How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 892 - 353: Blossoms in Full Bloom

Sure! Here's the translation:

It's worth mentioning that no one thinks Mercedes' design is aimless; everyone believes that with Mercedes' technical capabilities, designing this zero sidepod is definitely for their own reasons.

And they certainly can't reach any conclusions. After all, they only have access to the Mercedes car's shape, not the complete CFD data. If they had a similar design themselves, there would be some reference value, but Mercedes has taken a completely different path compared to all the other teams.

On the first day of testing, Qin Miao indeed felt that the dolphin jumps in the car had improved after a month of hard work, but it was only slightly alleviated. At high speeds, the jumps still occurred.

The stronger sealing of the floor and increased rigidity didn't slow them down.

Hamilton experienced the same situation, continually jumping.

Moreover, the car couldn't replicate the simulator's speed on the track. The team even started questioning whether the simulator was broken or if there was some data error.

Of course, encountering difficulties means finding solutions, so the team quickly regrouped, started testing for the problem's cause, and attempted to find solutions.

Nevertheless, most of the Mercedes team staff still have confidence in this design because in the racing industry, after upgrading to address a defect, it's not uncommon that the outcome doesn't meet the expected effect.

Everyone maintained emotional stability.

During the three-day testing in Bahrain, the team tried their best to collect car data.

Naturally, the team couldn't focus solely on this task. Besides collecting data to resolve the dolphin jumping issue, the team also looked for other problems in the car and planned the car's tuning window. Overall, during this period, whether it was Qin Miao, Hamilton, or even Mercedes' upper management, almost everyone's brains were in a high-speed running state.

After three days, Mercedes was quite satisfied with the results.

At least by the third day, the team confirmed that there were no remaining unresolved safety hazards in the car. Regarding the car's stability while driving, Mercedes could confidently assure everyone that their car wouldn't experience any issues during high speeds.

As for speed, since everyone was busy collecting data and adjusting the car's condition, neither Mercedes nor Red Bull and Ferrari could fully display their capabilities on the track.

Therefore, Mercedes couldn't take other teams' performances as a reference. But compared to the first day in Bahrain, Mercedes' lap time had improved by at least 1.5 seconds.

For Mercedes, this improvement was very significant. So, despite the dolphin jumps hanging over Mercedes like a cloud, for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix, no one believed Mercedes' car would lack competitiveness.

Of course, that's what they said, but before the Bahrain Grand Prix started, Mercedes was still using the data obtained to upgrade and perfect the car's performance.

During this period, Qin Miao didn't go elsewhere either, continuing to work in the Bahrain paddock.

Very quickly, it was March 16th.

Car performance is crucial for F1 drivers, but where they truly demonstrate their value is their commercial worth.

Not to mention Hamilton, with his seven world championships and status as a fashion circle darling, which brings his commercial value to a peak. It's said that Hamilton is currently the driver with the highest commercial value in the paddock, and there are no exceptions.

Following Hamilton is Qin Miao.

Indeed, the two drivers with the highest commercial value in the paddock are both from Mercedes.

The reason for Qin Miao's high commercial value is not hard to guess. Backed by China, the world's second-largest economy, his commercial value is completely supported by his home country and its fans.

As a result, the two drivers cannot spend all their time on developing and researching new cars. Naturally, they need to spend time realizing their commercial value, maintaining their image in front of fans. Even if the drivers themselves don't wish to do this, the team does have sponsors.

Hamilton began working on these commercial activities on the 15th, while Qin Miao started on the 16th due to lacking personal sponsors.

On the 16th and 17th, the two days before the Bahrain Grand Prix began, Qin Miao also managed to take a step back from the heavy team work.

He started recording videos, attending events, and participating in fashion shows.

Amidst the busyness, time came to Friday, March 18, 2022.

Today is the start of the F1 World Championship Grand Prix season, with the Bahrain Grand Prix practice session taking place.

Because it's the opening round, the Bahrain local tourism board invited many celebrities from around the world to watch the race.

There were plenty of domestic stars, and even some uninvited ones came to watch the race at their own expense.

After waking up in the morning, Qin Miao tidied himself up, put on the team uniform, and went to the paddock with Barber.