How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 773 - 315: Saudi Arabian Qualifying (6K, Bonus Update 10/14)

At the same time, Qin Miao and Hamilton's cars were fitted with at least 5 kilograms of data collection equipment before the race started.

The closer it gets to the end of the season, and the crucial moments of the championship, the more Mercedes wants to keep their secrets hidden.

Mercedes won't show their full strength until the final qualifying session and the race itself.

In the first practice, everyone familiarized themselves with the track in the initial period, since they'd only run this track in the simulator before.

So, at the start of the first practice, Qin Miao switched to a set of hard tires and began long-distance testing.

After finishing the warm-up lap, on the first flying lap, Qin Miao felt the track was quite stressful; compared to last week's Qatar race, this track is much more challenging and doesn't feel as enjoyable.

Because there are very few hard braking zones, on the entire track he could keep the throttle at 82%.

It's worth mentioning that this track doesn't have much of a buffer zone, so after finishing a lap, Qin Miao knew that if an accident happened during this race, it would likely lead to a yellow flag or safety car, or worse, a red flag.

An hour later, the first practice ended.

Qin Miao placed fifth with a time of 1:30.000 flat.

No choice, there were too many sensors inside the car, so driving fast wasn't possible, plus he was familiarizing himself with the track and not pushing too hard.

When the first practice ended, the sky had already darkened, the sun was half below the horizon, and it was about to get dark.

After taking a short break, Qin Miao ate an energy bar for a boost, reviewed the first practice data analysis provided by Frankie and team, and then the second practice began.

At the start of the second practice, Qin Miao used soft tires and waited at the pit exit.

The team just analyzed that although the track has a long starting straight, and Mercedes engines have an advantage in those areas, unless something unexpected happens, Qin Miao is unlikely to have the opportunity to overtake from the back rows.

So the engine advantage, in front of competitors like Hamilton and Verstappen, is basically null.

In other words, the final race rankings will largely be determined by the qualification results.

If Qin Miao's qualifying results are good, given the track characteristics, he could potentially defend against the competitors behind him from the start to the race's end.

During the break, Frankie and Qin Miao discussed this viewpoint.

So at the start of the second practice, once the track conditions matched those expected for the night qualification stage, Qin Miao began testing and practicing for the qualifying single lap runs.

Of course, still with sensors attached.

Qin Miao even asked Barber to refill the water bag in his car.

By the end of the second practice, Qin Miao achieved a time of 1:28.971.

This result was the best of the session.

Honestly, Qin Miao didn't know why he managed to take the top spot, knowing he still had some reserves.

He only found out after returning to the team garage that Hamilton's fastest lap was done on medium tires.

The same applied to Verstappen.

Then it all made sense.

After the second practice ended, Friday's work was done and after tidying up a bit, Qin Miao left the paddock.

It's worth noting that on the way back to the hotel, Qin Miao saw quite a few Asians in Mercedes team apparel waiting at the paddock exit.

At this late hour, Asians wearing Mercedes team clothes are basically Chinese.

Staying here at night, they must be his fans wanting to see him up close.

Anyway, Qin Miao didn't have much to do, once back at the hotel he would just watch some videos, then sleep, so as he drove out he rolled down his window to greet them.

Sure enough, the group got visibly excited upon seeing Qin Miao.

"Whoa, it's Qin Miao!"

"Go Qin Miao! You might clinch the championship early in this race! We believe in you!"

"Qin Miao rocks!"

As they shouted, they waved their national flag along with flags matching the white number 66 font on Qin Miao's car.

No need to think too hard about it, those who could say such things at this time must be his fans from back home.

Qin Miao smiled at them in acknowledgment, saying, "Got it, I'll do my best, it's late, you all should get back and rest."

Someone replied upon hearing Qin Miao's words, "Alright!"

Qin Miao chuckled in response but felt for these fans waiting late at night, so he glanced at the passenger seat of his G-Class.

He took out the masks and caps prepared by the team for him and handed them over, saying, "Thanks for coming out at night, but remember to wear masks, here take these."

These items were given to Qin Miao freely by the team, so there was no hesitation in gifting them.

Waiting here, these fans mainly just wanted to see Qin Miao, perhaps their expectation was just to catch a glimpse of him through the car window.

Being international students, Friday is the one time they aren't short on time. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

They couldn't have imagined Qin Miao not only rolled down the window to chat but also gave them a cap and a few internal Mercedes team masks before leaving.