For the British, Chinese egg fried rice might just be bran.

After eating and drinking to their heart's content, Qin Miao and Hamilton went for a drive to the lakeside to fish for a while.

Qin Miao caught nothing, whereas Hamilton caught two, though neither were very large.

...

In the blink of an eye, it was Wednesday, June 8.

This week is race week, the start of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The good news is, just as Toto mentioned to Qin Miao when Qin visited him recently, this week Mercedes Team brought upgrades to Azerbaijan.

However, these upgrades were not related to aerodynamics, but focused on the internal engine and cooling system, aiming for weight reduction.

The team redesigned the engine casing, reducing the engine's weight by 500 grams without affecting stability or lifespan.

It might seem like just a pound off, but when translated to lap time, it means about a 0.05-second speed boost.

Simultaneously, the car's radiator intake structure was optimized, reducing the radiator's size by 10%.

This upgrade also lightens the radiator without compromising cooling efficiency.

A combination package predicts the car's lap speed could be 0.08 seconds faster than last week's Monaco event.

Of course, this is just the team's prediction; we'll see the real results when Qin Miao hits the track.

Baku is also an ultra-high-speed track, the second longest in the calendar; everyone is familiar with it, so we won't explain further.

Qin Miao arrived in Baku on Wednesday afternoon. After a night's rest, he appeared in the paddock the next day.

This time, Qin Miao didn't take the track as seriously as Monaco, as overtaking here is much easier due to long full-throttle sections and W13's notorious bouncing, which makes Qin doubt he can achieve a great result through defense this week.

Keen to assess the asphalt conditions and check if there are any changes to the track's corners and barriers compared to last year, Qin Miao's most important task on Thursday is completed. Next are interviews, team briefings, and FIA driver's meetings.

Time swiftly moves to Friday, the start of the first and second practice sessions.

When Qin Miao arrived at the team's garage, he found that the car's rear wing had already been fitted with a low-drag setup.

The entire wing was almost flat, at a minimal angle.

Given Baku's long high-speed curves and tight turns, the aerodynamic efficiency aspect is overshadowed, emphasizing mechanical grip and straight-line speed.

In the first practice session, Qin Miao encountered no issues. As for Hamilton, Qin Miao wasn't quite sure, but after the weight reduction, the car certainly felt more agile, with reduced braking distance and tire wear due to decreased tire load.

Nonetheless, these weight reductions aren't all good news, as with lighter tires, warming them up takes longer.

Still, slower tire warming doesn't affect the car's overall speed, and with Qin Miao's mastery over Pirelli tires, rapidly heating them isn't particularly challenging.

During the first practice phase, Qin Miao focused on testing the car over long runs, gathering data while getting familiar with the new season's car performance on the Baku circuit.

Although the car continues to bounce due to the high-speed straights, it's much less severe than the start of the season.

However, by the second practice, with light fuel load during the qualifying simulation, Qin Miao began doubting the situation.

The car's top speed at the end of the straights hit 334 km/h.

But before and after the DRS opened, approaching the T1 braking point, the car bounced intensely, nearly causing Qin to question the situation.

Though Qin completed the lap with an ideal time, topping the Q2 leaderboard, the bouncing was physically uncomfortable, daunting even for someone as fit as Qin Miao.

It felt akin to chattering teeth when frozen.

Back at the pit, Qin immediately sought answers.

Reyes and the team increased the stiffness of Qin's rear suspension.

With ten minutes remaining in Q2, Qin returned to the track.

After getting acquainted for five laps, he pitted for soft tires and went out for a flying lap before Q2 ended.

This time the bouncing was greatly reduced, with a top speed increase from 334 to 341 km/h.

However, lap time dropped by 0.2 seconds.

After the second practice, a meeting convened, focused on whether to prioritize racing competitiveness or driver health this race.

The meeting didn't last long; everyone knows the W13 isn't working this season, and even the Brackley factory has decided to abandon next season's W13 development.