F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 89 How Much Do I Look Like I Used to Be? (5K)

The car in front is actually faster in clean air, which means that even if you manage to overtake, you will most likely have to give up your position in the remaining ten or so laps.

Excessive defense is unnecessary at this point; additional tire wear will only weaken one's bargaining chips in the game.

However, when it's time to overtake, you really have to.

Following another car for an extended period in polluted air is extremely detrimental to the preservation of tire condition. Experienced drivers will consciously maneuver the car behind them to change their braking rhythm when defending.

Because the following vehicle can only react passively, it is often forced to use its brakes more aggressively than the vehicle in front, and excessively high brake temperatures can also cause the inner rubber layer of the tire to overheat.

Thanks to the advantages of wake turbulence and DRS, Shulong can perform smoother techniques in routine tire maintenance operations.

For example, you can ease off the accelerator before a turn to reduce the brake load, and at the same time, shift up earlier when you need to, so you don't have to be so eager to input throttle when exiting the turn.

Of course, the risks he took in doing this were not small.

Currently, there are only two cars on this section of the track, Shulong and Vettel. In addition, the track is wide and has a high margin for error for the drivers. Vettel can actually easily devote a lot of energy to paying attention to the dynamics of the cars behind him.

Shulong's current maneuvers can indeed preserve the car's condition to the greatest extent, but if Vettel suddenly changes his approach on the exit of a corner, he could very well leave Shulong far behind.

Once outside the DRS range, it means that subsequent dragons will find it difficult to threaten Vettel's position.

Vettel tried five times in total, sometimes even at the cost of extra tire wear, to try and shift the car's center of gravity at the crucial point of the track, but each time it was completely ineffective.

As expected of a super rookie with an average clutch reaction time of less than 0.12 at the start of three races, his concentration, reaction speed, and control over the car's condition during the race are all absolutely top-notch.

Tire wear has been a major problem for Ferrari this season. From now on, Vettel can no longer rely on the fact that he's driving a Martian car and treat the Earth-class car behind him with a cat-and-mouse mentality.

Don't assume that Vettel, a four-time champion, is without pressure.

With the new teammates gaining momentum, it seems like a pole-to-win situation is a foregone conclusion in this match.

This year, Ferrari has a very good chance of winning the championship again, and every point in every race could potentially affect the final championship race.

If Vettel cannot secure a solid lead over his new teammate in points early in the season, the team's strategy may no longer favor him.

The current P5 is already 10 points behind Leclerc, and if he is pushed down to P6, the gap will be as high as 12 points.

So regardless of the car's current condition, Vettel is prepared to be fully focused on dealing with the pack behind him in the final dozen or so laps.

Damage to the floorboards has a significant impact on the overall downforce of the race car, which means that the current Ferrari will actually experience additional tire damage compared to before. If they are not careful, they might actually be overturned by a mediocre car.

"He's great, I can't get rid of him, and I need to start taking care of my pregnancy now."

Vettel's TR segment was directly cut out by the tournament organizers and displayed on the public screen, which greatly encouraged the commentators and fans outside the paddock, and even brought up comments like "Teacher Vettel will be a legend for life".

What is Vettel's identity?
There are currently a lot of "youngest" record holders, some of which have been broken by Verstappen, but for now he is at least the youngest four-time world champion!
Based on this resume, Vettel is definitely one of the top drivers in the paddock in terms of skill and reputation. The praise he gives is absolutely worthwhile.

Of course, if we're talking about who's happiest to hear this right now, it's probably old man Marco in the Red Bull pit room.

Shulong has had a strong start to the season, but the pressure from Tai Niu is also increasing.

Ever since news of Mateschitz's diagnosis of a terminal illness spread internally, the Tayronn team has been trying to expand its influence within the Red Bull Racing team, and after discovering Albon, a dark horse, they have been making numerous moves.

Although the Aoniu Group is generally considered an affiliate of Tainiu, Aoniu still holds absolute dominance in the operation and management of the Red Bull Racing team.

As the world's most watched and most profitable top-level event, it's understandable that the parent company, Taurean Bulls, wants to reap more benefits from its rebellious subsidiary. Therefore, Albon has become a crucial move that Taurean Bulls are determined to make.

On the surface, drivers are merely appendages of the team, completely controlled by the team's management. In many cases, whether a driver stays or leaves is simply a matter of a word from the management.

However, as a highly publicized commercial sport, F1 has one external factor that can directly influence team decisions: public opinion.

Fans may be fans of the racing teams, but most are fans of the drivers.

After all, with a pink team, the most you can do is take a photo with the car. At least the driver can sign your autograph after the photo is taken. Otherwise, can you make the car jump up and sign your autograph?
This kind of direct emotional interaction makes it easier for drivers to attract fans, and drivers have a very strong appeal to these fans.

Commercialized racing events are inherently closely related to money. Where do the teams get their money? Besides the team's own brand effect, a large part of their profits still comes from sponsors.

So why would sponsors pay money? Isn't it because they value this fan economy?
So even though drivers have virtually no management authority within the team and are at most considered favored employees, drivers, teams, and sponsors are essentially mutually beneficial.

A driver who can secure a place in a team, especially a star driver who can genuinely influence the team's performance, can often, to some extent, interfere with the distribution of power among the team's management.

There is no doubt that Shulong has such potential, and Marco's current priority is to get Shulong into Red Bull as soon as possible.

With Max on the left, Shulong on the right, and a "team consultant" hat on their heads, what else could they be standing on but Horner?
With the help of these two key figures, Marco was very confident in his ability to sideline Horner.

But none of the people who have reached this level are fools, and Marco's desire to make a major relocation has never faced as much resistance as it has this year.

First of all, Horner, as the de facto team principal, certainly didn't want to see this situation occur, and at the same time, Tayniu certainly wouldn't want to see either side dominate.

Now, it seems that the two sides have reached some kind of tacit understanding, and are quietly exerting their efforts together to fight against the increasingly unscrupulous Marco.

It's safe to say that while there are countless people secretly cheering for Shu Long on the field, at least twice as many are silently praying that he'll pull off a big one.

Did you poop? It's really hard!
Vettel's intention to preserve the pregnancy was quickly discovered by Shu Long.

What a coincidence! He just happened to want to go over and cool down the tires a bit.

After following the car for a lap and consciously chipping away at the opponent's lead, Shu Long immediately overtook them on the starting straight of lap 43, using the DRS.

Vettel had no intention of defending at all. The two cars even coordinated so well that they both chose to ease off the throttle and enter the corner before the braking zone at Turn 1, without even planning to engage in a close battle.

On lap 46, when Vettel realized that the dirty air had begun to negatively affect the tire temperature, he repeated the same maneuver he had just used.

Shu Long didn't take any precautions. The two of them, as if they were honestly exchanging race data on the track, took turns going forward to relieve the pressure on their tires.

The harmonious situation continued until lap 53, when both Vettel and Shulung's movements took on a chilling, bloodthirsty quality. At this point, Vettel was in front, and Shulung was behind.

Because the two cars are now fairly evenly matched, on this track where overtaking opportunities are plentiful, the car behind that has the DRS (Driving Speed ​​Responsibility) of the car in front actually has more control over the outcome of the race.

Regardless of the actual track conditions, faster cars will inevitably have more subjective initiative than slower cars.

Shu Long's car is relatively slow, so it's impossible for him to foolishly rush to take the lead in the last few laps.

Vettel didn't really care. Following the car in front was indeed easier for him now, but there was a way to lead the pack. He didn't win so many championships and world titles simply because his car was fast.

Being faster than your opponent isn't always difficult; the challenge lies in being faster than your teammate.

From lap 53 to lap 55, Vettel's variations became even more intense!

He was trying to force Shulong to surpass him, but once Shulong realized his intention and slowed down, he would suddenly speed up and try to pull ahead.

is that useful?
That's for sure. Now, Shu Long's concentration is even higher than when he was pushing the rankings in single laps. He has even reduced the frequency of blinking from three times per lap to once per lap. Sometimes, he doesn't even dare to relax his vigilance on long straightaways.

"Keep the pace. Your tire temperature is a little high right now. How's the tire grip?"

"Not good, the front left side is starting to peel, and the car is understeer badly now."

"Try the cornering mode preset mode 6."

"Thank you, copy! Don't talk to me anymore. Don't worry, he won't get away!"

Actually, compared to the front left, the rear wheel problem on Shulong's side is more serious. Hamelin's suggestions can solve his difficulty in cornering very well, but for the rear of the car, it can be considered a side effect.

However, with the fully unlocked [Friction Control], Shulong is actually more adept at dealing with the problem of unstable dynamics at the rear of the car. Hamelin's suggestion has indeed increased the difficulty of operating the car by more than one level, but at the same time, it has also raised the upper limit of the car's operation.

The patience continued until the very last lap.

In fact, Vettel stopped playing tricks two laps ago and instead focused all his attention on maximizing the car's potential.

Because of his overly extreme defensive actions against Shulong, Vettel's tire condition is actually quite bad right now.

However, the older generation of racing drivers does have more experience. Even though maintaining the stability of the car is already very difficult, Vettel did not reveal a single word to his team, just so that the cars behind him would not know what was going on.

The match was nearing its end, and any unnecessary moves were completely pointless. Killer moves were often saved for last, and what he wanted to take advantage of was Shu Long's cautious and slightly timid mindset.

I may seem like I just want to keep pushing forward, but would you bet that's all I'm going to do?
Shu Long certainly didn't dare to gamble, but he also had no need to.

Vettel had his own ideas, and Shulong naturally had his own design as well.

He didn't attempt to attack the first DRS section, as it was already quite short. Trying to overtake there would not only cause extra tire wear, but also risk being countered by Vettel in the second DRS section.

Upon reaching the second DRS zone, Shulong switched the discharge mode to SOC 4, activated DRS but did not press the overtaking button. He then tricked Vettel by feigning an unexpected line tap and released the car.

This could be considered Toro Rosso's last chance to overtake; giving up here would essentially be tantamount to Shu Long signaling his surrender.
The next turn, Turn 11, is an extremely long and sharp right-hand bend that requires you to accelerate from low speed to full throttle. The inside line has no advantage whatsoever, while the outside line, which has a longer acceleration distance, has a higher overall speed limit.

Ferrari, having completely taken control of the route, was practically invincible here.

However, in that instant when Vettel relaxed his guard slightly, Shu Long, under 4.5G of lateral force in the middle of Turn 11, quickly turned the SOC knob to 2 with one hand.

At the same time, I pressed the overtaking button in the middle of the bend, and instead of embracing the apex of the second bend of the long eleventh bend, I just kept close to the outside and accelerated at full speed all the way!
Almost no driver would choose such a crazy playstyle. Drivers do discharge electricity when exiting corners to ensure their acceleration on the straights, but they rarely start discharging electricity directly in the corner.

Adjusting the discharge power of a race car while cornering will cause a drastic change in the torque of the rear wheels. If the throttle opening cannot be adjusted accurately and in a timely manner, spinning out is almost inevitable.

But the power that Shulong saved on the long straight road was all for this moment!
The fact that no one would do that means that Vettel wouldn't do that either. At least at this moment, Toro Rosso's overall performance completely surpasses Ferrari's!

Even when the power was turned on, Shulong subtly gave the steering wheel a larger input angle, using the friction braking of the front wheels to balance the surge in thrust of the race car, and once again brought back the lost martial arts technique of pushing through corners on the track.

Turn 12 is a high-speed left turn with full throttle. As Vettel slowly pulled his car to the left side of the track and was about to adjust his angle to enter Turn 12, he felt like he had seen a ghost when he saw the blue car next to him, almost side by side!
Shulong kept wheel-to-wheel with Vettel, slowly pushing the Ferrari next to him toward the outside of the track as they entered Turn 12.

Turn 12 is a full-on turn because the line requires both inside and outside driving lines to straighten the acceleration path.

With the dragon blocking the inside line, Vettel has to go around a much larger arc in the corner. The excessive shift of the car's center of gravity to the outside may exceed the lateral grip of the tires. Forced to do so, Vettel had no choice but to ease off the throttle slightly.

Shu Long, who was on the inside, didn't have enough angle to enter the corner, so he had to apply the brakes slightly before entering Turn 12.

But! He's inside!
He made up for his disadvantage in cornering speed with a shorter line, and by fully straightening the car, he could confidently accelerate out of the corner, which was in stark contrast to Vettel, who was still tentatively testing the throttle on the outside of the corner.

However, Shu Long was not in a hurry to overtake immediately, and consciously maintained a lead of half a car length in order to ensure that Vettel would not find a more comfortable exit angle through the crossroads at Turn 13.

After Turn 13 is a long straight. Even without DRS, if Ferrari gets ahead on the way out of the corner, all of Shulong's previous efforts will have been for nothing.

This series of attacks and defenses left viewers breathless, and the five-star commentary had completely devolved into shouting, but that didn't stop David Croft's signature high-pitched voice from broadcasting the battle between the two cars in real time.

In today's increasingly suspenseful competitions, Klopp often forces himself to be passionate, but today's underdog performance truly rekindled the passion that once drew him to this sport.

From the regret of failing to pull back in the second DRS zone to the excitement of using a high-speed outward-leaning line to forcefully run alongside in the corner, Croft probably never expected that at his age, his adrenaline would still be so strong.

Watching the young Shu Long overtake the former four-time champion and cross the finish line first, Ke Pang was at a loss for words.

"I think Alonso would be proud of him."

The F1 circuit layout in Bahrain is generally counter-clockwise, with nine out of fifteen corners being right turns. This is why the front left side of the cars tends to wear out more.

In contrast, the right front wheel was in relatively good condition. In addition, the last 13 to 15 turns of the race were all right turns, so the load on the right front wheel was not so high. That's why Shu Long dared to play so boldly here.

The director obediently focused the camera on the boss at the McLaren control console.

At this moment, the Spanish Iron Man with an enlarged head and long face slightly curled up the corners of his mouth, looking at the dragon in the picture with the same gaze Stark gave the Dutch spider.
　I'm having writer's block on the match scenes, so I'll just write a long chapter of 5,000 words to express my apologies.

　　感谢Ecstasy、书友100813133118886、鬼神诏令、书友20180827122303006、人生在世我就图个成果、红烧排骨炖土豆、脳内潮湿、Adoukens、书友100805134033153、书友140531132828506、马鸣风萧潇、书友20220305132136590、书友150731224125178、Stray雄狮和彩蛋彩弹大佬们投喂的月票！
　　Thank you so much to the generous donor, "Awake and Dreaming 739"!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)