F1: In Ferrari, Schumacher at the start.

It's 6:30 a.m. in northern Beijing.

The early spring morning in the north still carried a bit of chill. In a slightly old residential area, Lin Guoqiang was habitually wearing his old jacket with a faded collar, preparing to go downstairs to buy two fried dough sticks and a bowl of soy milk.

Since the family's building materials factory and house were completely ruined in order to support Lin Feng's trip to Europe, Old Lin has been living a very frugal life for the past two years.

But the elderly couple didn't care. As long as their son could run on the track, they would feel at ease even if they ate only steamed buns every day.

Just as he inserted the key into the lock, his cell phone in his pocket suddenly started vibrating wildly as if it had been electrocuted.

The shrill ringtone startled Old Lin in the quiet hallway.

He took out his phone and squinted at the screen—"Ma Qinghua".

Old Lin was stunned for a moment.

Xiao Ma is one of the top racing drivers in China. When Lin Feng first got into karting, Ma Qinghua was his mentor.

However, Lin Feng has been in Europe for the past few years, and Xiao Ma has been busy racing touring cars, so the two don't keep in touch much.

What happened so early in the morning?

Old Lin quickly pressed the answer button, but before he could even say "feed," a deafening roar came from the other end of the phone. The sound was so loud that Old Lin had to hold the phone half a meter away.

"Old Lin! You still have the nerve to sleep?! Hurry up and check the news! Check Weibo! Check the sports channel! Something big has happened!"

"Xiao Ma? What happened?" Old Lin was completely bewildered. His heart skipped a beat, and his first thought was that his son had been in an accident on the track. His voice trembled as he asked, "Did Xiao Feng... did something happen to him?!"

"What the hell?!" Ma Qinghua cursed excitedly. "Lin Feng just signed with the Williams team! A full-fledged driver! A three-year contract! Damn it, we now have two full-fledged F1 drivers in China! Twin stars, Lao Lin! Your son has made history, do you know that?!"

"What...what Williams?" Old Lin was completely dumbfounded, his brain freezing. "Wasn't Xiao Feng driving for that...Ferrari team the day before yesterday? He even won a championship. How come he's suddenly at Williams? What kind of team is that? Is it as good as Ferrari?"

"We may not have the money of Ferrari, but we can give your son a legitimate starting position!" Ma Qinghua laughed heartily on the other end of the phone. "Old Lin, your son's a real man! He wasn't content to be a substitute at Ferrari, so he fired the Ferrari management! You should check Weibo right now; seven out of the top ten trending topics are your son's name!"

After hanging up the phone, Lao Lin stood there stunned for a full three minutes, holding his phone.

A gust of wind blew through the room, and Old Lin suddenly shivered. He frantically opened the social media app on his phone, and the screen was filled with glaring red and black "Explosive" characters, along with a photo of his son in a dark blue racing suit signing a contract in front of the camera, instantly caught his eye.

As he watched, Lao Lin's eyes reddened, and tears unexpectedly fell onto the phone screen.

"Good lad, you've got real skills..." Old Lin wiped his face and clenched his fist.

……

At the same time, in Grove, Oxfordshire, England.

This is the headquarters of the Williams racing team.

Unlike the luxurious and romantic red town of Maranello in Italy, Grove's Williams factory is hidden in a typical English countryside.

Several massive industrial-style buildings appeared somewhat gloomy in the continuous rain, yet they exuded the unique hardcore heritage of a veteran British racing team.

Inside the headquarters building, in the honors exhibition hall.

Lin Feng, dressed in a brand-new Williams blue and white racing team uniform, stood quietly in front of rows of championship cars that had once dominated the track.

Mansell's FW14B, Prost's FW15C, and the race car that Senna once drove... every machine here tells the story of this team's past glory.

"History is heavy, isn't it?"

James Walls had somehow appeared behind Lin Feng. The shrewd and capable team leader had an undisguised smile in his eyes.

"It's a heavy burden, but past glories can't win tomorrow's game." Lin Feng turned around. "How's my car ready?"

"The engineers are working through the night. Your seat mold is finished, and we can run the data on the simulator this afternoon. As for the car's chassis..." James pushed up his glasses and gave a wry smile, "I have to admit, you're right, the FW46's downforce in slow corners is a disaster. I hope your tuning suggestions are really helpful."

James stepped forward, handed the documents in his hand to Lin Feng, and also gave him a pen.

"Three years, top priority for technological development, and the same treatment as the number one driver." James looked at Lin Feng. "This is all the sincerity Williams can offer. Sign the contract, and you'll be the new king of Grove."

Lin Feng took the pen, and without the slightest hesitation, turned to the last page and signed his name in a flamboyant style.

"It's a pleasure working with you, James."

"It's been a pleasure working with you, Lin." James let out a long sigh of relief, then glanced at his watch. "Let's go, it's time to let the world see our big news."

10:00 AM, Williams Racing Team headquarters press conference room.

The moment Lin Feng and James Walls walked into the hall side by side, the shutter sounds of hundreds of cameras rained down like a storm, and the white flashes were so bright that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes.

Sky Sports, Autosport, Reuters, and even reporters from major media outlets who had traveled overnight from China packed the venue to capacity.

No one could have imagined that less than 48 hours after the Jeddah leg of the tournament, such a sensational transfer scandal would break out in the paddock.

A rookie who just won the championship driving a Ferrari actually signed with a bottom-ranked team. Even Hollywood wouldn't dare to write such a script.

The two took their seats in the main seats.

"Questions begin," Williams' press officer announced, maintaining order.

A blond, blue-eyed British journalist stood up: "Lin, first of all, congratulations on becoming a full-fledged driver for Williams. But the whole world doesn't understand why you gave up Ferrari, a car that could compete for the championship? There are rumors that it's because Ferrari's management refused to give you a full seat next year, only offering you a reserve driver contract, and you felt insulted, which is why you left the team in anger. Is this true?"

The entire venue fell silent instantly, and everyone's cameras were pointed at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng adjusted the microphone.

"Ferrari is a great team, and I'm very grateful to Team Principal Fred for the opportunity he gave me at the Saudi Grand Prix." Lin Feng's opening remarks were quite formal, but his next words took a complete 360-degree turn, "But I'm a race car driver. My job is to fight on the track, not to sit in the pits drinking coffee and watching others race. I need a seat that allows me to start in every race, and Williams gave me that opportunity, it's that simple."

"But Lin, Williams' current car lacks competitiveness; it's even difficult for him to score points." Another reporter pressed on, "Aren't you afraid your career will be completely ruined in this car?"

"There are no inherently slow cars, only drivers and engineers who don't know how to tune them." Lin Feng leaned back slightly in his seat, looking quite confident. "Since I dared to sign this contract, it proves that I have the ability to bring this car back to where it belongs."

James Walls sat beside him, watching Lin Feng handle the media with ease, and was secretly delighted.

This is exactly the kind of buzz and attention Williams needs!

Meanwhile, in Maranello, Italy, more than a thousand kilometers away from Grove.

In the top-floor office of Ferrari headquarters.

The Williams team's press conference was being broadcast live on the LCD screen.

John Elkann's face turned ashen as he looked at Lin Feng's triumphant face on the screen.

"Bang!"

Elkan slammed an expensive bone china coffee cup against the wall, shattering it into pieces instantly.

"Arrogant! Foolish! Ignorant of his own limitations!" Elkan angrily tugged at his tie, pacing back and forth in the office like an enraged lion.

He never expected that this young driver would actually dare to refuse Ferrari's offer, not only switching sides to their rivals but also slapping Ferrari in the face in front of the world's media.

Vasser stood to the side, looking at the broken porcelain shards scattered on the ground, and remained silent.

He had warned the board long ago, but the aloof Elkann simply wouldn't listen.

Now, Ferrari has not only lost a genius, but has also become a laughing stock in the entire paddock.

"Fred." Elkann abruptly stopped, turning to stare intently at Vassell. "Tell Carlos to prepare for the Australian Grand Prix as soon as he recovers. I want to see that Williams lapped on the Melbourne circuit! I want that ungrateful Chinese kid to understand that without Ferrari, he's nothing!"

"Understood, Mr. Chairman," Vasser replied in a low voice.

Lin Feng in the ring toss game?

Are you kidding me?