F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 269 Emergency treatment
Instead of immediately showing him the shot after Shu Long crossed the finish line, the broadcaster cut to a short replay of Shu Long before he overtook Sainz, as well as the Ferrari team's TR at that moment.

"Red Bull looks a bit fast."

"I might not be able to protect him. Is there anything else I can do now?"

"Guys?"

Whether it was due to the slight jolt of the dolphin jump or Sainz's truly desperate voice that brought out such a heart-wrenching tremor, the commentators and audience could all hear a hint of desperate pleading in his voice.

The only common thread among the various TR segments was the cold silence from the team's side.

Was it because of dissatisfaction with Sainz ignoring team instructions?

Or is it simply that the circus troupe themselves don't know how to salvage this seemingly hopeless situation?
The available information is limited and a judgment cannot be made at this time, but most of the people who heard these TRs felt sorry for Sainz.

Like a burden, Sainz was constantly being moved between several teams, seemingly a temporary outsider wherever he went, and he never seemed to receive recognition from his so-called "home".

We finally got a car that could compete for the championship, and we finally got an opportunity to compete for the championship.

In the end, he found that there was no one behind him, and he could only rely on himself.

The visitor was named Shulong.

"To be honest, although it is really inappropriate for us to stand on this side, I really feel deep sympathy for Sainz today."

Ran Ge isn't afraid of offending people. Nowadays, Shulong no longer needs media backing him up and can stand tall on his own. He speaks his mind directly.

As a professional simultaneous interpreter, Ran's English proficiency is beyond question. However, it is precisely because of his outstanding English skills that he was able to empathize more deeply with the emotions conveyed in the TR speech.

The champion was so close to you, it felt like you could just bend your finger and pull him into your arms.

But the reality is that someone else's name has already been written on that trophy. The gleaming surface of the cup has been carefully wiped until it shines, but what it reflects is nothing more than a face that looks like a clown, half-crying and half-smiling, the more unwilling one is to accept it.

Zong Wei, who was filling in for Fei Ge as the commentator, was still a little reserved. Bing Ge hesitated for a while, then let out a long sigh.

"Powerful, truly powerful without any controversy! Powerful enough that it needs no further embellishment!"

"Of course, while congratulating Shu Long on winning the 2022 Silverstone Grand Prix, we are also delighted to hear the good news that Zhou Guanyu is safe and sound after such a serious accident, and to see his steady progress in several consecutive tournaments."

We should favor one over the other.

2022 was truly a wonderful year for Chinese car enthusiasts, as they could enjoy the continuous satisfaction brought by the continuous stream of cars and slowly savor the surprises of developing Zhou Guanyu.

Although their circumstances and abilities are very different, they each represent a part of the F1 racing world ecosystem.

Motorsport needs both the sharp lines drawn by drivers like Shu Long and the rich colors filled in by drivers like Zhou Guanyu.

Just like Sainz today, if it weren't for the tragic color he and Leclerc unintentionally added to the match, perhaps for Shu Long, today's championship trophy would have been nothing more than another unremarkable victory.

Compared to the usual lackluster live broadcasts that became dull once the checkered flag fell, today's post-match interviews were just as entertaining as the main matches.

In Mercedes' most difficult year, he still brought home the last podium for his fans. Hamilton's mood was beyond words; he seemed even more confident and elegant than when he won the championship.

Shu Long, who withstood all the headwinds to claim the highest podium, doesn't need much attention. As happy as he is, his fans are used to him becoming lazy and listless again after his initial excitement.

On the contrary, it's Ferrari.
Sainz was completely numb. He stroked his hair again and again with great force. Just by looking at the extent of his muscle trembling, you could tell how unwilling he was, but his face was blank and lifeless.

He was just two laps away from winning the championship. If he could hold on, the championship would be his. But why couldn't he find the right speed?
Is it because of strategy?

Perhaps Leclerc has more right to complain about this. Regardless of what Ferrari's strategy team is doing, Sainz was very fortunate in the race not to miss any key opportunities, and his strategy was just the perfect one.

Could it be because of the car?

Even disregarding strategic factors, let alone the fact that Leclerc couldn't outrun Shulong, and even though he carried damage to his car after the collision with Shulong, it's an objective fact that Sainz's average pace in the race was consistently slower than his teammate's.

So it's because of a lack of ability?

No, no!
If a driver starts to doubt his own abilities, then the day he leaves racing may not be far off.

Sainz still can't figure out what he did wrong in the game. He can't understand why he was so slow despite having such a big advantage. Is the reason really due to coaching?
Yes!

It must be because of the training!

The chaos in practice and the disruption caused by the rain in qualifying led to drivers adopting different rain gear setups based on their varying abilities to adapt to the wet conditions, resulting in such a noticeable weakness in lap rhythm during Sunday's race.

Some regrets seem to have occurred on the last lap.

But then again, how come some drivers can use a setup more suited to dry conditions in the rain?
stop stop stop!
Sainz couldn't think about it any further; he felt he only needed to remember that he was the driver who ultimately secured pole position in this race.

Despite adopting a setup more suited to rain conditions, if we were to delve into why he couldn't keep up with the pace of the two Red Bulls and Leclerc in any of the three qualifying sessions, he might really be close to the moment when his resolve crumbles.

Sainz is a smart man; he always knows how to secure the best for himself.

In contrast, Leclerc looked like he was about to break down after the match.

Everyone was eager to hear his thoughts on Ferrari's farcical performance in the post-race interview, but unfortunately, his comments in the post-race interview were strictly controlled by the team's public relations department. As a Ferrari native driver without direct financial backing, Leclerc didn't have much confidence to rebel.

However, it wasn't entirely fruitless. The paddock was never short of nosy reporters who managed to find a way to capture a rather comical scene of "earnest advice."

What did you say?

Nobody heard it.

Of course, according to Leclerc's pre-race interview before the back-to-back Austrian Grand Prix, Binotto was trying to cheer him up when he was in a very low mood, but combined with Ferrari's incredible strategy during the race, it's hard not to interpret it as—

Yes, that's how the second driver should do it.

or
Don't forget to bring your red nose next time you get on the bus.

This quickly led to countless speculations, generating even more buzz than the fact that Shu Long had won the championship. Not to mention that the minor matter of Mike finally earning points for the first time in his career was completely ignored.

Mick's points came too late, so late that even with Schumacher's name on him, expectations had long been lost both inside and outside the paddock. And those two points were hardly anything to brag about.

Aside from finding a wallet lost due to numerous car retirements, Mick showed no fighting spirit when facing Verstappen, whose car was damaged. He was also helpless against Perez, whose car was clearly inferior to Haas's, who was known for his tire-keeping skills and frequent stops.

Congratulations are in order, but clearly, with Ferrari in such a state of chaos and unable to attend to other matters, this performance alone is far from enough to convince Steiner to retain him a seat.

Fortunately, Leclerc once again overtook Verstappen in the standings, which undoubtedly gave the Iron Buddha Temple a little more hope. However, when they saw the gap of 65 points between them and Shulong, who were at the top of the standings, their hearts suddenly sank.

Even the fact that they overtook Verstappen in points felt like a last-ditch effort to prolong their lives.

Red Bull didn't lose speed this weekend because of the sidepod upgrades. Although the new upgrades caused their car to exceed the minimum weight limit by 10kg again, the car still showed considerable dominance in Shu Long's hands.

Verstappen's loss of speed in the Silverstone race actually had another cause.

At the time, a piece of Toro Rosso racing car debris got stuck in his undercarriage, blocking a significant portion of the venturi structure's airflow channels. For a ground effect car where the undercarriage provides 70% of the downforce, this was undoubtedly a fatal blow. No wonder Verstappen kept suspecting that he had a tire blowout and felt light and floaty while driving.

No one noticed the problem when the car was raised and lowered several times during pit stops. It wasn't until a thorough inspection after the race that people were amused and exasperated by the sudden fall of the car.

This was a crucial moment in the battle for the world championship, and Shu Long's misfortune completely disrupted his race strategy. It should have been a great opportunity for Verstappen to quickly close the gap in points, but who would have thought that he would encounter this kind of trouble right after taking the lead.

The gap between him and his teammates has now reached 68 points, and the season is almost halfway through. It can be said that a comeback is now only a theoretical possibility.

Theoretically, it's not that hopeless, but unfortunately, the person leading the standings is Shu Long.

Verstappen couldn't even imagine his teammate making a mistake that would ruin a winning game.

Even Verstappen, who was driving the same race car, felt a little discouraged, let alone the Iron Buddha Temple players who were almost sick from the stress of the game. They even started to look forward to the new technology directive TD039 that the FIA ​​was brewing.

Whether or not Toto's efforts have actually been effective, after a long and intense discussion, the FIA ​​has decided to intervene in the current dolphin jump phenomenon in ground effect racing.

Of course, it's not the simple and crude approach that Toto initially proposed, where everyone raises the floor together. The FIA's intervention is already operating in a gray area of ​​the rules of the race, and completely ignoring the opinions of other teams is not the consequence they want to see.

One of them is Ferrari, which is almost becoming one of the symbols of F1, and the other is Red Bull, which is currently the most valued champion and a major contributor to the traffic of Liberty Media.

More specific details are still being formulated. The original plan was to unveil them at the French Grand Prix, but it seems that discussions will likely take place after the summer break before a concrete result is reached.

Many Ferrari fans believe that Red Bull is undoubtedly the most advanced team in the current racing scene when it comes to solving the dolphin jump problem.

none of them!

After several rounds of upgrades, Ferrari's dolphin jump phenomenon has actually shown signs of resurgence. Many people naturally attribute Red Bull's current performance advantage over Ferrari to Red Bull's more stable body dynamics at high speeds.

If a technical instruction can erase Red Bull's current lead, then Ferrari's F1-75 will undoubtedly have considerable potential to turn the tide.

Ultimately, it all comes down to Shulong.

As the protagonist of another discussion center in the paddock during this period, and the final boss that countless drivers and technicians are closely watching and seeking strategies for, he spent a rare period of relatively leisure time between the back-to-back races in Great Britain and Austria.

Due to the recent discriminatory farce, Red Bull's original plan to link Shu Long with the famous British strongman Eddie Hall had to be temporarily shelved. At the same time, many other similar media events were canceled or postponed.

After Silverstone, Shu Long didn't rush to the Red Bull Ring to prepare for the race. Instead, he and Zhou Guanyu took their girlfriends to the Alps for two days.

Beautiful scenery is undoubtedly the best choice for cleansing the soul.

Especially for a driver who has just experienced a major accident and is about to face the next Grand Prix, saying goodbye to the past is just another form of escapism. Shu Long believes that Zhou Guanyu needs to take this opportunity to break through his limitations.

There was no tedious preaching, nor was there any forced "heartwarming" platitudes.

Shu Long's own experience is the best example; his existence constantly proves the fact that "look, it's really nothing."

When drivers realize that what seems like a terrible accident will only have such minor consequences, they may develop a greater respect for life and perhaps even regain some of the courage they once possessed as the "omnipotent" person they were before the accident.

This may not be an easy task for Zhou Guanyu.

First, he witnessed the tragedy of his friend Huber's death in an accident right before his eyes, then he personally witnessed the fire in Shulong, Bahrain, and now he has personally experienced what can be described as one of the most serious track accidents in F1 history.

Taken together, it can be considered a process that allows one's will to gradually improve; it's just unknown how effective this journey of spiritual healing will be.

While Shu Long was helping Zhou Guanyu with subtle and special psychological counseling, a similar and interesting situation occurred at Red Bull.

Dr. Marco found a psychologist for Kakuta because he discovered that the boy often roared at corners, and this very act of swearing was starting to inhibit Kakuta's performance on the track.

Just like the collision between Kakuta and Gasly at Turn 3 that foreshadowed Shulong's subsequent victory, it's hard to say that it wasn't because Kakuta kept hurling insults at everything he saw in the TR that he had a poor sense of the car's condition and ended up oversteer.

It's really not good to neglect these problem children.

Shu Long is the kind of driver who is extremely polarized. Sometimes he can barely say two words to his team during a race, while at other times he is still fighting with others but keeps complaining about other drivers.

Verstappen does indeed often roar in the TR, and his nickname "Mad Max" comes not only from his terrorist-like driving style on the track, but also from the passionate TR with its noise reduction ratio once exceeding 60%.

But the two Red Bull drivers have the confidence that their driving skills won't be affected by talking. What can Kakuta, a rookie, possibly have?
The moment the swear words left his mouth, they directly caused the destruction of three oxcarts!
In Marco's view, Kakuta is a typical example of someone who learns bad habits instead of good ones. He doesn't even have the ability to compete for the championship yet, but he has already learned the habits of the champion drivers. He must be corrected with strong measures!
Gasly's previous podium experience in Baku gave him a crucial advantage, allowing Marko to make key progress in his negotiations with Alpine.

After Wips's incident, Red Bull's youth academy has even fewer capable candidates. If they can really trade Gasly for Piastri, they can only rely on Kakuta to hold up the face of Toro Rosso in the short term.

Sometimes Marco would marvel at how much better his temper had become compared to before.

After Honda confirmed that it would withdraw from the F1 paddock under the new regulations, Tsunoda lost his biggest backer. Given Marco's previous temperament, he might have been kicked out by Tsunoda long ago, which means that Red Bull's youth academy is now facing a lack of successors.

Otherwise, why would Red Bull be so keen on Piastrelli?

If Liam Lawson hadn't been so thoroughly dominated by Piastri, Marco, who often favors his own youth academy, wouldn't have gone to such lengths to cause trouble.

The Austrian race week also featured F2 races, and this generation's young academy star, Pias, immediately secured pole position in qualifying. What annoyed Marko the most was that that brat Wips was able to take P2 after being expelled from Red Bull's academy.

In contrast, Lawson was only ranked P14, and Marco, whose eyesight was already poor, couldn't even find anyone's name on the first try.

It's clear that Vipsy is indeed capable; otherwise, the picky old man wouldn't have recruited him back then, only to have him dragged into the quagmire of racial discrimination.

We can't expect to play out a "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river" scenario, can we?
(End of this chapter)