F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 82 Bahrain in the Blink of an Eye
After the competition, Tost gave Shulong a day off.

After spending two days in Australia with his parents and girlfriend, Shu Long saw them off on their flight back home, and then prepared to head to the UK himself.

Having a holiday doesn't mean Shu Long has nothing to do. This year, in addition to being a regular driver for the Toro Rosso team, he also holds a reserve driver position with the Red Bull team.

Not only him, but also Albon and others have signed similar affiliation contracts, which are designed to facilitate the Red Bull system's major relocations during the season.

However, Shu Long's return to Milton Keynes this time was not to help Red Bull test the simulator. This task is now mainly handled by the official reserve driver, Sebastian Buemi. He returned mainly to complete his monthly physical examination.

Elena, the former physical trainer, mainly lived in the UK. Apart from hitching a ride on Red Bull's plane during race week to help him with post-race physiotherapy, Shu Long did not require her to move to Italy with him at other times.

He now takes care of his own daily workout routine, and the Little Red Bull gym has all the necessary support staff, so the results are generally about the same.

The recipes are a bit relaxed, but not to the point of being indulgent.

Since discovering that my various health indicators have remained stable with the help of [Healthy Body], my old, rigid, and super-healthy routine is gone forever.

Mental health is also part of physical health. The most important thing is to live happily and freely. Being a herbivore who can't do this or that all the time can really lead to depression.

Of course, the price to pay is that Shu Long has to come back every month to complete the comprehensive physical fitness assessment that other riders only have twice a year at most.

The tests include routine hospital checkups such as height, weight, body fat percentage, and various body scans, as well as numerous tests of physical fitness, muscle strength, and reaction time.

The first part was very simple. He entered the convoy's medical center at 8 a.m., and the entire medical team of more than 30 people revolved around him. He completed all the previous tasks in less than half an hour.

I couldn't eat before the physical exam, and it wasn't suitable for me to do strenuous exercise right now, so the first day's tasks were completed quickly.

He quickly made himself a breakfast that looked very "athletic" and made do with it. During this free time, Shu Long couldn't resist the urge to play around and went to the R&D department to find a simulator to play for a while.

Gasly has been complaining that this year's car is difficult to drive, but the engineers won't listen to him. After all, it's the version that he painstakingly fed in data for a year last year. Shu Long is also very curious about how this year's Red Bull race car feels to drive.

"how are you feeling?"

Shu Long, engrossed in his game, suddenly shrank back like a child caught stealing a phone while doing homework, and quickly took off his helmet to look at the big fat man next to him.

Rob Marshall, the chief engineering design officer of the Red Bull F1 team, is also an important figure in the entire engineering department, whose status is no less than that of Adrian Newey.

"It's a bit more comfortable to drive compared to the STR14, but it's generally within my expectations."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot that I asked you to help me arrange the car last year."

Dude, how could you forget that?!
Shu Long's face immediately darkened. Last year, these inhuman engineering students exploited him, a newly adult "child laborer," until 10 p.m. every day, and now they're telling him they've forgotten?

Of course, it's not that he really forgot; it's just a standard line that an old engineering guy uses to defuse awkward conversations.

Last year, Shu Long mainly communicated with Newey. Marshall also spoke to him a few times, but the two were not particularly close.

However, as the conversation flowed, Marshall deliberately struck up a conversation, seemingly wanting to get more insights from Shu Long about the drivers' own experiences and see if he could capture some different inspirations.

Shu Long wasn't just flattering and saying nice things; the current RB15's performance in the simulator is indeed a comprehensive upgrade compared to the STR14, and the driving experience can be described as effortless.

If the STR14 is like the Light Wheel 2000 in Shulong that needs to be dragged and pulled to run fast, then the RB15 is probably like the Fire Arrow that knows how to run as soon as you touch the steering wheel.

The problem is that the RB15's strengths are only apparent when compared to the STR14, an Earth-based car. If you were to place it alongside other cars in the Mars group for a side-by-side comparison, you would indeed find it quite sluggish and awkward.

He hadn't driven other teams' cars, but he had been carefully studying the in-car video recordings of all the other teams and drivers, from Mercedes to Williams.

With his unique ability to combine terms he calls "driving skills Sharingan," Shu Long might not be able to perceive the most subtle details, but he can still deeply empathize with the track performance of each team's cars.

Red Bull's weakness this year is very likely to be low-speed cornering.

This year, in order to make up for the 20-odd horsepower difference between Honda's engine and the other two top factory teams, Newey made some rather aggressive changes to the car's aerodynamic layout, making the car perform particularly well on straightaways and medium-to-high-speed corners.

In the previous race at Albert Park, Verstappen was able to overtake Vettel not only because of the new tire change on the tenth lap, but more importantly because of Red Bull's incredible aerodynamic efficiency in high-speed corners.

However, compared to that, the mechanical suspension of the racing car chassis is somewhat lacking.

It's not that it's bad; compared to the STR14, the RB15's suspension system is practically alien technology.

But just like a bowl of top-notch soup that can't find equally top-notch chewy noodles to match it, it creates a sense of imperfection and awkwardness, as if the suspension doesn't do justice to the car.

Roughly speaking, the RB15's suspension geometry cannot fully activate tire contact with the ground during the cornering phase, resulting in weaker cornering traction compared to Mercedes and Ferrari.

The turbo lag issue in Honda's power unit already makes the car's power response sluggish when exiting corners, and the tires can't work properly either. If you press the accelerator even slightly harder, it will further waste engine power.

If a driver doesn't have absolutely sharp senses, the lap times lost in low-speed corners alone can be enough to cause serious problems.

After chatting with Shu Long for a while, Marshall didn't say anything more. He just patted Shu Long's shoulder twice, then lowered his head in thought and left.

Vestager had also raised the same issue with him. Shu Long's description was clearer, but how to improve it was not something that could be figured out in a short time.

After Marshall left, Shulong drove around twice more. After thinking for a while, he felt that something was a little strange. He stared at the steering wheel in front of him and pondered for a while before he suddenly realized what was wrong.

Something's not right!

What kind of damn muscle memory occupational hazard is this? After being asked a couple of questions, I subconsciously put myself into the role of a test driver and honestly told them everything.

It's not easy to even get onto the podium, and I've just helped the enemy!
That fat old man is up to no good, you bastard!

However, it wasn't without its gains. The RB15 has many design features that are worth referencing. I just hope that the lazy engineers at Red Bull can step up their game a bit.

The second day consisted of a series of physical fitness tests that could be described as grueling training.

In the morning, there are short sprints, deadlifts, bench presses, and other tests specifically designed to test muscle explosiveness, such as grip strength, neck strength, and core strength.

In the afternoon, they first had a long sprint on the track, where Shulong had to sprint at full speed until he could no longer move his legs.

This project tests pure mental and physical resilience, and is also the quality that an F1 driver must have to force himself to perform extreme operations under extreme physiological conditions.

Then he was taken back indoors, and after a period of rest and muscle relaxation, he was shirtless, wearing an oxygen mask, and covered in electrode pads. He then ran a 5-kilometer test on a treadmill. This wasn't a fast run; the main purpose was to assess his cardiopulmonary function and VO2 max, among other comprehensive indicators.

After that, the last project of the day is the test of response to heat stress.

Similarly covered in electrode pads, Shu Long was confined in a sauna of about 50 degrees Celsius, where he had to pedal a bicycle while doing various problems given to him by Elena.

The types of games cover a large amount of mathematical calculations and graphic judgments, aiming to be something that is neither too advanced for the average driver's limited cultural knowledge, but still requires you to use your brain.

In the sweltering cockpit environment, every driver must possess sufficiently strong physical capabilities and a clear mind.

Generally, these tests are designed to help drivers identify their weaknesses so that they can adjust their training plans accordingly and address those weaknesses.

However, for a pure all-rounder, the only purpose of these projects might just be to check if he has slacked off or regressed.

If Shulong hadn't been carrying a round shield on his back, the Red Bull medics, who are constantly dealing with the limits of human endurance, might have thought some mysterious super-soldier serum had somehow leaked onto the market.
After spending less than a week in the UK, Shu Long hitched a ride on a plane chartered by the Red Bull Racing team to the Bahrain International Circuit.

After settling his luggage at the hotel and resting for a night, Shu Long entered the paddock the next day to attend a team meeting. He happened to encounter a familiar face at the entrance, which was both unexpected and understandable.

"Hey!"

Shu Long, who was browsing the comments section of Gan Mengning's newly uploaded travel vlog, was suddenly slapped on the shoulder and immediately stood at attention.

"Get lost! Are you saying you want to scare me to death so you can inherit my seat?"

"What were you watching so intently just now, a travel vlog? I thought you, as the ultimate homebody, were already overwhelmed just by following the caravan around the world every year?"

"Sigh, you don't understand. Working and looking at things in complete relaxation are two different things."

Taking advantage of his height, Shu Long held his phone high and then nervously exited the app.

This is a compilation of Gan Mengning watching the game live in Melbourne the week before last, plus a short clip of her sightseeing in Italy and Spain before that. The following part is about the game venue.

"I almost didn't realize you weren't wearing the red Ferrari leather jacket when I first saw you. This outfit is not bad either."

"Not bad, right? I also think the black and gold color scheme is pretty cool."

The visitor was none other than Zhou Guanyu, who had been away for almost half a year.

Since leaving Ferrari's junior training system last year due to Mick's direct reasons, Zhou Guanyu has not only joined Renault's junior training system this year, but will also be representing the UNI-Virtuosi team at the Bahrain International Circuit to kick off his F2 career.

The two stood by the roadside chatting for a while, before being interrupted by another young man wearing the same color clothes as Zhou Guanyu.

He first greeted Zhou Guanyu with a fist bump, and then took the initiative to shake hands with Shu Long.

"Antoine?"

"Huh? You know me?!"

“Gasley told me that you two are very good friends and that you are a very talented driver.”

Antoine Huber, although currently racing in F2 like Zhou Guanyu, is technically a driver born in 96, belonging to the same era as Gasly and Leclerc.

Although they are not teammates on the same team, their clothing styles are very similar, indicating that he, like Zhou Guanyu, is now affiliated with the Renault Sport Academy.

In Gasly's words, this young driver, who also came from France, was absolutely a genius no less than any of them.

It's disheartening that while Leclerc and Gasly, who started out around the same time, have become official F1 drivers for the three major teams, Antoine still doesn't know where his future lies.

Huber's case illustrates the impact of youth training choices on a driver's future.

The Red Bull system has always liked to promote young drivers, and there's no need to go into details about that.

Judging from recent trends, Ferrari made an exception for Leclerc, McLaren quickly promoted Norris, and Mercedes put Russell into Williams.

On the other hand, what about Renault?
Renault, a fellow factory team, lacks Ferrari's competitiveness, yet it suffers from the same bad habits as Ferrari.

Their own youth training system is like a decoration; they never focus on improving the competitiveness of their own engines and cars, but instead import ready-made, talented drivers from other teams every year.

In recent years, the only driver on the track who could be associated with Renault's junior training program was Ocon, but he was able to drive in F1 because he later switched to Mercedes' junior training program.

Now there is another living example in front of us. Huber, a 22-year-old driver, is stuck in a rut, unable to go up or down. To be honest, Shu Long is quite worried about the future of Zhou Guanyu, who has switched to Renault.

After exchanging a few polite words, Shu Long hurriedly left, citing that he had many other things to attend to.

It wasn't that he was deliberately making excuses; according to the information sent to him by the team leader, Tost, his sales tasks for this week were quite heavy.

The Middle East is full of oil tycoons, and there are many wealthy VIPs who love to join in the fun, especially on Thursday's track media day. No matter how unwilling the drivers are, as the most vibrant face of F1, they have to find a way to please these potential big spenders.

Generally speaking, these VIPs usually prefer luxury teams like Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari. They don't lack money; they just care about prestige.

Even if it's just for taking a photo to post on social media, a large motorcade in the background gives it more prestige than smaller, mid-to-lower-tier motorcades.

VIPs at smaller racing teams are usually either fans of the driver and the owners of major sponsors, or big-name celebrities invited by the team to boost their image, or smaller-name celebrities who aren't big enough to get exposure.

Of course, there are also various self-media bloggers.

I don't know if it's because Shulong has been gaining attention recently, or because of the Belt and Road Initiative, but these oil tycoons naturally have a favorable impression of the national flag behind Shulong.

In any case, during this stop in Bahrain, many prominent local families specifically requested to meet him, and his main clients were these big shots he couldn't afford to offend.

This is what really made Shulong sweat!
Based on the hints Tost gave him, it's possible that among those who specifically requested to see him, there might be members of the Al Khalifa royal family.

I'm just a driver, do we really have to go this far?
　Thank you to the following readers for their monthly tickets: Not Otti I Eat Spear, aze, Longyan Ruoxue, Book Friend 20180827122303006, Xiaoqu12, F1 Racing Game King, Mr. Cappuccino CC, Tsundere Zhien-chan, I Have Rainbow Candy in My Pocket, Young Early Sleep Mercenary, and Book Friend 100805134033153!
　　Today was even more of a failure; I'll try my best to reach 10,000 words a day if I have time tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)