Speed ​​God

Chapter 50 Switching Positions
Fedipaldi: ...

A breath caught in his throat, and he stood there dumbfounded, unable to believe his eyes. How could this be? Alessi had been so easily overtaken?
"Pretty!"

Hearing praises and even applause, Fedipaldi instinctively looked over and saw Nicholas's beaming face, and despair set in.

Nicholas was initially slightly surprised that Lu Zhizhou hadn't launched an immediate attack, even though Alessi was already riddled with weaknesses—he had been waiting patiently.

Is this indecisiveness and hesitation?
If that's the case, then it's very disappointing.

In the world of motorsports, victory or defeat is often calculated in a hundredth of a second or a thousandth of a second. There is no room for hesitation, and there is not even time to think. It all depends on intuition and instinct. A moment of indecisiveness may be the only window to miss the entire race.

However, Nicholas immediately realized that he had made a mistake.

Lu Zhizhou's waiting was not hesitation, but patience; a decisive strike to eliminate any future troubles and ruthlessly extinguish any possibility of Alesi's counterattack.

After Lu Zhizhou overtook him, Alessi immediately went into berserk mode, pushing forward with all his might regardless of the consequences, even if it meant burning the tires. His posture and stance made it seem as if Alessi was prepared to be smashed to pieces and die together with Lu Zhizhou. He wasn't trying to overtake Lu Zhizhou, but rather to crash into Lu Zhizhou's race car.

But Alessi could never catch up, because Lu Zhizhou had closed the most dangerous window and then entered advance mode.

On the Fiorano circuit, Lu Zhizhou and Alesi were like two streaks of light, racing at full speed. Both of them unleashed their full speed, and Zhou Guanyu and Armstrong did not expect this. The two drivers who had not yet entered the propulsion mode were immediately left behind.

Buzzing, buzzing.

The roar of the engine tore through the air, and everyone present stared intently, holding their breath, at Lu Zhizhou and Alessi's performance.

Amazingly, despite Alesi's relentless efforts and even the burning of his life force, Lu Zhizhou steadily widened the gap—

0.5 seconds. 1.1 seconds. 1.4 seconds.

Step by step, even with full acceleration, Lu Zhizhou could still be seen speeding away, just like Usain Bolt in his prime in the 100-meter dash, with overwhelming strength and a clear lead over everyone else.

Now, Nicholas finally understands his "shortsightedness".

Everything was a strategy, and Lu Zhizhou was confident.

F3 cars are standard-spec cars, and all are configured and adjusted from the Maranello base, with almost no differences; the real difference comes from the driver's understanding and execution.

Clearly, Lu Zhizhou understood this. At this point, how to use tires, how to control the rhythm, how to disrupt the opponent's race by using rhythm changes and line selection in a limited space, and how to choose the driving route are all skills.

Oppression. Waiting. Patience. Gathering strength.

Like a master chess player.

This was a process. Lu Zhizhou was wearing down Alesi's tires and suppressing Zhou Guanyu's offensive with perfect lines. He remained calm and composed, constantly observing and feeling the tires. When the opportunity arose, the fleeting gap turned into a window for Lu Zhizhou to overturn the situation.

Then, the release speed.

Not only did it avoid Alesi's reckless and self-destructive actions, but it also perfectly squeezed the tires to release speed, leaving no chance and maintaining a commanding lead all the way.

This slowly succumbed to Alessi's despairing, impotent rage.

Nicholas could see that Alesi was now burning through tires like crazy. It was impossible to predict whether the tire performance would plummet, but it was certain that as the competition entered its final stages, Zhou Guanyu and even Armstrong would have a chance to overtake him, and Alesi's situation would become increasingly difficult.

The outcome was already decided. In just six laps, Lu Zhizhou had already eliminated any suspense in the competition.

What's even more frightening is that Nicholas and Wasser deliberately disrupted the pre-race strategy, not giving these young people enough time to think about tactics. However, Lu Zhizhou still demonstrated his strength in a short period of time, and his understanding of the track, opponents, and the race was impressive in every aspect.

Appreciation surged within my chest.

Nicholas and Vassell exchanged glances, and Vassell, who was usually joking and carefree, became unusually serious.

Without needing to ask, they were 100% certain that this must be the driver Marchionne was so confident in, a result of Jean Todt's discerning eye.

There is no doubt that it is admirable; but now, precisely because of Lu Zhizhou's amazing performance, the benchmark for Wasser has been raised even higher.

Vasseur thought for a moment, then looked at Marchionne, "Let's deploy a virtual security vehicle."

The so-called virtual safety car, like the safety car, is, as the name suggests, a vehicle used to maintain safety on the field.

When an accident occurs on the track or severe weather is encountered, the safety car is deployed to lead all cars to slow down and form a convoy until the danger on the track is eliminated.

In other words, when the safety car is deployed, all race cars must slow down, and Lu Zhizhou's hard-earned advantage will vanish. Alessi, Zhou Guanyu, and Armstrong will all be driving in formation, and the gap between the cars will be reduced back to within one second, or even closer.

The difference is that with a safety car, a real race car will appear on the track to lead the way, and all vehicles must follow behind it; a virtual safety car is an instruction where no real race car appears on the track, but all drivers must switch to racing mode and enter the speed-limited mode together.

Vasser not only wanted to create chaos, but also wanted to test Lu Zhizhou's defensive capabilities.

Marchionne immediately understood, raised an eyebrow, and looked over meaningfully.

Vasser said calmly, "Please, if it's like this, the game is too boring."

Indeed, Lu Zhizhou has already widened the gap, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will lead all the way to the finish line, making it unnecessary for this intra-team test match to continue.

Marchionne's eyes lit up with a smile. "Of course. I'll grant your wish. Actually, I'm a little curious myself."

The ninth lap, the tenth lap—

Lu Zhizhou was completely in his own rhythm. The tires, which were at working temperature, were like his own limbs, and he sped away, leaving everyone else in the dust. He could no longer see anyone in the rearview mirror.

Lu Zhizhou was preparing to test his limits and see if he could break the fastest lap time under clear, dry conditions.

As a result, virtual safety vehicles emerged.

Lu Zhizhou immediately understood the intention behind it, which meant that he had to change his strategy and could not continue running. He would have to face Alessi's fierce attack next.

Racing is unpredictable and full of unexpected events; racers must be mentally prepared to face any situation at any time.

Without hesitation, Lu Zhizhou activated the speed limiter and his mind raced. A short while later, he saw the other people in the rearview mirror again.

Lu Zhizhou carefully examined the tires of Alesi through the rearview mirror.

For two full laps, under the control of the virtual safety car, the four cars were lined up in a row. But now the situation has been completely reshuffled. The four cars are crowded together, intersecting and lining up side by side on the track. At this point, they no longer care which side of the track is clean and which side is dirty. Even if they have to sacrifice tire grip, they must stick to their opponents and wait for the virtual safety car to be removed. They are all eager to turn the tide.

Then, on lap 13, the virtual safety car was deactivated! The race restarted!
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(End of this chapter)