"But in my opinion, Zhou Guanyu's abilities are actually quite good; it's just that Alfa Romeo's underwhelming performance has limited his potential on the track."

"Haha, right? Then I really need to pay more attention to the upcoming races. Right now, your races seem a bit dull, mostly spent cruising."

Qin Miao heard this and could only smile wryly: "There's no choice. Our team's engine upgrades don't bring much speed improvement. Under the current technical regulations, aerodynamic upgrades are the most cost-effective. Circumstances create heroes; it's an unavoidable pattern."

"Hard to imagine someone your age could see things so clearly."

"Society is like a big dye vat; in the paddock, you encounter all kinds of oddities. You get used to it over time."

"Alright, I've got things to deal with here, so I'll hang up first."

"Okay, take care of yourself."

...

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Li Shufu, Qin Miao hung up the phone.

Seeing Zhou Guanyu's curious face, Qin Miao shook his phone and said, "Speak of the devil, and the devil calls."

Zhou Guanyu curiously asked, "What did President Li call you for?"

Qin Miao walked into the bar, saying, "He told me some news, and also wanted to inquire about something.

But really, you should bow to me."

Zhou Guanyu knew Qin Miao had just said a lot of good things about him to Li Shufu, so he clasped his fists and said, "Godfather!"

"Yes." Qin Miao nodded contentedly.

Once they sat back down in their seats, Zhou Guanyu curiously asked, "So, tell me, what news did President Li share?"

Qin Miao took a leisurely sip of water, then, under Zhou Guanyu's eager gaze, mimicked the Godfather, saying, "Such a change in attitude, huh? 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Just now you were calling me godfather, but now you won't even add 'sir' before what you just said...

I feel like you don't respect me, like you don't consider me a friend."

Zhou Guanyu twitched at this but finally swallowed his pride and said, "Please tell me."

"Ah, that's more like it!" Qin Miao nodded in satisfaction.

Then Qin Miao slowly said, "I sense Geely might be making a move soon. I just don't know if they're planning to buy Martin entirely or team up with those Middle Eastern oil guys to acquire all the other shares. But as for the team, Geely definitely wants to take control of it.

Considering the achievements we've made in F1, our influence back home isn't small."

"Don't say 'we', I'm not worthy." Zhou Guanyu wisely recognized his place at this point.

Qin Miao pondered and said, "As for Vettel, I doubt Martin would let him go. After all, he's a veteran. Keeping him in the team can significantly impact the development and tuning of the new cars. But the young master might not stay; there should be a vacancy by then."

Saying this, Qin Miao looked at Zhou Guanyu with a half-smile, "If Geely does enter, it might be around 2024. You could try to get in touch then. I just put in a good word for you, and plus, your nationality is there. If they have a spot and you're not contracted elsewhere, you might just get in."

Zhou Guanyu was first excited, then slightly frustrated, "2024, huh..."

"It's indeed quite a wait, but there's no need to rush. No matter how incompetent Alfa Romeo is, it's still an F1 team. As long as you match Bottas in qualifying and races, Alfa Romeo probably won't allocate more resources to Bottas by then."

"Finally, President Li asked about my contract, probably wanting to pull me into Martin after it ends.

After all, my influence and traffic speak for themselves." Qin Miao dusted off his clothes.

Zhou Guanyu looked at Qin Miao, "What do you mean? Are we going to compete for a driver seat?"

Qin Miao rolled his eyes, "Impossible. Martin Team's management has been a bit agitated lately. First, it went from Racing Point to Martin; in a few years, it might turn into Lotus, Geely, or even Lynk & Co. With such a significant leadership and personnel change, I doubt they can produce a competitive car.

Even though I've lost much of my obsession with winning the world championship, I'd still prefer to be in a team with fast and competitive cars. Haven't I told you? Unless Geely can produce a car capable of competing for points, I wouldn't consider them.

Anyway, with the current shitty state of Alfa Romeo, you could consider it once they enter. After all, no matter which team, it's all the same low point; switching to another low point doesn't change much."

Zhou Guanyu twitched again but nodded his understanding.

Having discussed enough, Qin Miao checked his watch and said to Zhou Guanyu, "It's getting late. Let's head back."

"Okay."

"Still upset?"

"Upset? About what?"

Qin Miao raised an eyebrow, giving Zhou Guanyu a look as if saying "you little rascal."

Seeing Zhou Guanyu's indifferent and calm demeanor, Qin Miao regretted not taking out his phone earlier to capture Zhou Guanyu's dejected look when they first arrived at the bar.

"Damn, with your mouth, when you die, you'll definitely leave behind relics."