Baby, Don't Cry

Chapter 142 Baby, Don't Cry
The night is deep.

All was quiet; the entire city had fallen asleep, all the noise and clamor submerged beneath the surface, as if entering a completely different world.

Lu Cheng sat down opposite Jiang Mo, glanced at the lone piece of paper on the table, examined it carefully, and then understood.

That was Lu Zhizhou's final exam report card—

Lu Zhizhou performed poorly in this exam, ranking seventh in his class and slipping to twenty-second in the grade, which was disappointing.

No wonder Jiang Mo couldn't sleep.

Lu Cheng let out a soft breath, "Jiang Mo, you should know that Xiao Zhou has already tried his best, right?"

"After the news of Ferrari signing him came out last September, the whole world was watching him, and any little thing could become the focus of discussion."

"With both competitions and training, sleep time is especially precious. This is even more true during the winter break training, when Xiaozhou trains until he can't move at all."

In fact, Lu Zhizhou is sensible, independent, and self-reliant. He always reports good news to his family but never bad news, bearing all the pressure and facing difficulties alone. He never uttered a word about the hardships during the winter break, always facing challenges with a positive and optimistic attitude, and downplaying them on the phone.

However, Rosana had been secretly contacting Lu Cheng and Jiang Mo, updating them on Lu Zhizhou's schedule. After all, Lu Zhizhou had just turned eighteen and was still a child. She didn't want Lu Cheng and Jiang Mo to worry, so she reported on Lu Zhizhou's training progress as much as possible.

The intensity and quantity of those training sessions far exceeded my expectations.

Lu Cheng is alright. He understands racing and knows how difficult it is to enter F1. Lu Zhizhou has skipped levels all the way from street racing to GP3 and then to F1. It is equivalent to catching up with the accumulation of others in ten or fifteen years in just one year. He must go all out during the winter break. He has long been mentally prepared.

But Jiang Mo couldn't bear it. Looking at Rosana's reports, even if they were just text or photos, she was always worried and couldn't bear it.

Seeing Lu Zhizhou lying in the sweat, unable to move even a finger, Jiang Mo didn't say anything on the surface, but secretly wiped away tears behind his back.

Therefore, I was already mentally prepared for everything.

With such intensive and intense training during the winter break, pushing both the physical and mental limits, where is there any time left to do practice problems?
“You should know that even this result far exceeded expectations, right?” Lu Cheng reminded him.

Jiang Mo looked exhausted, slowly closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Mo finally spoke, "Yes. I know."

"I also know that Xiaozhou has signed a contract with Ferrari and found his future development direction. Even if he doesn't come back to take the exam this time, it's understandable."

“Just look at his homeroom teacher and the principal; they all thought Xiaozhou wouldn’t take the college entrance exam.”

Jiang Mo knew perfectly well that Lu Zhizhou was still persisting in studying and taking exams, all because of her.

Jiang Mo took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, flattened it, and placed it in front of Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng looked slightly puzzled, but still opened it. It was... a check for one million euros.

Lu Cheng looked up at Jiang Mo, his eyes filled with shock.

Jiang Mo's eyes suddenly reddened, and he barely managed to control himself after taking several deep breaths. "It was given to me by Xiao Zhou. He saved up all the prize money he earned from the youth training academy and the ART team in Europe. When he had his first million euros, he put it in an envelope and gave it to me before he left."

Unable to continue speaking, Jiang Mo was lost in his own emotions, a lump forming in his throat.

Jiang Mo had always known that Lu Zhizhou was sensible and didn't need to worry about him.

To outsiders, Lu Zhizhou's actions were reckless and audacious; whether it was street racing or his solo adventure in Rome, these were all crazy and off-track behaviors.

But Jiang Mo knew that behind Lu Zhizhou's unruly behavior, he remained clear-headed; he knew what he was doing and how he should do it.

However, as a mother, she still worried about her child. She couldn't help but worry, always holding the string tightly in her hand, for fear that if she wasn't careful, the kite would be swept into the storm and disappear completely, never to return.

"Lu Cheng, do you also think I'm wrong? That I'm too stubborn?"

Jiang Mo looked up at her husband.

“Now Xiaozhou has grown up. He earns more than the two of us combined in a lifetime. He has a bright future, and he might even be driving a Ferrari.”

"But I still cling to my high school diploma."

Lu Cheng could also feel the heavy weight of the check in his hand, and he was filled with a thousand thoughts and mixed feelings.

Letting out a soft breath, Lu Cheng shook his head, "No, it's not like that, I know your insistence..."

A hint of sadness flashed in Jiang Mo's eyes. "It's a money-driven world now. Everything is geared towards money. As long as you can make money, then everything is right."

"Studying hard is all for a job and to make money. Now that Xiaozhou has all of that, nothing else matters anymore."

"But is that really the case?"

"The world of F1 is cruel and ruthless. Even Kimi Räikkönen, a world champion, can be eliminated in an instant. The two Sauber drivers, how long have they been in the paddock? Two years? Three years? And then they become unemployed. In order to make a living, they have to go to other racing competitions to find work."

“Competitive sports are all about youth, and F1 is no exception. Xiaozhou got a seat at Ferrari, but there is no guarantee that seat will be taken.”

"You may seem to have everything now, but you could lose it all at any time."

Lu Cheng tried to interject, "But all jobs are the same; nothing is 100% certain, and our lives are no exception."

Jiang Mo took a deep breath. "I understand."

"But it's not just that now, is it?"

Seeing Lu Cheng's gaze, Jiang Mo calmed down a little and expressed his concerns.

“When Xiaozhou came back this time, you saw the sensation at the school, as well as the previous incidents with CCTV and Five Star Sports. He is no longer an ordinary person.”

"He is a hope and a role model. Racing is not just a profession, but can also be a role model for millions of young people."

"Just like Spider-Man said, with great power comes great responsibility. From the moment Xiaozhou became a Ferrari driver, whether he liked it or not, whether he cared or not, he began to bear responsibility. He needed to distinguish right from wrong, and he needed to uphold his bottom line under pressure."

“This is something we’ve been teaching him since he was a child.”

“Studying and taking exams are not a task or a burden, nor are they a means of making money. Rather, they are about learning how to be a person worthy of respect before having power and status.”

Therefore, Jiang Mo wavered.

It wasn't simply because of the drop in rankings that they wavered, but because they were worried about the change in Lu Zhizhou's attitude towards learning. Fame, fortune, and traffic were surging in, and even Lu Cheng and Jiang Mo were dizzy and needed some breathing time, let alone Lu Zhizhou, who was truly at the center of the storm.

Lu Cheng let out a soft breath and held up the check in his hand. "So we should trust Xiao Zhou."

“He knows how to save money and plans ahead, and he puts his all into the exams. He's been trying to stay grounded and clear-headed. We should recognize his efforts, and right now, he needs our support more than ever.”

"He's not facing a test alone, we are too, right?"

……

With March approaching, racing enthusiasts are all getting excited and eager, as the new F1 season is about to kick off again.

Before the official start of the new season, the winter test race kicked off at the beginning of the month. Lasting for two weeks, the 20 drivers from 10 teams appeared together at the Barcelona circuit in Spain to take promotional photos and videos, creating a lively scene reminiscent of a Lunar New Year party.

For the teams, this is the first official opportunity to test the new car for the season, to verify the development results and simulate data, and also the best opportunity to test their opponents.

For racing fans, this is the first opportunity to see the new cars of the season speeding on the track, and onlookers are already rubbing their hands together to predict the course of the new season.

In recent years, all winter testing has been held at the Barcelona circuit, a comprehensive and well-balanced circuit with various types of corners, including low, medium, and high ones.

A small group of racing enthusiasts fixate on the lap time leaderboard and even rely on lap time results to judge a team's competitiveness, which is clearly wrong.

The lap time rankings in winter testing are merely records and have no reference value. The fundamental reason is that even the teams themselves are scientifically testing their new cars on real tracks for the first time. They must compare and combine theory with practice to arrive at an accurate judgment and conclusion.

In other words, even the team itself doesn't know how the car will actually perform on the track.

Therefore, during winter testing, you can see drivers lapping the track repeatedly. To onlookers, this is seen as testing the limits of the car, adjusting it, and exploring its potential. Naturally, they believe that the car that sets the fastest lap time is the strongest car of the season.

In reality, that's not the case.

Before the winter testing, the team had already arranged and allocated the eight-day testing schedule for two weeks, and formulated a detailed test plan. Then the drivers completed each test item according to the schedule, such as high-speed corners, low-speed corners, long straights, and short straights, in order to piece together the attributes of a race car like a jigsaw puzzle, in order to understand the car's strengths and weaknesses.

The continuous lap times during winter testing can be tedious and boring, but careful observation reveals something.

The team constantly changed tire compounds, added different amounts of fuel to the tanks, and tested short-distance and long-distance performance. The drivers also constantly switched the power output of the power system or the chassis mode according to the procedure, in order to simulate the different conditions of qualifying and the race, and to collect as much data as possible about the car.

This can be understood as follows: during winter testing, the number of laps and the total distance covered by the race car are the most important factors and are more valuable for reference than single lap times.

But do the onlookers even care?
No, all they care about is hype, sensationalism, conflict, and the eagerness to make predictions for the new season and announce the champion early.

This year, in particular, the winter testing has faced severe challenges.

Rain. Cold wave. And it reached its peak when the snowflakes began to fall.

Such a scene is truly rare for F1, which chases summer all year round around the world, and it has even seriously affected the teams' testing.

All the teams are struggling and are barely able to complete half of their planned tasks, which is a major headache for the FIA.

Therefore, calls have resurfaced for the winter test race to be held in the Middle Eastern desert region, where March is still hot and would be more suitable for testing.

The Mercedes-Benz technical team even built a snowman in the pit area and named it "Karl," which became the most eye-catching sight in the paddock and stole the spotlight in the uproar on social media. This also became the only bright spot in this year's disastrous winter testing.

In such a terrible situation, the team and drivers all encountered difficulties and struggled, but Lu Zhizhou alone became the target of ridicule and attacks.

The reason is very simple—

Who made Lu Zhizhou the only rookie driver in the paddock who leaped to F1 and joined the legendary Ferrari after only one year of GP3 experience?
While other privileged individuals, who are either rich or noble, have to endure hardship and struggle for ten or fifteen years starting from go-karting, only to fight tooth and nail for a small team seat, look at Lu Zhizhou, who effortlessly dons the red racing uniform.
People are more mad than people.

Furthermore, the FIA ​​gave the green light again, exceptionally issuing a super license, so that Lu Zhizhou, who had just turned eighteen, successfully stepped onto the paddock stage.

With the tragedy of Bianchi still fresh in our minds and the farce of Verstappen looming ahead, the FIA ​​keeps saying it will learn from the lessons and tighten the super license review process to ensure the safety of young drivers and paddock racing. But then it turns around and secretly puts another time bomb in.

How can this be tolerated! FIA, have you no shame?
Even Bruno Senna, the nephew of racing legend Ayrton Senna, and Mick Schumacher, the son of Michael Schumacher, don't receive this treatment. Why should Lu Zhizhou, a mere mortal, be entitled to it?
This ability to incite hatred is something even Verstappen would have to admit defeat to.

Since the brief shock and chaos following Ferrari's announcement at Monza over the weekend, the heated discussions have continued for the past six months.

The netizens felt increasingly uneasy and frustrated, especially with Lu Zhizhou's empty resume, which contained little to discuss. This fueled their anger, causing the frustration and annoyance of the avid racing enthusiasts to transform into rage, which surged towards Lu Zhizhou.

Lu Zhizhou hadn't even officially stepped onto the hunting grounds yet, but he had already become the target of everyone's attention, and there were countless onlookers waiting to see what would happen.

result--

In the adverse weather conditions, Lu Zhizhou did not emerge as he did in the Spa free practice session. Instead, he concealed his brilliance and blended into the crowd, failing to demonstrate any real competitiveness. His lap times hovered around ninth or tenth on the leaderboard, which was a disgrace. Where was the slightest bit of Ferrari's style?
"As expected, a newbie is a newbie."

"What a disgrace! Driving a Ferrari while competing with Haas and Sauber, does Uncle Eagle regret not choosing the Leclerc?"

"Give me back Kimi, okay? This guy isn't even worthy of carrying Kimi's shoes."

"I've seen many disasters, but this is the first time I've witnessed one of such an epic scale."

"Ferrari, please, please make a change of driver. The season hasn't even started yet, there's still time."

"Hahaha, that's hilarious! Is that guy some kind of clown trying to make everyone laugh? He's practically Charlie Keaton reincarnated!"

"Get out! Take off that red battle robe, you're not worthy!"

Disdain, curses, and complaints.

Like a summer downpour, it poured down, overwhelming the entire social media platform, and even briefly trended on social media, gaining some attention beyond its initial scope.

Even "Karl" paled in comparison, and in terms of traffic and trending topics, Lu Zhizhou still firmly held the top spot. Fortunately, the second week in Barcelona saw the clouds disperse and the sun shine brightly, bringing spring back to the earth. The familiar Catalonia returned to view, and the scorching and bright sunlight was so dazzling that people had to wear sunglasses. The winter test finally returned to its familiar track.

Testing rhythm, full return.

The uproar in the paddock subsided, and looking back, it became clear that the bad weather had not had a substantial impact on the new season.

In fact, most teams are better prepared than they were at the same time last year. Perhaps it's not time to abolish winter testing in Europe yet?
However, the criticism still didn't let up on the "number one person in the paddock"—

"Let's ask Lu Zhizhou and see which one he's more comfortable with. That way, those fans won't have an excuse to say that the racing god underperformed."

Good or bad, positive or negative, all of that matters, it's all Lu Zhizhou's fault anyway.

This is the standard answer.

"Excuse me, is it possible to exchange Lu Zhizhou for Karl?"

After returning from the second week of winter testing, the internet celebrity "Karl" melted away under the sun without leaving a trace. Someone made a meme about it on social media, but it unexpectedly went viral.

Later, no one remembered which netizen first made the joke, but jokes like "It's all Lu Zhizhou's fault," "What does Lu Zhizhou think?" and "This matter needs Lu Zhizhou's approval" spread throughout social networks, and even netizens from the football and basketball circles joined in, laughing and complaining.

This has become the most talked-about topic during the winter test, known to everyone. Before the new season has even started, someone has already found themselves in the eye of the storm.

However, jokes aside, the teams showed more confidence in the second round of winter testing, clearly seeing more than just the potential for F1 to break out of its niche.

This winter's testing has been truly exciting, because the official test data alone provides almost no conclusions, only a jumble of clues.

Wait, if we can't see a conclusion, then why the excitement?
Because the core highlight of competitive sports lies in suspense and drama, for F1, an unpredictable ending is often the best ending. Every year is the same. The more intense the championship competition, the better it is for viewership and marketing. This is the situation that F1 hopes to see.

So, what exactly should we look at in winter test data?
First of all, the pink tire is indeed the softest.

This season, Pirelli has added two more tires to its lineup: the softest and the hardest, giving teams a total of nine tire options for the new season.

In the second round of testing, Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap time of 1 minute 17.182 seconds, shocking the entire paddock.

This result not only broke the previous single-lap record, but also completely destroyed the previous record. What's even more outrageous is that no other driver was able to close the gap to within one second. Vettel's result was far ahead, igniting a frenzy at the Iron Buddha Temple.

This data reflects both the softest pink tire and the lightest fuel load. Ferrari will not release the specific data, but Vettel has undoubtedly set an insurmountable benchmark, making all teams in the paddock realize the direct effects of the softest tire for the first time.

So, what about Lu Zhizhou?
When Vettel left Mercedes and Red Bull by more than a second in the fastest lap times, how did Lu Zhizhou, who was also driving a Ferrari, perform?
The fastest lap times differed by a full second and a half. Forget about catching Vettel, they were completely behind the four Mercedes and Red Bull drivers, which was baffling.

The seasoned veterans in the paddock immediately realized that Ferrari was now under the spotlight because of Vettel's incredible performance. So they consciously suppressed Lu Zhizhou's speed, conducted tests in different events, interfered with their opponents' judgment, and avoided revealing their own trump cards.

evidence?

A little observation reveals that Lu Zhizhou only ran three laps on the softest tires, not even a flying lap. He did a quick test and then went back. Ariwabene was probably worried that Lu Zhizhou was young and impetuous, and that if he accidentally sped up, he might not be able to hide his speed anymore.

However, the general public doesn't think so—

The same car, different drivers. If Vettel can achieve those times, but Lu Zhizhou can't, then the answer is clear, isn't it?

"Seba, go easy on him. There's no need to be so brutal in giving a newcomer a shock lesson."

"As expected, a world champion is a world champion; the level is different."

"That baby carriage driver doesn't seem to deserve to be Seba's teammate at all."

Anyway, criticizing Lu Zhizhou is justice, it's that simple, and every aspect of the winter test proves this point to be true.

The overwhelming and uproaring criticism was truly overwhelming. Naturally, some people couldn't stand it and tried to defend Lu Zhizhou. However, Lu Zhizhou didn't have any achievements to show for himself, so his defenses seemed weak and feeble. In the end, he could only say guiltily, "He's just a child."

As soon as she turned around, netizens immediately reposted it, saying, "Waaah, baby, don't cry."

Those who know, know. The "baby stroller driver" meme has resurfaced, igniting a new wave of popularity, with all sorts of comments and jokes filling every corner of social media.

Vettel's fervent supporters were completely dumbfounded. How could this happen? What should have been Vettel's highlight moment was stolen by the baby-driving driver?
One by one, they gritted their teeth and shouted that Ferrari was going to use Vettel as a stepping stone to witness the crowning of royalty, which was simply intolerable.

Even though Lu Zhizhou was also a victim and didn't say a word from beginning to end, the blame still ended up being placed on Lu Zhizhou's head.

Now, Lu Zhizhou finally understands the meaning of the saying "the more debts, the less to worry about." Whether you have ten black pots or a hundred black pots, you have to take them all, so you might as well take them all.

Secondly, Pirelli's strategy is baffling.

It's not just a matter of the softest and hardest tires; the performance differences between tires with different compounds are truly astonishing.

Obviously, when comparing the performance differences between tires with different compounds, there is no such thing as "one value applicable to all situations":
Ultimately, it depends on the track conditions and the race conditions.

However, judging from the tires' performance at the Barcelona circuit during winter testing, tires may play a key role this season.

The softest tire is 0.7 to 0.8 seconds faster per lap than the ultrasoft tire, while the ultrasoft tire is about 0.6 seconds faster per lap than the supersoft tire.

The difference in lap time between supersoft and soft tires is approximately 0.4 seconds, while the difference between soft and medium tires is 0.8 seconds.

In fact, the medium tires were the only tires that remained largely unchanged from the previous season; essentially, the medium tires for the 2018 season were the same as the soft tires for the 2017 season. However, due to weather conditions, very little data was collected on the hard tires from the various teams, resulting in no accurate lap times.

The only thing that can be confirmed is that the hardest tires are very difficult to reach operating temperature, which is a severe test for all race cars and drivers.

In other words, the combination of tire strategies may have the potential to overturn the game. Although the differences between different tires do exist objectively, the differences shown in this winter's testing are so obvious that they may even become the key to victory or defeat, which would be different.

Naturally, the variables brought about by different tracks, different weather, and different race conditions are increasing, which also places higher demands on the individual abilities of drivers.

It's worth mentioning that during winter testing, the number of laps on the hardest tires was extremely small. All the teams unanimously ignored this new tire. And 80% of the officially recorded lap times on the hard tires came from the Luzhizhou. Not only Ferrari, but all other teams also took this into consideration.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see the implication: the rookie had been relegated to the sidelines, relegated to testing hard tires, and left to do all the dirty and hard work.

Sure enough, Ferrari is Ferrari, rich and powerful. This is clearly the task of the test driver, constantly running laps and collecting data, which is equivalent to doing odd jobs. When Lu Zhizhou was in GP3, he was responsible for such basic testing work. Now that he has been promoted to F1, he is still treated as a handyman.

So, is this Ferrari's beginner's guide?

Netizens made sarcastic remarks with tears streaming down their faces, trying to cover up their schadenfreude.

"Baby, don't cry, just bear with it and it will pass."

Actually, to be precise, Lu Zhizhou tested all seven dry tires in a very balanced way, not just hard tires, and continued to set lap records on the Barcelona circuit.

Generally, tire testing is not done by one person, but by two drivers who share the task, each taking half.

The current situation is special, and Lu Zhizhou has other plans for testing all types of tires.

The reason is very simple: adaptation, experience, and testing.

Lu Zhizhou is a driver with excellent perception and gathering abilities. He demonstrated his maturity and rationality when he first appeared in GP3. Now that he has jumped to F1, he is even more so. He clearly understands the principle that sharpening the axe will not delay the work and that he must remain patient.

Calm and composed, neither arrogant nor humble, before heading to Barcelona, ​​Lu Zhizhou had already formulated a detailed plan for the winter testing with Meqis and Cleary.

getting Started!

Lu Zhizhou has a keen sense of car handling and excellent adjustment capabilities. For the winter test race, adapting to the speed and rhythm of F1 is secondary; the primary task is to perceive the subtle differences of F1.

"A small difference can lead to a huge error." He needs to be able to perceive the changes in the race car under every tire condition, such as dynamic balance, wear rate, and grip changes.

Lacking F1 experience, he built a database by continuously accumulating data to refine his intuition and mastered racing by testing tires. This was a crucial first step, so he needed to test different types of tires in detail.

Everything, for his own sake.

Lap times and rankings are meaningless to him. This is his only chance to thoroughly get used to the car and the track before officially stepping onto the F1 track. He has no time or energy for those emotional battles.

Coincidentally, Lu Zhizhou made his GP3 debut at the Barcelona circuit, where he familiarized himself with the track and the car during practice sessions before making his debut.

Now, entering F1 and returning to the Barcelona circuit for testing and adaptation, Lu Zhizhou is very familiar with the game and immediately gets into the zone.

Originally, Mekis's primary task for Lu Zhizhou was to adapt to F1 driving on his own. However, unexpectedly, Lu Zhizhou's data feedback and communication skills were absolutely top-notch. During his own adaptation process, he collected a large amount of new car data, ensuring that the entire technical team was running at high speed.

Previously, Mechs had heard of once-in-a-decade genius drivers like Niki Lauda, ​​Michael Schumacher, and Ayrton Senna. They not only possessed an outstanding sense of the car, but also had clear and accurate expression skills and excellent calm communication skills, which ensured that the technical team could receive information to the maximum extent and complete the car tuning. Such drivers were the real treasures, and working in such a team would definitely be a pleasure.

Drivers like Hamilton, Vettel, and Verstappen are undoubtedly excellent in terms of car feel and talent, but their expression and communication skills are a weakness.

Now, Mekes seems to finally understand what that feeling is like.

Therefore, the heated discussions on social media have no effect on the Ferrari service area.

In conclusion, the competitive landscape remains unclear after this winter's testing, and the new season holds many possibilities.

Among the top teams, Ferrari's Vettel had the fastest lap, Mercedes had the most laps, and both Red Bull drivers finished in the top four.

Without a doubt, Mercedes-Benz remains competitive. With the advent of the HALO era, the defending champions are striving for a five-peat. Red Bull's last attempt ended with a four-peat, dethroned by Mercedes-Benz. Now it's Mercedes-Benz's turn, and they refuse to repeat the same mistake.

Ferrari and Red Bull are sharpening their knives, with Red Bull, boasting the youngest and most talented driver lineup in the paddock, ready to take the top spot.

However, if you only focus on these three teams, F1 loses half its charm, because the competition between mid-table teams and the survival of lower-table teams are also an indispensable part of the paddock.

After McLaren switched to Renault engines, they struggled throughout the winter testing period, consistently finishing at the bottom. However, on the last afternoon of the test, Alonso emerged as a surprise, setting a new fastest lap time and ultimately finishing second, just behind Vettel, pushing Hamilton out of the top five.

It's so incomprehensible that people exclaim they don't understand it.

Furthermore, McLaren's test mileage was the lowest, and the entire winter testing was kept secret, seemingly unwilling to reveal too much of their capabilities early on.

Zach Brown also emphasized that the vehicle shown in the winter testing was a "release specification vehicle," and the official vehicle will be revealed at the season opener. Does this mean that McLaren is holding back and waiting to make a surprise appearance after the season officially starts?
The same theory applies to mid-table teams like Force India and Williams; anything is possible.

Especially the latter.

Last season, Williams finished fifth in the team standings, remaining virtually invisible throughout the winter testing period. They were incredibly low-key, failing to attract any attention and quietly working behind the scenes, which will be an unknown factor for them.

In the downstream fleet, fierce competition continues to unfold.

Since Toro Rosso switched to Honda's engine this season, they have attracted much attention. They showed great potential in the first week of testing, and expectations have continued to rise.

However, the second week did not provide further confirmation; instead, it was overwhelmed, making it impossible to determine whether to trust the data from the first week or the performance from the second week. The situation remained shrouded in mystery.

However, although--

Amidst the bustling noise and suspense, Lu Zhizhou remained like a magnet, his every move scrutinized under a microscope.

Even after all the winter tests were over, Lu Zhizhou maintained a "stable performance and kept a low profile," ranking only eighth on the fastest lap time list, blending into the crowd.

He is not only behind his Ferrari teammate, McLaren's Alonso, Mercedes and Red Bull drivers, but also Renault's Nico Hulkenberg.

Such results are simply not enough for Ferrari, far from enough.

The "excessive attention and affection" on social networks has continued unabated and will likely remain with Lu Zhizhou for some time to come.

"Baby, baby, don't cry, we won't bully you."

With countless memes and hashtags keeping the show trending and generating high traffic, Lu Zhizhou is undoubtedly the "darling" of the entire F1 world, truly showered with affection.

Last week, the winter testing just came to a close; this week, all ten teams have set off on their journeys.

In March, while the Northern Hemisphere is still in the depths of winter, the Southern Hemisphere is in the golden autumn season. The harvest season is perfect for outings. The cloudless blue sky seems to stretch to the horizon, and the dry, bright golden sunlight dances and tumbles on the rolling waves, opening its arms to tourists from all over the world.

The new F1 season is about to kick off in Melbourne, Australia.

Finally! After a long winter break and a winter test filled with undercurrents and turbulent events, the new season is finally about to begin.

(End of this chapter)