Speed ​​God

Chapter 46 Perfect Linework
In daily driving, especially in rainy or snowy weather, the tires can easily slip and lose control if you're not careful. Therefore, snow chains are often necessary when driving on snow.

This is the most common phenomenon of decreased tire grip.

In Formula One racing, the demand for grip is amplified many times over. Even on dry surfaces, grip remains one of the decisive factors affecting a car's speed and stability. If the tires lose grip, a car traveling at 300 kilometers per hour could lose control like a rocket that has gone off track, with unimaginable consequences.

Every racing tire has an ideal operating temperature range, at which the friction between the rubber and the track reaches its optimal state, and the vehicle's handling and acceleration performance are also at their best.

If the temperature is too low, the tires will be like they are dozing off and will not be able to grip the ground; if the temperature is too high, the tires will age rapidly, and may even blister and delaminate, and their performance will decline sharply.

The tire operating temperature curve is a trapezoid. In the first stage, it slowly climbs to the operating temperature. In the second stage, it enters the stable operating range. In the third stage, the temperature is too high and the tire begins to wear out rapidly.

If the tires are not replaced in time, their performance may plummet to the point of completely losing grip.

Therefore, a top driver needs to learn to manage tires, find the tire's operating temperature, and extend the tire's duration within the optimal range.

Especially when the driver enters "push mode", the tire temperature will rise rapidly, and improper management will cause the tire to enter the degradation period directly.

For this reason, before the race starts and before changing tires, you can see that all the tires in the pit lane are covered with a heating blanket, just like an electric blanket, to keep the tires within their operating temperature range as much as possible; before officially entering the race, there is also a warm-up lap, where the drivers constantly turn left and right to increase friction and raise the tire temperature.

Even so, in the first few laps after the start of the race, especially when using hard tires or when the track temperature is low, it is difficult for the tires to enter the working range.

At this point, the car's grip is insufficient, and the driver needs to carefully control the throttle and steering to maintain rhythm within the limited grip. It is in this uncertain phase that the driver's control and acuity over the car can be seen.

That's how it is right now.

At the start, all four drivers' tires were in similar condition, not fully warmed up. Especially since the Fiorano circuit is less than three kilometers long, one lap is far from enough to warm up the tires. With insufficient grip, the cars all seemed a bit floaty. At this point, the racing line became crucial.

Snapped!
The instant the traffic light went out, Lu Zhizhou almost reflexively released the clutch and stepped on the gas, his blood boiling and his mind completely focused, coordinating perfectly.

The tires screeched as they gripped the ground, and the red race car launched itself forward. Before anyone could even blink, Lu Zhizhou was already rapidly closing in on Zhou Guanyu's tail—

At the starting grid of the Fiorano circuit, position one is on the right and position two is on the left, so Lu Zhizhou, in position four, starts behind Zhou Guanyu.

At this moment, it was obvious that Zhou Guanyu's reaction speed was slightly slower than Lu Zhizhou's, to the point that Lu Zhizhou was about to rear-end the car and crash.

However, Lu Zhizhou remained very calm, keeping his eyes peeled and searching for space on both sides.

The first corner is a right-angle turn, so the normal driving line is on the right side, and the track is relatively clean. On the left side, some dust and debris accumulate, and these small things can damage tires and impair grip. Generally speaking, choosing the right side is the normal approach.

Especially at the beginning of the race, the tires have insufficient grip, and any steering wheel error or brake control deviation can lead to slippage.

However, Lu Zhizhou wanted to go to the left.

Indeed, there was debris on the left, but precisely because of this, Armstrong, Zhou Guanyu, and Alesi should all want to take the inside and enter the curve early, leaving space on the outside; Lu Zhizhou did not intend to stick with them, but instead relied on his line to overtake from the outside.

But Lu Zhizhou immediately noticed the details—

Instead of turning right to squeeze into Alesi's lane, Zhou Guanyu's car went straight ahead, which meant that... great minds think alike, and Zhou Guanyu was also preparing to force his way past Alesi from the left outer lane.

Radical, tough, and bold.

Zhou Guanyu, who usually appears gentle and mild-mannered, is a sharp and aggressive driver on the track.

In a flash, Lu Zhizhou immediately realized that he and Zhou Guanyu were on the same track, and his path was blocked. Either he and Zhou Guanyu would crash into each other and die, or he would brake suddenly, his tires would slip, and he would go off the track.

In that one-thousandth of a second of flash, Lu Zhizhou lightly tapped the brakes to control the tires in a step-like manner, and the front of the car turned to the right, narrowly avoiding Zhou Guanyu's rear wing, and cut into the middle road, preparing to overtake through the gap between Zhou Guanyu and Alesi. Now it was up to see who could drive more precisely.

The next second, wheel to wheel!
On the right, the tires were already close, and Armstrong could be seen almost in front of them! Armstrong's starting reaction speed was excellent, only slightly slower than Lu Zhizhou's. This young New Zealander showed his academic style, cutting into the middle at the first moment and aiming early at the gap between position one and position two, ready to break through the wall.

On one hand, Armstrong had secured the line in advance, but his reaction time was slightly slower.

On one side, Lu Zhizhou, who had the advantage in reaction speed, changed his route at the last minute.

As a result, Lu Zhizhou's right front wheel was slightly ahead of Armstrong's left front wheel, and they were neck and neck, with the two race cars about to collide.

Lu Zhizhou refused to retreat, and neither did Armstrong; the friction of the tires and the surging airflow clashed fiercely together.

However, at that moment, an obstacle appeared in the way—

Alessi.

Alesi hoped to use his pole position advantage to widen the gap and run to the finish line, but he was no idiot. He knew that the tires' grip was insufficient and that his starting line could cost him the whole race, so he was always wary of his three rivals.

At first, Alessi held the inside line tightly, trying to get into the corner first, like a red brick wall blocking Zhou Guanyu from the bridge to reunite with the center of the corner.

But then, Alessi noticed that Zhou Guanyu and Lu Zhizhou were trying to cut in on the outside of the big circle and overtake them. He immediately turned the steering wheel to the left and squeezed the front of the car outwards, arbitrarily going wheel-to-wheel with Zhou Guanyu.

Before Zhou Guanyu could shake off the oppressive feeling of leaving Lu Zhizhou behind, he saw Alesi suddenly cut in front of him. He instinctively swerved the steering wheel, widening the arc of the entire driving line, and half of the car body rode on the curb.

a mess!
At this point, Armstrong's naiveté was exposed. Despite his considerable experience, he was still young. Moreover, he was a typical well-behaved student from an academic background, sunny, cheerful, and upright. There was no trace of the wildness and brutality of the streets in him.

Armstrong attempted a middle drive, only to see Alessi cut in from the side. Faced with the choice between crashing and skidding, Armstrong opted for the latter.

Remove the oil.

Armstrong did not brake suddenly, but he did release the accelerator.

As Lu Zhizhou saw it, the right wheel-to-wheel front of the car slowly retreated, tearing a small gap in the otherwise impenetrable chaos.

It was as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.

opportunity!

Without hesitation, Lu Zhizhou tucked inward, seizing the gap overlooked by the intense driving, and cut sideways into the space between Armstrong and Alessi, slicing into the right side—

Armstrong: ? ? ?

Staring dumbfounded at the race car that had inexplicably seized an opening and blocked his way, he could hardly believe his eyes.

Instinctively, Armstrong stepped on the brakes; at that moment, he had no choice but to brake.

Then, Armstrong watched helplessly as Lu Zhizhou cut into his right side, then further into Alesi's inside, and immediately grabbed the apex of the corner.

brake!

Lu Zhizhou had pushed his braking point to the extreme, almost standing on the edge of a cliff, teetering on the brink of collapse, before finally braking. He entered the corner with a thrilling gait, his tires gripping the red and white curbs tightly. Relying on his perfect line, he cut into the right angle at the same pace as Alessi.

Alessi turned around: ? ? ?
　This week's new book rankings have been incredibly tough! I desperately need your support, fellow readers! Please, I beg you to keep reading! Thank you everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)