F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 30 A Swarm of Youth Training Invitations

Shu Long's overtaking maneuvers were so aggressive that many people almost forgot that he was involved in a major track accident at the very beginning of the race.

After crossing the finish line, Shu Long's tense nerves finally relaxed, and a wave of fatigue surged from all parts of his body, so much so that even the pain in his right arm and ribs became somewhat blurred.

His vision was suddenly blurred, and he felt that he could only see a small part of the center of his field of vision. He quickly found the nearest runoff area on the track and drove the car in.

He tried to stand up and get out of the race car, but found that every muscle in his body was sore and aching, and he couldn't muster any strength. He could only slump in the seat and raise his hand to try to call the people in yellow on the sidelines to come in and help him.

The consequences of not being able to exert force with your right hand are not limited to having to control the steering wheel with one hand.

High-end go-karts don't have seatbelts. To avoid being thrown off the race car during intense high-speed races, Shulong, who has one less hand to use as a leverage point, has to tense up almost all the muscles in his body the entire time.

Afterwards, Shu Long was practically carried off the field, and he didn't even have time to attend the final World Championship award ceremony.

When the medical team at the scene untied the cuffs of Shu Long's racing suit, which were already covered in scabs, and saw a hideous scar about four centimeters long on his severely swollen and purple arm, everyone present fell silent.

He ran the entire race with this injury, and even chased the team from the back to the front!

No time for amazement; everyone at the scene had their own agenda, and messages were being relayed to the desks of the team leaders.

During the next few days of recuperating at the hotel, Shu Xiong's mobile phone received unprecedented treatment, with its international roaming charges reaching a point of non-payment.

Almost without exception, they were all invitations from major karting and lower-level formula teams, and of course, the most crucial ones were invitations for youth training trials!
For Shulong at this stage, joining a youth training system is undoubtedly the most crucial step.

A mature youth training system can not only cover almost all training and competition expenses, but it can also provide a driver with development resources and professional opportunities that are difficult for ordinary self-taught drivers to access.

"Yes, thank you for your high regard. I will give it serious consideration."

Shu Long carefully breathed a sigh of relief after hanging up the phone and handed it back to his father.

Negotiating with the bigwigs of these racing teams is too exhausting. He would rather drag his aching hand to another race than hear his father's phone ring. Even without a formal face-to-face meeting, the restrained smile on his face was almost frozen solid.

Upon hearing the news, Zhang Xin, who was still in China, assembled a team and rushed over, so the task of these exchanges naturally fell to Shu Long.

Otherwise, we can't just leave it to Shu Xiong, who stumbles over even everyday conversations, can we?
"Which company is it this time?"

The old man sitting on the sofa crossed his legs, looking completely confident of victory.

He was the strange old man that Shu Long and his son met before the final, who claimed to be Helmut Marko, the head of Red Bull's youth academy.

By the way, the other party has already covered Shulong's medical expenses and accommodation for the past two days, so it's not surprising that he can sit here with a clear conscience, right?

"They said it was McLaren's youth academy."

"So what do you think?"

"I"

It's not just McLaren; Mercedes, Williams, and even Ferrari have all tried to contact Shulong these past few days. Honestly, every single one of them sounds incredibly impressive. It's not surprising to have decision paralysis when there are so many great options.

Shu Long first ruled out Ferrari.

It's not that Ferrari is bad; on the contrary, it's that Ferrari is too good. Although it's somewhat sad that they haven't won the championship for seven consecutive years, no other team in the paddock dares to say that they have the resources and heritage to match them.

The problem is, Zhou Guanyu is right there, and he's had a pretty good season in his F4 rookie year. Conservatively speaking, he should at least get a runner-up finish.

If Shu Long chooses Ferrari, then regardless of who performs better in the end, the other person's position will instantly become extremely awkward.

Putting aside the smaller teams for now, apart from Red Bull, Mercedes is perhaps the only team that can rival Ferrari Resources.

Not only did they sweep both the drivers' championship and the team championship last year, but judging from their points momentum this year, they're likely to repeat the same pattern as last year.

To be honest, Shu Long always felt that he and Mercedes-Benz were quite compatible, after all, the years when they rose to prominence even overlapped significantly, what else could this be but a pure hint?
But just like the situation Marco analyzed for him a couple of days ago, Mercedes might not be a very good destination right now.

While it's best to take half of what competitors say at face value, Shu Long found some of Dr. Marco's views quite reasonable.

First of all, Mercedes cars have been in a class of their own for the past few years, and the current two drivers are at their peak, so there aren't many opportunities to give to newcomers in the short term.

Ferrari goes even further, obsessing over imported championships, making it seem like newcomers have no chance of breaking through and are forced to seek opportunities from customer teams.
Red Bull is different. Their youth training program is notoriously brutal and competitive. If you're even slightly unsatisfied, they'll get you fired without giving you a second chance.

This was especially prominent in the early 2000s. Red Bull had several junior drivers that others couldn't even dream of recruiting. Some were kicked out because they didn't like the look of their hair, some because they didn't like the look of their glasses, and some were simply kicked out because they didn't like the look of their cars.
However, it is indeed the easiest platform for drivers without connections to rise to the top. It holds four F1 seats with absolute power. As for whether they can seize the opportunity after they get a seat, that depends on their own abilities.

“You should know Max too. Before he came, he told me that you guys had helped him a lot, and he also said that you are definitely an excellent driver. Of course, I can't completely believe what he says, but judging from Joss's sour face, I think it's necessary to come and check it out in person.”

The results are obvious. I'm very satisfied with you so far. Your desire to win in the past two days led to miracles that pushed your limits, which perfectly aligns with the Red Bull spirit, doesn't it?

The down-on-his-luck boy who was helped by the Shu Long family at a gas station three years ago has now become a full-fledged driver for Toro Rosso at the age of under 18. He has also set two records: the youngest driver in F1 history and the youngest driver in F1 history to score points.

This youth training program really loves giving young drivers opportunities, to the point that it often makes decisions that outsiders see as forcing growth, just like their brand's trademark—incomprehensible and crazy.

Niki Lauda had just suffered a setback with Max recently, but securing a driver's seat is not something that can be easily promised. Even now, with Shu Long here, he dares not make any definite guarantees.

Max's achievements demonstrate Marko's keen eye for talent, but the recklessness of young drivers on the track is also the reason why most teams hesitate and choose to wait and see.

Shu Long glanced at the newly appeared entry on his panel, and he already had a certain preference for the existing options.

[Energy Special]: Drinking 300ml of any energy drink can boost bodily functions by 5% over the next 2 hours. Brand sponsorship can increase the corresponding effect to 10%. (Note: Excessive stimulation in a short period of time may lead to negative effects such as lethargy, insomnia, and mood instability.)
Actually, besides that, the main reason is that Shu Long prefers the team uniforms with the color scheme of Red Bull table tennis rackets, which almost coincides with his aesthetic sense since childhood.

The next day, Shu Long's mother arrived. The conditions offered by Marco were indeed quite tempting, and even Zhang Xin and her evaluation team could not find any fault with them.

Firstly, Red Bull's team boasts a championship pedigree, having won four consecutive championships from 2010 to 2013. Even now, with Mercedes dominating the field, Red Bull remains one of the few teams that can consistently challenge their rivals. If given a similar opportunity to enter F1, Red Bull undoubtedly has more potential than other mid-table or even bottom-tier teams.

Of course, the prerequisite for receiving all these preferential treatments is that Shulong can always retain enough ability and potential to impress Red Bull; otherwise, it will all be in vain and lead to utter ruin.

Confidence is precisely what Shulong has in abundance right now.

Before long, the two sides hit it off. Shu Long's most important task at the moment was to heal his injuries first, and then go to Red Bull's youth training camp headquarters to complete a series of tests and evaluations.

Normally, signing a contract is a step after testing, and it is extremely rare for a contract to be signed without any evaluation.

Youth training camps are not angel investors running philanthropy. Each child in the youth training camp represents an investment of millions or even tens of millions of yuan. Even when it comes to scratching lottery tickets, you would definitely choose those with a high probability of winning.

Marco's selection criteria for youth training have always been similar to raising poisonous insects. He first gathers a large group of children with potential that he has identified, and then selects the best of the best through testing.

But Shu Long is truly exceptional; those who act quickly will be eliminated, making him a worthwhile investment for many.

When Shu Long returned home with his arm slung over his shoulder, the first thing he thought of was to show off to his grandfather.

"Grandpa, from today onwards, foreigners will be coming to support us with money!"

"Alright, alright! But the price you paid was a bit too high, you got beaten up, huh?"

"What? That's way more awesome than that!"

Without needing much grammatical embellishment, Shu Long simply recounted his experience verbatim, feeling that it was legendary enough.

Grandpa Shu chuckled as he listened. He wasn't sure how impressive these competitions with their jumbled English letters were, but he could at least tell that the only son of the Shu family was putting on quite a show of bravado in front of the foreigners.

Although his grandson was injured, what Shulong can gain from this experience may be no less than what many young people gain from years of training in the military.

Veterans like Grandpa Shu, who have retired from the military, can be a little indulgent towards younger generations, but they absolutely cannot allow a grown man to act effeminate.

"Hey, will they pay you if they sign you?"

"I think there was some kind of allowance for food and lodging, right?"

In reality, it's practically nothing, but having just boasted a lot in front of his grandfather, Shu Long would rather exaggerate his boasting than let it fall flat.

Sure enough, as soon as she heard that her grandson was a little unsure of himself, the old-fashioned habit of finding fault, typical of the older generation, started acting up again.

"Oh, that won't work, Mengmeng, do you still remember?"

"Remember, she scratched me again?"

Since starting his racing career in school, Shu Long and Gan Mengning have seen each other far less often than before. The last time they met was three years ago when Shu Long was still in elementary school.

The adults on both sides often get together, but the children from each family are like two magnets with the same polarity, never able to touch each other.

"I heard from your Grandpa Gan that Mengmeng seems to post singing videos on a website called 'Dilibala' or something, and she seems to have tens of thousands of fans now."

"Huh? Bilibili?"

"Oh right! I think that's what it's called. Oh, this old man just doesn't understand the stuff you young kids play with."

"Her? Tens of thousands of followers? That's probably just bragging."

Shu Long admitted that he was a little jealous. He worked hard outside but few people knew him. How could someone get tens of thousands of fans by posting a few videos?
Bilibili is quite popular among students. Shu Long once tried to keep up with the trend, but as soon as he downloaded it and clicked on the homepage, he was shocked to find a bunch of "philosophical" videos, so he deleted them on the spot.

From then on, the term "Bilibili" was no longer a serious thing in Shu Long's mind. Could Gan Mengning, who had tens of thousands of fans on Bilibili, be a serious person?

impossible! Absolutely impossible!
What makes her so special?
Back in his room, the first thing Shu Long did was take out his phone, open the app store, find that wicked pink app, grit his teeth, and click to download it.

"Hahaha, this guy's got some serious talent, hahaha! Hiss~ Oh dear~ Take a break, take a break!"

For a week after returning home, Shu Long's bedroom would occasionally erupt with bursts of hysterical laughter, followed by cries of pain that tore at his ribs.

Shu Long did not return to school after returning home.

It's not because of the injury. Once Zhang Xin finishes dealing with the pile of things on her hands, she will probably have to consider helping Shu Long with the procedures for taking a leave of absence from school.

In order to solve the problem of someone's internet addiction while staying at home, Zhang Xin finally had to come up with a last resort: Shu Long had to obediently hand over his phone before a certain time every day, and he was not allowed to hide in the bedroom to play on the computer. She even put a password on Shu Long's computer.

Isn't that a bit cruel?

For a rebellious teenager, the most unacceptable thing is sitting idly on the balcony downstairs every day, basking in the sun with Grandpa Shu, and watching him practice Tai Chi.

The key is that Shu Xiong isn't in Yunnan yet; otherwise, it would be quite interesting to stand next to his father and watch him tinker with those racing car parts.

But it's said that he knows someone in Guangdong who needs help with something, and it seems to be related to his treasured inventory, something like lending it out for some purpose.

　If you have tickets, please show your support; if you don't, please read on. Thank you.

　　Niche themes are not easy to come by; young seedlings need nurturing. Thank you for your support!
　　Thanks to DestinyKey, Shanhesuopo, Abo11, and the great Mars who copied this post for the past month.

　　Thank you to the generous donor, 幻|镜花水月.

　　The bosses spent a lot of money.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)