F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 91 The Unexpected Agent
They said they would only invite a few people, but in the end, a huge crowd showed up, like a group of elementary school students going on a school field trip.

Gasly and Alben were in the weigh-in area at the time. They had finally gotten off to a winning start to the season, and they were in a great mood. Shu Long immediately extended an invitation to them.

Lando, needless to say, finished the race in a McLaren P7 and scored six points in one go, looking as happy as a silly deer.

He lingered nearby, touching and feeling around, and when he heard Shu Long and the others discussing what to eat, he insisted on getting involved.

Of course, aside from those few who were in a good mood, Russell, who was promoted to F1 after winning the F2 championship, was not so happy.

From being able to compete for the podium and win the championship in every race, to now feeling like any car can easily beat Williams, the psychological gap is really huge.

The only value they have left on the track is to make a fool of themselves; even the director's camera sometimes hesitates to linger on them.

After finally managing to finish the race with all their might, they found out they had run one or two laps less than others. In each race, you can find out where they are by counting how many cars retired.

Toto did offer some assurances, but the final result will depend on the performance. But is performance really related to Williams' car?
While waiting in line to be weighed, Russell was radiating a heavy, oppressive aura. Shu Long felt a bit sorry for him and, out of politeness, extended an invitation.

I didn't have high hopes to begin with. The last time Shulong and Russell communicated frequently was two or three years ago when they were running F3. Since they hadn't spoken to each other for so long, they had naturally become quite estranged.

However, Russell remained the same as always. He quickly composed himself in the face of Shu Long's invitation, and after a series of impeccable polite and thankful remarks, he readily accepted.

Russell and Albon were on good terms, and the two quickly struck up a conversation.

When they went to find Leclerc, they ran into Max, who was about to take an ice bath, so they both went together.

That very evening.

The Bahrain Grand Prix is ​​a unique race that turns from dusk to night. Before the race, in order to maintain their physical condition, the drivers hadn't really eaten anything properly. Now that the race is over, they are starving and look like wolves with bloodshot eyes.

The location is Plums Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain, which specializes in Middle Eastern royal cuisine.

This was Stroll's suggestion, but he didn't get involved because his father had business to attend to here that evening.

Almost everyone present was an F1 driver, with only Zhou Guanyu and Huber still driving F2.
However, they were all old rivals who had become familiar with each other in the lower-level formulas. Only after entering this circle did they realize that strength sometimes does not represent everything. Even those who have already driven in F1 cannot say that their position is secure.

So there wasn't any hierarchy of discrimination based on status; everyone was just joking that the two of them should hurry up and advance to F1 so they'd have to treat each other to a meal later.

When it came time to pay, the bill came to over $5,300, but just as Shu Long was about to swipe his card, he was told that someone had already paid for him.

what's the situation?
Do these foreigners also have the custom of vying to pay when they're treating someone?

Shu Long's suspicious gaze swept over the seemingly innocent faces, finally settling on Zhou Guanyu.

We're all old-timers, isn't it you, kid?

But not.

The mysterious kind person even left a message at the front desk, saying something like, "Consider it a service fee for the ride through the clouds."

It sounded a bit frivolous, like the name of some hidden project in a high-end club, but Shu Long quickly remembered the bearded guy who had made him look so pathetic during the pre-match Hotlaps event.

What should I do if it seems like I've been treated to a meal by someone important?
The next day, the drivers mostly went home to enjoy a week-long holiday.

The next stop in China is the weekend after next. It's not a back-to-back race, which means that most drivers will have relatively free time to manage their own time during this period.

Some drivers can't go home. If the team has any upgrade plans, the drivers may have to go back to the factory with the team to continue working like cattle.

Alben is the bull and horse of the Mavericks, but Shu Long can't just sit idle. He and Zhou Guanyu arranged to take the same flight to return to China early.

The 1000th Grand Prix since the inception of Formula 1 has now been held at the Shanghai International Circuit as part of the Chinese Grand Prix.

It could be considered luck, since China's position on the race calendar is basically around this time every year, and it just so happened to coincide with that.

Of course, this matter is very important to both Shu Long and Zhou Guanyu.

For the first time, a Chinese official driver has appeared in the paddock for the season. Another one is a young hope who is currently very close to achieving his F1 goals. Coupled with such a memorable race, everything seems to be foreshadowing the rise of this great Eastern power!
In addition to participating in special events arranged by the team, I also need to cooperate with some promotional and commercial activities related to the Grand Prix.

In fact, since Shu Long obtained his super license and officially became a reserve driver for the Red Bull team last year, someone from Juss has approached him about cooperation.

However, Shu Long's identity was deeply tied to the Red Bull system, so he could not become a contracted athlete under Jiushi, and in the end, the commercial cooperation was only achieved through sponsorship.

Similarly, Zhou Guanyu's current situation is almost the same.

Of course, even without this sponsorship fee, as two of the leading figures in the domestic racing industry, making a small contribution to promote their own racing career is a responsibility rooted in blood ties, setting aside any vested interests.

Last year, Shu Long helped take some promotional photos for the competition while the tickets were on sale. Zhou Guanyu, who grew up in Shanghai, had more and more down-to-earth shooting assignments.

"You've done pretty well. Red Bull only lets you hold up the drink and smile, you don't even have to say any lines! The commercial Renault had me shoot was so cringeworthy, it made me want to die!"

"Ge Zhen? Is it as awkward as the one shot by DTS? Let me see it."

"DTS made you look incredibly handsome, even I can't help but laugh when I see it!"

Is it possible that my good looks actually have nothing to do with DTS?

"Get out! Don't mess with me here!"

Shu Long hadn't watched TV in a long time, so he really didn't know about this, and his curiosity was immediately piqued.

Zhou Guanyu's resistance was completely useless. What era are we living in? Trying to hide one's dark past? He simply hung up a domestic VPN and Shu Long found it all. "Awkward, isn't it? Look at you, having so much fun, hahaha!"

Shu Long couldn't hold back his words halfway through, but to be fair, Zhou Guanyu's ancient costume look was quite good, at least much better than the uniform and rigid leather from Red Bull.

Just as the airport announcement announced that they could board, Shulong's WhatsApp suddenly popped up twice; someone had proactively added him as a friend.

Before Shu Long himself could react, Zhou Guanyu next to him jumped up excitedly.

"Hurry up and open it to see who it is! Why does it look so much like Alonso?"

"No way, could this be a scam? I don't think I've exchanged contact information with Brother Boss."

"Which scammer is so resourceful? It must be him! How could I mistake my idol? I even added him as a friend before!"

Seeing the dramatic shifts in Zhou Guanyu's tone, Shu Long reluctantly believed him.

The moment the friend request was approved, a message came through: "You little rascal, you really got away quickly without a word. Didn't you even invite a few more people to dinner yesterday?"

What's going on? Is this the kind of lively person Brother Tou is?

Judging from the various nonsensical behaviors of the other side in the paddock, he should indeed be quite lively. Although last time in the interview area, Alonso always gave Shu Long a somewhat serious and wistful feeling, generally speaking, only a funny person would come up with such a crazy idea as impersonating a reporter.
But now that they've come to our door demanding an explanation, what should we do?
At the time, Shu Long's thought was simply that since he was hosting a dinner, he might as well invite his close friends. But now, realizing he might have narrowed his options, what should he do?
Ricardo the Big Tooth took such good care of me back in Red Bull, surely I could call him over?

Uncle Wai Tou and Grandpa Lai just had a heart-to-heart talk with me, so maybe I should try inviting them?

Since our last interview brought us a little closer, surely we shouldn't forget that Brother Tou is in the paddock this week?

Your emotional intelligence is hopeless!

For a moment, Shu Long wanted to throw his phone to Zhou Guanyu and ask him to talk to him for him, but in the end, he thought about it and typed out a lot of apologies himself.

Fortunately, Alonso wasn't there to argue with children about such trivial matters. He used to be even less concerned with social niceties, but he eventually came to his senses and became more discerning.

Alonso is now a seasoned veteran who knows the ways of the workplace well; otherwise, how did he get the nickname "political boss"?

However, since he wasn't just there for small talk, it means that Alonso's purpose in coming here is quite significant.

"Are you interested in having me become your agent? I have a very high opinion of your future!"

The sudden, explosive news left Shu Long completely stunned, while Zhou Guanyu next to him was even more dumbfounded, feeling as if he had been blown away.

After all, the paddock is also a society based on personal connections, where the importance of personal relationships is sometimes no less than that of large sponsorships and the driver's own ability.

Generally speaking, it's not uncommon, though not many, to see retired drivers with considerable prestige or veterans in the racing world acting as drivers' agents.

For example, Toto, the current team manager and owner of Mercedes, is Ocon's direct agent, and Flavio Briatore, the former infamous team manager of Renault, also had a long-term agent relationship with Alonso.

At the same time, a driver doesn't necessarily have to have only one management team. For example, Alonso himself, in addition to Florentino Pérez and Luis García Abbas, also established his own personal management company, KIMOA, to integrate his business and motorsport career.

To be honest, it's somewhat similar to Shu Long's situation.

His business contracts are now handled by his mother's newly established agency. In the team contract, Marko is somewhat like his agent, except that Marko doesn't take commissions here; "pressure" is the common currency.

Alonso meant that there are many unspoken rules in the paddock that outsiders don't know, and the Shu Long family, being newcomers, might find it difficult to get along well.

As a seasoned veteran of the paddock, he had already paved the way for others to fall into some of the traps, and over the years he had also cultivated a deep network of relationships within the paddock, which could help Shu Long increase his bargaining power with the team when necessary.

What an unexpected surprise!

Shu Long was in a hurry to board the plane, so he quickly thanked Alonso for his kindness. However, he couldn't make the decision on his own, so he hurriedly sent his mother's contact information to Tou Ge and then turned to Zhou Guanyu to show off.

"How so? Aren't you envious?"

"Tch~ What are you envious of? Envious that your plane ticket included a menu for skydiving?"

"what?"

"What do you mean, 'huh'? If the airplane window wasn't locked, I'd throw you right out!"

At this moment, Zhou Guanyu's gritted teeth transformed into Shu Long's smugness. However, due to the presence of many car enthusiasts around who had already recognized them, the two of them behaved relatively restrained.

After calming down a bit in the cabin, Zhou Guanyu seemed to finally remember something. After hesitating for a while, he finally spoke up.

"Let me elaborate first. I'm not trying to badmouth my idol, but Alonso said he's made a lot of mistakes and can help you avoid them."

As a long-time Alonso fan, Zhou Guanyu is very familiar with the veteran's career journey.

The most common sentiment expressed online about Alonso is that he may have squandered all his luck in 2005 and 2006, and what followed was nothing but bitter tears.

Every time, they seemed to have a good chance of winning the world championship, but every time, due to various unforeseen circumstances, they fell just short, ending up as runners-up by only a few points.

Later, Ferrari declined while he was with the team, and McLaren declined after he returned. But the most bizarre thing is that every time he leaves the team, he miraculously comes back to life.

The former two-time world champion now seems like a jinx, bringing bad luck wherever he goes.

So it's true that Alonso made a lot of mistakes in the first part, but as for the second part—that he could help Shulong avoid those pitfalls—that's another story.
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(End of this chapter)