F1: In Ferrari, Schumacher at the start.

The interview with Will Baskerton had just ended, and the fence surrounding the mixed zone was already nearly bursting at the seams with the enthusiastic crowd.

Lin Feng turned around, and the dark blue Williams convoy was just a dozen meters away.

Dozens of mechanics, engineers, and data analysts in team uniforms were desperately clinging to the safety railings, waving their arms, banging on the "GG" sign, and shouting Lin Feng's name.

James Walls stood at the front. The former Mercedes strategy director, who was known for his composure and calmness, now had a crooked tie and his hair was soaked with sweat, making him look like an old gambler who had gone all in.

Lin Feng rushed over, and just as he got close to the guardrail, two thick arms reached out and grabbed his racing suit collar.

Immediately afterwards, seven or eight hands exerted force at the same time, forcibly pulling Lin Feng from outside the railing and lifting him directly into the air!

"Well done!"

"Second place! We got second place!"

"My God, that's a Ferrari! You actually outran a Ferrari in the last two laps!"

All around were the hysterical roars of the Williams team members.

This team, which once created countless glories but has been mired in difficulties in recent years, desperately needs a podium like this to wash away the humiliation of the past.

Lin Feng was tossed into the air by the crowd, but they caught him steadily.

He laughed wildly, reaching out to pat every head and shoulder he could reach.

"Put me down! I'm going to throw up!" Lin Feng shouted.

The crowd laughed and put him down.

James Walls stepped forward and gave Lin Feng a big bear hug.

"James, don't hug me too tight, I'm about to break my ribs," Lin Feng patted the team leader on the back and grumbled.

"You deserve this, Lin." James released his grip and placed his hands on Lin Feng's shoulders. "Let's go to the lounge and get ready to go on the podium."

Lin Feng nodded and turned to walk towards the drivers' lounge located behind the podium.

Pushing open the glass door, the cold air in the lounge made him shiver.

Verstappen and Leclerc were already seated on the sofa.

Verstappen was gulping down a bottle of mineral water; Leclerc, meanwhile, was wiping the sweat from his face with a white towel, looking utterly dejected.

On the large screen in the center of the room, highlights from the entire match were playing on a loop.

At that moment, the screen switched to the third-to-last lap, showing Lin Feng overtaking Leclerc on the outside of Turn 14.

When Leclerc heard the door open, he looked up and saw Lin Feng, and immediately pointed at the screen and began to complain.

"Lin, come here and see for yourself! How the hell did you manage to turn the car back? That doesn't even make sense in physics!"

Lin Feng walked over, naturally picked up a bottle of water from the table, unscrewed it, took a big gulp, and then plopped down on the single sofa next to Leclerc.

"Charles, the racing line is for those who brake on time." Lin Feng leaned back on the sofa. "If I had taken the inside line, we would have both ended up on the wall and retired from the race. To save your car, I had to compromise and go to the outside line to get some dust."

"Get lost." Leclerc rolled his eyes. "I just don't understand, when did Mercedes' power unit become so powerful?"

Verstappen, sitting opposite him, chimed in: "It's not that the engine is powerful; it's that this guy has set the car's downforce to be extremely low in order to maximize straight-line speed. He's been saving the car entirely with his own two hands in those consecutive corners. Several times earlier, I thought he was going to drift out of the car at Turn 8."

"Max really understands me." Lin Feng raised his water bottle at Verstappen. "I feel like my neck has gotten two sizes bigger from chasing after you guys. Next weekend in Miami, I'm definitely going to order two double burgers to make up for it."

As the three were chatting, an FIA staff member pushed open the door, holding three hats with the Pirelli tire logo on them.

A red championship cap was handed to Verstappen.

A yellow runner-up cap was handed to Lin Feng.

A black third-place cap was handed to Leclerc.

"Gentlemen, the podium ceremony is about to begin. Please follow me," a staff member reminded them.

Lin Feng stood up, put the yellow hat on his head, and casually tidied his messy hair.

He walked to the entrance to the podium from the lounge, and his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Outside the passage, a deafening commotion awaited them.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 2024 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix awards ceremony!"

The announcer's voice echoed across the track.

"The third-place finisher in this Grand Prix is ​​Charles Leclerc from Ferrari!"

Leclerc jogged out of the passage and climbed the steps that belonged to the third-place finisher.

At this moment, the announcer's voice suddenly rose in pitch, even becoming a slightly hoarse scream.

"Next up! The runner-up in this Grand Prix! Lin Feng from the Williams team!"

As the name was announced, the cheers of 120,000 people in the main grandstand were so loud that the floor of the podium trembled.

Lin Feng took a deep breath and strode out of the passage.

The blinding sunlight and the frenzied red ocean instantly filled his vision.

Countless five-star red flags waved in the stands, and countless faces contorted with excitement roared at him.

Lin Feng walked up to his designated step. Instead of simply waving like a traditional racer, he wildly raised both arms, then clenched his fists and pounded them against his chest.

This powerful move once again brought the cheers from the crowd to a new climax.

"Finally! Let's welcome the champion of the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix! From Red Bull Racing! Max Verstappen!"

Verstappen walked onto the highest podium and received congratulations from the entire audience.

The three of them stood still.

The announcement on site instructed everyone to stand up.

The national anthems of the Netherlands and Austria were played in turn, and after the anthems, the award presenters took to the stage one by one.

A leader, carrying the heavy-looking silver runner-up trophy, walked up to Lin Feng.

"Young man, well done! You've brought honor to the Chinese people!" The leader, beaming with joy, handed the trophy to Lin Feng and shook his hand firmly.

"Thank you." Lin Feng accepted the trophy.

It's really heavy.

The all-metal trophy gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

Lin Feng gripped the base of the trophy with both hands and suddenly raised it high above his head.

A deafening roar erupted from the stands once again.

Without accompaniment or any organization, hundreds of thousands of people chanted in unison:

"Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!"

The cheers, so distinctly Chinese, resounded through the sky, leaving Verstappen and Leclerc, who couldn't understand Chinese, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Then, the main event began.

The staff handed over three bottles of Trento sparkling wine.

Lin Feng took the bottle, pulled out the cork of the sparkling wine, pressed his thumb firmly against the bottle opening, shook it vigorously twice, and then aimed the gushing white foam precisely at the Williams team's camp standing below the stage.

James Walls was the first to be splashed with cold champagne, his face and head covered in it. But he didn't care at all, opening his arms to welcome this baptism of victory.

After finishing his rant to the audience, Lin Feng immediately turned around.

Verstappen and Leclerc had formed a temporary alliance, each holding a bottle of champagne, and were firing wildly at Lin Feng.

"Damn it, you two ambushed me!" Lin Feng shouted, charging forward through the rain of champagne.

The three engaged in a chaotic battle on the podium.

The icy liquor flowed down Lin Feng's neck and into his racing suit, the thick foam blurring his eyes, but he didn't care at all, chasing after Leclerc and spraying it wildly.

The entire podium was completely enveloped in white mist. The air was filled with a strong, sweet aroma of wine.

After finishing spraying the champagne, Lin Feng picked up the half-empty bottle, tilted his head back, and gulped it down directly from the bottle neck.

The sweet and spicy liquid slid down my throat, and my extremely tired body regained a bit of vitality under the stimulation of alcohol.

He casually wiped the wine off his face, held the heavy runner-up trophy in one arm, and strode down the stairs behind the podium.

At the end of the stairs, in the passageway leading to the core area of ​​the paddock, were crowded with media, sponsors, and VIP guests from various teams.

As soon as Lin Feng appeared, a barrage of flashes went off, almost blinding him.

He pushed aside several cameras blocking his view and quickly searched through the crowd.

Soon, he spotted a small group of people standing at the very front of the crowd.

Lin Guoqiang and Chen Yafang were protected by the team staff in the middle. When the elderly couple saw their son walking over, completely unharmed and carrying a large trophy, their faces crinkled with smiles.

"Dad, Mom. I told you I could drive it to the podium." Lin Feng walked over and gave each of his parents a big hug without any hesitation, his body covered in champagne and sweat.

"Oh dear, what's that smell on you? It's all alcohol." Chen Yafang complained, but her hands were still tightly wrapped around her son's back.

"Good lad, you've got the style your father had back in the day." Lin Guoqiang patted Lin Feng on the shoulder, his eyes still wet with tears.

Lin Feng released his parents, his gaze passing over them and settling on the bright and beautiful figure beside him.

Gu Ailing had her hands in her pockets, her bright eyes fixed on Lin Feng.

The surrounding media reporters keenly sensed the change in atmosphere, and dozens of cameras instantly focused on the two. Even Leclerc and Verstappen, who had just stepped off the podium, stopped and stood aside to watch the spectacle.

Lin Feng, holding the trophy, walked up to Gu Ailing.

"So, you really did it." Gu Ailing smiled at Lin Feng, her tone filled with undisguised pride.

"I told you, as long as the engine doesn't blow up, the podium is mine for the taking," Lin Feng said with a mischievous grin. "But I remember someone saying yesterday that if I make it onto the podium, there'll be a reward?"

A blush crept onto Gu Ailing's cheeks, but she did not back down. She took a small step forward and looked directly into Lin Feng's eyes.

"Really? I don't remember. What reward do you want? How about I have another meal of boiled chicken breast with you?"

"Let's save that kind of fodder for Alex."

Without any hesitation, Lin Feng shoved the silver trophy in his hand into the arms of the staff member next to him.

Under the watchful eyes of dozens of cameras, hundreds of paddock staff, and media reporters, Lin Feng stepped forward.

He reached out and wrapped his arms around Gu Ailing's slender waist.

Gu Ailing gasped, but her body did not resist at all. She reached out and grabbed Lin Feng's racing suit collar, pulling it down forcefully.

Their lips met precisely.

Lin Feng closed his eyes, tasting the rich champagne flavor and the girl's unique fragrance on his lips. He tightened his arms, pressing Gu Ailing tightly against his chest. Even through the thick fireproof suit and the fabric separating them, they could clearly feel each other's beating hearts.

Holy crap!

A unified gasp of amazement erupted from the crowd.

The flashes started going off like crazy, and the sound of countless shutter clicks blended into a dense wave of noise.

The Williams team's mechanics were the first to react, arrogantly whistling loudly, and several young engineers even started clapping and cheering.

Leclerc, watching from a distance, was dumbfounded. He nudged Verstappen beside him and asked, "Max, does your Red Bull team have this kind of special performance after winning the championship?"

Verstappen rolled his eyes, speechless. "Is this guy driving a race car or filming a Hollywood movie?"

Lin Guoqiang and Chen Yafang stood aside, the elderly couple completely dumbfounded.

"Old Lin, this...this...this..." Chen Ya-fang pointed at the two kissing, unable to speak coherently.

"Stop with the nonsense! If this daughter-in-law runs away, I'll hold you responsible!" Lin Guoqiang quickly pulled out his phone and started snapping photos of his son.

They kissed for a good ten seconds before slowly separating due to lack of oxygen.

Gu Ailing's face was as red as a ripe apple. She glared at Lin Feng, panting, and muttered in a low voice, "Are you crazy? There are so many people watching."

"Let them watch. I got second place today, so I have some special privileges." Lin Feng licked his lips nonchalantly and laughed carefree.

He turned around and took the trophy back from the stunned staff member.

Holding the trophy in one hand and taking Eileen Gu's hand in the other, he strode into the depths of the paddock under the watchful eyes of countless cameras.