1 possibilities

Chapter 148 A Possibility

Having just finished such a spectacular lap, my adrenaline was soaring, reaching fever pitch, and I was in the middle of a frenzy, when—

That's it?

Even Greenwood was taken aback. Was this the same madman who had chased the ultimate speed from the very first moment he stepped onto the Spa circuit in his career?

“Zhizhou, excellent work.” Ariwabene switched radio channels to offer his congratulations immediately.

Lu Zhizhou said, "Teamwork, thank you. This is undoubtedly teamwork. Thank you for putting up with me all weekend." His lighthearted remark caused the entire Ferrari service area, listening to the radio, to burst into laughter. "But, has the second flying lap started yet?"

I see--

It wasn't because Lu Zhizhou was emotionless, but because he remained calm and rational. Even though he achieved a beautiful result, it didn't mean the end.

Lu Zhizhou still hadn't forgotten that the drivers still had a second chance to fly lap. In a paddock full of experts, anything was possible, and now was not the time to celebrate.

A hint of approval flashed in Arrivabene's eyes. "Yes, Seba is on the exit lap. Mercedes and Red Bull are also getting ready to leave the pit lane."

After a brief period of euphoria, attention returned to the arena, where the true masters of the Mount Hua Sword Tournament were making their appearances, and the real climax was yet to come.

Wang Lin never expected that Lu Zhizhou would actually complete such an incredible lap, showcasing the charm of F1 to the fullest, making him uncontrollably excited.

He hadn't forgotten that he should have cursed Lu Zhizhou, but at this moment, the passion and fervor stirring deep within him made him want to cheer for Lu Zhizhou.

Pole position.

What if Lu Zhizhou really takes pole position?
Just imagining it made Wang Lin's heart race uncontrollably, choking him, and he almost broke free of his restraints and rushed out.

"The battle is extremely fierce."

"Currently, the time difference between the top five is only 0.4 seconds. Anything is possible on the last flying lap, and every driver must push to the limit."

“Ricciardo! Daniel Ricciardo, no, slight tire lock-up at Turn 3, wasted 0.4 seconds here, no hope, home favorite out of pole position.”

The air was completely tense.

Verstappen first tried to push to the limit, but his braking point at Turn 13 was too late, causing his front wheels to go onto the grass, and he unfortunately missed his chance.

Then Vettel went all out, and Ferrari's four-time drivers' time champion felt the challenge and pressure, trying to defeat his rookie teammate in the final moments—

This is F1. They are teammates and rivals. In every qualifying session and race, teammates are compared to see who performs better.

Clearly, Vettel didn't want to lose to Lu Zhizhou, especially not in the season opener to a rookie who hadn't found his way all weekend.

Vettel never expected to feel the pressure in the very first qualifying session; things happened so fast.

"Green! Best individual performance!"

"Vettel has already performed at his peak, but second place!"

"1:21.838!"

“Vettel also broke the 22-second barrier, but he still couldn’t beat Lu Zhizhou.”

"God, what are we witnessing? Now only Hamilton is left, Hamilton is doing a flying lap, and Lu Zhizhou has also stepped onto the track to complete his second flying lap!"

The atmosphere grew increasingly heated and noisy.

Originally, everyone thought this weekend would be "Hamilton vs. Vettel", and then the focus shifted to "Lu Zhizhou vs. Verstappen", but no one expected that the final twist would be "Hamilton vs. Lu Zhizhou", and the opening match of the new season would be a climax.

On the Albert Park circuit, car number 44 and car number 22 were the last two cars still racing.

"Perfect! Hamilton ran a perfect time in the first period, a purple lap, the fastest of the entire event! He actually improved Lu Zhizhou's previous fastest time by 0.441 seconds, which is an unbelievable gap. How did Hamilton do it?"

"Lu Zhizhou is being painted green!"

"My God! Although he didn't break Hamilton's time, Lu Zhizhou actually improved his previous best by 0.147 seconds!"

"An unbelievable competition, an incredible contest, the two drivers, one new and one veteran, are engaged in a head-to-head battle, but the question now is, can they continue?"

Everything happened in the blink of an eye; in the blink of an eye, the situation on the field had changed again!
"No way!"

"Hamilton! Second period! Another purple lap! The lap time difference has widened to 0.648 seconds!"

"What? How did he do that? We believe Lu Zhizhou has pushed the track to its limits, but Hamilton is on another level."

"The full potential of Mercedes-Benz's racing cars has finally been squeezed out!"

The entire audience was stunned; the results were so impressive they made their eyes water.

Clearly, Hamilton felt the pressure, not just from Vettel, but also from the powerful impact of a newborn baby.

The four-time world champion unleashed his full fighting power, showcasing his peak form and performing a miraculous lap with a semi-dance-like late braking maneuver. This was later hailed as one of the most spectacular laps of Hamilton's career, completing a perfect challenge.

Slightly disappointingly, in the third stage, Mercedes' tuning was noticeably less effective than Lu Zhizhou's car, and Hamilton was unable to continue setting a purple score. Nevertheless, his outstanding performance in the first two stages established an unshakeable advantage, completely overturning the previous dominance.

1: 21.164.

Pole position belongs to Hamilton.

"Wonderful!"

"Absolutely brilliant, hats off! Hamilton has just completed the most perfect lap of his career at Albert Park, an incredible achievement!"

"This is Hamilton's seventh pole position in Melbourne, an incredible performance!"

"but!"

"Lu Zhizhou! His unparalleled and exhilarating performance earned him a front-row seat and the right to start alongside four-time world champion Hamilton."

"Melbourne qualifying, second place, Lu Zhizhou, please remember this name."

"While we admire Hamilton's performance that pushes him to the limit, we must also see Lu Zhizhou's stunning performance that has emerged out of nowhere."

"From the winter test race to the three free practice sessions at Albert Park, this 18-year-old driver, who sat in the Ferrari car under immense pressure, has been in the spotlight. People question his ability, people question his qualifications, people question everything they can and cannot question. No one believes that he can drive the Ferrari car and show competitiveness."

"However, he did it."

"He not only beat his teammate Vettel, but also pushed Hamilton to the limit, delivering an incredible performance to take the front row position in Sunday's game."

“We are witnessing history, we are setting records. This is the best qualifying result ever for a rookie driver in their season debut, and it is also the youngest driver in history to finish second in qualifying.”

"In 2007, Hamilton made history by standing on the podium in his first F1 race, finishing third in the race at Albert Park."

"Now, a whole new possibility lies before us: Lu Zhizhou, can he surpass Hamilton's performance in his professional debut?"

Wang Lin was completely unaware that he was staring at the television screen with his mouth agape, his heart pounding uncontrollably in his throat.

Then, watching Hamilton take pole position, an unbelievable disappointment tugged at my heart and slammed it to the bottom, and I couldn't help but clutch my head and wail.

"Sigh. So close. Just a tiny bit more."

Wang Lin couldn't help but beat his chest and stamp his feet in frustration and regret, as if he had missed the podium.

It took Wang Lin a full beat to realize that something was wrong. Lu Zhizhou hadn't gotten pole position. He should be happy and celebrate. He was Lu Zhizhou's hater, wasn't he?

But why the regret?

Just a moment ago, I was filled with passion and excitement, and I sincerely hoped to witness a miracle and for Lu Zhizhou to take this pole position.

Realizing this, Wang Lin felt embarrassed and awkward, at a loss, and didn't even dare to look up, for fear of seeing Song Bo's gaze and fleeing in panic.

A cheer erupted from Song Bo's side, "Second! First row, starting! Aaaaaaah!"

Wang Lin couldn't hold back any longer and suddenly looked up, "I almost got pole position, okay?"

Song Bo didn't mind at all. "The gap is too big. Look at Hamilton's leading data. They're not even in the same league. Mercedes has a clear lead. The boss used an almost perfect lap to take second place, which is already very impressive. Didn't you see how much Hamilton was forced into the game?"

Wang Lin looked confused.

Song Bo, with an air of magnanimity, said, "Besides, our leader just set a record, the best result ever for a rookie in their first qualifying game."

"This second place is an incredibly precious second place!"

Just as Song Bo had said, the entire hunting grounds were in an uproar, with shock and impact coming in waves.

Lu Zhizhou made history by qualifying second in his professional debut, a feat ten or a hundred times more impressive than his GP3 debut pole position.

After all, this is F1. In 2007, Hamilton made his F1 debut for McLaren at Albert Park, qualifying fourth and the entire paddock went wild. Now, Lu Zhizhou has gone even further than Hamilton and made it to the front row.

Not only did they beat both Red Bull cars, but they also outperformed their teammate Vettel.

Such a performance was enough to draw the attention of the entire racing world. Especially after the slump in the winter test race and the Albert Park free practice, Lu Zhizhou once again responded to the doubts with his track performance, and the uproar and heated discussions just wouldn't stop.

Moreover, Lu Zhizhou put pressure on Hamilton, actually forcing Mercedes-Benz to reveal its trump card.

Toto Wolff kept it a secret, not even revealing it on the first flying lap of Q3 in the opening qualifying session, but was forced to reveal it by the sudden emergence of Lu Zhizhou.

So, is this the first variable in the battle between Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz?

Pole position, but it's more than just pole position.

Hamilton topped the lap record at Albert Park, and even more incredibly, by a huge margin—

Lu Zhizhou, who was following closely behind Hamilton and attempting a final lap, showed obvious tire wear. He had already pushed the grip to its limit in the previous flying lap, but he couldn't maintain it in the last flying lap. After setting a green in the first timeout, he ran out of steam and failed to break his own record.

Therefore, 1:21.728 is Lu Zhizhou's fastest lap time, ranking second.

The difference is obvious, a full 0.564 seconds!
In F1, everything is calculated in milliseconds. The difference may seem huge to the naked eye, but in reality, the difference on the track is negligible.

Generally speaking, a difference of 0.4 seconds is a unit of measurement. That is to say, a difference of less than 0.4 seconds in a single lap can be regarded as a contest on the same level; a difference of more than 0.4 seconds but less than 0.8 seconds in a single lap is another group; and anything beyond that is the last group.

Of course, such an estimate is neither accurate nor authoritative; it is merely a vague benchmark that can simply determine the position of the race car in the paddock.

For example, right now.

Hamilton not only secured pole position but also widened the gap to 0.564 seconds, which was even more astonishing, especially considering Lu Zhizhou's perfect lap that pushed the track to its limits.

So, does this mean that defending champion Mercedes-Benz has once again created a Mars rover this season, widening the gap with its competitors in the paddock?

Could it be that if Lu Zhizhou hadn't completed a peak lap and taken pole position, thus stimulating Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz wouldn't have planned to reveal their hand so early?

and--

If Mercedes-Benz already has such a race car, then how did Hamilton manage to ruin Lu Zhizhou's first flying lap in Q3?

Pure coincidence?

The qualifying session has just ended, and the drivers are still on their return laps, but the uproar on social media is already unstoppable.

Some believe that Hamilton did it on purpose.

Hamilton spent so much effort and energy to earn the opportunity to enter F1, but Lu Zhizhou arrived in the paddock effortlessly.

And it's a Ferrari! Who in the paddock doesn't dream of owning a Ferrari? But Lu Zhizhou just swaggered out of Raikkonen and took the seat?

Clearly, Hamilton taught the stroller a small lesson through his actions.

Some believe that it's all just tactics.

Mercedes and Ferrari were already locked in a life-or-death struggle. Hamilton sensed Lu Zhizhou's threat and simply blocked him, effortlessly disrupting his opponent's plans. However, he didn't expect Lu Zhizhou to still set the fastest lap time, causing Hamilton to panic and unleash his potential, revealing Mercedes' trump card.

However, some defend Hamilton, arguing that he is currently a highly sought-after driver in the paddock, with enthusiastic fans all over the world.

In their view, Hamilton had no need to stop Lu Zhizhou at all; he could easily crush his opponent anyway, so why bother?
Moreover, Hamilton is a four-time world champion, while Lu Zhizhou is someone else. How could he possibly lower himself to argue with a rookie?

It was all an accident. This kind of situation has happened more than once or twice in qualifying, and the FIA ​​did not call a foul, which is the best proof!
For this reason, a small group of people believe that Hamilton was unaware of the situation, and that Wolff was the mastermind who deliberately did not inform Hamilton over the radio to open the lane and block Lu Zhizhou.

The fundamental reason is that Wolff did not want to reveal Mercedes-Benz's trump card too early.

This is still not the whole story. Even though it was Lu Zhizhou who encountered the slow train, there were quite a few voices turning around and blaming Lu Zhizhou.

"No wonder he's a newbie, he panicked immediately, haha."

"The gap is so big, and yet he still tried to stage an accident himself. He made a fool of himself."

A bustling, noisy atmosphere prevailed, with social media experiencing an explosive surge of activity.

This is the hunting ground, a tiny place, yet it's rife with intrigue, scheming, and dangerous conflicts; even the slightest disturbance can unleash a storm.

Lu Zhizhou has only just made his debut, yet he has already encountered the first controversy of his career, standing at the center of the storm, as if there were concerns that he wouldn't generate enough buzz.

This is the moment to test the effectiveness of our media training and crisis management courses. The storm has only just begun after the qualifying rounds have ended.

……

"Congratulations!"

"Lu Zhizhou! Lu Zhizhou! Roar! Roar! Roar!"

After Lu Zhizhou finished the race, weighed in, and underwent relevant checks, he returned to the pit lane. The crowd surged forward, applauding and cheering, creating a lively atmosphere. When Lu Zhizhou raised his hands to greet them, the applause reached its peak, and the scene was a dazzling red, as if they had secured pole position.

Lu Zhizhou took off his helmet, his head covered in sweat, and a big smile appeared on his face.

It wasn't just the technical team; Ariwabene also came over and patted Lu Zhizhou on the shoulder to encourage him.

Vettel appeared as well, flashing a polite smile and giving Lu Zhizhou a hug. "Great lap!" He exchanged a few more pleasantries before turning away.

Amidst the bustling red heatwave, Lu Zhizhou could see out of the corner of his eye that Arrivabene and Vettel were leaving side by side. The usually stern Uncle Eagle was showing a caring and gentle side, cheering Vettel on.

However, Lu Zhizhou didn't have time to pay attention to these things. He turned his head away and found Cleary in the crowd. "I really did my best."

Not to be modest or polite, but in Lu Zhizhou's view, he had already performed at his highest level at this stage. His control on the third flying lap was noticeably inferior. He had squeezed out all the potential of himself, the car, and the track, but he was still 0.564 seconds behind Hamilton, a significant gap.

Cleary nodded. This was what he admired most about Lu Zhizhou: calmness, rationality, and neither blind optimism nor blind pessimism. "Our problem is that we lose too much time in the low-to-medium speed corners. Mercedes has a clear advantage in the first two timing sectors."

What we are referring to here is the car's own capabilities.

So far this year, Ferrari cars have shown excellent competitiveness on straights and high-speed corners, but their performance in low- and medium-speed corners has been mediocre. At the Albert Circuit, the first and second timeouts should be their strong points, but they have lost a lot of time in the third timeout.

Precisely because of this, after testing in the free practice sessions, Lu Zhizhou's car was tuned, sacrificing some straight-line speed in exchange for rhythm and speed in low-to-medium speed corners. In other words, while maintaining competitiveness in the first two time slots, the speed in the third time slot was improved.

However, judging from the results, Mercedes pulled away completely in the first two time slots, but did not fall too far behind Ferrari in the third time slot.

This means that the Mercedes cars have a better overall balance. While improving their straight-line speed performance, they have not lost their stability in low- and medium-speed corners. Judging from their qualifying performance so far, they are still the target that all teams in the paddock need to chase.

Therefore, Cleary believed that they needed to praise Lu Zhizhou.

This rookie delivered a perfect lap despite his car being inferior to Mercedes, and in a chaotic situation filled with unexpected events.

The entire Ferrari team was greatly encouraged.

Cleary patted Lu Zhizhou on the shoulder, "You did a great job. Leave the rest to us. Let's develop a strategy for the main event and see where our limits are."

"Now, you don't need to worry about the P-room incident; worry about the reporters first."

Cleary gently nudged Lu Zhizhou, who left the P room in a daze.

"Zhizhou!"

"Here, Lu Zhizhou, here!"

A wave of heat swept over us, the fierce and menacing creatures resembling an Impressionist painting. Compared to the spectacle before us, GP3 seemed like an amateur event.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

For the first time ever, Lu Zhizhou lost his way and had no idea where he should go.

Just then, a driver walked by, taking off his helmet. Lu Zhizhou instinctively called out, "Hey, buddy, which way should we go for the press conference? Wait, is there a press conference for qualifying?"

Verstappen stood there, completely bewildered: Are you talking to me? Me, Max Verstappen, whom you don't know at all?

Verstappen was somewhat frustrated and depressed. This was his fourth season in F1, but he was still desperately pursuing his first pole position. He failed again today, and he almost witnessed Lu Zhizhou emerge and take pole position. The complex and contradictory feelings in his heart were truly difficult to describe.

Verstappen glared at Lu Zhizhou speechlessly, then pointed in a direction, "There. Just follow the crowd. You need to take a photo in front of the Pirelli billboard first, then take a photo with the top three finishers in the qualifying round, and then head to the press conference room."

Lu Zhizhou gently raised his chin, revealing a smile, "Thank you."

Verstappen choked on his breath, watching Lu Zhizhou's departing figure. He took a step to leave, but ultimately couldn't hold back. After hesitating for a long time, he turned back and shouted to Lu Zhizhou, "A beautiful lap!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Verstappen regretted it and slapped his head hard.

Unexpectedly, Lu Zhizhou turned around and asked, "If we compete again in the main tournament, you won't surrender, will you?"

Verstappen's eyes widened. "Nonsense!" But Lu Zhizhou didn't wait for a response at all, turned around and strode away, which made Verstappen extremely frustrated. He kicked the wall hard and stomped away, cursing. "You're the one who surrendered. Who would surrender?"

Not far away, Frankie Penny arrived late and found Lu Zhizhou. Her heart, which had been in her throat, returned to her chest, and she quickly put on a smile and invited Lu Zhizhou to come along.

As the team's external spokesperson, Frankie Penny was responsible for all media affairs, which naturally included protecting rookie drivers from saying anything inappropriate.

Frankie Penny protected Lu Zhizhou like a mother hen protecting her chicks as they headed towards the menacing mixed interview area.

At a glance, Hamilton, who had arrived early and was in high spirits with a bright smile, was being bombarded with questions.

Clearly, the media is also pressing for answers about the slow car interception in Q3. The four-time world champion, with a sincere expression, said, "It was an accident. It was an accident. I was communicating with the team about the situation at Turn 3 and didn't notice the car in the rearview mirror. It was my fault. I owe Zhizhou an apology."

Frankie Penny protected Lu Zhizhou as they continued forward. It was clear that the crowd surged forward in line with Lu Zhizhou's steps, and when they stopped, they all surged forward.

"What's your opinion on the slow train incident in Q3? What exactly happened?" Without a second's pause, reporters shoved their phones and recorders at Lu Zhizhou, one or two practically shoving them into his mouth.

"Defending champions vs. rookie rookies"—who doesn't love a topic like that?

Moreover, looking at the final qualifying standings, Hamilton is first and Vettel is third, leaving Lu Zhizhou sandwiched in the middle, playing the role of the third party and ruining the biggest highlight of the season. What a dramatic love triangle! The reporter is already on the verge of exploding with excitement.

Frankie Penny was a little nervous and hesitated whether she should speak up for Lu Zhizhou, after all, she had encountered such a tricky problem in her professional debut.

Just by listening to how those reporters ask their questions, you can tell that one or two of them have ill intentions, are stirring up trouble, and are trying to sow discord. You can tell their skill level just by their questioning style.

Do you think Lewis did it on purpose?

Do you think the paddock is deliberately targeting and excluding you?

"The FIA ​​didn't issue any penalty against Mercedes-Benz. Do you think that's fair?"

Tensions were high, and bloodshed was imminent.

Interviewing is an art; the way you ask questions, the angle you take, the focus of the questions—all these can be traps. Some questions are specifically designed to ensnare novices. No matter how you answer, the media can take things out of context, extract their desired viewpoint, and then ignite the fire.

That's how it is right now.

Did encountering a slower car and missing your flying lap give you extra motivation to complete the next lap?

It seems ordinary, but if the answer reveals a slight flaw, tomorrow's news headline might be—

"The baby stroller is ready to take down the four-time world champion."

"Lu Zhizhou: Exclusion and suppression make me stronger."

"Rookie dissatisfied with FIA's bias towards defending champion."

Just casually throwing out some keywords can ignite social networks, adding fuel to the fire in the already fiercely competitive hunting ground, turning it into a disaster zone in a second.

Traps are everywhere.

Frankie Penny clenched her fists, her palms sweating profusely. She instinctively took a step forward, trying to speak up for Lu Zhizhou, or simply pull him away to avoid being tricked by these old foxes.

Unexpectedly, Lu Zhizhou had already spoken, showing no sign of nervousness whatsoever. He was calm and composed, with a smile on his face, exuding an aura that was as gentle as a spring breeze. All the swords, spears, and clubs in front of him transformed into flowers.

"A situation."

It was neither an accident nor a mishap; Lu Zhizhou chose a neutral term to conceal his attitude. However, he did not simply swallow his anger.

"I didn't like it, but it happened."

"I believe that such things can happen at any time, just like finding pineapple in a pizza. That's life."

One second, two seconds—

A soft murmur of laughter couldn't be suppressed and escaped her lips. Frankie Penny reacted quickly, immediately changing her expression and, seizing the opportunity, slapped Lu Zhizhou's arm hard, adding just the right touch, "Pineapple doesn't belong on pizza."

At this point, they could no longer contain themselves and burst into laughter.

That's rare, truly rare.

There was no direct confrontation, nor was there any swallowing of anger; the viewpoints were expressed with a subtle yet humorous touch, immediately revealing a distinct personality.

The key ingredient is the pineapple.

Hawaiian pizza with pineapple is heresy to Italians, not just rebellious, but they resist it with all their might.

Therefore, the appearance of pineapple in a pizza could not be considered an accident by the Italian team Ferrari.

The answer is obvious; those who know, know.

In Lu Zhizhou's view, Arrivabene specifically found a window for him to take the stage. In other words, he was the only one doing the flying lap on that lap, and the entire paddock saw it. How could anyone not know?
However, whether this was Hamilton's oversight or mistake, or Wolff's strategy, only Mercedes-Benz knows the answer.

Whether the FIA ​​made no ruling or genuinely believed it was just an "accident," only they themselves probably know what really happened.

However, Lu Zhizhou wasn't too angry. As he said, such things often happen in the paddock. Whether it's intentional or unintentional, there are always unexpected situations and fierce competition in the paddock. The competition in the F1 world is never just on the track. Instead of being distracted by these things, it's better to focus on the track and launch a counterattack.

Therefore, Lu Zhizhou remained calm and only made a half-joking remark. Obviously, those media outlets hoping to see Lu Zhizhou fly into a rage were going to be disappointed.

The burst of laughter spread outwards, drawing all eyes to the scene, each pair of eyes filled with question marks.

At this moment, Hamilton finally noticed Lu Zhizhou's appearance.

Hamilton looked at the reporters with a puzzled expression, but then looked away, came up behind Lu Zhizhou, and politely patted his arm.

“I’m sorry.” Hamilton smiled. “I really didn’t want that to happen. Again, I’m sorry.”

"But it was a fantastic lap, beautiful!"

Lu Zhizhou met Hamilton's gaze with composure and said, "Looking forward to the main race."

Hamilton clearly hadn't expected this response. He paused for a moment, then his smile widened again. "Looking forward to the race."

After saying that, Hamilton did not linger and turned to walk away.

Lu Zhizhou withdrew his gaze, looked at the reporters' meerkats-like expressions of gossip, and chuckled, "Please have some self-respect, don't look like you're secretly watching 'Beverly's wife' at home."

Ha ha! Hahaha!

The group burst into laughter.

Even Frankie Penny was no exception; her last bit of worry vanished. Lu Zhizhou's performance even exceeded expectations, and she couldn't help but feel eager to try it herself.

Her mindset has never changed. Whether it's Raikkonen or Lu Zhizhou, she simply hopes to see Ferrari return to its peak.

However, despite Lu Zhizhou's excellent performance in front of the media, the news headlines still exploded.

Lu Zhizhou: I don't like it.

One title was enough; after removing the beginning and end and leaving only the essence, it swept across social networks, causing netizens to collectively explode.

It's important to know who Lu Zhizhou's opponent is: Lewis Hamilton, who is not only a four-time world champion but also the face of F1 today.

Hamilton has been active in various fields, including fashion, music, and popular culture. He is undoubtedly the most representative face of F1 today, breaking the constraints of the sport and making a strong breakthrough. Not only are there passionate fans all over the world, but he also engages in exchanges with other fields as an F1 ambassador.

More importantly, he is trying to become a legend on par with Senna and Schumacher; his goal has never been just Vettel.

Standing before Hamilton, Lu Zhizhou, a complete novice, was utterly insignificant. Even in his homeland of China, Hamilton's fervent fans were furious with Lu Zhizhou, displaying a willingness to betray even his own family.

They believed Lu Zhizhou was tarnishing Hamilton's character. How could Hamilton possibly deliberately obstruct him? Hamilton neither needed nor cared about such underhanded tactics. Just look at Hamilton's later pole position results; he easily left Lu Zhizhou far behind. Why would he need to ruin Lu Zhizhou's racing lap? The FIA ​​didn't even issue any penalty, yet that guy was still grumbling and making sarcastic remarks.
Lu Zhizhou's behavior is utterly petty and contemptible!
however!
This time the situation is slightly different. The racing world has been disgusted with Mercedes-Benz for a long time, not because the team did anything wrong, but simply because they achieved four consecutive championships, becoming a dominant force and making the competition in motorsport a foregone conclusion.

For hardcore car enthusiasts, it's less about hoping Ferrari/Red Bull wins and more about hoping Mercedes loses.

In other words, they have long disliked Mercedes-Benz.

What's more, this time Mercedes-Benz is facing off against Ferrari!
All the Iron Buddha Temples around the world stood up. Although there were still differences in attitudes toward Lu Zhizhou within the Iron Buddha Temples, they united against external conflicts and unleashed amazing energy.

The situation was instantly turned upside down, with the cheers for Lu Zhizhou being no less enthusiastic than those for Hamilton, so the rookie was actually standing up to the reputation of F1.

This is probably a situation that no one expected—

The clash between the "baby driver vs. the defending champion" is becoming the biggest highlight of the season opener. A massive wave of heat is gathering at the front of the grid, and the already layered pressure is now overwhelming. It seems like F1 hasn't been this exciting in a very long time.

On Sunday afternoon, amidst great anticipation, Albert Park was packed with people and sweltering heat, as the main event drew ever closer.

The first shot of the new season is about to be fired!

(End of this chapter)