Speed ​​God

Chapter 71 The storm is coming
One appearance, a complete upheaval; a sudden emergence, a dazzling debut.

Instantly, all eyes in the paddock turned to him. Everyone knew that ART had a newcomer this year, and one by one, they speculated that Nicholas had been badly ripped off by Ferrari, and that some rich second-generation had come to play the field and bring his own funding to join the team. Everyone was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

result--

Who is really the joke?
Everyone... was a little panicked.

Finally, Brendel found an opportunity and, without Croft even needing to remind him, took over the conversation on his own.

"Everything is planned."

"I'm talking about driver number two."

“He started planning from the warm-up lap. Notice that in the first two laps, he deliberately floored the accelerator in high-speed corners, pushing the front tires into the hot zone and forcibly opening the grip window.”

"Then, on the third lap, I entered the window and completed the flying lap in one go. Immediately afterwards, I slowed down and started the tire cooling process to avoid heat fade."

Next, on Lu Zhizhou's fourth lap, his driving became noticeably smoother as he tried to cool the tires and maintain balance, which confirmed Brendel's guess.

Croft doubted his ears. "Martin, what are you talking about?"

Brendel never joked, and his face was serious. "David, let's take another look at the second driver's flying lap."

"In the first half, he kept the car slightly understeer, controlling the rhythm through precise braking points and lines; in the second half, he launched a strong attack, braking late, entering the corner heavily, and even slightly oversteer, managing to hold onto the apex of Turn 10 and pull the car out, with a very beautiful exit speed, and then unleashing all his power on the final straight."

"This means he was able to control the car and fully understand the track characteristics. The over-push pattern in the first two laps was not a rookie mistake at all, but a carefully designed setup for the flying lap."

Huh!
Brendel and Croft exchanged a glance, both of their eyes flashing with surprise.

While other drivers followed the established routines and raced according to plan, an outsider barged into the party and delivered a spectacular performance, winning thunderous applause.

Not only are they bold and reckless, but they are also calm and rational, with a comprehensive plan. Behind their seemingly risky actions lies the wisdom and control to think three steps ahead.

Even Brendel himself couldn't help but have doubts—

is this real?

Or is it just a coincidence?

Brendel couldn't help but look at the computer screen again, confirming the name once more, silently trying to find the correct pronunciation between his lips and teeth.

"Zhou," wait, he remembered there was a "Zhou" in the F3 European Series, so is this a surname or a given name? Could they be brothers?
It wasn't just the two commentators; the paddock was also starting to stir.

Originally, they planned to proceed step by step, following the plan without rushing things, and simply wait for the second half of the qualifying rounds to begin.

But now, a thorny problem lies before us—

1: 34.602.

This time isn't enough to secure pole position, but the paddock teams have already analyzed it, and the final pole position time should be around this range, just a little faster.

So, here comes the question.

What if they continue waiting in the pit lane and encounter traffic congestion in the second half of the race? What if the grip doesn't meet expectations or there are track issues? What if the drivers aren't at their best?

Any one factor could overturn their strategy; if they're not careful, pole position could fall into the hands of that kid.

unacceptable!

This is the season opener, a new beginning. ART may have dominated last season, but in the new season, all the other teams are sharpening their skills. The Barcelona circuit is where the season's tone is set, and every team and every driver hopes to reach the top of the podium and get off to a winning start. And here, pole position is crucial.

No, we can't wait any longer. The teams in the pit lane started to stir, and one by one they couldn't wait to leave the pit lane and head to the track.

The ART team is no exception.

Originally, the other three drivers were patiently waiting, and Hubert was the next to enter the track. Now was Hubert's turn to enter the race.

But now, Han Shilong couldn't hold back any longer. After communicating with his race engineer, he took the lead onto the track and snatched the spot from Hubert.

Hubert: ??? "Hey, buddy!"

Although he is a little lamb, it doesn't mean that Hubert has no temper.

Han Shilong and Hubert took to the track one after the other. Russell remained patient and calm for a while. After waiting for a while, the race engineer confirmed that a window had appeared on the track and there was no danger of traffic congestion outside. Russell also left the pit area and was finally ready to show off his skills.

In the stands, Matteo stared blankly at the towering pillar display screen at the pit lane exit, which clearly showed the current qualifying standings.

When Matteo saw the first "Lu", he rubbed his eyes, stared blankly for a moment, and let out a groan of disbelief.

Turning his head, he could see Lorenzo wiggling his butt while pulling on that glaring cardboard sign. Matteo felt like he was going to go blind and closed his eyes in despair.

It's alright, it's alright. Qualifying has only just begun. The real test will come soon, and we'll see a surge in the fastest lap times.

Matteo clenched his fists, bit his lower lip, and stared pleadingly at the screen, his heart pounding with every refresh—

Then, the update came.

After a short wait, the track began to warm up and the tires started to work. The team managers breathed a sigh of relief; the situation hadn't deviated too much from the plan, and their quick thinking had brought the race back under control. Qualifying quickly returned to the state they had hoped for.

Russell was the first to break the Lu Zhizhou record.

The young driver has performed exceptionally well in the F3 European Series for two consecutive years. Rumor has it that he created a PowerPoint presentation and personally approached Mercedes F1 team manager Toto Wolff to recommend himself.

Furthermore, Russell impressed Wolff with his self-introduction and was able to enter the Mercedes-Benz youth academy, making his first appearance in GP3 this season, representing ART.

It's clear that, regardless of whether the rumors are true or false, Mercedes-Benz does indeed greatly admire this young man.

Russell did not disappoint. Brendle and Croft, the two Englishmen, were overjoyed and spared no praise for the young Briton.

Subsequently, Dorian Bokolać of the Trident team and Leonardo Pulcini of the Alden team both surpassed Lu Zhizhou's time.

The atmosphere was noisy, and the race was now officially entering a period of explosive growth. Even those who hadn't surpassed Lu Zhizhou had seen their lap times generally improve, all falling below 1 minute and 35 seconds. However, the qualifying session wasn't even halfway through, which meant that the second half would be the real test of skill and determination.

However, one name was missing from this wave of enthusiasm—

Han Shilong.

The undisputed favorite to win the championship this season was surprisingly absent from the first qualifying session. Could it be?
Just as people were trying to find Han Shilong's name, an incredible cheer erupted from the stands on both sides of the finish line.

Matteo laughed heartily, dispelling the gloom.

1: 34.197!

The fastest lap time has been broken again, pushing hard to close the 1 minute and 33 second mark. Han Shilong is currently in first place!
　This is the fourth update today. It's the final sprint of the new book period, so I humbly request that you all persevere a little longer. Following this story is truly, truly important. Thank you, thank you so much!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)