Chapter 1417 - 533: Lost Big Time

Chapter 1417: Chapter 533: Lost Big Time

Just like the three commentators from Five-Star Sports, local fans watching today’s race were also puzzled and angry about the sudden red flag incident caused by the FIA.

At this moment, they didn’t care whether there were debris that needed to be cleared on the track; they only knew that this red flag put Qin Miao at a huge disadvantage.

And on the racetrack, Qin Miao also felt a bit frustrated.

"Is it confirmed to be a red flag?"

Frankie’s voice was filled with resignation: "Although we really didn’t want to see this happen, there’s nothing we can do. The stewards did issue the red flag."

"Alright then." Qin Miao replied helplessly, ultimately choosing to accept the outcome.

After all, Qin Miao himself agreed to this pit stop and tire change.

In fact, running one extra lap on this set of new hard tires wasn’t the biggest loss for Qin Miao. What really bothered him was that he did nothing wrong but just pitted at a bad timing, dropping from second to seventh.

This change in positions equates to roughly a 10-second difference on the track.

What a huge loss.

As a result, Qin Miao returned to the pit lane with a somewhat frustrated mood.

However, after Qin Miao parked the car in the pit area, that feeling of gloominess mostly dissipated.

After all, Qin Miao wasn’t someone who dwelled too much on things, and his self-regulation ability was adequate.

So, on his way back, he had already adjusted his mentality.

Plus, it was just a slight initial loss, and the race is long. Qin Miao felt he still had a chance to recover the gap.

After parking the car, Qin Miao climbed out of it.

Although Qin Miao liked the feeling of being confined in the monocoque, because it felt very secure,

but if he sits in the car for half an hour, even someone with as strong a physique as Qin Miao would feel somewhat uncomfortable.

So after parking, Qin Miao removed his gloves and got out of the car.

Coincidentally, Qin Miao parked next to Ferrari’s pit area, and as he got off the Mercedes car, he saw Vassel smiling at him.

Vassel’s face no longer showed the worry he had after Leclerc retired just now.

When Qin Miao looked over, Vassel also nodded at him subtly.

However, Qin Miao ignored him, as interacting too much with Vassel at this time might lead to speculation, especially since it’s Qin Miao’s contract year.

Many people are guessing whether he will renew with Mercedes, and if not, which team he would join. Too much interaction with Vassel now might leak news about a potential move to Ferrari, which wouldn’t be good for either him or Ferrari.

Qin Miao placed his focus on Leclerc next to the Ferrari pit wall.

At this time, Leclerc had already retired and returned to the team’s pit area. He had also changed out of his racing suit into a Ferrari team shirt. He nodded at Qin Miao as a greeting when he saw him.

Qin Miao pointed at Leclerc.

Qin Miao had reason to suspect that the red flag causing him to lose so many positions was due to the bad luck Leclerc passed on to him yesterday.

However, Leclerc really just joked with Qin Miao yesterday. When pointed out by Qin Miao, Leclerc only looked innocent, not understanding why Qin Miao was pointing at him.

Of course, Qin Miao didn’t bother to explain to Leclerc and took the water handed over by Barber. He drank it while walking back to the team’s pit area.

Leaving Leclerc standing there, feeling puzzled.

What the hell was that bastard pointing at me for?

Once he reached the team’s pit area, Frankie found Qin Miao to explain the situation: "Although the current situation is very unfavorable for you, according to the calculations by the team strategy group, we still have a chance to win this race today.

What you need to do next is protect your tires. The real contest of this race will start from lap 45.

By then, your average lap time will be the fastest on the track."

Qin Miao curiously asked, "After the race restarts, is no one going to pit?"

Frankie nodded: "Yes, that’s the current situation. This means you’ll have a significant tire advantage later in the race, and we might be able to catch and overtake Verstappen."

Although not explicitly mentioned, Frankie’s words naturally implied Hamilton as well, but since Qin Miao was in Mercedes’ pit area, saying it outright seemed a bit inappropriate.

But both of them understood the implication.

...

The time the red flag was in effect wasn’t long, and soon Qin Miao received a notification from the team. After re-equipping, he returned to his car and got back inside.

After waiting for more than ten minutes in the car, the stewards turned the pit lane entrance light green, and Merande driving the AMG safety car led the drivers to gradually leave the pit area.

Except for Qin Miao, De Vries, and Sargent, all the drivers at this point had already switched to a set of new hard tires. Actually, everyone’s plan now was the same, which was to finish the remaining race distance on one set of hard tires.

For Verstappen, the plan was to rely on his car’s speed being faster than Qin Miao’s absolute pace, allowing him to build a sufficient lead before Qin Miao’s car could catch up to him.