How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 651 - 278: Teammates Meet, Eyes Blaze with Rivalry

Coming out of T17, he was only slightly slower than Hamilton, who had temporarily changed his exit line.

So when both of them entered T18 one after the other, the time gap between them was only around 0.8 seconds.

Then they entered the main straight and began to accelerate with full force.

Unexpectedly, as everyone noticed, after Qin Miao's mistake and getting overtaken by Hamilton, not only did he not fall behind quickly, but he began to gradually close in on Hamilton.

After passing T1, he used the slipstream to reach within 0.5 seconds behind Hamilton.

Having passed T1, Qin Miao successfully opened his car's DRS.

With both slipstream and DRS in play, Qin Miao's speed was at least 15 kilometers per hour faster than Hamilton.

Upon realizing Qin Miao's mistake, Hamilton sensed something was off.

Now, watching Qin Miao rapidly approaching in his rear-view mirror, Hamilton finally understood why Qin Miao, known for his defensive driving and stability, made such a basic mistake earlier.

Although Hamilton had never heard of the concept of retreat to advance, he guessed Qin Miao's intention behind this move.

However, having the lead advantage, Hamilton was determined not to let go of it easily.

Faced with the impending threat from Qin Miao, Hamilton focused hard on the gap between them, not initially moving to defend the inside line.

When Qin Miao was about 0.2 seconds behind and prepared to dart inside, Hamilton took advantage of their position still short of the braking point, moving to the inside line in sync with Qin Miao.

Seeing this maneuver, Qin Miao naturally continued to steer, while Hamilton kept pressuring Qin Miao's position.

But ultimately, when Qin Miao was pushed to the edge of the track, he left some space for Qin Miao.

Given that the edges of the Sochi track are barriers instead of open grass, Hamilton had less room to suppress Qin Miao. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Leaving some space enabled Qin Miao to leverage his speed advantage.

Eventually, Qin Miao managed to dart into Hamilton's inside line, and Hamilton realized Qin Miao's strategy had worked.

At their current location, just reaching the exit of the pit lane, Qin Miao with his relatively faster speed would overtake him before reaching the braking point at T2.

Thus, in the following stretch, Hamilton returned to his regular racing line, and as expected, Qin Miao overtook him before the T2 braking point.

Hamilton wasn't particularly upset by the failed attempt, experiencing Qin Miao's defensive style for the first time—such drivers who enjoy early planning are rare.

Rather than finding it discouraging, Hamilton felt somewhat excited.

Qin Miao also felt significant pressure from Hamilton.

Damn, how did this guy catch up so fast?

As the two drivers contemplated their next defensive tactics or offensive strategies.

Their TR buzzed simultaneously, and Toto's voice echoed in their ears: "Stay safe, you both know what matters most for the team in this race."

Upon hearing Toto's words, Qin Miao and Hamilton were momentarily stunned. Though it wasn't exactly a team order, it set a boundary for both who were ready to show their true colors against each other—no overly risky moves.

It served to slightly cool down the two who were about to ignite.