How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Q2, Qin Miao's performance remained stable, 1 minute 10.997 seconds, advancing in seventh place.

Just like in Q1, he didn't appear on the track again after running a flying lap with a new set of soft tires.

Because of Qin Miao's habit, fans criticized him bitterly, giving him the nickname of a "lazy jerk."

What's wrong with going out for another lap with tires that have already been used for one? Are you going to die from working a bit longer?

You can't really blame the fans for their strong resentment. After all, compared to other drivers, Qin Miao tends to be too laid-back during the qualifying stage. Besides Q3, as long as he has a time that can securely advance to the next stage in Q1 and Q2, Qin Miao will definitely not go out for a second lap.

It's as if running an extra flying lap would be the death of him.

Q3, this is the session that Qin Miao's fans look forward to the most.

Because only in Q3 does Qin Miao show his full strength.

However, although Qin Miao successfully entered Q3, many people still hold a pessimistic attitude towards Qin Miao's race tomorrow.

Because on the Monte Carlo circuit, a ten-place grid penalty practically eliminates a driver's chances of getting on the podium.

Judging by Qin Miao's offensive abilities displayed in F2 and F1, no one believes that Qin Miao's attacking skills could reach the transcendental level of his defensive skills, which could leave Verstappen questioning life.

Of course, there are also many fans who have unconditional faith in Qin Miao.

Both sides are endlessly debating Qin Miao's race results online.

No matter what the online public opinion is, Qin Miao is not thinking about tomorrow's events now. Instead, he's focused on doing his best in this last stint.

On the first lap of Q3, Qin Miao used the old soft tires from Q1.

In the Q3 session, Verstappen was the first to take to the track, followed by Qin Miao.

Verstappen used new soft tires on his first lap, finishing his first flying lap with a time of 1 minute 10.505 seconds.

Temporarily in first place.

After Qin Miao finished his first flying lap, his time was only 1 minute 10.900 seconds.

All three sectors were green, but he couldn't match Verstappen's speed.

At the same time, the two Ferraris behind him also started to unleash their power. Leclerc, competing at home, not only surpassed Qin Miao in the first lap of Q3 but also overtook Verstappen, taking the lead with a time 0.23 faster than Verstappen.

Should we say, as expected of competing at home? On the road that Leclerc used to take to school, he showed absolute strength.

After the first flying lap, Qin Miao returned to the pit for refueling and tire change.

For the final lap of Q3, Qin Miao needed to switch to a new set of soft tires. After using this set, Qin Miao would have one new set of soft tires, two sets of medium tires, and one set of hard tires left for the race.

With 3 minutes left in the session, Qin Miao was sent out, starting his warm-up lap.

The reason for sending him out so early was mainly to avoid traffic issues.

Soon, Qin Miao began his last lap.

T1 in Monaco is particularly difficult because you need to steer while heavy braking, with the speed at the end of the straight reaching about 290 km/h. Even a tiny error could send you into the wall, making it thrilling.

In T1, although it's heavy braking, when you reach the apex of the turn, you have to control the braking force, probing the car's grip limit, then exit the corner.

How much curb you take when exiting the corner also matters. Taking too much will cause the car to bounce out, while taking too little won't be extreme enough, resulting in slow speed.

Countless details pile up in T1. How well you take this turn directly impacts the speed of the entire flying lap.

Fortunately, Qin Miao's countless practice sessions paid off at this moment, as muscle memory allowed him to tackle T1 perfectly.

After exiting T1, he stayed as close as possible to the circuit's outer edge, going full throttle up the hill — there's nothing much to say about that.

T2 is a false corner, nothing much to elaborate on, but in T3, you can't cut too early. Turn in slightly later, hit the first apex of T3, then return to the middle of the track, then aim for the apex at T3's exit.

The second step is crucial because cutting this apex ensures the car stays on the far left side of the track, allowing for a wider entry line and speed.

In T4, drop down to fourth gear, since the exit is blind, you need to take it a bit wide.

However, for someone like Qin Miao, who can memorize the route of this track, not being able to see the exit line hardly affects him.

It's worth mentioning that there's a detail on this track that Qin Miao only discovered after inspecting it on-site: after T4, there's a small bump on the left side of the track, requiring a shift to the right side after the exit to avoid it. Failing to dodge it results in the cars bouncing over a small mound, causing the rear wheels to lose some traction.

The subsequent few corners are a nightmare for sim racers.

The difficulty of these corners surpasses even that of T1.

Being downhill, heavy braking is necessary, but due to the lower inside of the corner, the braking center of gravity between the front two tires is asymmetrical.

If you brake too hard, the front tires are particularly prone to lock up due to pressure imbalance.

If you brake too lightly, the braking force isn't enough, resulting in a massive time loss or potentially slamming into the barrier.

These corners require the drivers to comprehend and feel for themselves, as there are so many aspects to understand and watch for.

Average drivers might simply familiarize themselves with the corner by rote learning to understand the techniques for taking it.