How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 664 - 282: A Brief Respite

When Qin Miao saw Hamilton at the team factory, he asked why they were so happy about the cancellation of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Then Hamilton took Qin Miao to the team's professional training room to steam in the sauna for an entire afternoon, and the key was they had to drive the simulator during the process.

Amidst the steaming heat of over fifty degrees, they had to focus hard on driving the simulator, which was in full force-feedback mode.

After an hour of this training, there wasn't a dry spot on Qin Miao's body.

It was June at the time; while not the hottest period in the UK, the average temperature was around thirty degrees.

That was when Qin Miao understood why other veteran drivers particularly disliked racing on the Marina Bay Circuit.

So Qin Miao joined in the applause of happiness.

The Turkish Grand Prix had not been part of the F1 calendar in previous years, and it wasn't originally going to be in the schedule this year either; its appearance was purely to fill the gap left by the cancellation of the Singapore Grand Prix.

To Qin Miao, this track was entirely unfamiliar; he hadn't raced on it in either F2 or F1.

Fortunately, the FIA gave an early enough notice, so Qin Miao took the time to check out last year's Turkish Grand Prix.

He also practiced driving on this track on the team's simulator for some time.

However, during the break after running the simulator, while chatting casually with the head of the Mercedes simulator department, he discreetly told Qin Miao: actually, the data collection for the Istanbul track wasn't comprehensive enough in the Mercedes simulator department.

Seeing Qin Miao's surprised expression, the other explained, "After all, this track was just added in the last couple of years to make up for the lack of tracks on the schedule. Once the pandemic is over next season, this track won't host a Grand Prix anymore."

Naturally, the team hadn't spent much time collecting data on the Istanbul track.

They only mapped out the track structure and turns and measured the height of the curbs and track elevation changes.

But the asphalt on the track wasn't thoroughly tested.

Even though it's just a simulator, the team's simulator department typically tests every turn's driving line for asphalt density and layout.

This is imported into the simulator by 3D modeling.

It's a massive project, and testing and collecting data on a track's asphalt can span several months.

No matter how wealthy the Mercedes team is, they can't afford to waste too much manpower and resources on a track that will only host one Grand Prix.

The Istanbul track in Turkey was only used for emergencies in 2020.

It was a temporary addition to the 2021 schedule, so the Mercedes simulator department really thought it would only run once and didn't collect the asphalt data.

In June, when they heard that this track would replace the Singapore Marina Bay circuit for the Grand Prix, the track hosts said they needed to repave the asphalt.

It was too late to collect data after they laid the asphalt, so they just didn't bother.

So the asphalt data for the Istanbul track used the data from the Monza track, which has similar asphalt data.

Qin Miao didn't know the difference between the two types of asphalt, but according to Hamilton's report after experiencing it, there wasn't much difference in the driving feel between the simulator and the real track.

...

After the race, as an F1 driver, Qin Miao still had plenty of work.

The post-race press conference, sponsor events, and Qin Miao also had a special media interview with close ties to the Mercedes team. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

After finishing everything, Qin Miao didn't leave the paddock until almost six in the afternoon, by which time it was already dark.

After returning to the hotel, Qin Miao and Qimeng didn't immediately return to the UK as usual but took a break for a night in Sochi.

They only boarded the plane back to the UK the next day.

Once home, of course, Qin Miao enjoyed a full day of rest. He did absolutely nothing that day, not even playing games.

He picked up his fishing gear and sat by the artificial lake near his home for the entire day.

This was now a rare opportunity for Qin Miao to clear his mind, no longer having to think about dealing with other people or whether his responses might be inappropriate.

At this time, Qin Miao didn't need to speak, just squinting his eyes and watching the float in the distance was enough.

Yet, as a fisherman, despite buying a lot of bait from home this time, he didn't catch a single fish all day.

Perhaps being part of the "Air Force" is forever the destiny of a fisherman.

But it was worth mentioning that when Qin Miao returned, he more than once took out his phone to check the prices of industrial water pumps.

A sentiment contrary to the spirit of being a fisherman was slowly brewing.

On Tuesday, Qin Miao resumed his daily training routine. Notably, Norris called Qin Miao in the morning, wanting to invite him over for a meal.

It wasn't hard to guess why Norris reached out to him at this time.

After all, given what happened on the racetrack, it's natural for Norris to want to invite Qin Miao for a meal and apologize after having calmed down a bit from the break.