Chapter 240 - 136: Friends’ Gathering

Words : 985 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Today, Qin Miao started with hard tires. Due to the characteristics of the track, many drivers plan to implement a one-stop strategy in the sprint race, so in the grid of the sprint race, drivers can also be seen using red soft tires.Soon, the race started amidst the buzzing sound of the racing engines in standby mode. Twenty-two cars drove out of their grid positions together, starting the warm-up lap. After the warm-up lap, the drivers returned to their starting grid positions. During the starting phase, Qin Miao didn’t achieve as brilliant a performance as in the previous two sprint races. After all, he wasn’t using soft tires, and couldn’t gain much advantage during the start phase. Although he started off quite fast, before entering Turn 1, he only managed to overtake Mazepin. Even though Qin Miao had a certain speed advantage over Mick during the starting phase, Mick had already entered Turn 1 before Qin Miao could convert his speed advantage into an overtaking opportunity. When overtaking Mazepin, Qin Miao took the outside line, and the line to enter the corner was directly blocked by Mick, forcing Qin Miao to reluctantly abandon the overtaking attempt. After completing the start, the team actually advised Qin Miao during the subsequent period when overtaking was impossible, to maintain his rhythm and protect the tires. Anyway, most drivers would opt for a one-stop strategy, while Qin Miao, if not planning to pit, could easily secure the race without shedding blood. But Qin Miao didn’t listen. From a certain standpoint, Qin Miao’s tire lifespan at this time was 5% longer than during yesterday’s main race stage, allowing Qin Miao to drive a bit more aggressively on the track. So in the subsequent race, under the observation of the broadcast camera, Qin Miao steadily progressed at a rate of overtaking one driver ahead every three laps. Two laps to close the gap with the car in front, one lap used for overtaking on the main straight and using DRS. It’s as if in Qin Miao’s eyes, the F2 race was akin to a game with the AI difficulty set to the lowest level. As long as it was the cornering area, Qin Miao could visually see the gap narrowing between himself and the driver in front. Qin Miao also found some enjoyment in the repeated overtaking, because the drivers about to be surpassed on the main straight often tried every means to resist, unwilling to be overtaken. And their resistance amused Qin Miao. This feeling was like Vincent carrying Draven in Summoner’s Rift and dominating weaker opponents. Although no matter which hero, once caught by Draven, they would be chopped down in two axes, yet there were always some who would make unexpected moves to Vincent. Like a Zed, cornered at the fountain, flashing with W and Youmuu’s Ghostblade out from under Vincent’s nose, and then posting "Trash" outside, which was humorous and amusing. By the eighteenth lap, drivers started entering the pits one after another. Although some wanted to emulate Qin Miao and run the entire sprint race on a set of hard tires, once these drivers experienced significant tire wear later on, it was easy to predict what their car’s grip would have reduced to. And by the twentieth lap, Qin Miao inexplicably found... where are the cars ahead? They’re gone? I’m not done overtaking yet... From the perspective of the broadcaster and the audience, it’s not hard to see that the pit window is now open, and many drivers have gone in to change tires. However, there is one exception. Jiaoto, who started fifth, has continuously stayed on the track with a set of hard tires. He knew he was not as fast as Qin Miao, so he had long set his goal beyond Qin Miao. Presently, apart from Qin Miao, other drivers coming out of the pits with fresh tires were at least 23 seconds behind him, with eight laps remaining until the end of the race. He was still confident he could defend those 23 seconds for eight laps. As for Qin Miao... At that time, Qin Miao hadn’t even started attacking. After Qin Miao came up behind him, he deliberately let Qin Miao pass before the DRS detection point, and as Qin Miao passed, he was just within a second behind Qin Miao, inhaling Qin Miao’s slipstream and using a bit of DRS on the main straight. Even though he was overtaken by Qin Miao after entering Turn 1, he still managed to buy himself a little over 0.7 seconds using this subtle maneuver. Now the entire F2 paddock has a common understanding that as long as Qin Miao attained the leading position, the championship of this race was practically a foregone conclusion. So from now until the end of the race, Qin Miao began his leading run again. And now many of the F2 drivers are pretty much used to Qin Miao’s presence. Essentially, they have no aspirations for the championship of the main race and sprint race; most of what they think about now is competing for the second place. Ultimately, the race ended amidst the fierce competition of the drivers at the rear. Except for Qin Miao, the subsequent race still had quite a bit to watch, as everyone was excited to see whether Ilott, switching to soft tires, could chase down 22 seconds in eight laps and finish Jiaoto, running the entire sprint race on hard tires, in the last few laps. As for Qin Miao? What’s there to watch in winter testing? Ultimately, Qin Miao crossed the finish line, with Jiaoto behind him securing second place thanks to the strategy group’s excellent decision-making. If it weren’t for Qin Miao, Jiaoto would definitely have secured a good first-place finish. Yet, given the current environment, securing second place feels just as joyful as winning first place normally would.

Chapter 240 - 136: Friends’ Gathering

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