How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 819 - 330: Legendary Exit (Part 2)

A number of emotional fans sitting in front of their TVs sighed deeply as another familiar driver left the F1 stage.

The waning of heroes and the graying of beauties are always things that evoke extreme regret and lament.

After Kimi retired from the race, the spectators near the starting grid waited until Kimi stepped out of his car and then applauded this legendary Ferrari icon.

However, from Kimi's expressionless face at that moment, the audience couldn't quite deduce what Kimi was feeling inside. But knowing Kimi's personality, he was likely feeling happy at that moment...

Yet, since the race was still ongoing, many fans continued watching Qin Miao and their race, which made the applause for Kimi somewhat sparse.

Of course, with Kimi's character, he wouldn't care about such things. In fact, he might even be happier to retire early.

Nevertheless, we should gratefully bid farewell to this legendary F1 driver from Finland: Kimi Räikkönen.

In the 28th lap, Qin Miao narrowed the gap to Perez to 0.6 seconds.

The two drivers were about to engage in an intense offense and defense battle in the first DRS zone of lap 28.

Due to Perez's impressive performance defending against Hamilton, spectators had high hopes for Perez. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Spectators thought Perez would adopt the same defense strategy against Qin Miao, expecting it to be as effective as when defending Hamilton. After all, from many people's subjective perspectives, although Qin Miao is an exceptionally talented driver, compared to his teammate Hamilton, he still has significant room to grow.

But when Qin Miao was right behind Perez and they both entered the first DRS straight on the track after T5...

The scene on the track was entirely different from what the spectators anticipated.

Even though Perez started weaving as soon as he entered the DRS zone, Qin Miao approached and overtook him from the outside at an astonishing speed.

It was as if sheer force broke through thousands of strategies.

Then, the spectators began to have complex feelings towards Qin Miao. Just moments ago, Perez had held off Hamilton for over seven seconds, a lap that was hellish for Hamilton.

How did Qin Miao manage to shatter it in just one DRS zone?

Perez was also bewildered: "Yeah, I'd like to know why I got overtaken by Qin Miao so easily."

"My ERS was fully charged! I activated ERS! Why is he so fast?"

In reality, Qin Miao had already fully charged his battery in the previous laps, and when entering the DRS zone, he activated both DRS and the car's highest power mode on the battery, thus enabling this terrifying speed.

But there was a cost, as the DRS straight consumed 70% of Qin Miao's battery power.

However, Qin Miao wasn't worried about any issues with the battery. For one, it was newly replaced, so the chances of failure were extremely low. Secondly, after this race, the season would be over.

Besides Pirelli tire testing after the season, Qin Miao's W11 was unlikely to participate in any more races.

It would either be showcased or kept in Mercedes headquarters' storage for show.

So, Qin Miao had no psychological burden using this mode at this time.

After effortlessly overtaking Perez, Qin Miao's speed noticeably slowed down.

With the overtake, Qin Miao moved up to third place, and even though the gap to second-place Verstappen expanded to 25 seconds, it seemed inconsequential at this point.

As long as Qin Miao finished the race in his current position, the 2021 driver's championship would 100% belong to Qin Miao.

Thus, while Qin Miao's overtake of Perez was somewhat uneventful...

After the overtake, fans back home and live broadcast viewers, whether on Five-Star Sports or Tencent Sports, erupted into fervent cheers.

Many people had already been mentally prepared before the race, predicting Qin Miao might once again break the history of Chinese motorsport by winning the ultimate driver's championship.

But when Qin Miao actually reached this position, fans and supporters eagerly hoping for Qin Miao to bring back good news and make a mark on the track were overwhelmingly excited.

In many university dormitories, which were originally quiet, someone fearlessly shouted from the balcony: "Qin Miao, awesome!"

It was like a stone striking waves; just as a monkey's warning shriek in a forest quickly causes others to join in, soon the entire forest echoes with their cries. Similarly, cheers and strange shouts emerged one after another from the dormitories.

What? Disturbing other students' rest? They were too excited and thrilled to consider such concerns!

Besides, the main fans of the motorsport in the country are mostly young adults who have settled down with jobs.

Many took leave from work, inviting a few friends to a nearby bar to watch the F1 race, or accumulated some barbecue, and drove out for camping. Staying up to watch the race while eating barbecue and chatting with friends.

And seeing Qin Miao move up to third, the noise they made was not much quieter than the young students.

The only relatively quiet group were fans who stayed up late at home, having family and children.

Though they wanted to cheer aloud, considering tomorrow was Monday, with their wives going to work and children to school, they refrained from doing so.

Still, they found ways to vent their excitement, moving about wildly at home as if performing a mysterious ritual. Accompanied by the light from the TV, it all appeared quite eerie.

...

At the Mercedes pit, after Qin Miao overtook the cars ahead, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Half of Hamilton's crew, along with family and friends, wore faces of dejection.

However, after Qin Miao passed Perez, they also applauded Qin Miao.

The other half was much more jubilant.

They started high-fiving in celebration.

What? Is it too early to celebrate before the race ends?

Qin Miao hadn't made any critical mistakes throughout the season, so his crew believed in Qin Miao just as he believed in them.

Toto and other Mercedes executives were beaming with smiles.

Though they hoped for Hamilton to make history with eight championships...

If Qin Miao won the driver's championship in his first season, they would be equally pleased.

After all, Qin Miao was a talent discovered by Toto, and his success would only add to Toto's accomplishments.

From the team's perspective, regardless of which driver secures the championship, it's acceptable for the team.

Mercedes was achieving fairness, treating each driver equally.

This was also reflected in their celebrations.

Even with intense emotions, overtaking Perez, Qin Miao's hands felt tingling from the adrenaline rush. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way, but one thing was certain—the feeling was exhilarating.

After all, the position he once dared not dream of two years ago was now right beneath his feet.