readytorunbook Chapter 1168 - 441: Unexpected Discovery After the Race (2)
Chapter 1168 - 441: Unexpected Discovery After the Race (2)
Ferrari shone brightly once again at their home race. During the safety car tire change, they lost Sainz, but it wasn’t a big problem, just losing one position, and Leclerc secured the podium.On the other hand, apart from Qin Miao, the standout driver of the race was De Vries.
As an FE driver, Dove’s race mileage in FE isn’t exceptionally long, averaging about 30 laps per race, with each lap being two to three kilometers.
Moreover, most FE races are street races. While the cornering G-force is high, compared to F1, where a single brake application can unleash a 5G lateral force pressing down on you, FE seems somewhat easier.
Yet this driver, who has hardly had any F1 exposure, showed incredible adaptability in today’s race.
Not only did he maintain a very stable speed on the track, but he also withstood prolonged pressure from Zhou Guanyu behind him.
Although in the end, he couldn’t hold off Zhou Guanyu and fell to tenth place.
However, countless times during the race, the battle between De Vries and Zhou Guanyu caught the broadcaster’s attention.
Moreover, when defending against Zhou Guanyu, many people felt that it seemed like Qin Miao was in the car instead of De Vries.
In fact, the reason De Vries was able to persist against Zhou Guanyu until the latter stages of the race was mainly because of the superior straight-line speed of the Williams car compared to Alfa Romeo’s car.
Even if Zhou Guanyu could close in on De Vries in the corners, once on Monza’s straights, even with DRS and slipstream, Zhou Guanyu couldn’t immediately close the gap to the Williams in front.
As a result, Zhou Guanyu had to keep pressuring De Vries for a long time until De Vries made a mistake before taking the position.
For Zhou Guanyu, these two points were hard-earned.
Meanwhile, after this race, the driver standings are as follows:
1: Qin Miao. 283
2: Verstappen. 268
3: Leclerc. 198
4: Perez. 194
5: Sainz. 149
6: Hamilton. 136
7: Norris. 74
8: O’Kang. 64
9: Bottas. 38
10: Alonso. 37
11: Gasly. 21
12: Zhou Guanyu. 21
13: Magelsen. 19
14: Vettel. 19
15: Ricardo. 14
16: Tsunoda. 9
17: Mick. 6
18: Stroll. 3
19: Albon. 1
20: Russell. 1
21: De Vries. 1
After this race, the gap between Qin Miao and Verstappen narrowed from 21 points to 15 points.
Although Qin Miao still has a lead over Verstappen in points, it’s clear that from the speed and stability displayed by Verstappen in this race, Qin Miao’s current position is becoming precarious.
On the other hand, due to Perez’s continuous slump in recent races, Leclerc has finally moved from his familiar fourth place to third on the driver standings.
Although Zhou Guanyu also scored two points in this race, his position on the driver standings did not change.
This is mainly because Gasly scored four points in this race. After this race, Gasly and Zhou Guanyu are tied in points, but because Gasly finished fifth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, placing higher than Zhou Guanyu, Gasly is ahead of Zhou Guanyu in the standings.
The team standings are as follows:
1: Red Bull: 482
2: Mercedes: 462
3: Ferrari: 370
4: Alpine: 119
5: McLaren: 88
6: Alfa Romeo: 66
7: AlphaTauri: 30
8: Haas: 25
9: Aston Martin: 23
10: Williams: 3
After this race, there was no significant change in the team standings, except perhaps for Williams.
Williams’ total points increased from two to three, which is certainly worth celebrating, all thanks to De Vries.
As for Williams’ other driver, Russell, he hasn’t been doing exceptionally well recently. The overall performance of the Williams car and its characteristics on the track do not align with his preferences, and this season he has been losing more than winning against his teammate Albon.
An interesting tidbit is that Albon was recommended to Williams by Russell...
Now that Albon is here, Russell seems to be the clown.
The Mercedes seat no longer holds any potential for Russell, which is why he has been frequently in contact with the Aston Martin Team recently and has had several communications with the Geely team employees in the paddock.
It’s evident that Vettel’s retirement has given Russell a chance to leave the mire of Williams, but the results will depend on next season.
After the race ended, Qin Miao took a half-hour break, showered, and thanked the VIPs invited by the team to watch the race before rushing to the post-race press conference.
After completing all post-race tasks, it was already 7 PM.
Qin Miao had only snacked on an energy bar after the race, and until now had not eaten a proper meal.
Now that the work had finally ended, Qin Miao naturally took out his phone to see if any of his unlucky friends had finished work at the same time and was planning to call one of them to grab a late-night meal together.
Would it matter to Qin Miao if the other person gained weight from eating?
That would be a good thing for Qin Miao, wouldn’t it?
Unfortunately, after the race, apart from Leclerc, who also had to attend the post-race press conference, others like Norris and Zhou Guanyu finished their work earlier, and Norris was already on a flight back to the UK.
Meanwhile, Zhou Guanyu, having finished eighth, was dining with the Sauber Team staff.
After some thought, Qin Miao turned to Barber and said, "Let’s find a place to grab a bite and then head back to the UK. If we leave early, we might even be able to sleep in our own beds tonight."
Barber agreed, feeling it made sense. After three busy weeks, he also missed his bed, so he nodded in agreement.
Seeing Barber nod, Qin Miao took out his phone and used Google Maps, finding an Italian restaurant closest to them after a quick search.
It was really just a random pick by Qin Miao, but unexpectedly, he encountered people from Geely dining there too.
While they were in their own clothes and looked more like tourists than race team staff, Qin Miao’s keen eyesight easily recognized them.
Qin Miao entered quietly, but people naturally love crowds. Hearing movement at the door, they instinctively glanced back.
For Europeans, Qin Miao’s appearance might not be memorable.
Unless they are hardcore racing fans, usual fans wouldn’t recognize Qin Miao immediately unless he was wearing the Mercedes team uniform.
But for domestic racing fans, especially those in the racing industry, Qin Miao’s face is imprinted in their minds, possibly even more deeply than the faces of their parents.
"Qin Miao!"
"Wow! Qin Miao, didn’t expect to run into you here!" One of the leading figures, upon seeing Qin Miao, eagerly stood up and approached him.
Qin Miao instantly recognized him: Liu Xinyue, the head of Geely’s F1 project.
It’s a very feminine name, but the person is a man.
However, his appearance somewhat matches his name. Although Liu Xinyue is in his forties, he looks barely over thirty, impeccably dressed in a suit and narrow glasses, exuding a refined elegance.