How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Amidst the not-so-loud cheers of the live audience, the door from backstage to the stage was pushed open. Leclerc smiled at Qin Miao, "It's our turn. Don't be too nervous facing the audience."

Qin Miao shrugged, "Dude, I've got nerves of steel, okay?"

Then, Qin Miao and a few others waved to the audience as they walked out from backstage.

Once outside, Qin Miao saw a sea of masked faces, packed densely together.

To be honest, it was the first time Qin Miao had seen so many people, and most of them were looking at him. The feeling of being watched by a large crowd indeed made Qin Miao, who had social anxiety, feel nervous.

And the audience today wasn't even that large, mainly due to the pandemic's impact.

Qin Miao couldn't imagine how many people would attend after the pandemic was over.

Unobtrusively wiping the sweat from his palms onto his pants, Qin Miao sat down on the sofa under the guidance of the host.

The interview process didn't change much, just a few questions, discussions about the team's current situation, the drivers' expectations for this year, and impressions of the country of Bahrain.

Notably, Qin Miao noticed quite a few Asian faces among the audience below.

When they saw Qin Miao looking over, they immediately waved excitedly at him. They were probably Qin Miao's fans.

At first, Qin Miao thought that during such a special period, most ordinary people would focus on self-preservation, and even if anyone came to watch the race, it wouldn't be many. But in a glance, there were indeed a considerable number of Asians wearing the black uniforms of the Mercedes team.

Forcing a smile and nodding slightly at them, Qin Miao shifted his attention back to the stage and started answering the host's questions.

...

Originally, after the interview, there would be a session for drivers to give autographs to the fans, but due to the special circumstances, it was changed to each team preparing some hats, with the drivers signing them and then throwing them into the audience.

Qin Miao deliberately threw a few extra hats into the group of fans wearing the Mercedes uniforms, and he didn't really try to hide his actions, openly tossing several signed hats in their direction.

The protective instinct that Qin Miao kept deep inside first showed itself at that moment.

After the event, Qin Miao, Leclerc, and Norris headed back to the paddock together.

Norris was glad to finally meet someone his age who shared the same hobby, so he talked a bit more on the way back.

After entering the paddock, Qin Miao's work was not over yet. Although during winter testing Qin Miao had nearly two hundred laps in Bahrain and had over 900 familiarity with the track system, he still wanted to walk the track once more.

Partly to deepen his impression of the track, and also because walking the track allows for a more detailed observation, letting him find details that simulators and cars couldn't reveal.

After grabbing another cap, getting a few sunshades from the team logistics, Qin Miao took Frankie, Barber, and other crew members needing to walk the track onto it.

Thursday just passed like that.

On Friday, Qin Miao didn't need to attend interviews. In the morning, there was a meeting in the newly-built team home.

The main topics were the characteristics of the Bahrain track and the day's main tasks, which included finding the drivers' sweet spot adjustments for the car and running unmeasured data from winter testing.

After the meeting, Qin Miao and the Old Man rested, while the mechanics busily set up the pit garage...

At 2 PM.

In the lounge, Qin Miao dressed neatly, holding his helmet, headed to the team's pit garage.

At that time, the only skill on Qin Miao that could be swapped was changed to the [Research Department's Guide]. During practice, the efficiency of the team and staff was still quite important.

If they really needed to test the tire wear rate, Qin Miao would just switch the skill back then.

It's worth mentioning that from the time Qin Miao left the paddock, the "Drive to Survive" crew followed him with a long microphone and camera.

After all, Qin Miao is part of the Mercedes team and clearly a talented driver. The crew wouldn't miss including Qin Miao in their footage.

Qin Miao still felt a bit uneasy with this, his body noticeably stiff. Clearly, in the short term, Qin Miao couldn't adapt to constantly living under the camera's gaze in the paddock.

Initially, the cockpit of the car felt very cramped, and it seemed impossible to move around freely while sitting inside.

At the pit, Qin Miao greeted the crew, then eagerly went to chat with the Old Man.

Usually, drivers' settings aren't openly shared, but Qin Miao, rather clueless, went up to ask anyway.

And the Old Man had no intention of hiding anything from Qin Miao, openly sharing his car setup and the reasons behind the settings.

The Old Man even taught Qin Miao some tips he'd gathered over the years from racing.

"Don't be fooled by how smooth the start straight in Bahrain seems. At high speeds, you'll definitely feel some bumps, but if you take a wide S-line, you can effectively avoid these bumps. This way, the car's traction remains constant, and you'll be about 2 km/h faster entering the corner than going straight."