F1: Starting with a Simulator Master

Chapter 131 Proactively Seeking Change

The strategist's fingers pressed down heavily on the keyboard.

The large screen in front switched, and the curves of various telemetry data disappeared, leaving only a Ferrari tire balance distribution table.

Two sets of new yellow tires, one set of new white tires, and several sets of old red tires.

The strategist's laser pointer pointed to the last set of data models representing the red tires.

"For this race, we're going for a differentiated strategy, opting for a two-stop approach and starting on the same old soft tires you used to fly a lap in Q2 of qualifying yesterday!"

"We inspected it, and the wear is very slight; it's almost just the surface protective layer that's worn away. The initial grip on the first lap is even better than a new tire! It can easily last for 10 laps or even more before pitting!"

"Listen, Rosh."

The strategist, hands on the table, looked earnest. "We need to make the most of the first lap's best grip on these old red tires! If you want to win, your best chance is to use the tire advantage from the first few laps to overtake Verstappen as soon as the five red lights go out!"

Luo Xiu nodded, approving of this radical strategy.

"The basic strategy is finalized. Next, the team will prepare the instructions for the main competition!"

The strategist unleashed a barrage of cards.

"Plan A! The main plan is to pit for yellow tires on lap 10, when the red tires are showing normal wear and tear!"

"Plan B! The red tires are wearing out too early, so we need to pit early and use Undercut!"

"Plan C! The tire maintenance was successful. We made a late pit stop at the critical point and used an overcut!"

A series of Ferrari-themed practical strategies, "PIan," with high information density, flashed rapidly through Luo Xiu's mind. In his mental palace, various situations and data were quickly combined, deducing all sorts of possibilities.

"We still have PlanD!"

The strategist's Plan D interrupted Luo Xiu's deduction.

"If a yellow flag appears on the track, or if your tire maintenance is strong enough and the tire wear is much less than expected, then we will consider a stop-and-go strategy at red and white. Please remember this clearly — although the probability of this is very small —"

Red and white stop?

Luo Xiu nodded, feeling that although the possibility of this consideration was not high, it was not unreasonable.

"Finally, PlanE————"

The projector was turned off, plunging the strategy room into a brief darkness before the lights were turned back on.

"This is a smokescreen for other teams to monitor. As soon as 'Plan E' comes on TeamRadio, all you need to do is give a simple 'Copy,' then close your ears and keep going. Let the others guess, let them rack their brains!"

PlanE? Smoke bomb?

In the F1 paddock, each car's TeamRadio is selectively broadcast to the world by the official broadcaster, including to its competitors in the pit lane.

They used a forged communication command to miscalculate the Red Bull team's entry window.

Luo Xiu mentally accepted this deceptive logic, even though its actual effect was difficult to assess.

Luo Xiu felt that Ferrari was a bit crazy, given that this move was somewhat like a gambler's gamble.

But this madness suited Luo Xiu's taste perfectly.

The track engineer repeatedly confirmed A, B, C, D, and E, and once the race started, he would need to convey the actual strategy to Luo Xiu on the track.

Luo Xiu knew perfectly well that all the conspiracies and schemes, all the meticulous plans, could only be built on one fundamental premise:

He must surpass Verstappen as soon as possible.

Local time, Saturday, 20:00.

All staff members evacuated the track, and the race cars started from the starting grid and entered the warm-up lap before the start of the race.

On the big screen, the starting tire compounds for all 20 drivers were revealed.

Just as Ferrari had predicted.

The vast majority of drivers, including Verstappen, opted for yellow medium tires for long-distance stability and to increase their margin for error in strategy.

The entire fleet of vehicles on the broadcast panel almost formed a vast expanse of yellow, representing a steady and conservative strategy.

Apart from a very few people like Stroll, who was trying to pick up some pockets from the chaos on the edge of the points zone, the only car that stood out in the front row was the number 55 car, which was in P2 starting position!

Among the rows of yellow tires leading the way, a striking red tire was wedged in.

The strongest short-term grip comes at the cost of rapidly diminishing tire life.

During the serpentine maneuvering of the warm-up tires, Luo Xiu could clearly feel the sticky grip that gave him a strong sense of confidence when the old red tires came into contact with the asphalt, through the force feedback on the steering wheel.

The tire temperature climbed steadily and entered the optimal operating temperature window. Twenty race cars drove out of the last corner one after another, and the starting signal board on the straight, which determined life and death, rapidly enlarged in sight.

The tire warm-up period is over.

Twenty 1000-horsepower engines came to a stop one after another on the starting grid, and the vibrations from their idling speed collided back and forth on the narrow straight road.

Boom boom boom boom boom————

Even the air in the main grandstand of the Jeddah circuit was shaken and twisted.

Ferrari No. 55 was half a car length shorter than Red Bull No. 1. The two cars were parked side by side, in the second position of the starting grid.

At that moment, a signal transmission helicopter flew over Jeddah, framing the two machines representing the fastest racetracks on Earth today in the same frame.

Luo Xiu began to focus all his senses, blocking out the noise from the stands and the engine noise, leaving only the starting signal board hanging directly above the track in front of him.

At that moment, everyone in the audience seemed to hold their breath.

As the engines roared, the red lights on the starting frame began to illuminate one by one.

The first one.

Inside the No. 55 race car, which was already in first gear, Luo Xiuna's left hand, wearing a fireproof glove, steadily pressed the clutch paddle on the left side behind the steering wheel, precisely controlling it at the extremely narrow semi-clutch engagement point.

The second one.

With a precise press of the accelerator pedal, the engine speed was maintained at the optimal torque sweet spot of 7000 rpm.

The third one.

If you apply even a tiny bit more throttle, these old red tires will break their grip limit the moment you start, causing the rear wheels to spin wildly.

The fourth lamp.

Even a millimeter more disengagement of the clutch will cause a sudden increase in mechanical resistance, instantly dragging down the engine speed. The engine protection ECU will then intervene, triggering the shameful anti-stalling program, turning the F1 driver's proud reaction speed into a standstill and idle spin.

At this moment, Luo Xiu's left hand had two fingers that were like finely threaded silk maintaining the clutch's partial engagement, while his right foot held steady at 7000.

Apart from adjusting the throttle opening, all the remaining force from both hands is concentrated on the grip of the steering wheel to counteract the launch load exceeding 2G.

His unique mental sanctuary had already entered overclocking mode.

In those few seconds that passed in reality, in Luo Xiu's mental palace, the race car roared and sped off ten thousand times.

The short distance of a few hundred meters between the start and Turn 1 was divided into countless microsecond-level still frames in his calculations.

At the starting grid of car number 1, the first grain of sand kicked up by the RB20 tires as they rolled over the asphalt, the air turbulence caused by the crosswind cutting into the aerodynamic barrier, even the one-millimeter undulation on the right white line—

The fifth red light came on.

The ten thousand simulations vanished from my mind in an instant. All that remained was to execute the plan using pure muscle memory.

This red Ferrari race car, codenamed SF24, is like a lurking cheetah, calmly eyeing the red bait above its head, waiting for the moment that signifies slaughter to arrive!