After arriving at the track, Qin Miao first attended the afternoon team meeting. During the meeting, Toto summarized some of the mistakes made by the two Mercedes drivers on the track recently and offered suggestions and methods for improvement.
The two drivers humbly accepted this, and then the team discussed the tactics prepared for them during the race stage, as well as possible team orders.
One point was made very clear, which was that if Qin Miao’s speed was slower than Hamilton’s during the race stage, he must give up his position, with no room for negotiation.
Qin Miao did not express any objection to this. Earlier in the morning, during training, Qin Miao had already received a call from Toto, and the two discussed this matter over the phone.
Toto’s intention was clear: Hamilton is Mercedes’ number one driver right now, so if his speed is faster during the race, you must yield to him after accepting the team order.
As for what to do if Qin Miao’s speed was faster than Hamilton’s, Toto didn’t mention, but given the team’s favoritism towards Hamilton, it was implied: It’s better for you not to cause trouble now, just play your role as the number two driver honestly.
Besides, whether Qin Miao would actually be faster than Hamilton in the race stage is still unknown.
Of course, Toto didn’t just call to pressure Qin Miao; he was actually very happy with Qin Miao’s performance, because it proved his unique vision.
So after seriously discussing the matter of being number two, Toto still explained his reasons for doing so.
As a team leader, Toto was well aware that many irreconcilable conflicts were mostly caused by misunderstandings, with the main reasons for misunderstandings being poor communication or unwillingness to communicate.
So Toto asked Qin Miao to maintain the responsibilities of a number two driver while explaining the reasons behind his request:
"This year’s car isn’t as strong as last year’s. If the drivers enter into internal conflict, the team might not win the championship this year. So this year, we have to inconvenience you a bit and have you act as the number two driver. Next year, after the new regulations, we won’t limit internal rivalries."
Apart from that, the team meeting covered a lot of other topics, like today’s track conditions, possible weather changes, and vehicle maintenance status.
After it ended, the work for the two drivers wasn’t over.
Hamilton went to participate in media activities, while Qin Miao went for an interview with "Drive to Survive."
The production crew was preparing to make an exclusive episode of "Drive to Survive" focused entirely on Qin Miao, with all the content centered around him.
Generally, drivers don’t get such treatment, but whether in F2 or currently in F1, Qin Miao’s displayed skills are enough to pique the interest of the "Drive to Survive" production crew.
Qin Miao could have refused, but he was pretty eager to see himself in an F1 documentary, so when he received the invitation, he readily agreed.
The interview location was actually just an ordinary room with a black curtain hanging in the background, and opposite him was a bunch of people operating various cameras.
Then Qin Miao sat on a stool and answered the questions asked by the interviewer...
After the "Drive to Survive" interview concluded, Qin Miao went back to his lounge to watch the F2 race.
Before every F1 race, there’s always a support race, and before today’s race, there was an F2 support race, so Qin Miao had the time since he didn’t need to participate in media or other team activities.
Qin Miao wanted to see how Zhou Guanyu would perform without him and Mick present.
The final result was satisfying for Qin Miao, as Zhou Guanyu won the championship in the F2 main race and stood on the top podium.
After Zhou Guanyu took the lead in the main race, Qin Miao stopped watching. Based on his understanding of Zhou Guanyu, he was confident Zhou would secure the championship, so Qin Miao quickly put on a mask and rushed to the track from the paddock.
Although Qin Miao missed Zhou Guanyu’s final crossing of the finish line, when Zhou drove back to the pit area to celebrate, he saw Qin Miao standing in the crowd, wearing a Mercedes team outfit, looking happily at him and applauding in celebration.
The director even gave Qin Miao a close-up shot. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net
After all, Qin Miao was a popular figure back in F2 and continued to impress in F1. A close-up at this moment didn’t overshadow the main event, and Qin Miao’s good relationship with Zhou Guanyu is no secret; many people are aware of it.
After watching the F2 race and congratulating Zhou Guanyu on the spot, Qin Miao went on to participate in the pre-race press conference.
Then he attended the driver parade.
In fact, before the driver parade, there was a service that VIPs could enjoy, which involves drivers taking their team cars onto the track with the VIPs for a track experience.
But Qin Miao’s contract stipulates that he doesn’t have to go, and drivers at Old Man’s level rarely attend such activities, so only Bottas was busy on the track for Mercedes.
The subsequent driver parade involved all twenty drivers standing on a flatbed truck, leisurely circling the track twice, waving and greeting the spectators around the circuit.
After that ended, the drivers returned to their respective paddocks, with an hour and a half left before the start of the F1 main race, a time meant for drivers to adjust their status.