How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Chapter 1359: Chapter 511: Bahrain Race Begins

After all, the W14 at this moment is very different from the W14 during winter testing, especially in appearance, where many aspects have changed significantly.

Even the photographer responsible for broadcasting, like Red Bull, Ferrari, these teams have sent quite a few people over specifically to study the aerodynamic design of Mercedes’ car this season.

However, they can wear FIA vests, holding cameras, looking just like professional photographers.

And at this time, Mercedes’ insistence on the zero sidepod design concept reveals its advantages.

Because many of the aerodynamic designs of the W14 are designed based on the characteristics of zero sidepods, even if Ferrari and Red Bull people understand the reason and ideas of Mercedes’ designers for designing these parts, and can understand the purpose of such designs, they still can’t use them immediately.

It’s like using a Windows system on one side, while the other side uses a Linux system.

It’s the same program, but the program on a Windows system can’t be used on a Linux system without being decoded and recompiled.

However, by observing, they can certainly get some information they didn’t know before.

For example, they learned that Mercedes’ car will be particularly fast on the straights this season.

Of course, they don’t have a clear answer on exactly how fast just yet.

On the track, after the practice session began, Qin Miao didn’t hang around in the team’s P room, and drove the W14 out at the first opportunity.

When just out of the pit lane and due to speed limit, Qin Miao didn’t have a clear feeling.

But once out of the pit lane entrance, and with the speed limit removed and Qin Miao started accelerating, Qin Miao immediately felt the difference.

The acceleration ability of this season’s W14 is obviously stronger than that of the W13B.

And the entire acceleration process is stronger than the W13B.

Although this feeling is very subtle, and even ordinary people may not be able to feel it, Qin Miao truly feels this.

If that’s the case...

Does it mean I don’t have to worry about being stuck in a DRS train?

The straight-line acceleration ability of the W14 is already quite extraordinary, and if DRS is available...

Qin Miao doesn’t even dare to imagine how fast the top speed would be with both the slipstream of the car in front and DRS.

It’s possible that the W14 could break the top speed record of F1 that’s been held for so many years.

As Qin Miao enters the Bahrain Sakhir circuit and begins his warm-up lap, Qin Miao’s work starts today.

To be honest, Qin Miao also understands that after introducing the budget cap rule, the team doesn’t have the resources to develop a ’bucket’ car, and Qin Miao is even mentally prepared for the cornering performance of this W14 to be worse than last year’s W13B.

As for the feeling from the simulator?

The reason it’s called a simulator is precisely because the feeling of driving on it is not the same as driving in reality.

If it could be exactly the same, why take such large risks to race in reality? Why not just race on the simulator?

So, most of the time, the data and feelings from the simulator can only be used as a reference, because the simulator cannot simulate the myriad changes of reality.

And after the testing started, what truly surprised Qin Miao was, while the W14 excelled in straight-line acceleration and top speed, its handling performance in medium to low-speed corners was not as bad as expected.

It remains pretty much on par with last year’s first-gen ’muscle car’ W13B.

To be honest, this surprise was even greater for Qin Miao compared to the extraordinary top speed of this year’s W14.

After finishing the warm-up lap, Qin Miao barely familiarized with the car and already used the setup tested from the simulator to run a flying lap during the practice stage.

This lap, Qin Miao didn’t push to the limit, although Qin Miao understands the car deeply, and with the help of System Skills could control it as easily as an extension of oneself, but couldn’t guarantee that pushing so hard in the first lap would not affect the car’s internal engine and other components.

Also need to consider the mindset of the team staff, after all, squeezing the car to its limits right at the start, they’ll watch nervously and worriedly.

So, the first flying lap, Qin Miao was relatively restrained.

Even when holding back, the W14 still gave Qin Miao a significant surprise.

On one hand, the car’s characteristics still tend towards understeer, which suits the driving habits of Qin Miao and Hamilton, and on the other hand, the car’s top speed on straights is terrifyingly fast.

Qin Miao tried opening DRS in complete form of the W14 and managed a top speed of 330 kph on white tires before the T1 braking point, similar to the top speed with soft tires and DRS during winter testing on a flying lap.

From this, it can be seen how terrifying the top speed of the W14 is, and it’s not even at its complete form, meaning there’s still room for improvement.

Moreover, the new chassis design enhanced the mechanical grip, giving Qin Miao the feeling of driving a W11 when tackling low-speed corners.

Indeed, it has a bit of that track car feel.

Of course, this car isn’t without its flaws.

The strength of this car lies in low-speed corners where aerodynamics have less effect, high-speed corners, and long straights, but it’s noticeably lacking grip in medium-speed corners, with severe understeer.

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