How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Chapter 1176 - 444: A Rare Mistake

During the first practice session, Qin Miao was exploring the limits of the new race car while also familiarizing himself with the Marina Bay track, a circuit with which he had no prior experience.Meanwhile, Hamilton immediately began conducting long-distance single lap speed tests.

With only 20 minutes remaining in the first practice session, Hamilton clocked a lap time of 1:42.598 using a set of soft tires, which was 0.4 seconds faster than the second-placed Verstappen.

Though Verstappen was using medium tires, Hamilton’s performance thus far demonstrated that Mercedes’ improvements and adjustments to the car had indeed revitalized his condition.

At the end of the first practice session, Qin Miao’s lap times were quite decent, although not as fast as Hamilton’s and Verstappen’s.

This was mostly because Qin Miao needed some time to get accustomed to the current W13B. As for why Hamilton seemed so adept with the new car, enthusiastically setting competitive times on the track, Qin Miao was honestly unsure.

Could it be that he also received some kind of system upgrade?

It may have also been possible that Hamilton had been repressed for too long this season, driving a car contrary to his style, and now finally having a car that suited his driving, even his seasoned heart couldn’t suppress his excitement, causing his inner universe to explode.

At nine o’clock at night, the second practice session commenced.

Qin Miao showed a clear improvement in speed during the second practice session, finishing fourth. Although he wasn’t faster than his teammate Hamilton, both Mercedes drivers outpaced Red Bull in this session.

As for first and second places...

They were in Ferrari’s hands.

After the second practice session, Qin Miao had mostly adapted to the current track, and had a fair understanding of the W13B. He was ready to fully unleash the car’s potential in the race, though he needed the third practice session to find the car’s limits for qualifying.

Overall, Qin Miao and everyone at Mercedes were extremely satisfied with Friday’s results, especially Hamilton.

He was exceedingly pleased, praising the improved car fervently.

In both practice sessions today, Hamilton overshadowed his teammate Qin Miao, bringing back the vibes of the early 2021 season.

Saturday, the third practice session and qualifying rounds.

The third practice session began with a minor mishap.

Rain fell during the third session, and Marina Bay’s drainage system was not as efficient as traditional tracks, leading to excessive puddling when the rain intensified.

The race committee didn’t even give teams a chance to try using full wet tires, shutting down pit lane access for half an hour.

This meant no drivers were on the track during that time.

However, Qin Miao was quite pleased with this, as he had completed all his testing projects and gathered all the desired data for the week 20 minutes before the third session began.

He had mostly discerned the limits of his car on Marina Bay’s current asphalt conditions.

Afterwards, he usually spent time on the track doing long-distance tests with a set of new hard tires, more to familiarize himself and for fun.

Now with rain cooling the air on the track, Qin Miao could take a break.

He casually positioned a lounge chair under a support beam at the team’s room entrance, sipping black coffee with crossed legs, while watching raindrops on the track preoccupied, and awaited the committee’s restart of the third session.

Normally, if Qin Miao wanted to daydream, he’d do so seated in his team’s pit room position.

His decision to be outside today owed to Singapore being quasi-home turf, presenting him the chance to interact with local fans by letting them take videos and photos, making the visit worthwhile.

Otherwise, merely spectating the rain would leave them bored.

As soon as Qin Miao brought his chair out, the audience cheered for him.

Not one to refuse attention, he sat and raised his coffee towards the crowd in acknowledgment.

The crowd replied with an immediate cheer.

Towards the end of the third session, Qin Miao took to the track with 10 minutes remaining, warming up the car. With it utilizing the practice engine and semi-wet tires, there was little stress over tire wear during races or qualifying.

When the third session concluded, Qin Miao finished eighth.

Rain and street racing conditions limited his personal ability to full display.

During the break, the team installed the race and qualifying engines for Qin Miao and Hamilton.

Once inspections finished, it was time for qualifying rounds.

Q1 phase, despite the cessation of rain, Singapore’s Marina Bay circuit had poor drainage, leaving water on the track longer than expected. After evaluation, the team fitted Qin Miao and Hamilton’s cars with semi-wet tires.