Chapter 219 - 129: Zhou Guanyu in the Rain

Words : 785 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

As a master of tire conservation, Qin Miao naturally remained calm, fully confident that a safety car would surely appear in a race with such heavy rain. Zhou Guanyu, ahead of Qin Miao, also considered making a pit stop. But seeing Qin Miao maintaining a stable gap of two seconds behind him, he dared not act rashly and held on together with Qin Miao outside. On lap 22, Zhou Guanyu’s car could hold on no longer, choosing to pit for a tire change, unwittingly handing the lead position to Qin Miao, who still wasn’t ready to pit. When Zhou Guanyu pitted, Qin Miao’s TR was filled with Roxin’s voice: "Qin Miao! Push, your tires have no wear issues now, do your best lap time and try to overcut Zhou Guanyu." Qin Miao knew without Roxin reminding him what he needed to do to retain the championship. But since it’s still raining, all Qin Miao could ensure was pushing his speed to the limit without making mistakes. The rain brought too many troubles for Qin Miao, and he couldn’t guarantee overcutting Zhou Guanyu. After pitting, Zhou Guanyu fell to sixth position, with those ahead of him being cars yet to pit, at least an 11-second gap to the cars ahead, allowing him to run comfortably like Qin Miao. Qin Miao’s stubborn hold had no good outcome, as the rain only gradually lessened without signs of stopping as the race neared the end. Finally, on lap 29, with no time or tires to hold on any longer, Qin Miao had to pit for new tires, being the last driver on track to complete the pit stop, naturally switching to wet tires. Though the track was dry at some braking points, most of the third sector was still raining, so Qin Miao could only continue using wet tires. Moreover, the delay in tire change brought bad news, as the worn tires in the mid-to-late stage had slowed Qin Miao down. Hence, when he exited the pits, Zhou Guanyu was 1.5 seconds ahead. Qin Miao actually wanted to seize the gradually drying track to attack Zhou Guanyu in the last few laps. But before acting, Qin Miao thought of his Ferrari contract. This time, Qin Miao’s thoughts about the contract were not about fighting for it, as it was nailed down that he would become an F1 driver next season. Since Zhou Guanyu worked so hard in this race, why not let him have a championship? On one hand, Qin Miao didn’t lack this championship; on the other hand, he felt Zhou Guanyu needed this win. Despite their good relationship, some outsiders didn’t know. Because of their good relationship and their similar status as F2 young drivers, even their age and nationality are the same, it’s inevitable that people will compare them. If Zhou Guanyu is beaten badly by Qin Miao, Qin Miao couldn’t guarantee whether his friend would harbor any resentment. So, considering Zhou Guanyu’s dignity, Qin Miao decided to let up. Additionally, with only 6 laps left in the race, although Qin Miao had some advantage over Zhou Guanyu on the drying track, the advantage wasn’t significant, and Qin Miao wasn’t sure he could overtake Zhou Guanyu in the remaining laps. Thus, in the subsequent race, Qin Miao didn’t show any intent to attack Zhou Guanyu, intentionally widened the gap to prevent Zhou Guanyu from making mistakes under pressure and losing the championship he earned. Of course, Qin Miao intended to leave some space, utilizing the favorable track conditions to try for the fastest lap in the final laps. Two points are still points... However, on a non-dry track condition, Qin Miao’s strength decreased significantly, and neither a new set of tires nor sufficient space allowed him to reclaim the fastest lap. At the end of lap 36, amidst cheers from the UNI-Virtuosi Racing Team staff and silence from Prema’s team manager Roxin observing the data chart, Zhou Guanyu and Qin Miao crossed the finish line one after another, with Tsunoda settling for third. After crossing the line, the broadcaster played a segment of Zhou Guanyu’s TR, revealing his extreme excitement from the dialogue. Throughout the race, Qin Miao never launched an attack on Zhou Guanyu, not even probing. But having raced countless times on the simulator with Qin Miao, Zhou Guanyu knew very well that Qin Miao’s offensive capability was not far off from his defensive skill, both at monster levels. So, although Qin Miao did not attack, the pressure Zhou Guanyu endured throughout was immense, and now, with the race concluded, Zhou Guanyu could finally release his inner pressure. The victory attained under high pressure is sweeter than one achieved under normal circumstances.

Chapter 219 - 129: Zhou Guanyu in the Rain

Comments (0)