How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

The two first entered the building on the right side of the Mercedes factory, which Qin Miao thought was an administrative building.

Toto introduced:

"This building is a combination of a reception room and an exhibition hall. There is a huge reception room upstairs, and downstairs are some race car display areas and some replica race cars. Guests usually settle down here."

As he spoke, the two entered the building one after the other.

Once inside, Qin Miao was deeply shocked by the scene before him.

Upon entering the main door, there was no reception desk, and directly opposite the entrance was a plain white wall without any decorations, really very ordinary.

But when you look up, you can see a Mercedes W07 hanging mid-air by steel cables.

This race car's front is exactly facing the entrance, and Qin Miao, who had just entered, could see the car's front when he looked up.

An ordinary person who doesn't know that Mercedes has placed a race car here would probably be amazed upon seeing this car, and Qin Miao was one of them.

After entering, Toto purposely looked back at the entrance for a while, just to see Qin Miao's expression when he suddenly saw the car.

Once he confirmed that Qin Miao was also slightly amazed, Toto smiled and said:

"This isn't a real car, it's just a 1:1 replica of the W07 Hybrid, weighing less than half of the real car, so you don't have to worry about it falling down."

After the brief amazement, Qin Miao got used to the car's presence and became curious instead:

"Then why not put a real one up there?"

Toto shrugged:

"Both cars were sold, but after selling the cars, the team recovered all the funds invested in this car's development..."

Qin Miao: 6.

Under Toto's lead, the two walked up the stairs surrounding the race car.

There is actually an elevator upstairs, but the stairs are built around this race car hanging in the air, and with each step, you can see different parts of the car body. By the time you reach the third floor, you can observe the car from a 360-degree angle without any blind spots.

No racing enthusiast can resist this experience.

Upon reaching the second floor, as soon as the door opened, Qin Miao was amazed once again.

Because on the open space in the reception room, another Mercedes F1 race car was quietly parked there, with the number 44 on the shark fin representing Hamilton, the new seven-time world champion's car.

The most striking feature of this car is the three-pointed star on its back and the touch of red at the air intake location.

But when Qin Miao saw the car's paint job, he frowned because, in his memory, this year's Mercedes race cars in the paddock were predominantly black, not this gradient color from silver to black.

Although the overall layout is similar to this year's Mercedes W11, there are still significant differences in detail. Plus, the W11 is this year's championship car, and the F1 race just ended less than a month ago. It's unlikely the car would be placed here directly. Surely, they would take it to study next year's race car, right?

So Qin Miao thought this might be another replica car, just using a paint job that hadn't been used at the track.

However, Toto seemed to see through Qin Miao's thoughts and said bluntly:

"This is actually a W11 that can start."

Qin Miao was stunned, then asked in surprise:

"Isn't it wrong? I recall the overall color of this year's W11 being black."

Toto explained:

"In the initial testing phase, the W11 indeed had a gradient paint job from silver to black, but due to some issues, we changed the entire paint job to black afterward. This car is the original version of the W11, but we've removed the engine and electronic control systems inside."

"If those components are re-installed, this car could start up."

Qin Miao nodded thoughtfully and then curiously asked:

"Can I try sitting in it?"

Toto looked at Qin Miao and then said: "Lewis's physique is similar to yours. The monocoque seat in this car was made according to his body measurements, so you should be able to sit inside, but it might not be very comfortable."

Qin Miao didn't mind. After all, this was his first opportunity to sit in a real F1 race car, and he didn't want to miss the chance.

"Then I'll give it a try."

After speaking, Qin Miao took off his shoes, awkwardly stepping past his flip-flops, and then sat in the race car.

To be honest, the interior was really cramped. Aside from his head and hands, there was limited space for any other body part to move, and his legs were wrapped in some unknown materials, with almost no extra space to move except to press the gas pedal.

"How does it feel?" asked Toto smilingly.

Qin Miao closed his eyes to feel what it was like to be wrapped in a race car, grasped the steering wheel model with both hands, and imagined driving the car in his mind.

After a long pause, Qin Miao finally spoke:

"Very eager, impatient even."

Toto chuckled.

"Alright, come out now. There will be plenty of time for you to drive an F1 in the future. We still have many places we haven't explored."

Qin Miao obediently got out of the race car, put his shoes back on, and followed Toto, as they continued to explore this team headquarters, which had won the team championship for six consecutive years.

In addition to the reception room, the large space downstairs in the building was filled with Mercedes F1 race cars from recent years, most of which are replicas, but some are real, even capable of starting with a bit of race fuel and preheating.