How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Chapter 1169 - 442: Qin Miao’s Semi-Home Field

Qin Miao naturally knew the other party, and indeed, seeing them here surprised Qin Miao a little.This restaurant was really just randomly picked by Qin Miao himself. Neither Qin Miao nor Barber had been here before, and they didn’t know how the food tasted. The only thing that caught Qin Miao’s eye about this place was that it was very close to the paddock.

"President Liu, I really didn’t expect to run into you while coming out for a late-night snack. What brings you here?" Qin Miao smiled, shook hands, and asked curiously.

At this time, other staff members who were sitting and eating stood up, each taking out their phones to start recording and taking pictures of Qin Miao.

Such actions were something Qin Miao was long accustomed to and didn’t mind; he even smiled and nodded to greet them.

Liu Xinyue explained with a smile, "Isn’t it that a Grand Prix weekend has just ended, and all the company’s colleagues have worked hard for several days? We came out for a meal, and after that, they’re getting a vacation."

"Isn’t it a coincidence? I also just finished work and was planning to grab some food before heading back to the UK."

"If you don’t mind, would you like to join us for a bite?"

"Won’t it be a bother?" Qin Miao said, somewhat embarrassed.

Before Liu Xinyue could say anything, the Geely staff beside him, eager to shoot videos, immediately became noisy.

"Not at all, we would love that!"

"Quick, quick, make room for Qin Miao and the two of them."

...

Liu Xinyue also invited Qin Miao to sit down with a smile: "We just started serving our meal, it’s Italian, not sure if it suits your taste."

"Then I appreciate it. Actually, I’ve lived in Italy for a while, so I shouldn’t have any problems with the taste," Qin Miao said with a smile, finding his status quite useful here.

However, before sitting down, Qin Miao gave Barber a look.

Barber nodded understandingly.

Throughout this time, Qin Miao naturally began chatting and eating with the people from Geely.

After all, he knew quite a few of them, and his joining in for a meal didn’t feel out of place.

Moreover, the fact that Qin Miao doesn’t drink alcohol was no secret in the paddock, so nobody intended for Qin Miao to drink, and he directly substituted tea for wine.

However, as others drank more and ate variedly, some of them became a bit tipsy.

Qin Miao kept a clear head and began to chat with Liu Xinyue beside him.

"President Liu, how’s the negotiation with Aston Martin going now? From the looks of it, it’s confirmed you’ll be entering F1 next season, right?"

Liu Xinyue nodded vigorously with slightly dazed eyes: "Qin Miao, I’m not bragging to you; I promise you, next season you’ll definitely see our Chinese F1 team on the track!"

"Seems quite smooth?" Qin Miao said somewhat unexpectedly. "I remember Old Stroll’s asking price was quite high; did you agree to all that?"

"No way, those damned Anglos were being absurdly demanding! They’re just playing us for fools."

"Oh~" Qin Miao nodded meaningfully, then curiously asked, "This might be a bit forward, but I’m still curious; do you have a specific price for the latest negotiation?"

"Typically, we wouldn’t announce such things all over the place, but since it’s you, Qin Miao, if you want to know, you could call the chairman, and he’d tell you."

As she said this, Liu Xinyue made a gesture of 7 with her hand and said: "Cash, along with a bunch of additional terms.

Overall, it looks tempting, but a lot of complexities are involved, and the people responsible for the negotiations are having such a hard time that their hair is falling out in clumps."

"That really isn’t easy," Qin Miao nodded empathically, "On the F1 race track, only when you get into the car is it truly a competition; most other times, it’s all business."

"Who wouldn’t agree, but honestly, Qin Miao, your performance on the track is really great. You wouldn’t know this, but a lot of bars and venues in China are dedicated to watching your race; it’s a new industry springing up because of you," Liu Xinyue said. "Our active efforts to enter F1 also partly stem from your outstanding performance on the F1 stage."

Qin Miao replied, "Honestly, I’m not quite sure how big my influence is in China, since I haven’t done much domestically in a while."

Liu Xinyue thought for a moment and said, "How about this? We at Geely have a sub-brand, Geek. Would you like to participate in one of our Geek track day events? Then you’d know how popular you are in China."

Qin Miao chuckled wryly: "President Liu, you’re just joking with me. I’m a driver for the Mercedes team, not the Haas Team. I’m exclusively endorsed by Mercedes, so I can’t take ads from other car brands or participate in any auto-related activities unless they’re linked to Mercedes."

"That’s really a pity," Liu Xinyue said regretfully.

Qin Miao didn’t mind, instead spontaneously asking: "By the way, President Liu, during this race week, I noticed you were having quite a cheerful conversation with the people at Red Bull. What’s up? Do you have any thoughts on the junior Red Bull team?"

Liu Xinyue was initially stunned, seemingly not expecting Qin Miao’s thoughts to jump so abruptly, then immediately smiled and said: "Not at all? We’re just maintaining good relations with Red Bull; maybe the people engaging with Red Bull were having a lively chat with Horner or Marco, so they talked for a while."