F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 87 The Little Bull Bulls Me, I'm Powerless

Having just gone through a close battle with Magnussen, Shulong is currently positioned just wide enough to catch Arro's DRS. Under normal circumstances, it would probably take one or two more laps to prepare before he could overtake.

However, whether Old Lai's tires could hold out until then was still a question, and engaging in a tug-of-war with the other side now would be truly unnecessary.

The most cost-effective option for Shulong right now is to stay within this just-right distance, use the opponent's DRS to keep you at bay, and then save up a little power for the next few push circles.

But
"What's Kimi's lap time now? He seems so slow!"

"1:37.5, he is definitely intentionally controlling his pace. Their entry window isn't very clear right now, so they might consider extending the first stint."

Why didn't you tell me sooner? How far away is Renault from me now?

"1.1 seconds, no need to rush, the initiative is still in our hands."

Ge Zhen?

Shu Long had no idea what the strategy team was thinking, because he found that Kimi seemed to be doing more than just slowing down the pace; he was even going so far as to make some high-intensity defensive moves to slow down his own advance.

This doesn't seem like something someone planning to extend their stay at the station would do!
“I think he might pit this lap; he wants to push me into Renault’s DRS range.”

“Okay, we’ve noticed that too. Set the engine mode (STRAT) to 6, use more throttle, and try to get rid of him if necessary.”

Increasing the engine power while maintaining the discharge efficiency setting is indeed the most suitable way to preserve the racing car's performance when the fuel level is relatively high.

That concludes the race engineer's advice; the rest is up to the driver.

Although the Mavericks' overcut strategy wasn't explicitly mentioned in the trade report, given how the game has unfolded, Sauber, who conducted pre-game tactical analysis, should be able to discern the Mavericks' intentions.

However, the team did not receive a single word from Sauber's TR regarding tactical changes, meaning that their pit stop strategy should remain unchanged.

Raikkonen's current actions are likely just his own response based on his years of experience and his analysis of the current situation.

This is an essential skill for every driver honed by Ferrari. As Ferrari's last world champion, his distrust of the team's strategy group was ingrained in his bones.

Shu Long certainly couldn't just sit idly by and wait for his doom.

Once Renault gets into the DRS zone, the cost he has to pay to defend against the cars behind him is not only the impact on lap time caused by changing lanes, but even if he can shake off Renault again, it means additional tire wear.

The overcut tactic exploits the minus-second difference between the vehicle in front and the vehicle in front; even a delay of just one lap can potentially lead to the failure of the entire strategy.

This was a calculated move by the Iceman. It can be said that from the moment he received word from the team that Toro Rosso would employ an overcut tactic, he had actually seized control of the entire racing rhythm.

Unless Shulong finds a way to overtake, he can only obediently be kept behind.

Kimi did not pit on lap 11.

This unconventional approach made Shu Long doubt his own judgment. Could it be that they simply wanted to extend the time of this stint?
According to the team's analysis and calculations, if Arro chooses to pit at this point, he might be blocked behind by two Williams cars.

Since Williams started on yellow tires, it's obvious that his pit stop will be very late. If Raikkonen is combined with the two cars for defense, he might be stuck for quite a while.

However, there are ways to break the deadlock.

Arro has now completed 12 laps on red tires in the main race, and his lap times are actually a bit faster than Williams'. He should be able to close the gap on Kubica in about one or two more laps.

Don't ask why Williams' prime yellow tires aren't as fast as those of older drivers with red tires. The race is only a fifth of the way through, and the two Williams cars are already about ten seconds ahead of Giovinazzi, who is in third-to-last place.

In other words, if Lao Laitou stays on the track for a few more laps, he can get a stretch of clean air for nearly ten seconds after pitting, which is just right to defend against Shu Long's overcut.

This is also the main reason why Toro Rosso's strategy team felt there was an opportunity to execute Plan B, which is why the team had been eyeing that pit stop window five laps in advance.

However, it must be mentioned that Williams' car this year is truly impressive, with a speed of nearly one second per lap in the race.
It's hard to say.

This is beyond slow; this piece of junk shouldn't even exist on an F1 track!

Due to health reasons, Sir Williams chose to step back from the front lines last year, gradually handing over full management of the team to his daughter, Claire Williams.

This is also a point of contention among outsiders. They all feel that it would be more appropriate for the team to be managed by Jazz's son, Jonathan Williams. Haven't they seen how his daughter has ruined the team since she just took over?
Looking at those two blobs of light blue trash on the track now, who would have thought that this team was able to beat Ferrari to become the third-best team in the 14 and 15 seasons!

They slipped a little in 16 and 17, but still managed to finish fifth in the annual team competition, which is quite an achievement for a small team with limited R&D capabilities and funding.

Let's see what happened after the daughter of the jazz took over.

They finished last in 18, scoring only 7 points throughout the year.

Forget about 19. Judging from the current situation, Bao is likely to be at the bottom this year. Getting any points would be a blessing.

Of course, it's normal for small teams to have ups and downs like this. Williams' ability to stay in the paddock for so many years is an achievement that many factory teams can hardly achieve. It is indeed unfair to put all the blame on Claire.

However, as a prime example of an underdog team overtaking its rivals, many Williams fans are now more frustrated and disappointed by their team's underperformance. When this frustration has nowhere to go, it's only natural to vent it by finding a public target.

Outside the track, they were bombarded with questions from fans, and inside the track, they were subjected to attacks from other racers.

No matter how hard the engineers in the team study, or how hard the two drivers work, in the eyes of mid-table teams, they are nothing more than easy targets to be slaughtered, and when they are taken down depends entirely on their mood.

Shu Long had no idea whose blood was on the steamed bun he was currently eating. He only knew that the overcut tactic he needed to execute was now defunct, and the best option for him was to get past the Iceman Raikkonen in front of him.

In the first half of lap eleven, Shulong maintained a safe distance from the car in front, ensuring his cornering rhythm wasn't disrupted. Then, in the second half, thanks to his better tires, he narrowed the gap between the two cars to 0.5 by navigating the full-throttle turn 12.

On the starting straight of lap 12, thanks to DRS and slipstream, he gained enough speed to pull ahead without even pressing the overtaking button.

However, Shulong did not launch a substantial attack immediately. He only pretended to try a late-stopping shot inside, and then let Kimi go after seeing his defensive move.

This move serves two purposes: first, to observe the determination and acumen of the old man in defense; and second, to test the grip limit of the current red tire late braking system.

Raikkonen's defense remained sharp and tough, a move not typically seen against an opponent with whom he had a different strategy. This gave Shu Long a bit more confidence in his upcoming overtaking maneuver. Whether Arro defended or not was actually of little consequence.

If you don't take precautions, that would be even better. The first section of the track has a DRS detection line before Turn 1. As long as you control the distance well, you can not only overtake here, but Shulong can also use the DRS after Turn 3 to leave Aro far behind.

Of course, it doesn't matter if we defend, because this was not originally the overtaking point in the Shulong Plan. On the contrary, Lao Laitou has exposed a bit more of his defensive thinking and habits here.

As the oldest driver in the current paddock, Raikkonen's value to Arroyo can be described as "an old man in the family is a treasure." Not only does he have a consistently high ceiling on lap times, but his racing experience is also a valuable asset for Faraday to use in developing young reserve drivers.

His defensive maneuvers against Shulong were not just a simple lane change. In addition to blocking the route, Raikkonen also subtly braked a little earlier before Turn 1, in order to make Shulong dribble past the DRS detection line first.

However, although this intention was insidious and hidden, Shu Long still managed to keenly detect the unusual approach speed between the two cars with his [Fiery Eyes], and immediately slowed down his tracking brakes and cornering pace.

It can only be said that a world champion is indeed a world champion. Even if he is just in a small team to earn some retirement money, this kind of instinct and ability that is almost written in his genes is something that many mid-level young drivers cannot match.

However, as they approached Turn 4, Shu Long, who had narrowed the gap between the two cars to 0.3 seconds, was beyond the reach of any defensive maneuver. Unless Raikkonen chose to go down with Toro Rosso, the only outcome would be for him to watch helplessly as he was overtaken.

There was no way around it; the two cars were already in a different state, and once his little trick before turn one was seen through, being overtaken was inevitable.

"Well done! That was a brilliant overtaking maneuver!"

Hamelin clapped his hands in the TR, offering his encouragement without reservation.

In his view, this kind of overtaking is the way a mature and excellent racing driver should take. The previous overtaking of Haas was a completely unnecessary risky move, which could easily have ruined the hard work of the entire team.

"Ricardo is about 1 second away from you now. He should be able to catch Kimi's DRS now and could enter the attack range at any time."

"Don't worry, I won't give him a chance!"

"Copy! Now push with all your might, and stay focused. We'll let you know if anything happens, but remember to stay focused!"

"What about the car's settings? Don't we need to change them?"

"If possible, STRAT8, SOC4."

Should we increase the discharge power and then adopt a more conservative engine setting?

Shu Long had some guesses in his mind, but he didn't say anything to refute them.

With his left hand controlling the car through the full-throttle corner number seven, he pulled the car to the left side of the track, braked at an angle while downshifting, and in the middle of the corner, he freed up his right hand to make the settings changes.

It's not that he deliberately wants to perform such a difficult maneuver, but if he's not mistaken, the time he can use this setting to advance is probably only the latter half of the lap.

"Shall we go into the station?"

"No, but stay focused."

Aro's strategy team listened to Toro's report and looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

This inexplicable conversation was obviously suspicious, and the other side must have known it was suspicious too, but Aro didn't know if Little Red Bull was trying to lure them in.

The fact that Shulong needs to remain vigilant against Ricciardo and push forward with all their might suggests that they are likely to stay on the track for a while longer, but the repeated emphasis on "focus" makes it seem like there's something fishy going on.

Raikkonen's current position is rather delicate. Arroyo's tire-changing problems are even more notorious than his factory team father's. Others might make a mistake and change tires in just over three seconds, but for Arroyo, changing tires in just over three seconds is considered an exceptional performance.

If you're lucky, you can gamble with the Mavericks and get ahead of Williams; if you're unlucky, you'll just mess it up.

"Kimi, we need to do more to push things forward."

"How far are we from the window? You weren't talking to me like that just now! Tsk! Copy!"

Old Lay hasn't quite adjusted his mindset from Ferrari's championship aspirations to Arro's retirement. The team didn't explicitly state any strategic changes, but kept "hinting" at the time gap between them and Williams.

Kimi himself made the decision to intercept the dragon. Everything was planned out, but he never expected that Aro's terrible match logistics would make them afraid to even take this gamble.

Why would you even dare to take such a small risk in F1?
For them, maintaining their current ranking and finishing the race might already be quite good; there's absolutely no need to try and compete with Shu Long for the same position.

The Toro Rosso was very cautious. Even after hearing Raikkonen's team's decision on the TR, it remained unmoved and waited until Shulong returned to the starting straight before launching a surprise attack.

"OK, Dragon! Box! We box now!"

Fortunately, Shu Long had anticipated this and remained focused throughout the entire lap. He didn't even try to take the outside shoulder when exiting Turn 15. As soon as he received the instruction, he swerved the car into the pit lane.

The 2.6-second red tire to yellow tire transition wasn't particularly fast, but with the advantage of the previous pull from the slack line, the car was positioned right at Turn 1 after exiting the pits, blocking Kubica's front end.

Even though Kubica didn't get a DRS (Driving Speed ​​Reduction) penalty, and Shu Long's yellow tires were still far from warming up after leaving the pits, he still managed to pull Williams more than a second ahead of Turn 7.

Williams is just too slow. Under heavy oil conditions with moderate tire wear on long distances, their lap times are all over 1:39, which is more than a second slower than the second-to-last car, and even three seconds slower than Shulong's lap time.

Without DRS, this gap is so large that even a miracle couldn't fix it.

Shulong, after exiting the station, is now located at P11.

Considering that there are Renault's two cars ahead of him, Raikkonen, Gasly, and Norris who were originally behind him but have not yet entered the pits, it seems that after the first stint, Shulong's actual position has now moved from P9 to P6.

　I said I'd write another chapter today, but then I remembered it's my birthday tomorrow, and I almost forgot myself.

　　I have to go out to treat people to dinner tomorrow, so I'll save it for tomorrow, otherwise I probably won't be free again.

　　Thank you to Ma Mingfeng Xiaoxiao, SoapDTY, Hang522, Book Friend 20220706042141913, Most Like Xiaoliuhua, Yangcheng Sangshao, devilpi, Xinzhi, Zixiao, Mingmu Xinheka and Flandre_Dd for the monthly tickets!
　　Thank you so much for the generous donation from Jinling Brave!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)