It is worth mentioning that because the driving simulator does not equate to actually driving an F1 car, Qin Miao does not need a long adaptation period to master the simulator’s racing driving.
So in subsequent tests, Qin Miao was at times faster than Hamilton.
However, everyone at Mercedes knows that although the simulator and F1 cars have data interchange and similar driving feel, they cannot be equated.
Qin Miao can perform very well on the simulator, but when actually sitting in an F1 car, no one knows whether he can truly maintain his precise control over the car under more than 2G of G-force pressure.
Even if he can maintain it for a short period, what about during a race phase with long-distance driving at over 300 kilometers?
So the staff has a calm mindset regarding Qin Miao’s data.
Notably, Qin Miao has been very busy during this period, but Old Man Hamilton is busier than Qin Miao, and Bottas is also very busy.
The main reason is that Mercedes sponsors are not optimistic about Qin Miao’s performance on the track. They believe that after three races, Qin Miao will give up his seat to Bottas, so this year’s sponsor ads are mainly filmed by Hamilton and Bottas.
Qin Miao thus magically had a period to focus on training.
Time passed in this busy work.
Although Old Man Hamilton is busier than Qin Miao, Qin Miao’s work content is similar to Old Man Hamilton’s.
Since Qin Miao lives close to the team’s factory, once there is any issue, Toto would call him over to get busy with the team.
But more often, it’s the design department breaching new aerodynamic kits by blowing empty air, and after importing the part’s data into the simulator’s car, Qin Miao is needed to test the effects of this new upgrade.
Soon, time moved to March when both the winter test and this year’s first Grand Prix are held this month.
On March 10, Qin Miao followed Toto to Bahrain to prepare for this year’s winter test.
Though living close to the team and often being pulled over for temporary overtime by the boss has its disadvantages, it’s not without benefits.
Most significantly, Qin Miao can hitch a ride to participate in races at any time. Though even if Qin Miao tries to find his way to Bahrain, the team would cover his flight expenses, but surely having the invoice step followed by the team finance reimbursement step lets him skip a step?
Upon reaching Bahrain, Qin Miao was naturally arranged to stay at a hotel.
After becoming an F1 driver, Qin Miao didn’t need to look for hotels himself, and the hotel couldn’t be too expensive.
Qin Miao’s accommodation and meals are taken care of by Mercedes with a dedicated person in charge, and the specifications aren’t low.
With accommodation settled, the team also prepared a Mercedes business car for Qin Miao for commuting.
These cars are provided by local dealers completely free for the team and drivers to use, not only free but even delivered eagerly.
On the morning of March 12.
Qin Miao drove early into the paddock. After parking in the spot specially prepared by the organizers for drivers, Qin Miao, carrying his backpack, entered the paddock with Qimeng.
Qin Miao noticed that from the moment he got out of the car, several camera lenses pointed towards him.
Mind you, this isn’t the day of the Grand Prix yet, just the winter test. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novᴇlfire.net
This counts as Qin Miao’s first public appearance with his girlfriend Qimeng in front of the paddock cameras. By noon, without surprises, their relationship will be uncovered by someone.
Qin Miao isn’t too concerned about this. He has never hidden the fact he has a girlfriend, and it’s normal for drivers in the paddock to have girlfriends.
Indifferent to these undisguised lenses, Qin Miao entered the paddock with Qimeng.
Since Mercedes won the team championship last year as in previous years, Mercedes is closest to the pit entry this year, followed by Red Bull, then McLaren, continuing according to team rankings.
After walking through the paddock’s passageways, Qin Miao first entered Mercedes team’s Motorhome.
Motorhome refers to those rectangular boxes opposite the pits where team staff enter and exit.
The Motorhome is assembled by transporting building materials into the paddock with over ten trucks and assembled within a day by the staff.
Yes, although this thing is hauled over, it isn’t directly transported fully assembled but assembled onsite.
The Motorhome contains a storage area for living supplies, with everything ranging from various racing parts to garbage bags, stationery, water, food, garments, ensuring self-sufficiency within the paddock.
During the Grand Prix, all meals and drinks for team staff are settled here - self-sufficient in every sense of the word.
Furthermore, all food and drink for team staff are shipped from Brackley, UK.
This was Captain Mark Webber from 07’s gesture of care for up-and-coming drivers.
Besides, there is a work area inside the Motorhome for simple racing car maintenance, circuit sorting.
Then comes the tire storage area, where the tires of two F1 cars during the Grand Prix are stored, separated left and right to prevent confusion when accessing.