How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 614 - 266: Dutch Grand Prix Champion (Part 2)

Lap 72, also the final lap, as they passed the end of the third timing sector, a new number popped up in the time gap between Qin Miao and Hamilton.

But this time, the number stopped at 4.7 seconds.

The time gap between Qin Miao and Hamilton was 4.7 seconds, which means Qin Miao was 0.1 seconds faster than Hamilton this lap!

However, when this data came out, no one really noticed, since Hamilton had been closing in with such a massive advantage in these past few laps.

And even if they did notice that the time gap between Qin Miao and Hamilton was narrowing, with less than a lap left, the possibility of Qin Miao pulling away by 0.3 seconds was obviously slim.

So, at this moment, Hamilton's British fans were all cheering loudly, with some even popping champagne at home.

While Qin Miao's fans and supporters all appeared very silent.

But unlike the differing reactions of the two fan bases, on the Mercedes team's side, everyone appeared somewhat silent.

It's not because the two Mercedes drivers were fighting it out on the track, but mainly because they realized the battle for the championship between Qin Miao and Hamilton was not yet over.

After more than ten laps, and several laps of attack and defense between Hamilton and Verstappen, by the time the race reached lap 72, Hamilton's tires began to degrade earlier compared to Qin Miao's, although not yet at the cliff, but not far off.

Even though Qin Miao's tires weren't in great shape either, Qin Miao, with skills to boost, still had tires in a better state than Hamilton's.

And because the race still had suspense, everyone on the Mercedes team silently waited for a final outcome.

Though they were all from the same team, the two drivers also had different crews, so apart from the high-level management of the Mercedes team, most of the technicians hoped that the driver from their crew would achieve final victory.

In the first timing sector, Hamilton clawed back about 0.05 seconds, but just before reaching the DRS detection point of the second timing sector, a slow car appeared just within a second in front of Qin Miao.

It wasn't hard to guess who could appear in front of Qin Miao at this time, none other than the Haas driver Mazepin, who might break the record of being lapped in his career.

Qin Miao arrived right behind him at the DRS detection point of turn T10.

So, in the upcoming DRS zone, Qin Miao would have DRS available to use.

Even after exiting T10, just as the DRS opened, Qin Miao still ran alongside Mazepin, who was letting him pass, and after taking a huge gulp of Mazepin's slipstream, he got back onto the normal racing line.

Thus, in the final lap's second timing sector, in the first DRS zone, Qin Miao once again extended his lead over Hamilton to over 5 seconds.

And the time was now 5.2 seconds.

"Hmm?" Fei and others, initially a bit downcast, were dumbfounded when they first saw the time gap on the screen, then suddenly reacted fiercely: "Qin Miao! 5 seconds! The gap is 5 seconds! He did it!"

"It's Mazepin! Mazepin gave Qin Miao a DRS!!" Zhou Haoran exclaimed loudly!

[Damn?]

[Did he really pull away?]

[Did he really outrun the seven-time champion?]

[Liu Yiquan? Over long distances, it's still Qin Miao.]

[Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.]

[Amazing, Qin Miao is truly amazing.]

[Did Old Man really just let Five-Star Sports's trio jinx him to death?]

...

The display screen on Hamilton's steering wheel on track showed the time gap between himself and Qin Miao.

After just crossing the finish line, realizing that due to tire degradation he was once again pulled away by 0.1 seconds, Hamilton had a slight premonition of unease. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

When he heard from the team via TR that in the last lap's DRS zone a Haas was ahead of Qin Miao, Hamilton's heart sank immediately.

And now with the final result, Qin Miao had erased all of Hamilton's last three to four laps' efforts with just one DRS zone, at this moment Hamilton truly felt unwilling.

But the race wasn't over, he still had a chance.

So even though his tires were showing signs of graining, and due to the high temperature, blisters were appearing on the tires, Hamilton started to accelerate recklessly in the final stages.

But also due to this, at the braking point of T11, Hamilton chose the braking point a bit too ambitiously, during the brake Hamilton's two front wheels locked up.

Even though Hamilton didn't crash into the gravel trap in the apex of T12, both of Hamilton's front wheels were already flat-spotted, exacerbating the already existing issue of insufficient grip in the corners due to tire wear.

This tire lock-up essentially ended any chance of Hamilton catching up to Qin Miao afterwards completely.

This lock-up of Hamilton's brakes also led numerous fans who were eagerly hoping for him to perform well in this race to put their hands on their heads, full of disappointment.

Because they also knew, with half a lap left in the race, what it means for Hamilton's car to lock its tires.

At this time, only one timing sector was left until the end of the race.

Verstappen was 6 seconds behind Hamilton at this point.

With a damaged car, Verstappen really couldn't pick up the pace.

But also thanks to Gasly from the junior Red Bull team being behind Verstappen.

Even though Verstappen's speed dropped noticeably, Gasly didn't attack Verstappen, instead helped him defend against Leclerc behind.

No one would believe the junior Red Bull team didn't instruct Gasly with team orders in this situation.

After all, it's already the late season, crucial for the drivers' championship contest, and for the three contenders for the drivers' championship, every point they can get now is extremely valuable.

Red Bull clearly understands this principle.

Even though Gasly wasn't entirely happy, he had to follow orders, knowing well the weight between a podium place and a driver contract.

In the final timing sector, Qin Miao heard through TR that Hamilton had locked tires while chasing him.

Upon receiving this news, Qin Miao couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.

Eventually, amidst the booing of the live audience, and the fireworks on both sides of the track,

Qin Miao drove his W12 car across the finish line.

Looking at Reyes and others on the pit wall cheering for him, Qin Miao, who endured a whole race with pressure, holding on for nearly twenty laps, couldn't help but shout out in the team TR: "Woohoo! Let's fucking go!!!"

Five seconds after Qin Miao crossed the finish line, Hamilton also crossed it, followed by Verstappen, Leclerc, and Gasly.

Gasly, after all, helped Verstappen, held Leclerc back despite suffering car damage, but ultimately failed to keep his fourth place.

Of course, it may also be because Leclerc naturally has an affinity for this fourth place.

Ultimately, this race was a Mercedes one-two, with both Mercedes drivers and Red Bull's Verstappen delivering a truly exciting race to the audience at the scene and in front of televisions.

This race was full of twists and turns for Qin Miao, immensely joyful after ensuring his win.

However, just after venting his emotions, Toto's voice came on Qin Miao's team TR: "Well done Qin Miao, that was an incredible race, now enjoy your victory and bring the car back safely."

Usually, in these moments, it's Frankie who congratulates Qin Miao, but considering the collision with Verstappen at Verstappen's home race, and anticipating that the live audience wouldn't react kindly to Qin Miao, Toto stepped in to soothe Qin Miao's emotions and ensure he wouldn't say anything offensive or aggressive during the upcoming interviews due to the booing from the audience.

Therefore, Toto personally congratulated Qin Miao.

Being praised directly by the usually silent big boss at this timing, Qin Miao couldn't help feeling a bit flattered.

Naturally, Qin Miao also thanked everyone on the Mercedes team via the team's TR.

ps. Sorry, not in the best shape, only 4K...