ctnovel Chapter 48: Take down driver number 2?
Chapter 48: Take down driver number 2?
The final nine laps of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix were uneventful.
At least that's true for Tanger.
From lap 49 onwards, Tancher was stuck in position P3. Leclerc and Verstappen ahead of him couldn't catch up with Tancher, while Sainz and Perez behind him were too busy battling to catch up with him.
For Sainz, the game turned into a nightmare from the moment the Wojnarowski strategy team decided not to let him pit during the virtual safety car.
Sainz not only failed to help Leclerc, but also lost his podium position and got embroiled in a battle with Perez.
Even more nightmarish was that Sainz's lap time on the old white tires was not as fast as Perez's lap time on the new yellow tires, which put Sainz at a disadvantage in the battle with Perez, and he ultimately failed to hold onto P4.
It's almost fair to say that the Wofa strategy team took down Sainz.
Sainz: Man, what can I say?
The checkered flag waved, and Tang Che crossed the finish line, bringing P3 back!
It's like Chinese New Year again at the Alfa Romeo team's pit garage!
The novelty of performing on stage for the third time is certainly not as great as that of performing on stage for the first or second time, but the novelty of performing three times in a row makes up for this very well.
The entire team was even more excited than when they first took the stage!
Three consecutive podium finishes! During winter testing, the Alfa Romeo team never dreamed they could make it to the podium this season. But now, they've had three podium finishes in five races. Who can handle that?
Alfa Romeo Team: Our family has been using Earth cars for generations, and in recent seasons we've barely made it onto the podium once a season at most. We're just too poor to handle this anymore!
What? You're saying that these three podium finishes involved factors like luck and the poor performance of the Mars group, and therefore weren't very prestigious?
Then let me ask you this: there are quite a few teams in the same league as Alfa Romeo, and some of their drivers are quite lucky. Why couldn't those drivers take advantage of the poor performance of the "Mars Group" and grab a spot on the track?
Even if there was luck involved, and even if the Mars team underperformed, in which of these three stops did Tang Che not face off against the Mars team head-on?
In the Australian leg, he single-handedly defended Perez; in the Imola leg, he battled Verstappen and Perez on the wetlands; and in the Miami leg, he faced Sainz and Perez.
Each and every one of them was won through bold strategies and formidable strength!
It's definitely not something that can be covered up by simply saying you found a wallet!
Brilliant! No need for further explanation! (crossed out)
Don't be so grand yet! Don't be so grand yet! There isn't even one WDC yet. Let's wait until it's not one, not two, not three, not four... before we're grand.
After a busy day, Coach Tang, as usual, ignored the monkeys' cries in the TR and calmly said, "Thank you for your support. This podium belongs to all the team members."
AT03 stopped in the closed parking area again, this time in front of the P3 sign.
Tanger gave Verstappen a bro hug, and then gave Leclerc a bro hug.
Verstappen and Leclerc hurriedly went to the weigh-in, and immediately after the weigh-in, they took off their helmets and unfastened their racing suits.
Both of them were covered in sweat!
Miami is indeed the Heat.
Verstappen was even dehydrated, so he took off his racing suit and squatted down to rest.
The live broadcast followed Verstappen the entire time, capturing the entire process of him removing his helmet and racing suit, and even giving him a close-up of his face when he took off his racing suit.
It's common knowledge that dehydration can improve a person's appearance... I think this Pan Zi still has a lot of charm (crossed out).
Meanwhile, fully equipped, Tanger stood by the fence and hugged team leader Franz, race engineer Mattia, and others one by one. After slowly finishing the hugs, he slowly walked to the weigh-in point. Only after weighing himself did he leisurely take off his helmet and unbutton his racing suit.
Tang Che was actually covered in sweat and close to dehydration, but he was almost unaffected by any negative effects.
The reason behind it… Leclerc was very curious: “Tang, aren’t you feeling any discomfort?”
Tang Che: "My home is in Shenzhen."
That's not surprising! That's not surprising!
HUN, the provincial capital, is said to be hot and spicy by everyone who has been there!
A question mark appeared on Leclerc's forehead.
Tang Che: "When there's a chance during summer break, I'll take you around, and then you'll see."
Leclerc realized: "You mean, you've been used to hot weather since you were a child?"
Tang Che nodded.
Leclerc mimicked that player's signature move: "Then let's go to your place during the winter break."
"Gentlemen! Gentlemen!" Willie T. Ribbs, who was in charge of interviewing the podium drivers, walked over with a camera. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but it's time for an interview."
Rebbs is the first Black driver in Formula 1, the first Black driver to participate in the Indy 500, an F1 diversity ambassador... his aura is off the charts...
Ribs was waiting in the interview area for the podium drivers to come and be interviewed, but they didn't come, so he simply went to them.
Leclair smiled and gestured for Tanger to be interviewed first.
Ribs: "Tanter, congratulations on reaching the podium. How's the car? How are the tires? How's your stamina?"
Why ask about cars?
Ribs: The next one is saddened by Alfa Romeo, and the other is congratulated Alfa Romeo.
What's the sorrow? Gasly withdrew from the race due to mechanical failure. The joy... needs no further explanation.
Tanger: "The pit stop strategy worked well; we never fell behind in terms of tire performance. The high temperatures in Miami were challenging, but I pulled through."
Fun fact: You don't need to answer every question.
Tang Che didn't answer the car question, because no matter how he answered, someone would make a fuss about it.
Especially in the United States, a country rife with conspiracy theories, even if Townter doesn't answer the car question, someone will definitely fabricate a conspiracy theory that the Alfa Romeo team favored Townter in terms of resources, leading to Gasly's poor car stability. They might even fabricate a conspiracy theory that Gasly was actually faster but the team wouldn't allow him to be faster than Townter.
Since you'll be gossiped about whether you answer or not, why waste your breath?
Rebus didn't press further, instead throwing out a new question: "You and Char...Char...Chuck Leclerc (Rebus hesitated between pronouncing it 'Charle' or 'Charles,' eventually saying 'Chuck') have a good personal relationship, right? How was it going to stand on the podium with him?"
Tang Che glanced at Leclerc, a mischievous idea forming in his mind: "It feels pretty good, but I'd rather be on top of him."
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Bonus Chapter: F1 Anecdotes (9)
At 16:24, according to Sky Sports UK, the person who prevented Sainz from entering the pit lane during the virtual safety car was Zhou Guanyu!
This instantly became a trending topic on F1 social media, leaving racing fans utterly astonished, skeptical, and bewildered. Many commented, "Wasn't it Ferrari's strategy team that prevented Sainz from pitting? How could it be Zhou Guanyu?"
It turned out that after retiring from the race, Zhou Guanyu discovered that his car malfunctioned because Leclerc had secretly added leftover ethane from Vaufa to his fuel tank. He was instantly enraged, his anger reaching its peak: "How could Leclerc be so wicked! I have no grudge against him, why would he harm me?"
Zhou Guanyu decided to retaliate against Leclerc, and immediately impersonated Ferrari's strategy team to prevent Sainz from pitting, thus preventing Sainz from helping Leclerc in the remainder of the race, which led to Leclerc losing the championship.