ctnovel Chapter 8 Winter Break
Chapter 8 Winter Break
Breaking news!
"Alfa Romeo has announced that Yuki Tsunoda will become a reserve driver, and his seat will be taken over by former Red Bull reserve driver Chevrolet Tontatta."
Alfa Toli team principal Franz Tost has stated that the team will no longer distinguish between number 1 and number 2 drivers for the 2022 season.
……
"Chinese driver Thomas Townche has completed seat negotiations with Red Bull and may sign a new contract with the Red Bull team, replacing Yuki Tsunoda as a full-time driver for the Alfa Romeo team..."
……
According to sources, Tontatta has completed contract extension negotiations with Red Bull. The new contract eliminates the possibility of him leaving under a buyout clause and significantly extends the contract length!
……
One news item after another amused Tang Che: "Horner and Marco really know how to create smokescreens. Where did this new contract come from? We just signed some additional clauses on top of the original contract. We didn't increase the penalty for breach of contract or extend the contract term."
"What else?" Tang Jingqing said, "Should we just reveal that no new contract was signed, and then sit back and watch other racing teams waving their money around to poach you?"
-----------------
The F1 winter break may seem long, from mid-December to early March, but in reality, drivers don't get nearly as much rest.
Drivers can only rest for one to two weeks, or even less, without any work pressure. After that, they must resume training and soon return to the factory to participate in the development and testing of the new car for the new season.
This week or two often falls within the 14 days that the rules require all teams to shut down their factories after the season ends, which usually overlaps with the Christmas holidays.
I don't really care about Christmas. At most, I'll send a polite greeting to my European and American teammates and friends who are celebrating Christmas, and if we're closer, I'll prepare gifts and ask someone to deliver them.
In the past, during the Christmas holidays here, Tang Che and Tang Jingqing would go directly back to China to reunite with their families, so the gifts were always sent through intermediaries.
Nowadays, for well-known reasons, a week or two of vacation is simply not enough to return to China, so Tang Che and Tang Jingqing have to stay in Europe.
Tang Jingqing is a restless person; whenever he has free time, he goes on trips.
When Tang Che has free time, he prefers to stay indoors. He spends his days running simulators with Verstappen, playing games with Jiang Zhiyu, going out for meals with Zhou Guanyu from time to time, and streaming games with Alben, Leclerc, and a few others every now and then.
Perhaps because they both have a strong passion for cars, Toncher and Verstappen get along very well and often stream simulator games together.
Tang Che and Zhou Guanyu both trained in Europe from a young age. Although they were in different classes, they communicated very frequently and could be considered childhood friends.
Both being Red Bull reserve drivers and sharing a similar fate (both had their seats taken away), Tontard and Albon got along well, and Tontard was brought into the circle of the Twitch Big Four by Albon.
Because they often streamed games together on Twitch, Alexander Alben, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Lando Norris were known by fans as the Twitch Quartet.
Even after Tang Che joined, they were still the four kings of Twitch—as everyone knows, there are five kings in total.
However, Tang Che's life during this holiday was more than just that.
Xinhua News Agency's interview team came to Monaco and brought together Tang Che and Zhou Guanyu for an exclusive interview.
Tontard lives in Monaco, as do the vast majority of F1 drivers, because Monaco exempts legal residents of non-citizenship from personal income tax, capital gains tax, and wealth tax.
After completing the interview, Tang Che spent half of his vacation at his usual pace, and then accepted Verstappen's invitation to spend Christmas Eve at Verstappen's home with the Verstappen family.
Then it was back to simulators and games every day, then the holiday ended, then training resumed, and then I went to the Alfa Romeo team's factory.
As mentioned before, drivers have to undertake some research and development and testing tasks during each winter break, and there are an unusually large number of research and development and testing tasks during this winter break.
On the eve of the implementation of the new ground effect regulations, all teams are making every effort to develop their vehicles, and drivers also need to take on more simulator work, providing simulator data to the teams while also helping themselves to familiarize themselves with and adapt to the new regulations in advance.
The 2022 technical regulations clearly state that the core source of downforce for racing cars has shifted from the body panels to the venturi tunnel under the car. At the same time, the tires have been changed from 13 inches to 18 inches with a low aspect ratio. Steering feel, tire working window, tire protection logic, following characteristics, and limit boundaries have all been restructured. There is no past experience to draw upon. The FIA also strictly prohibits teams from conducting real car tests on their own. Drivers can only and must familiarize themselves with and adapt to the driving logic of the new cars in advance through simulators.
Therefore, after the team's welcome ceremony for Tancher ended, Tancher and his teammate Gasly quickly got to work on the simulator.
Those who frequently drive in Formula 1 know that the number 1 and number 2 drivers are often a pair of star-crossed lovers.
Driver #1 needs to put on a performance that outperforms Driver #2 to solidify his position; Driver #2... How can a man born into this world remain subservient to others for long?
What if a team doesn't distinguish between driver number 1 and driver number 2?
They are the most tragic of all the ill-fated couples!
In teams that don't distinguish between driver number 1 and number 2, internal rivalry is very likely to occur because both drivers want to prove they are the stronger one, such as Hamilton and Rosberg.
Some people might think that this is a situation where both drivers are competitive, and if one of the drivers were an honest person, there would definitely be no tragic love story.
Are there honest, straightforward drivers in the paddock? It's hard to say for sure. It's more accurate to say that the vast majority of drivers are highly competitive.
Competitive sports are all about striving for victory. If you don't have a competitive spirit, what's the point of playing competitive sports?
Now that Alfa Romeo no longer distinguishes between driver number 1 and driver number 2, will Tontatta and his teammate Gasly have nothing to say?
Not yet.
Toncher and Gasly have a personal relationship – Gasly is Leclerc's childhood friend, and Toncher, who often plays games with Leclerc, inevitably has some contact with Gasly.
The two met in a very friendly manner, and Gasly even excitedly discussed the recently concluded Abu Dhabi leg with Toncher.
As for Kakuta, he and Yutetsu probably have nothing more to say to each other.
A year ago, Kakuta replaced Yutetsu's seat, and now Yutetsu has regained his seat. The two are now a pair of star-crossed lovers.
Kakuta is incredibly popular on the track, but off the track he becomes a quiet, reserved person. When he sees Yutetsu, he gives an awkward greeting and then doesn't say a word.
"You have no reason to resent me. After all, you took my seat for a year. Now I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine," Tang Che said bluntly. "You don't need to worry about not having a chance to rise in the future. I won't stay in this team for long, and this seat will be back in your hands soon."
After saying that, he didn't care how Kakuta reacted and went straight to run the simulator.
As soon as he started running the simulator, Tang Che sensed something was wrong.
Gasly, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, is quite kind when he's not working, but once he gets to work, his competitive spirit is impossible to hide.
Tang Che found a setup that was suitable for a certain track in the simulator, and Gasly immediately started experimenting with it to find a better setup.
Tancher set his fastest lap in the simulator, and Gasly immediately started racing to beat it, determined to surpass Tancher's fastest lap.
There's also Kakuta, who, as a reserve driver, also has to take on simulator duties, and he's just like Gasly when he sits on the simulator.
Tang Che laughed. He was least afraid of racing against others, whether in a simulator or in real life.
-----------------
2022年1月14日，FIA新任主席本・苏拉耶姆发布官方声明，正式启动阿布达比事件的全面调查工作，明确调查结果将提交2月14日F1委员会会议、3月18日WMSC会议审批。
Tang Che is running a simulator.
On January 30, 2022, the FIA issued an official statement in response to rumors about the future of tournament director Massi, clarifying that no decision had been made regarding the Abu Dhabi incident and that the investigation was still progressing steadily.
Tang Che is training.
On January 31, 2022, Lunar New Year's Eve, Tang Che received New Year's greetings from the team and was given a day off, where he had a New Year's Eve dinner with Tang Jingqing.
On the same day, Tontatta received personal greetings and gifts from team executives such as Horner and Marko, as well as from drivers such as Verstappen and Leclerc. Even Toto called to wish Tontatta a Happy New Year.
Toto: I can't forget my white moonlight... both of them... were taken away by Red Bull...
On February 6, 2022, after nearly two months of silence, Lewis Hamilton clarified the retirement rumors through social media, confirming that he would represent Mercedes in the 2022 season.
Tang Che is running a simulator.
On February 13, 2022, an employee of the Alfa Romeo team leaked photos of the AT03 race car. The photos spread widely on social media and confirmed that the AT03 adopted a different sidepod design and a vortex structure on the edge of the floor plate than the Red Bull RB18. The team subsequently issued a brief statement confirming the authenticity of the photos and that the release plan had not been changed.
Tang Che is training.
On February 14, 2022, the F1 Commission meeting was held in London, with all team leaders and driver representatives in attendance. The meeting comprehensively discussed the investigation feedback on the Abu Dhabi incident, revisions to the race rules, and reforms to the race management system. The results were incorporated into the FIA's final action plan.
Alfa Romeo's Alfa Romeo team held a global online launch event for its new car, officially unveiling the 2022 AT03, a road effect racing car, and revealing its final livery and core design concepts.
Tang Che is running... at the press conference.
On February 17, 2022, FIA President Ben Solayem issued an official statement announcing that Michael Massey would no longer serve as the F1 Race Director, and that Niels Vittic and Eduardo Freitas would take over as the new Race Director.
Tang Che is training.
On February 23, 2022, Barcelona, Spain, began its official preseason testing.
There was a great commotion of gongs and drums (no), firecrackers (Europe doesn't have a tradition of setting off firecrackers), a huge crowd (there weren't that many people during the closed test), and red flags waving (the Mercedes-Benz team wouldn't be happy about that).
In short, the time had come to verify the results of the team's research and development, and everyone was very excited (or perhaps a little nervous).
Is it a shitbox or a Mars rover? Let's take it out for a spin!
Gasly drove the AT03 race car onto the track. After completing one lap at extremely low speed, the car returned to the pit garage, where engineers conducted a comprehensive inspection of core components such as the power unit, hydraulic system, electronic system, and sensors.
This is the installation lap, a crucial step in F1 car testing. Its purpose is to safely check whether the car's core systems are functioning properly and to perform necessary troubleshooting and calibration.
After the engineers confirmed there was no malfunction, Gasly drove the race car back onto the track.
For the remainder of the morning, Gasly cruised at low to medium speeds to help the team verify wind tunnel simulation data and collect basic tuning data.
Gasly reported that the car experienced slight bumps at medium speeds.
Given that cars from teams such as Alfa Romeo, Haas, and Mercedes have all experienced severe dolphin jumps at high speeds, Tanger couldn't help but suspect that the dolphin jump problem at high speeds might be a common issue with ground effect racing cars.
In the afternoon, Tang Che sat in the cockpit and did feel a slight bump while cruising at medium speed.
After 10 laps of cruising, Tontatta's track engineer, Mattia Spini, gave instructions in the TR: "Tontatta, start pushing on the next straight. Don't push too hard, and if the car isn't in good condition, slow down immediately."
Tang Che: "copy".
Entering the straightaway... push! push! push~
Those who frequently drive ground effect vehicles know that when the car bounces up, the driver's voice also bounces up.
Tang Che: "There really are dolphin jumps in race cars~"
"Can you keep going?" Mattia asked. "If you can, please try to push as many times as possible."
This is certainly not asking whether the car can hold up, but whether Tang Che can withstand the dolphin jump and continue driving.
Anyone who has driven a Mercedes W13 knows that if the dolphin jump is too severe, it's like the race car is continuously elbowing the driver's spine, which could easily lead to back and waist injuries.
The AT03's dolphin jump isn't as impressive as the W13's, but it's still quite grueling. Moreover, once the race car starts bouncing, the driver can't clearly see the braking point, and the safety risks increase dramatically.
Tang Che: "We can still hold on."
Young, strong back, can handle it!
Mattia: "Okay, please let me know if there are any problems."
Mattia may be too optimistic. This car doesn't just have problems that need to be reported immediately; it has problems that need to be reported constantly.
"There is a serious lack of downforce in high-speed corners, and almost no downforce in low-speed corners."
"The grip changes erratically when entering and exiting corners; every corner feels like rolling dice."
"The car's balance is terrible."
"Tire wear is too high; the tires are deteriorating very quickly."
……
Tang Che: Ding Zhen at first glance, identified as shitbox.
Despite the difficulty, Tanger still managed to run 58 laps.
After driving the car back to the pit lane, Townche jumped out of the cockpit, took off his helmet, and smiled at Gasly.
People sometimes laugh when they're speechless; it's a kind of angry laugh.
Townche and Gasly laughed too soon. That very evening, the team leader brought both good news and bad news.
Good news: All ten teams' cars have dolphin jumps.
The saying goes, "If my family is sick, then everyone is sick; if everyone is sick, then nobody is sick."
The bad news is that simulator data, CFD simulation data, and real vehicle test data are completely unrelated.
This means that the simulator work done by Tang Che, Gasley, and Kakuta has been in vain, and the simulator cannot provide any help for the time being.
Furthermore, given that none of the ten teams predicted the dolphin jump problem of the ground effect vehicle through simulators and CFD simulations, there is reason to suspect that the difficulty of simulating the ground effect vehicle may be beyond everyone's imagination.