How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 514 - 226: New Mission

Afterwards, the three of them drove to a campsite in the south of Oxfordshire.

The first day of having the big toy in hand, naturally, they had to have a good time with it.

After arriving, Qin Miao and Zhou Guanyu headed off with fishing rods to find a spot to cast their lines, while Qimeng leisurely lay on the U-shaped sofa in the RV watching TV, with the car door wide open.

Since it was Tuesday, not a holiday or weekend, the campsite was relatively empty; the fresh air and gentle breeze flowing into the car added a certain charm.

In the distance, the loud voices of Qin Miao and Zhou Guanyu could be heard, somewhat disrupting the atmosphere, but Qimeng still felt a sense of fulfillment in her heart.

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On Wednesday, Qin Miao returned to his usual training and practiced his car handling, and in the afternoon, he relentlessly worked on familiarizing himself with the track.

Meanwhile, the team was tirelessly testing new parts in the wind tunnel, and the new rear diffuser, as well as the new rear and front wings, were being expedited in development and manufacturing.

Everyone at Mercedes wanted to complete their tasks before the British Grand Prix.

Knowing the importance of the British Grand Prix, Hamilton also didn’t continue with his engagements, fashion shows, or managing his brand, but just like Qin Miao, he started going to the team every day from Wednesday to help develop new parts.

On Thursday, the rear wing designed specifically for the Silverstone Circuit by Mercedes’ design team moved from the drawing board to production, rolled off the assembly line, and was already installed on Qin Miao’s car.

While continuing wind tunnel tests, Qin Miao used the simulation data from this set of wings to adjust settings in the simulator.

During this time, Hamilton watched Qin Miao’s lap data in the simulator, and during Qin Miao’s breaks, Hamilton would ask him about car settings and tuning issues.

It’s noteworthy that Bottas, who was at home, was also called in to run the simulator.

In the past, Qin Miao had seen Bottas in the team. At that time, although Bottas didn’t show any obvious dislike or other emotions toward Qin Miao, he would just nod when he saw Qin Miao and didn’t speak much.

But as time passed, when Bottas saw Qin Miao in the team again, he no longer had that indifferent stance. Instead, he would occasionally chat with Qin Miao and exchange feelings about the simulator.

Though their relationship wasn’t fully reconciled, it was at least more relaxed compared to when Qin Miao first joined Mercedes.

So, the cooperation of the three professional F1 drivers on the simulator proceeded without much hindrance.

After two days, the rear wing was finalized, with the first set installed on Qin Miao’s car. The team would produce two more sets, one for Hamilton’s car and another as a spare for the two drivers, in case a driver’s wing was damaged during the race.

The reason for producing only one spare part is because of the budget cap. Mercedes can’t spend as lavishly as before, so everyone must save where possible. Moreover, rear wings aren’t as prone to damage as front wings.

If unforeseen circumstances arise, affecting both drivers’ rear wings, the old wings can be used as a backup, as they may be slightly slower but still functional.

A day later, the front wing and rear diffuser of the car also moved into production from the designer’s desk.

The advantage of a big team is that its size allows simultaneous production of different parts without much impact on the production speed.

However, these parts can’t roll off the production line so quickly; even Mercedes needs at least two days.

Once these parts moved into production, Qin Miao, Hamilton, and Bottas had a short day off.

This was their first break since they began working last Wednesday.

It was convenient that all three were at the team, and since Qin Miao’s house was nearby, he invited his two colleagues over once their work was done.

Bottas, however, declined Qin Miao’s invitation.

Qin Miao understood, since he had essentially taken Bottas’ spot, and though their relationship had eased a bit, it wasn’t particularly good yet.

Hamilton, on the other hand, was keenly enthusiastic.

At home, Qimeng hadn’t prepared hot pot, as during Zhou Guanyu’s weeklong stay, the three of them had hot pot thrice in seven days. Qin Miao didn’t mind, but was slightly concerned about running out of hot pot base.

Qimeng and Zhou Guanyu looked troubled themselves when visiting the restroom after eating.

Plus, since inviting Hamilton was a spontaneous idea, Qimeng hadn’t prepped anything special in advance. The invitation came close to mealtime, making a rush for groceries impractical, so when Hamilton arrived at Qin Miao’s house, the meal was a simple bowl of egg noodle soup, a plate of fried beef balls, and some stir-fried eggplant. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Despite these being plain home dishes, they were exactly what Qin Miao enjoyed.