Chapter 1517: Highlights_2

He frequently attacks opponents in front of him whose speed isn’t faster than his own.

During one such battle with Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu was squeezed off the track at T1 by Tsunoda.

At the time, Zhou Guanyu was behind Tsunoda, but before entering the corner, Zhou Guanyu had the speed to overtake Tsunoda, although Tsunoda occupied the inside line, prompting Zhou Guanyu to attempt to overtake from the outside line.

Zhou Guanyu indeed managed to do so, but at the apex of T1, Tsunoda didn’t leave any space for Zhou Guanyu when exiting the corner, forcing Zhou Guanyu onto the dirty side of the track.

The dirty side of the track is full of rubber and dust, which when an F1 car drives over can lead to sliding or even spinning like a top.

Thus, Zhou Guanyu sped straight into the buffer zone outside the T1 track to avoid losing more positions.

Therefore, Zhou Guanyu’s attempt to overtake Tsunoda was considered a failure.

Though it didn’t result in a collision like Qin Miao and Verstappen, it was indisputable that Tsunoda didn’t leave enough space for Zhou Guanyu during Zhou Guanyu’s line rights and squeezed him off the track.

Hence, after the incident, the race directors immediately penalized Tsunoda with a five-second penalty similar to Verstappen’s.

After the obstruction incident, Tsunoda and Verstappen faced similar fates; both lost a race win due to their five-second penalties, and Tsunoda missed out on points, handing over two points to Zhou Guanyu.

Honestly, if Tsunoda had struggled a bit against Zhou Guanyu and eventually let him pass, Tsunoda could still have secured at least one point.

Instead, Tsunoda ended up being penalized down to eleventh with no points after his duel with Zhou Guanyu.

Gasly, on the other hand, easily took advantage of the situation without doing much.

Tsunoda and Gasly’s close relationship is evident, not only in private but also on the track, where they share points generously without hesitation.

After the race, the driver’s standings are as follows:

1: Verstappen: 157

2: Qin Miao: 131

3: Hamilton: 115

4: Perez: 83

5: Alonso: 72

6: Leclerc: 47

7: Sainz: 49

8: Stroll: 31

9: O’Kang: 18

10: Gasly: 13

11: Norris: 12

12: Zhou Guanyu: 6

13: Bottas: 4

14: Hockenberg: 4

15: Piastri: 4

16: Tsunoda: 2

17: Magelsen: 1

There was hardly any change in the driver’s standings after the race.

However, the time gap originally expanding between Qin Miao and Verstappen noticeably shrank after this race.

Defending champion Qin Miao remains a strong contender for this season’s world championship.

In addition to Verstappen, Hamilton also has a chance at winning the world championship this season.

Meanwhile, the team standings saw notable changes compared to the driver’s standings.

1. Mercedes: 246

2. Red Bull: 240

3. Aston Martin: 103

4. Ferrari: 96

5. Alpine: 31

6. McLaren: 16

7. Alfa Romeo: 10

8. Haas: 5

9. Lynk & Co: 2

10. Williams: 0

Clearly, Mercedes now leads Red Bull in team standings by four points after this race.

This is partly thanks to Qin Miao’s last-minute victory today, and also due to Old Man’s efforts, ensuring Mercedes secured another podium spot.

As a result of Mercedes reclaiming the top spot in team standings, engineers returning to Brackley after the Spanish Grand Prix received rewards.

Each one got a €3,000 improvement bonus.

Qin Miao was no exception.

Aside from that, there were gossips about Qin Miao and Verstappen on and off the track.

It started when Qin Miao was sarcastic in the team radio after being hit by Verstappen.

Even bringing in Verstappen’s dad, during Spanish Grand Prix post-interview, a Sky Sports reporter interviewed Verstappen and his father, Joss Verstappen.

Despite knowing it was mainly his responsibility, Pan became annoyed at Qin Miao’s indirect criticism of Verstappen’s dad and lashed out, calling Qin Miao uncultured.

Verstappen’s father also had some critical words about Qin Miao’s team radio.

Yet Qin Miao ignored him; it wasn’t solely aimed at him. Qin Miao generally doesn’t pay attention to online opinions about himself.

Indeed, you hit me on track and I can’t even swear a bit?

I clearly stated that it was a guess, just a thought, without any curse words, and even if there were the FIA would censor them.

Why so anxious?

Of course, Qin Miao didn’t reply like this, but Mercedes did speak up for Qin Miao on social media.

After all, F1 is a place of opinionated discussions, which affects teams and drivers.

Even if Qin Miao doesn’t generally read online critiques, and regardless of F1 being a winner-takes-all sport, such gossips shake team morale already uneasy about Qin Miao’s impending departure.

Mercedes’ explanation was rather conventional.

“Qin Miao was racing, and during this process, everyone was in a heightened adrenaline state, so what’s said often bypassed rational thought.”

“Qin Miao was in such a state; please show mercy with your words.”

Although Mercedes’ explanation seemed amusing to F1 professionals and drivers, it was substantial enough for fans and laymen unfamiliar with the intricacies of F1 races.

At least, if they put themselves in the shoes of an F1 driver, many would conclude that in the heat of the moment, words came without substantial thought.

As for the drama inside and outside the paddock, initiator Qin Miao wasn’t very aware, and largely uninvolved.

After the race, returning to the UK, Qin Miao tended to his child for a few days.

This bonding allowed Muqiu and Qin Miao to foster a better relationship, matching her mother’s attitude towards him.

Sometimes, she would climb onto Qin Miao for a hug.

Before the birth, Qin Miao experienced anxiety.

Living in an era of information overload where youngsters absorb varied online content, Qin Miao assumed his child would go through a widely disliked phase, mentally preparing for it.

However, spending time with Muqiu, Qin Miao realized his darling daughter was quite obedient.

Despite not speaking, causing occasional cries, her distress was often due to hunger, needing a change, feeling cold, hot, or wanting playtime with mom or dad.

Going through the checklist easily calmed her down.

To Qin Miao’s delight, by day three, Muqiu became exceedingly affectionate towards him.

Mimicking his actions, notably watching the monitor intently when Qin Miao practiced on the simulator.

During such moments, Muqiu was most serene, unfazed by mishaps, patiently waiting until Qin Miao finished or slipped up for attention.

Sometimes, she tapped her dad’s head for attention before crying, or simply cried directly.

Mostly, she waited for Qin Miao to continue practicing while she kept watching.