What Qin Miao didn't know was that when Hamilton started, he had been watching Qin Miao all along, knowing that his car and the four cars ahead were on a completely different racing level.

Even if he managed to overtake them during the start phase, the performance gap would soon allow them to reclaim their positions during the long-distance run.

Thus, Hamilton was continuously keeping an eye on Qin Miao, witnessing that Qin Miao's starting reaction and acceleration were faster than his own, but Qin Miao evidently eased off the throttle and braked before entering T1.

Seeing this, Hamilton felt somewhat complex and a bit strange inside.

As they entered T1, Qin Miao defended against Gasly, who was ready to seize any opportunity from behind.

Gasly, blocked by Qin Miao, could only helplessly opt for a straightforward entry into the corner.

This was different from the uneventful start of Qin Miao and Hamilton.

Leclerc didn't have a good start, and on top of that, his starting position was on the outside, whereas Perez had a quicker start and forced his way inside Leclerc at T1.

He overtook Leclerc right through the corner. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Throughout the starting phase among the six cars ahead, only Perez and Leclerc swapped positions, with no change for other drivers.

The race then smoothly entered the cruising phase, waiting for the DRS to be activated.

However, by the fourth lap, Qin Miao had shortened the gap to 0.7 seconds behind Hamilton.

This time difference, under normal track conditions, isn't enough to mount an attack on the car ahead; the gap must shrink to within 0.4 seconds to attack.

But the Baku track's straights and DRS zones are exceedingly long.

So Qin Miao seized the advantage of the first lap after DRS activation, using the straight and DRS benefits, to launch an attack on Hamilton.

Hamilton, despite having thawed relations and Qin Miao's deliberate yielding during the start phase, didn't surrender without a fight.

After all, for the Mercedes team in this race, as long as there are no accidents or car breakdowns among the front runners, it's inevitable for their drivers to secure fifth and sixth positions.

Instead of enduring a long 51-lap cruise, running till the end of the race.

Why not let the two Mercedes drivers spar on the track now, it might also expose each driver's car sponsors a bit.

Therefore, upon noticing Qin Miao's intent to attack, Hamilton defended the inside line, preventing Qin Miao from forcefully cutting into his inside.

Qin Miao currently had no better tactics, since the time gap between him and Hamilton was slightly wide.

Before reaching the braking point, Qin Miao could only manage to align himself wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton on the outside.

With Hamilton's late braking into the corner, Qin Miao had to relinquish the optimal exit line.

On the track, the combustion between the two Mercedes drivers quickly caught the broadcasters' attention; the cameras locked onto the two drivers.

Strictly speaking, this was Qin Miao's first real chance to duel with Hamilton on the track.

Previously, races were either dominated by Qin Miao leading the entire field or Hamilton leaving Qin Miao far behind.

Qin Miao knew that the upcoming race might become somewhat dull, and since Hamilton wasn't ready to yield to the faster Qin Miao, he thought he might as well play with Hamilton.

After all, due to track characteristics in this race, Qin Miao had a significant tire reserve.

Then, the spectators witnessed a unique internal battle between teammates.

Unlike Mercedes team's usual teammate conflicts or those with other teams, Qin Miao and Hamilton weren't worried about their positions within the team.

One is a seven-time champion, the other a top-level talented driver.

For the Mercedes team, these two were practically indispensable.

The team dearly wished to immediately sign a five-year long contract with Qin Miao to lock him onto the team.

While Hamilton was the cornerstone of the team's foundation, despite Mercedes not wanting to continue paying high salaries due to cost issues, they still wanted to keep Hamilton in the team if possible.

Even though Hamilton's competitiveness wasn't as formidable due to age, they hoped he could retire directly with the Mercedes team.

Being a mascot isn't a bad idea either.

So on one hand, these two weren't under pressure for their racing positions in this race, and on the other hand, they weren't pressured by performance since no matter how hard they tried, both would finish fifth and sixth.

Thus, from the fourth lap, Qin Miao began attacking Hamilton, and the duel persisted on the track.

The key point is that their duel wasn't an impulsive one; there was no forcing each other off the track or blocking exit lines.

How should I put it, their battle was very "restrained."

If there wasn't enough positional advantage, neither of them would perform high-risk maneuvers.

And Qin Miao continued attacking Hamilton from the fourth lap to the eighth lap.

During that time, due to their duel, Gasly from behind tried several times to attack Qin Miao, hoping to capitalize.

After all, when those two started dueling, their speed wasn't as fast as during a normal race.

However, Qin Miao truly deserved his reputation as a master of defense.

While attacking Hamilton, he still had the capacity to spare and defend against Gasly behind him.