How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 500 - 221: Paul Ricard (6K, Bonus Update 9/19)_3

So Qin Miao and his crew were the only team in the paddock not troubled by tire anxiety.

After a short rest, Qin Miao began his flying lap in Q3.

However, Qin Miao was not the first to come out flying in Q3; the first driver on track was Verstappen, followed by Perez.

Qin Miao was behind the two Red Bull drivers, and behind him was Hamilton.

The four drivers from the two major teams started their flying laps almost back to back.

And when Hamilton finally crossed the line, the results for the four most concerned drivers by the audience were out.

Verstappen first, Hamilton second, Qin Miao third, Perez fourth.

After a short break, Qin Miao was sent out to run his second flying lap with three minutes left in the session.

In the end, Qin Miao’s flying lap performance met the expectations of the team and most people’s expectations of his speed.

All three sectors green, final time 1 minute 30 seconds 3.

Normally, this result is quite good, but today’s qualifying session had an exception, Verstappen, somehow, in Q3, made the second and third clocking sectors purple, and his final time broke directly under 1 minute 30 seconds, reaching a terrifying 1 minute 29 seconds 9.

And both Hamilton and Qin Miao could only settle behind Verstappen in the end.

After the qualifying session ended, Verstappen was first, Hamilton second, Qin Miao third, Perez fourth.

From this ranking, it’s clear that once the race starts, Verstappen will have to face the pressure brought on by the concerted siege from two Mercedes cars.

Meanwhile, his teammate Perez couldn’t offer any support at this time.

After the qualifying session ended, the broadcaster turned the camera to the Mercedes team’s pit wall.

Inside the team P房, despite not seeing his most desirable scenario of two drivers on pole, the fact that his two drivers started second and third was within Toto’s expectations.

So upon seeing this scene, Toto sincerely applauded his two protégés.

Meanwhile, the Red Bull team’s pit wall was in a considerably happier mood.

From a fairy tale perspective, Mercedes is the dragon, and Red Bull is the hero challenging the dragon.

So after defeating a stronger opponent, the Red Bull team pit wall was filled with jubilation.

On-site spectators also gave Verstappen a rousing applause when he parked his car, exited, and waved at them.

Not long after, Qin Miao and Hamilton also brought their cars back to the starting grid positions.

As soon as Qin Miao got out of his car, cheers erupted, no less than when Verstappen waved earlier, he turned to see the audience shouting and applauding at him.

Qin Miao also smiled and waved back at them.

It is worth mentioning that although not many spectators were allowed in for this race, Qin Miao still spotted domestic fans holding the national flag on site.

Just like the saying goes, domestic spectators are like street wanderers, you can see them everywhere across the globe.

Upon seeing them, Qin Miao naturally gave them a smile and a wave; after all, having them come to the site to support him is a bond, and he must show an attitude.

Later, in the post-race interview, the host asked Qin Miao: After so many races, having won the Grand Prix twice, when will Qin Miao achieve his first pole position of his career?

Faced with this question, Qin Miao was also quite helpless; he is really striving hard, but Verstappen and Hamilton’s abilities in qualifying are a bit supernatural.

Qin Miao’s 91-point qualifying ability can only barely keep pace with theirs; wanting to surpass them would require him to invest effort in polishing his qualifying skills before there’s a possibility of overtaking them.

Therefore, at this stage, to snag a pole position from them, enhancing his single-lap speed is necessary, and he must wait for an opportunity when these two might make a mistake.

However, for Qin Miao, who is a rookie and holds the position of Mercedes’s second driver, Qin Miao’s current achievements and performance are truly commendable.

After communicating this message with a smile, Qin Miao’s interview session concluded.

After the interview ended, Qin Miao returned to the team, tidied up, and then proceeded with fan activities.

Although only 30% of the audience was let in on Friday, even with fewer numbers, they are still spectators, the fundamental of F1’s business alliance, so unless there’s an urgent matter, post-race interaction with the fans is required.

However, Qin Miao has transitioned from initially being awkward and at a loss facing fans to now engaging with ease and proficiency.

Now, meeting and interacting with fans doesn’t take much of Qin Miao’s energy.

The workday on Saturday ends sooner compared to Thursday and Friday, after all, tomorrow is race day, and working too late today would severely affect the competitors’ performance the next day.

Qin Miao returned to the hotel at seven in the evening.

Under Barber’s supervision, he had a relatively appetizing, well-presented dinner, then went to sleep.

Speaking of dining, Qin Miao has a talent that makes Hamilton envious to the point of splitting atoms.

That is, Qin Miao never has to worry about his weight exceeding limits.

Before each Grand Prix, F1 drivers strictly control their weight, ensuring that their weight neither falls below the FIA’s requirements nor exceeds the team’s requirements.