. 4 and No. 5, require the driver to continuously open the line outwards after the turn to maximize the use of the traction force after the turn to preheat and accelerate the super long straight ahead after turn No. 5.

The entire series of curves is interconnected; if any part slips even slightly, it could very well result in being left behind by the main group.

But if you occupy the outer line to go around the intersection...
The chances of overtaking at Turn 3 may still be slim, but what makes it special is that you can make two consecutive lane changes at the intersection, which means you can make two turns to improve your efficiency and double your overtaking opportunities!

The key to all of this lies in who can hold the outside position at Turn 3. This is the fundamental reason why Verstappen was willing to sacrifice his own rhythm and be threatened by Shulong at Turn 2, even if it meant making a decision that would harm both himself and others.

We'll do anything to limit Sainz's cornering angle!

The question is, which way should Shulong go?

He can only play inside.

Shu Long, who was in the back spectator position, had been constantly updating his predictions of the routes of the two cars in front of him since the start of the race. When Verstappen cut inside and out, he actually came to the same conclusion in his mind and thought to himself, "Brilliant!"

Now that's more like a championship contender!
Shu Long certainly hopes that there won't be too many unexpected events on his road to victory, but by unexpected events, he means avoiding unavoidable malfunctions that led to his withdrawal from the previous race in Canada.

But a championship race without any rivals would be too boring. Even if a team leads the race with a flawless performance from start to finish until the checkered flag falls, the only historical evaluation might be "the car was fast."

Leclerc's recent form has been rather lackluster.

Although he was neck and neck with Verstappen in points, Verstappen's overall mental momentum did not pose a sufficient threat to Shu Long, and at one point Shu Long even thought that "being a world champion is not so bad after all".

Where does the excitement of a competition come from?

There has to be a game of strategy!
Isn't playing too many one-sided matches just as boring as playing against bots? Without an opponent to make the victory more interesting, it's just too dull!
Of course, while the line battle between Verstappen and Sainz was exciting, it's also true that Shulong was put on the defensive by the two blocking his lines from both the front and the back.

He also knew the importance of the outside line for the team's cornering rhythm.

The problem is that Verstappen is behind Sainz. When Shu Long tries to follow Verstappen on the outside, he will only be held back by the early braking point of the crossover. Moreover, because he is positioned even further back, he does not have the initiative to choose the crossover.

So he could only try to guard Sainz's inside game and see if he could somehow block his teammate's shot.

But it's difficult, because he and Verstappen aren't the only two on the track; Leclerc is also watching closely from behind.

If you can block it, then block it.

His primary task right now is to maintain his overall racing rhythm. Corners are meant to serve the straightaways that follow, and if he fails to keep up with the pace of the pack, the consequences won't be as simple as failing to overtake.

Verstappen, who had anticipated this, made his first attempt at Turn 3, but he was clearly not fooled.

Shu Long's own entry angle into the corner was also very uncomfortable, and he could only watch helplessly as his teammate slipped past him from behind and then used the more comfortable exit space to rush back in front of him.

We're not going to try the No. 4 bend.

I eased off the accelerator a bit to get into the space behind Verstappen. There was no way to quickly improve my position, and there was no need to force it. I planned to wait for my teammate to make his second run around the crossroads and then use the space on the outside to make a superb double outside arc.

Although he wasted a little distance in the driving lane, this gave him a much earlier opportunity to go all out than the two cars in front of him. If Verstappen and Sainz had lingered for even a little longer, the chance to seize the dragon would have come.

However, Leclerc behind him clearly interpreted the dragon-binding gesture as having another meaning.

I've heard some people think I've been in poor form lately? I've heard some people say I'm weak on both offense and defense?
Shu Long had just reached the outer line of Turn 4 when a red cannon suddenly shot out from his left rear in his peripheral vision and slammed straight into his car from the inside line with a "bang".

"What the F@%$#&*!"

Do you have any space in the paint and you're squeezing in?

"Check the damage to the car! I was just hit by a Verstappen!"

"What?!"

"I've been 'Verstappen'! I've been 'beaten' by a Ferrari!"

(End of this chapter)