How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 661 - 281: End of the Russian Grand Prix (6K, Extra Update 6/20)_2

This race was somewhat challenging for Qin Miao, after all, the championship was lost. However, at least Qin Miao achieved the expected position that the team set for him before the race. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Although Qin Miao gained four positions in this race, Hamilton also gained three.

But the driver voted best by the audience was Red Bull's Verstappen.

There was no choice, as he started from the back of the grid and finished third, moving up 17 positions in one race. Importantly, Red Bull even caused trouble for Verstappen during the race.

Yet, despite that, he still moved up to third.

It can be said that Verstappen's honor is well-deserved.

"Congratulations, Qin Miao. Despite the ups and downs in this race, at least we achieved the position we planned for. Well done!" Toto's voice reached Qin Miao's ears after crossing the finish line.

In normal circumstances, it is usually Qin Miao's race engineer, Frankie, who chats with him at this stage. Toto's words were more about comforting Qin Miao.

"Yes, I know. Thank you, Toto, and thanks to everyone on the team," Qin Miao replied.

Adjusting the car to low power mode, Qin Miao slowly drove it back.

When Qin Miao parked at his spot, Hamilton had already jogged over to the Mercedes team personnel.

After unbuckling the safety belt and removing the steering wheel, Qin Miao climbed out of the car.

After reattaching the steering wheel, Qin Miao also went over to the Mercedes team.

Like Hamilton, Qin Miao hugged and high-fived all the team staff in celebration.

However, when celebrating with Hamilton, the Mercedes staff were more focused on congratulating him for securing another victory.

When it came to Qin Miao, even though everyone had smiles on their faces, they were comforting him.

No choice, Qin Miao indeed had some bad luck in this race; he was hit out at a crucial stage by Norris.

But fortunately, the final result was still quite satisfactory, and Qin Miao brought the car back safely.

After the celebration, Hamilton came over to hug Qin Miao, "Don't be disheartened. You performed great today, just a bit unlucky."

Normally, it would feel strange for a winner to say this to a runner-up.

Even if the opposite party didn't mean it that way, the words entering the ears of the defeated might instinctively feel like sarcasm.

But hearing Hamilton's words, seeing his genuine and concerned eyes, Qin Miao truly didn't feel any irony or hidden meaning.

Qin Miao only felt that Hamilton genuinely wanted to comfort him.

"I know. This is how it ended, and I'm willing to accept it," Qin Miao patted Hamilton's back.

At this point, Qin Miao was a bit calmer, and thinking back on the incident with Norris, he wasn't as upset.

Hearing Qin Miao's words, Hamilton was surprised.

After all, he also came through Qin Miao's age, and for young talents like him, accepting failure is the hardest thing.

Especially failures that are not due to their own strength but to luck.

Qin Miao's words impressed Hamilton once again.

Although the British have no direct equivalent of "victory without arrogance, defeat without discouragement," there are proverbs with similar meanings.

At this moment, Hamilton felt that this saying could be applied to Qin Miao.

"Very good." Patting Qin Miao's shoulder, Hamilton went off for the weigh-in.

Qin Miao also joined him, and on the way greeted Verstappen.

Qin Miao knew Verstappen started from the back, and seeing him here was really surprising.

So he sincerely congratulated him.

After weighing in, Qin Miao returned to his car to check the damage.

Hmm, the floor is cracked. There's no floor upgrade planned soon, so this piece is scrapped, $200,000 gone.

The side pod also has a hole, but fortunately, the Mercedes's side pod is a large replaceable panel.

So the damage to this part isn't too costly, $30,000, about 210,000 RMB.

Ensuring the repair costs aren't too outrageous, Qin Miao took another look at the right front wheel.

Then he noticed something alarming: a deep scratch on the side of the right front wheel.

Somewhat unsure, Qin Miao leaned in to take a closer look, confirming it was indeed a scratch with a depth of at least 1.5 cm, likely caused by carbon fiber debris from Norris's car during their collision.

If the impact had been slightly stronger, Qin Miao might not have brought the car back...

Thinking of that, a chill ran down Qin Miao's spine.

Now, even finishing second felt acceptable to Qin Miao.

After taking a brief look, Qin Miao returned to regular activities.

When Qin Miao put away his helmet and put on his hat, he didn't immediately go for interviews but instead found Norris, who was still sitting in his car, reluctant to get out.