How Did I Become an F1 Driver?

Chapter 1004 390: King of Monaco

The team has noticed that the track conditions are improving and began to consider the issue of Qin Miao's pit stop.Qin Miao, who was fiercely defending against Leclerc, slightly increased his lap speed after hearing Frankie's words.

Currently, Qin Miao's defensive ability isn't as extraordinary as it would be under normal dry conditions. The reason he's able to frustrate Leclerc behind him is mainly due to his starting position and the narrow boundaries of the Monte Carlo track.

During the time Qin Miao held off the "train" behind him, no one dared to enter the pit.

Even though the pressure began to ease, the distance between the cars was still tight, making any pit stop drop significant in position.

Until lap 22, when the track conditions fully allowed drivers to use dry tires, and the outer driving lines gradually revealed the track's original colors, allowing overtaking from other positions, drivers started trying to pit and change to dry tires.

This tire change seemed to flip a switch, with drivers one after another choosing to pit this lap or the next one.

Qin Miao and Leclerc behind him were no exception.

Mercedes was watching Leclerc and Ferrari closely.

As Ferrari prepared to bring Leclerc in for a pit stop, Mercedes immediately called Qin Miao in, so they entered the pits one after the other.

This time, Ferrari couldn't mimic Mercedes' strategy of using deception because conditions no longer allowed for it; drivers behind had already changed to dry tires. If you deceived Qin Miao into pitting while Leclerc continued outside, it would certainly be detrimental to Leclerc.

After Qin Miao entered the pit, he changed to medium tires, while most others used hard tires.

Clearly, these drivers intended to use a set of hard tires for the remaining 55 laps.

Given how difficult overtaking is on the Monte Carlo track, even though pitting for tires could provide better tire performance and speed, it's not certain this advantage can translate into attacking capability.

All teams agree at Monte Carlo: avoid pitting if possible.

For Qin Miao, the durability of medium tires is roughly the same as hard tires, enough to finish the race.

After Qin Miao entered the pit, Toto firmly carried out what he promised Qin Miao yesterday.

The team didn't hold Qin Miao back, completing the tire change in 2.2 seconds. After changing tires, Qin Miao still retained the lead.

Ferrari's usual mishaps did not occur in today's race.

Leclerc and Sainz pitted with a lap in-between, so Ferrari's tire change didn't seem hurried.

Afterward, the race fell into a lull since everyone already switched to dry tires, basically leaving no overtaking scenes.

Even the local Monaco cameramen knew where to set the camera at this time.

Until lap 26, the spectators watched Qin Miao's creative defense against Leclerc, as Leclerc repeatedly attempted to attack Qin Miao from behind within a 0.5-second gap but failed each time.

While Ferrari's and Leclerc's fans were gnashing their teeth, Mercedes' and Qin Miao's fans were ecstatic, yet also holding their breath for Qin Miao.

On lap 26, an accident suddenly occurred on the track.

Mick made a mistake at T10, the front wing scratched against the wall then spun, slamming the rear into the barrier, breaking his car into two.

This mistake seemed inexplicable, as Qin Miao watched the replay post-race, he couldn't fathom how his old classmate drove the Haas into such a state.

Regardless, after an accident appeared on the track, the race organizers immediately deployed the yellow flag.

Qin Miao, who had been defending against Leclerc, now felt the pressure behind him lessen considerably.

With the safety car appearing, Qin Miao considered taking the chance to pit for a new set of tires. After all, sticking to soft tires for the remaining 55 laps wasn't impossible.

However, when Mick crashed, Qin Miao had just passed the pit entrance; he had no choice then.

Once Qin Miao had a chance to choose again, he had already seen the crash site of Mick's car.

After seeing the crash, Qin Miao immediately dismissed the idea of taking advantage of the opportunity to pit for tires.

Qin Miao knew this track intimately, often visiting and strolling around here; he spent a long time walking these streets on Thursday, becoming very familiar with where Mick Schumacher's car crashed.

Although there was a crane, that position wasn't spacious, suitable only for temporarily storing the retired cars, and it can hold only one car.

Furthermore, only 5 meters to the left is the seashore, surrounded by sidewalks with no roads for engineering vehicles.

Therefore, during the race, Matthew couldn't move the crashed car.

According to standard accident procedures, leaving the car there for the race was no big deal.