How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

People have speculated about the possibility of Mercedes buying Qin Miao back to sit on the bench.

But on second thought, it seems impossible. If Mercedes truly intended to buy back Qin Miao just to keep him on the bench, they wouldn't have paid the contract breach fee for Qin Miao.

Paying this fee clearly shows that Mercedes definitely wants Qin Miao to work.

At this moment, public opinion in the paddock is stormy, and everyone is bewildered by Mercedes' actions.

Many reporters even rushed to Mercedes' headquarters, hoping to interview their executives, but all were tactfully refused.

Moreover, there hasn't been a Grand Prix lately, so the answer to this matter can only be found when the Belgian Grand Prix starts at the end of August.

However, some keen individuals still explored more angles for digging into this topic.

For example, one reporter found Qin Miao's teammate, Mick Schumacher, at Prema Racing and asked his opinion on the matter.

Faced with such an opportunity to gain exposure, Mick naturally wouldn't refuse.

Although his relationship with Qin Miao isn't great, there's no animosity between them; at most, they are just strangers.

So when faced with the interview, Mick didn't embellish, he simply told the truth.

But to be honest, Mick's impression of Qin Miao isn't very good, so even though Mick maintained a fair and objective attitude in evaluating Qin Miao, the tone of the interview was biased from the start.

And this interview happened to align with many casual audiences' first impressions of Qin Miao, so the newspaper that the reporter belonged to reaped the first wave of benefits from this hot topic.

After all, many people in the paddock want to know deeper information about Mercedes' actions, but Mercedes is holding back tightly, releasing no information at all.

And these bits of information, although not very useful, which are still related to Qin Miao, easily attract some uninformed onlookers' attention.

The way this reporter opened a breakthrough among Qin Miao's acquaintances was quickly emulated.

Like "Youth Team Teammates Critique Qin Miao's Conduct", "Prema Technician's Perspectives on Qin Miao", "Restaurant Owner's Evaluation of Qin Miao"...

All of a sudden, everyone started sharing this large cake like hungry jackals, wishing they could pull over every dog Qin Miao had met to ask a few questions and write a column.

Of course, some true interviews and materials are also included.

One reporter even interviewed potential future teammate Six-time Champion Hamilton.

Casual talk and pleasantries were skipped, getting straight to the main questions.

"Lewis, did you already know that Mercedes might change the second driver next season?"

"Yes, I received an email before it happened, but I only thought that our team might bring in a newcomer. I assumed he was just coming to be a test driver or reserve driver, never thought he might join the team as the second driver; we don't even know each other."

"Do you approve of this approach by Mercedes, Lewis?"

"Of course, I trust Toto's judgment, just as they are willing to trust me on the track.

However, I still feel the team needs stability, not a very impulsive young person."

...

Alright, though Old Man didn't say it outright, his answers clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with the team's choice.

Qin Miao had already faced negative public opinion in the paddock due to his F2 and Ferrari youth training performances lacking amiability, and now this report worsens the situation for him.

But on Toto's side, he simply watches without taking further action.

Faced with these almost one-sided negative reviews, Mercedes sports director Marcus Walker asked, "Are we putting too much pressure on him?"

With Mercedes' capabilities, they could easily manage the current paddock public opinion, preventing it from being flooded with all these rumors about Qin Miao, mostly negative.

Yet Toto simply crosses his arms, looking at the data graphs in front of him without turning: "If he can't handle even this pressure, then there's no point for Qin Miao to continue down the F1 path.

If he really can't handle it, let him run simulators for three years; they say he was quite good at simulators when he was at Ferrari.

Besides, according to his contract, Qin Miao has only a sixty thousand base salary if there are no races, so benching him doesn't cost us much."

Clearly, the base salary in Qin Miao's contract with Mercedes is low, but the bonuses are many, indicating this was their intention.

Although Toto truly believes in Qin Miao's talent and future potential.

But as Mercedes' executive director and team leader, Toto must prioritize the team's interests.

"Alright, then about the paddock's public opinion..."

"Cold handling, let the issue's heat dissipate on its own," Toto said without turning.

Walker noted Toto's instructions in his notebook but sighed slightly inside, as letting the issue cool down isn't that easy.

Moreover, Qin Miao is still an active F2 driver; although F2 drivers receive much less attention compared to F1 drivers, as long as he continues participating in races, he'll remain exposed.