F1: Starting with a Simulator Master

Chapter 135 Another Verstappen

"He's like another Verstappen!"

"Tell Ma not to dwell on that overtaking maneuver. It's not important. Our strategy is different from Ferrari's. Get him back on track immediately."

Hannah closed the internal communication channel, and Red Bull's control panel fell into a brief silence.

Horner, wearing monitoring headphones, remained silent.

The team manager who single-handedly built the Red Bull dynasty sat on the conductor's platform, gazing intently at the Ferrari P-class car beside him.

house.

boom-!!!

Just then, a dark red lightning bolt, accompanied by a deafening roar, sped past the maintenance area wall at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour.

The gusts of wind whipped up by the engine crashed against the bulletproof glass of the control console, and even the papers in front of Horner trembled slightly.

Luo Xiu, who was in the lead, had no idea what kind of storm he had just stirred up in the Red Bull control room.

He was completely unconcerned about the underhanded tactics Verstappen employed in TR.

Although the intense close-quarters combat had temporarily determined a winner, Luo Xiu did not let his guard down.

Having escaped the sweltering exhaust fumes of the Red Bull, the Ferrari's engine and side air intakes were finally filled with cool, fresh air, and the previously alarming tire temperature began to slowly drop.

The clean racing line brought absolute speed. Taking advantage of the tires, Luo Xiu used the ultimate racing technique from qualifying in the next few laps, using up all the remaining power in the car's battery on the main straight.

Only then did they gradually create a small safe distance from the car behind them.

Eighth lap.

Rochefort leads second-place Verstappen by 2.1 seconds and remains in the lead.

Luo Xiu's desperate driving style paid off, as the gap with the car behind him widened to 2.1 seconds by the end of the eighth lap.

Verstappen was left in the back, breathing in the dirty air, while Rosiu stood alone, beautiful in front.

But at the same time, the cost of this short-sighted approach also arrived on time.

The battery was constantly running low, and not only that, the red tires he was wearing, which already had a short lifespan, were showing visible wear after continuous full-speed sprints.

The rear of the car, which had been following a precise line like a railcar, began to show a visible slip angle when exiting the curve.

The lap speed has started to decline.

Not far behind, Verstappen, having overcome his loss of rhythm, was using his harder yellow tires to slowly erode Luo Xiu's hard-won two-second advantage.

Within three laps, Verstappen will catch up with Rosicky.

The atmosphere inside the Ferrari pit garage was extremely tense at that moment.

The telemetry data on the computer screen showed that the treads of Luo Xiu's four red tires were severely worn, and the front left tire had even started to blister slightly, which was a sign that it was about to burst.

"We can't let him get away again! Call him back immediately to change the tire!"

The telemetry analyst in charge of tire monitoring was the first to get restless, shouting loudly in the internal TR (Tracking Team).

"If he enters the station now, his exit position will be directly among the slow trains of Aston Martin and Mercedes! He might not even be able to hold onto a podium spot!"

The chief strategist launched a decisive counterattack over the communication channel, his fingers frantically typing on the keyboard, trying to calculate a perfect alternative inbound window, but each simulation yielded terrible results.

"Mamma Mia!"

"If he gets a flat tire and crashes into the wall, we'll have nothing left! — Damn it, let him into the station right now! —"

"No, he needs to find a better entry window! — Otherwise, our two-stop strategy will be meaningless!"

"A flat tire means immediate retirement from the race!"

"His ability to maintain his lead during practice was excellent. Trust him! Trust Pirelli!"

"Mamma Mia!"

Just as Ferrari's strategy team was habitually embroiled in this fatal infighting and internal strife, seemingly about to repeat the farce that had ruined countless promising situations—

"Xiu, should we use Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C now?"

On lap nine, the track engineer abruptly cut off the internal argument, threw out that tactical smokescreen in the TR, and half-heartedly handed the decision-making power to the rookie who was driving at 300 km/h on the track.

After three seconds of silence————

Plan E.

After a brief reply from TR, Luo Xiu cut off the communication.

He neither knew nor cared about the argument that was breaking out inside the Ferrari pit room.

-

All he knew was that he had to maintain his current lap speed!

It's too early to pit now. With the time loss from the two-stop strategy, pitting now would mean losing the tire performance advantage in the second half of the race, which would be tantamount to handing over the championship.

For him, entering the station now would be tantamount to surrendering.

Hold on, even if these red tires are slipping everywhere, you have to stay on the track.

At least, let's endure one more round.

Lap 10.

Just as the broadcast booth was still debating Ferrari's "PIanE", the most unpredictable variable at the Jeddah circuit suddenly arrived.

Midway through the traffic.

Lance Stroll, an Aston Martin driver who also started on red tires but suffered in the messy wake zone, lost all grip when he entered the T7 at high speed.

The green race car, severely understeerable, turned into a kite with a broken string at the apex of the corner and crashed straight into the outer barrier!

Bang-!

With a deafening crash of shattering carbon fiber, the Aston Martin race car, costing tens of millions of dollars, instantly broke its right front suspension. Half of the car scraped against the crash barrier, sending sparks flying, and slid dozens of meters away in a horrific manner.

The detached right front wheel swayed desperately as it was dragged along by the safety rope.

The next second, all the light panels on both sides of the track turned into the most eye-catching yellow as if they had been electrocuted!

Double yellow flags were waved wildly at dozens of referee points.

On Luo Xiu's steering wheel screen, the VSC/SC warning light suddenly appeared.

The safety vehicle has been deployed!

"Plan A! Luo! Plan A! Bo this lap! Bo Bo!!" (Entering the station! This circle! Entering the station immediately!)

The Ferrari track engineer's TR stopped firing any smoke grenades, clearly signaling Roche to return to the pits.

Ferrari has decided to immediately pit for a tire change!

At this moment, Luo Xiu has just entered the third timing phase, and his current position allows him to perfectly block the excellent window before the safety car is deployed!

A stroke of luck allowed Ferrari's previously wavering strategy team to stumble upon the perfect opportunity for a free pit stop!

This pit stop under the safety car will give Ferrari at least a ten-second advantage compared to a normal pit stop!

"Copy." (Received)

Without any hesitation, Luo Xiu swerved the car towards the pit lane entrance on the left side of the track after exiting T27.

At this point, the car was still approaching its top speed, but when it was only a few kilometers away from the speed limit line in the pit lane, the Ferrari No. 55 still did not release the accelerator and roll back.

In the last ten meters or so, he slammed on the brake pedal, squeezing out the last bit of grip from the bald tires.

On the tenth lap, the tires, pushed to their limits, made their most glorious farewell.

Four severely worn tires locked up simultaneously on the asphalt, emitting thick plumes of blue smoke. Accompanied by an overload of up to 5G, the vehicle's speed precisely dropped to the maximum speed limit of 80km/h the instant it crossed the white line.

Luo Xiu pressed the yellow "P" button on the right side of the steering wheel, which represents the speed limit button in the maintenance area, with his right thumb at the same precise moment.

Buzzing buzzing buzzing—

The violent tire screams vanished instantly, replaced by a low, suppressed engine sound forced down by the speed limiter.

The race car glided smoothly along the pit lane and finally made its way into Ferrari's exclusive pit lane for changing tires.

From entering the curve to landing, the wheels perfectly aligned with the yellow stopping lines on the ground, like a sharp blade precisely sheathed.

Rochefoucauld's first F1 pit stop for tire changes in his racing career, the countdown begins.

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