How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Unbeatable!

After the final race, the F2 standings were finalized.

F2 2020 Season Standings:

1st: Qin Miao 516

2nd: Mick Schumacher 186

3rd: Zhou Guanyu 169

4th: Mazepin 152

5th: Ilott 146

6th: Tsunoda 142

7th: Dretraz 118

8th: Long Jia De 111

9th: Drogovich 103

10th: Jiaoto 92

11th: Ticktum 78

12th: Daruwala 61

13th: Aitken 39

14th: Armstrong 36

15th: Panasonic 10

16th: Alessi 8

17th: Makarov 5

18th: Alex 4

19th: Gaeler 3

20th: Ness 1

21st: Piquet 1

The top three drivers received 40 Super License points, naturally qualifying them to earn a Super License.

Unlike Qin Miao, who solely relied on talent, Tsunoda and Mazepin were backed by capital.

Their backers had already planned for them to enter F1 next season.

So when they learned of competitors like Qin Miao, as well as Zhou Guanyu and Mick Schumacher, they raced in F3 and spent lavishly in the paddock to gather the 40 points needed for a Super License.

Thus, this year unprecedentedly, five F2 drivers earned a Super License.

After the race ended, the Prema Racing team went crazy celebrating, and during the dinner that night, everyone got completely drunk.

The next day, Qin Miao was pulled out to attend another gathering.

However, this time it wasn't a team gathering, but rather a year-end party prepared by the FIA for the drivers, attended by all the F2 drivers.

The entire party was pretty straightforward, with everyone sitting at a long table with steaks, turkey, lobsters, and so on laid before them.

Everyone ate, drank, discussed matters in the paddock, and shared future plans.

In such an environment, Qin Miao shed his former aloofness, becoming the center of attention at the party due to his dominance in F2, with many drivers curious about him.

Qin Miao's allure wasn't from boasting or spending, but from his talent and performance on the track.

In response to colleagues' curious inquiries, Qin Miao spoke frankly.

Being peers from various countries worldwide, everyone discussed interesting stories from their own countries, never running out of topics.

After dinner, it was already past ten at night.

Before parting ways, the twenty-two F2 drivers gathered for a group photo.

They lined up on either side of the long table based on their final year-end ranks, with Qin Miao seated at the head, Mick to his left, and Zhou Guanyu on his right.

The others took their places according to rank.

Finally, under the flash of the cameras, the photo was captured at this moment.

Soon, it was posted on Twitter and quickly made its way back home.

It became a talking point for fans back in China.

After wrapping up things with the FIA, Qin Miao returned to Vicenza.

Without saying many goodbyes, he first had a meal with his team members, including Sui Wentao.

Afterwards, Qin Miao called a moving company to start packing up his room.

During this time, Qin Miao also had a meal with Roxin.

During the meal, Roxin expressed regret about Qin Miao leaving, but it was already a done deal, and sentimentality couldn't change the facts.

After finishing the meal, the moving company packed up Qin Miao's household items and began sending them to the UK.

Meanwhile, Qimeng was not in Vicenza, as she was busy in the UK.

Qin Miao's new home is in Blakeley, near the Mercedes F1 headquarters, a twenty-minute walk or a five-minute scooter ride.

After arriving in the UK, Qin Miao settled into his house and invited Zhou Guanyu over for a meal before heading to report to the Mercedes team.

Although his contract with Mercedes wouldn't take effect for another half month, no one strictly followed the contract regulations for these details.

When Qin Miao decided to visit the Mercedes factory, he didn't inform Toto in advance, just followed the map to get there.

Qin Miao's car and scooter from Italy were still in transit, as these bulky items and furniture were transported separately.

However, since his rented house was nearby, it wasn't a big deal.

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is located by the A43 highway, with excellent infrastructure and a nice environment around it.

It used to be a Honda factory, then it became the Broward GP, and now it's Mercedes' territory.

Because of the unannounced visit, Qin Miao was stopped by the guard at the entrance.

However, after he made a call to Toto, the guardhouse phone rang, and once it was confirmed he was with them, they let him in.

To be honest, externally, Mercedes' team headquarters seemed less impressive compared to Ferrari's, lacking the signature red facade and large prancing horse logo.

If one didn't know it was the Mercedes team, they'd think it was just a typical industrial zone.

With few Mercedes signs visible, it just appeared as a regular factory area from the outside.

To the left was the guardhouse, and a little further back were buildings that Qin Miao couldn't fully see from his angle, but it felt like a factory; the large building on the right seemed like a factory or an administration building.

Before Qin Miao could take a closer look at the inside of the Mercedes team, Toto came walking out of the building on the right.

At this moment, Qin Miao was the only person at the Mercedes entrance, carrying a bag, wearing a mask, with a distinctly thicker neck than most, making it easy for Toto to recognize him as he walked over quickly.

Once near Qin Miao, Toto smiled and extended his hand: "Welcome, I didn't expect you to come so soon."

Qin Miao also extended his hand and shook Toto's, and they both gave each other a strong arm hug.

"Just got my housing settled, and I have some free time now. Since the place I rented is close by, I just thought I'd stop by," Qin Miao explained, curiously observing the Mercedes factory surroundings.

Hearing Qin Miao's words, Toto glanced at him in mild surprise and then broke into a broad smile.

Typically, drivers wouldn't live near the team; F1 drivers usually have lavish mansions, with varying distances to the team's headquarters.

If the team needed the driver, they would have to communicate ahead of time and wait for them to come and then leave after the work is done.

But with Qin Miao residing nearby, any issues that required his presence would be much easier to address, aiding car development and innovation significantly.

However, Toto didn't reveal his thoughts, instead responding after Qin Miao spoke: "Well, you may have come at an inconvenient time. Many people have started their vacations, and the factory has returned to its regular hours, not the three-shift operations, so you may not meet everyone at once."

This remark made Qin Miao, whose primary aim was just to familiarize himself with the place, scratch his head in slight frustration at the thought of meeting several people.

Meeting Europeans was quite a taxing experience for someone with mild social anxiety and minor difficulty recognizing European faces.

"Anyway, let me show you around the place where you'll be working," Toto tapped Qin Miao's shoulder.

Qin Miao adjusted his mood and followed Toto, as his main intention was to recognize the place and explore the Mercedes factory.

PS. Preparation for the F1 storyline is starting; there's a lot of research to do, so only 4K today.