Chapter 248 - 139: Messages from the Paddock (6K, Bonus 15/24)

Words : 929 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Actually, the current tuning settings of Qin Miao’s race car aren’t the most suitable for this track, making it somewhat awkward for him to drive.After all, that incident was quite a blow to everyone on the team, and nearly everyone’s performance has been affected because of it. The car gives Qin Miao the impression of overall insufficient downforce on this track. Some corners, which Zhou Guanyu mentioned could be taken at full throttle after adjusting the setup, require Qin Miao to find the precise limit of the track to go through at full throttle. Although this tuning setup can give Qin Miao enough speed during the qualifying phase, any mistake, even a very small one, can cause the car’s speed to drop significantly. Hence, this tuning is somewhat extreme for Silverstone and is not suitable for use during the main race phase. No matter how strong Qin Miao is, he can’t maintain a state of full concentration throughout the entire race, taking every corner perfectly like a textbook example. Nevertheless, Qin Miao still clinched the pole position in the end. There’s no choice; his skill is there, and his opponents aren’t that strong. It’s like playing CSGO with the mouse DPI not adjusted properly, which certainly affects the player’s competitive state significantly, but it’s only going to result in losing gunfights at that rank. But this small setback won’t affect his state when playing against weaker opponents. Because the settings weren’t adjusted properly, Qin Miao’s lap time in this qualifying race wasn’t ideal. He couldn’t break Zhou Guanyu’s fastest F2 track record from last season on this track. The final result was just barely securing the pole position, while the second place was Zhou Guanyu, who heavily caught Qin Miao’s slipstream. For the two Chinese drivers to take pole position once again, domestic car fans naturally spread the news with great celebration. Of course, some people are starting to feel it’s becoming uninteresting. The first time the two Chinese drivers took first and second place in qualifying, and even finished one-two in the main race, when people found out, it was a loud celebration with fireworks and drums, making it onto Weibo’s trending topics with three simultaneous slots. Major media outlets directly published articles praising the two drivers’ performances on the track. And now? "Qin Miao got pole again! Zhou Guanyu is second!" "Oh," "? Hey, aren’t you calm now when Qin Miao gets pole position? I remember when you first heard about Qin Miao and Zhou Guanyu taking pole and second, you were happy enough to nearly crash through the ceiling into the sky." "I am happy, but Qin Miao getting pole position isn’t news anymore. It would be news if he didn’t take pole when it’s not raining..." ... Look, it’s only been three Grand Prix races and six championship races, yet the domestic audience has become accustomed to Qin Miao dominating in F2. Domestic car fans quickly transitioned from only watching foreign drivers shine on the track, to finally seeing Chinese drivers shine on the track, then seeing Chinese drivers dominate on the track, and finally reaching the point: it’s just pole position, what’s there to make a fuss about? Their tastes have been spoiled by Qin Miao in a short time. After the qualifying race ended, Qin Miao didn’t have much anticipation for tomorrow’s race. Anyway, the championship is already his. But it’s worth mentioning that Ferrari wanted Qin Miao to go to their garage to observe the practice race. They introduced new upgrades today and wanted Qin Miao to check out the car upgrades and their effects, so he would have some insight in the future for situations like this. Qin Miao simply didn’t bother and went straight back to the team meeting. After the meeting, he rode back to Zhou Guanyu’s house in Zhou Guanyu’s car. Compared to sitting in Ferrari’s P room, Qin Miao prefers to go back to Zhou Guanyu’s house and further refine and improve his driving skills on the simulator. After returning to Zhou Guanyu’s house, Qin Miao went onto the simulator. And since this is Zhou Guanyu’s house, Zhou naturally saw Qin Miao’s effort. With his friend being so dedicated, he couldn’t just sit idly by, right? So he joined Qin Miao’s practice. Because Qin Miao’s skills are just weak in rainy conditions, Zhou Guanyu wanted Qin Miao as his sparring partner, so they could only practice driving in the rainy simulator environment together. During the afternoon and evening, the two basically stayed on the simulator without coming off. Saturday, F2 main race phase. Today is a bright and sunny day, perfect for Qin Miao’s performance. After Friday’s events, Qin Miao was much more serious during the vehicle inspection today than usual. Although still just going through the motions, Qin Miao essentially checked every part that required inspection. After all, the problem just occurred yesterday, so today’s technicians are careful and meticulous, insisting on doing every detail perfectly, naturally avoiding other issues. After the inspection was completed, the car was pushed onto the track, the subsequent processes won’t be elaborated, and shortly the warm-up lap began. The car flow pulled out of the starting grid under Qin Miao’s lead. It’s worth mentioning that Ilott, who was starting fourth, stalled his car on the starting grid due to overzealous throttle application. Engine stalling in F2 cars is quite a troublesome affair. If the car stalls far away from the pit area, the stalled driver can happily clock out early. Ilott was rather fortunate; he stalled on the starting grid.

Chapter 248 - 139: Messages from the Paddock (6K, Bonus 15/24)

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