novellk Chapter 10 This Alfa Romeo race car wouldn't let me pass.
Chapter 10 This Alfa Romeo race car wouldn't let me pass.
"Radio check."
"Loud and clear."
All pre-race checks are complete, everything is ready, and we are ready for takeoff!
FIA: Clearance for takeoff!
Tang Che drove the race car out of the pit lane.
Those who frequently drive F1 cars know that there is a warm-up lap before the main race.
Those who frequently drive F1 cars also know that drawing dragons during the main race may be against the rules, but it's allowed during the warm-up lap, where drivers can freely draw dragons and wear down the tires.
AT03: Come to the left and draw a dragon with me, then draw a rainbow on your right. (crossed out)
Tang Che: Snow Leopard, shut up! (crossed out)
Tonight's warm-up lap went smoothly, just like most warm-up laps, without any of the bizarre incidents of cars crashing into the grid. Every car came to a steady stop in the starting grid.
P1勒克莱尔、P2维斯塔潘、P3塞恩斯、P4佩雷兹、P5汉密尔顿、P6汤彻，都是红胎起步。
(The 2022 regulations no longer require the use of the tires used for the fastest lap in Q2 of qualifying at the start of the race, giving drivers more flexibility in their tire choices.)
Looking at the starting order of the race, it's easy to imagine how excited Tiefo Temple was when the qualifying session ended last night, shouting "Wow, helium magnesium ethane!"
Is the main race car of the Wofa made with ethane or helium magnesium ethane? It's hard to say for now.
The good thing is that the enzyme seems to be mostly ethane.
Cupping King Hamilton started in P5 and sat at the same table as Townche; Racing Emperor Russell started in P9 and sat at the same table as Gasly, who started in P10.
Even if the old man doesn't say it, Russell must be very unhappy with his starting grid position. After all, Russell once said: "He is ninth, which is not up to standard for a Mercedes driver. He should be fighting for victory and the podium every race."
Rounding up, it's like Mercedes and Alfa Romeo sitting at the same table; rounding down again, it's like Mercedes falling into the mid-table group.
W13: Wait a minute, how can you draw conclusions based on qualifying results? Our racing is a long-distance race! Don't underestimate the importance of qualifying!
I understand what you mean. Even though everyone is laughing at you, I still hope you can perform well in the main competition.
Those who frequently drive F1 cars know that while the starting order is important, without a lightning-fast start, it's easy to lose position during the start phase.
Bottas: Thinking about me?
Can Vortis hold onto pole position? Can Vortis maintain its competitiveness from the 2021 season? Can Benzema prove it remains in the leading group?
The wind follows the tiger, the clouds follow the dragon, and the heroes of dragon and tiger soar proudly across the sky! The five red lights go out, and the 2022 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix officially begins!
Tom Che started his thunderous run! Unfortunately, there was no space, so he could only follow behind Hamilton.
Hamilton and Perez entered Turn 1 side by side, with Tontard still closely following Hamilton.
Hamilton choked at the apex of Turn 2, exiting the corner half a car length ahead of Perez. Townche, also on the inside line, used this opportunity to close the gap, trailing Perez by only half a car length.
Hamilton pushed Perez off the track just before Turn 3! Tanger seized the opportunity to attack, using his higher exit speed to kick Perez away!
Perez tried to regain position on the straight but failed – although the RB18 driven by Perez was better than the AT03 overall, the AT03 was not much weaker in terms of straight-line performance alone.
The AT03's top speed on the straight was even higher than Hamilton's W13!
Before Turn 4, Tontache had already closed in on Hamilton. Tontache changed lanes, taking the inside line… Hamilton didn't give way, and the two cars almost collided in the corner! Exiting the corner… Hamilton was still in the lead!
There was a near-accident, and Tom Chester's track engineer, Mattia, was startled: "Tom, the race has only just begun. We can wait patiently for overtaking opportunities. There's no need to drive so aggressively."
Tang Che: "copy".
Even if Tanger didn't want to wait, he had no choice but to wait, because Perez had caught up.
Perez made a U-turn on the straight before Turn 5, attempting to cut inside, but Tanger braked late, securing the inside line and maintaining the lead.
With no obvious overtaking points on the continuous low-to-medium speed curves, Tangche easily maintained his line and steadily defended against Perez.
At Turn 8, Perez also braked late... but Tanger braked even later!
Perez bit off the back of Tontatta's car as he exited Turn 10, then pulled off a spin on the straight, and the RB18 blew the AT03 away!
Speed is only truly important on straightaways; who can't stay on the line when cornering? (doge)
But Tanger wasn't pulled away by Perez; Tanger remained firmly on his heels! He made a spin before Turn 11, and braked late!
Perez: Another late brake, huh? Let's see who brakes later!
Perez braked even later! But it was too late; his tires locked up!
Because Perez's tires were locked, Tontard not only successfully overtook Perez, but also gave Perez a safe distance.
Perez, somewhat defensively, said in the TR, "This Alfa Romeo won't let me pass."
This isn't just a complaint; it's a veiled call to the parents.
As is well known, Alfa Romeo's team is Toro Rosso's second team. Although the rules stipulate that the two teams should be strictly separated, in reality, there is no such thing as absolute separation. When it comes to yielding to Red Bull, Alfa Romeo should give way to Red Bull.
They won't directly tell you to give way, because that would be considered illegal team formation, so they give instructions in a more subtle way.
For example, Perez's complaint right now, translated: "Isn't AlphaToli supposed to be supporting us? Why is he blocking my way like this? Is nobody going to do anything about this?"
What does the Alfa Romeo team have to say?
Mattia: "Well done, Thom."
The second team also has its own honors to pursue, so why would they easily give up the position they worked so hard to win? Anyway, this isn't some crucial battle where they have to give way to Perez. If Perez wants the position, he can fight for it himself.
Alphatoli: You must get a good position, Perez! Don't let our team's kid dominate you for the whole game!
Mattia: "Maintain the rhythm and try to hold onto your position."
Given the performance gap between the AT03 and RB18, Taunter will definitely be overtaken by Perez. Will Taunter be able to retain his position then?
Mattia, in any case, lacked confidence—not in Tanger, but in the AT03 itself.
Mattia is probably the person who knows the most about the problems with the AT03 besides Towne, because every problem Towne discovers while driving is first reported to him, the track engineer.
In Mattia's mind, the AT03 is just a mid-level race car, and Gasly's current position (P8) is where it should be. It is only thanks to Tontatta's efforts that it has been able to get close to the leading group.
Mattia: I didn't believe them when they said top drivers have a 0.3-second lap time advantage, but now I see it's more than 0.3 seconds.
Mattia recognized the driving skills of top drivers, but he did not yet recognize their competitive spirit.
How could Tang Che be content with his current position? No matter how many problems this AT03 has, he will strive for a higher position.
Townche is chasing Hamilton, and Perez is chasing Townche. Who will catch up with their target first?
It's Russell.