How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 914 - 360: Post-Race Upgrade

As they spoke, Leclerc and Qin Miao shook hands and then hugged each other.

Qin Miao patted Leclerc's back firmly, "Then it's best if you're on the receiving end of my attacks; otherwise, be ready to be locked down by me."

Leclerc let go of Qin Miao and said, "Is that so? Well, I hope you don't cry if I overtake you on the track."

Qin Miao laughed and said, "If you really overtake me and ruin my reputation, I'll set up a telephoto camera on my balcony and photograph your house every day."

Leclerc was stunned for a moment, then shrugged helplessly, "Alright, you've definitely threatened me."

After saying this, the two of them laughed together.

The reason they laughed was mainly that they both thought of the telescope on Qin Miao's balcony that could view Leclerc's house.

In reality, besides not being allowed to use cameras to photograph people on the streets in Monaco, you can't randomly take photos with your phone at home either.

When it comes to privacy protection, Monaco is among the top in the world.

They didn't chat for long; after packing their things, Qin Miao and Leclerc went together to go through the post-race procedures.

It's worth mentioning that although Qin Miao was the last to arrive, he was the first to finish the post-race procedures and come in front of the cameras for an interview.

In the post-race interviews for the F1 Grand Prix, there aren't many rules—basically, whoever reaches the host first gets questioned first.

So when Qin Miao got in front of the host, the post-race interview began.

"Qin Miao, from this week's performance by the Mercedes team, it is evident that you've encountered significant problems this season; the whole race was quite difficult.

Yet despite this, you still made it to the podium."

Qin Miao touched his nose, difficult...

To be honest, Qin Miao didn't feel today's race was that tough. After all, in this race, not a single driver appeared whom he could threaten or be threatened by.

If anything can be said, Qin Miao's deepest feeling from this race is helplessness—a sense of having brute strength but nowhere to use it.

However, Qin Miao couldn't express it like that; saying such a thing during the post-race interview might upset the drivers placed behind him.

"Yes, this race started full of challenges; from the first practice session, the car struggled, and we couldn't find a good tuning window.

But congratulations to Ferrari and Leclerc for their achievements in this race—happy to see such a historic team back in the competitive ranks."

"When do you think you'll regain your competitiveness? I imagine many fans from the distant East are eagerly awaiting your comeback?"

Qin Miao nodded noncommittally, "I can't guarantee that, but we did gather a lot of good data from this race. The next step is to go back to the team and start researching and upgrading the car. It may not happen quickly, but we will persist, striving to return to the forefront as soon as possible."

Since he finished third, the real stars of this race were still waiting beside him, so Qin Miao's post-race interview consisted of only two questions. After answering, he waved to the onsite audience and his fans amid cheers, then went upstairs to prepare for the final award ceremony.

After Qin Miao left the camera, Bing and others from Five-Star Sports patiently watched Leclerc and Sainz's post-race interviews before summarizing Qin Miao's performance in this race.

"Even though we saw scenes we didn't want to see, with Mercedes losing their competitiveness,

for now, the states of the two Mercedes drivers and Qin Miao's expression during the interview just now suggest that Mercedes does have plans for car reinforcement or upgrades."

"That's right," Xia said, "We are also inclined to believe, given Mercedes' years of heritage and industrial capabilities, not within half a year perhaps, but at least I feel Mercedes can bring Qin Miao and Hamilton back into contention for race wins before the last five races of this year." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

...

[It's over, guys]

[Why did Mercedes fall off?]

[I thought Mercedes was holding a big move this Grand Prix weekend, but it turns out they dropped a big one.]

[At least it seems Qin Miao's state wasn't affected by this]

[In the opening race of the 22nd season, Mercedes is already looking forward to 2023, they said]

...

Afterward, under the onsite host's introduction, Qin Miao, in black Mercedes team gear, was the first to step onto the podium.

Then came Sainz, and finally, naturally, Leclerc and Binotto.

As the victory for Ferrari's 2022 season opener, having Ferrari's team principal Binotto on stage was most fitting.

And uniquely, Qin Miao finally heard a fourth national anthem other than his own country's, the British, and Dutch anthems on the F1's highest podium.

Even though Qin Miao lives in Monaco, it was indeed his first time hearing Monaco's national anthem.

Frankly, it was also quite a novel experience.

And strictly speaking, all four people on the podium have intricate ties with Ferrari.