How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Set the goal, then the drivers go on track to start gathering data. After gathering data, they return to give feedback, note down any problems or anomalies, check on-site, and if they can't solve them, leave them to be resolved back at Brackley after winter testing ends.

If the car's data during the entire winter testing is within an acceptable range, whether in terms of error or other aspects, the department responsible for measuring and recording tire data is the most puzzled.

Because Qin Miao's tire wear data is unbelievable. Not comparing with other teams' drivers, just comparing with his teammate Old Man, Qin Miao's tire wear is about 30% less than Old Man's.

Although this is the result of Qin Miao intentionally preserving the tires and not being as fast as Old Man, Qin Miao's data once made Toto think that the team's car development this year had some kind of black technology, or that Qin Miao bribed Pirelli to specially adjust the tire formula for him.

However, after looking at Old Man's tire wear data, Toto dismissed this unrealistic idea.

In summary, after more than 4 hours of work, the Mercedes team gained quite a bit, gathering some of the data they wanted.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Qin Miao, he passed the first test given to him by the team.

Took a short break at noon, then held a brief meeting, and continued testing in the afternoon.

Worth mentioning is that Toto discovered that during the afternoon testing, Qin Miao gradually got familiar with the W12, and his speed increased without exacerbating tire and fuel wear. He clearly found the feeling and the best driving line on the track, and his lap time once climbed to third on the current overall leaderboard.

Realizing something wasn't right, Toto called an emergency stop, called Qin Miao back, told him to slow down, and added an extra 10 kilograms of ballast to his car.

Although the practice ranking is at most just for show, the ranking still holds some reference value.

The ranking of other teams doesn't matter much, but Mercedes can't be too high.

After all, the FIA has already started targeting Mercedes, and before the race officially begins, it's better for Mercedes to maintain a low profile.

During the winter testing phase, conceal as much strength as possible; absolutely must not stand out.

The four hours of testing in the afternoon allowed the Mercedes team to obtain 70% of the planned data, but overall the gains during winter testing did not meet expectations.

However, this is not a fault of not trying, because it wasn't due to personnel negligence or unreasonable arrangements, but because there was a sandstorm in Bahrain today.

In such an environment, not only can the car not reach its optimal state, but the driver's condition is also affected, and even the staff couldn't perform at their best in such an environment.

This was evident when Qin Miao was drenched in sweat after just half an hour during his first test.

When Qin Miao was on track, the internal temperature of the cockpit remained very stable, generally around 45 degrees.

One reason for this situation is indeed the local weather being quite hot, with air temperature at 34 degrees and track temperature at 49 degrees, coupled with the heat from Qin Miao's engine and the barely adequate ventilation inside the monocoque, ultimately creating a sauna-like environment.

To be honest, during this period, Qin Miao really felt both exhausted and happy.

Exhausted because he not only needed to enter the car for testing from time to time but also, after returning to the P room, had to communicate with other technicians about issues encountered in the car and the changes felt after adjustments.

Qin Miao could hardly find any chance to catch his breath.

Happy because driving an F1 car is truly exhilarating, even more so than Qin Miao imagined.

Especially as he gradually became familiar with the car, and the team allowed him to lift restrictions, pushing the line and speed to the extreme.

The feeling of being pulled by G-forces, fighting them, and flying on the track is indescribably wonderful, even more thrilling than a roller coaster.

Of course, that lap time wasn't good, considering Qin Miao's car was weighed down by 40 kilograms of ballast.

9 p.m.

Qin Miao got out of his car, high-fiving his crew members celebrating the end of day's work, while taking off his gear.

Bahrain circuit is just like this, whether it's the F1 race or winter testing, it stretches from day into night.

After wrapping up the work and greeting Hamilton and Toto, Qin Miao took his stuff and returned to Auto Home.

Qin Miao's work for today was done, and so was the rest of the Mercedes staff's.

Even though many problems are still unsolved, that's how winter testing ends. Other problems can only be resolved after returning to the Brackley factory.

As Qin Miao just walked out of his team's P room, ready to head back to Auto Home to join Qimeng and return to the hotel, he was caught by a passing FOM broadcaster.

After answering a few questions, Qin Miao finally left the paddock.

In the following two days, Qin Miao's work state was basically the same, and the entire F1 winter testing concluded amid swirling dust.

And right after the winter testing ended, on the second day, when Qin Miao and the team returned to the Brackley factory with hard drives full of test data, Qin Miao's system, which had been dead for almost three months, finally came back to life.