F1: Starting with a Simulator Master

Just as the two were wondering what was going on, a whistle interrupted their conversation.

Fortunately, everyone's English is quite good, and Xu Zihang has been cramming on racing terminology recently, so he can understand most of it.

But the whistling, dark-skinned track coach seemed to have heard their argument about "Geely".

He deliberately stopped in his tracks as he passed by Xu Zihang.

He glanced at the engine in Xu Zihang's car and explained in heavily accented Malay English:

"Relax, boys."

The coach pointed to the intake manifold of the Geely engine, a hint of admiration appearing in his originally stern eyes.

"You're right, this car is indeed not eligible to participate in the official Southeast Asian F4 racing series."

"But on track day today," the coach grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, "it can run."

Seeing Xu Zihang's bewildered expression, the coach continued:

"These are the cars left over from the Chinese team's winter testing. There are so many people participating in the event today that we don't have enough cars. We usually wouldn't bring them out."

"Trust me, kid. This 'Chinese heart' has way more low-end torque than that Italian junk. When it comes out of corners, this thing is as powerful as an F3. You've got a lucky day, kid!"

The coach didn't seem to want to spend more time on this issue. He patted Xu Zihang on the shoulder, turned around, and raised his hand to signal everyone to gather.

"Attention, drivers!"

Another whistle, punctuated by English, interrupted the conversation.

The coach approached a huge track map on the wall, his eyes sweeping over the group of eager investors.

"I am the head coach here. Before you turn this pile of expensive carbon fiber into scrap, there are two points I must emphasize."

The coach first made his dry humor, pointing to the end of the track map with one hand.

"This is a notorious reverse-sloping corner. The track not only slopes outwards, but there is also a monsoon drainage ditch half a meter deep on the outer side of the kerb at the exit of the corner."

The coach's voice turned serious.

"On this bend, the curb isn't your friend, it's a chassis shredder. If you have too much curb, you can say goodbye to your chassis and your deposit."

"And here, the S-curve of the T5 and T6 highways."

The coach's eyes became playful.

"On paper, this section of F4 can be completed with full throttle. But it takes a lot of courage to trust the downforce provided by the aerodynamics, as well as your entry angle into the corner."

"If you don't dare to accelerate before exiting the previous corner, and your speed isn't high enough, the car will actually lose control. Because without speed, there's no downforce. So I suggest you go through it at a lower speed."

This statement seemed like a paradox, leaving Xu Zihang stunned.

"Alright, first group."

Xu Zihang insisted on being the first to play last night, and now his wish has come true; he has been pushed to the front line first.

He put on his helmet and walked confidently toward the race car numbered 07.

In his opinion, he had at least two months of experience driving two-stroke go-karts, so getting his hands on a 180-horsepower "go-kart Plus" was a piece of cake.

However, when he finally managed to climb into the cockpit and started adjusting his seating position, he realized he had been overthinking things.

"This is way too deep..."

He originally thought he would "sit" inside, but it felt like he had slid into a narrow cannon barrel.

With his buttocks almost touching the ground, he was lying horizontally with his knees level with his chest, and the footrest was even higher than his buttocks!

This isn't driving, it's clearly lying in a bathtub!

Before he could even adjust to this bizarre position, two technicians pounced on him from the left and right.

"Head forward!"

The technician roughly fastened the HANS (Head and Neck Protection System) to his shoulders, restricting the range of motion of his neck.

Now, he can only turn his head less than 60 degrees to the left or right.

Next up is the six-point harness.

Two, to lock the shoulders. Two, to lock the waist. The last two... pass under the crotch.

Click.

With the clanging of the metal latch, the technician tightened it forcefully.

Holy crap!

Xu Zihang's face contorted in agony as he let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Cut! It's stuck in my crotch! Dude, take it easy! I'm going to get sterilized!"

"This is racing!"

The technician, expressionless, tightened it again, until it was welded to the carbon fiber monocoque like a mummy.

"If you want to live, just endure it."

At this moment, Xu Zihang could only move his eyes; even breathing heavily was difficult for him.

"Brake test. Hard."

The technician pointed to the screen on the steering wheel in front of Xu Zihang, and then pointed to the position of the brake pedal.

Xu Zihang gritted his teeth and slammed on the brake pedal.

The pedals felt completely still, and the steering wheel reading came up to around 60 pounds.

"These pedals are too stiff!" Xu Zihang complained.

That pedal was as hard as a steel plate welded to the frame.

"Harder! (A little harder!)" the technician yelled.

Xu Zihang took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and pushed down with all his might, turning his face red.

It felt like doing a lift of hundreds of kilograms in the gym.

The pressure bar on the screen climbed shakily, finally stopping at an awkward position.

"70 Bar. Barely enough."

The mechanic shook his head, his eyes warning, "No brakes, no safety. Be slow or you will die in T1."

"What the hell... is there no one to help?"

Xu Zihang was panting heavily; the goggles he had just put down were already fogging up.

Welcome to Formula.

A few minutes later.

Buzzing, then click.

An awkward screech of an engine shutting off echoed from the maintenance access lane.

Buzzing, then click.

the fifth time.

When Xu Zihang climbed out of the cockpit covered in sweat, he looked like he had aged ten years.

He couldn't even get the car out of the repair area; it stalled five times in a row during the initial start-up phase and was eventually pushed back by the mechanic.

"This is simply inhuman."

Xu Zihang took off his helmet, his neck stiff as a stick. "The steering wheel is dead heavy, the brakes are impossible to press, the clutch travel is extremely short... and the visibility is so hopeless, how can it be so difficult!"

After getting out of the car to rest and let it cool down, Xu Zihang planned to try it again later.

Formula cars, lacking various electronic aids, have extremely low torque at low RPMs, making them very prone to stalling when starting.

It's another simple physics problem.

Just like in Initial D, when Takumi's AE86 was fitted with a new engine, he was initially very unaccustomed to it.

The reason is that different engines have completely different torque output characteristics.

To save fuel, passenger car engines typically shift gears at around 3,000 RPM, and they also have a host of electronic systems to prevent the engine from stalling.

Formula One engines typically need to reach speeds of four or five thousand revolutions per minute or more to generate sufficient power.

To start and shift gears in the F4, you need to first depress the clutch and then use the paddle shifters on the steering wheel to engage first gear.

Next, accelerate to keep the engine speed at the sweet spot of 4,000 RPM, then release the clutch. Only when the output torque is sufficient can you truly engage first gear.

Xu Zihang's problem is the same as most beginners: he is afraid to accelerate, so the engine speed cannot be increased, he cannot shift into gear, and the car stalls.

But if it were a hothead, he would not only dare to give it gas, but also dare to step on the gas pedal hard.

So the result isn't that it can't shift gears, but that it spins in place. In comparison, the reckless approach is more dangerous.

The former only causes the engine to stall at the start, resulting in a loss of face, while the latter is very likely to cause a crash on the spot, resulting in total loss and financial compensation.

Another point is that the force required to brake is not as high as when sitting still.

Because when the car is actually moving, it uses the body's inertia and the sitting posture inside the car.

Your body weight will help you apply the brakes.

If Xu Zihang could drive the car properly, his complaints about the brakes wouldn't be as strong as they are now.