[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-how-did-i-become-an-f1-driver":3,"chapter-how-did-i-become-an-f1-driver-how-did-i-become-an-f1-driver-chapter-106":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","How Did I Become an F1 Driver?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1718698,2195,"Chapter 106 - 85: Poisonous Praise","how-did-i-become-an-f1-driver-chapter-106",106,"\u003Cp>Lap 11, Verstappen makes a move at T3 to prepare an attack on Leclerc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using a cross-line maneuver, Verstappen even managed to go wheel-to-wheel with Leclerc on the short straight between T3 and T4, with his car’s nose slightly ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, all the staff in the Ferrari team’s pit box instinctively tensed up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Leclerc firmly held the inside line, using the advantage of being on the inside at T4 to secure his line, preventing Verstappen from overtaking him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leclerc even slightly squeezed Verstappen for space as they exited the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either you get pushed out of bounds, or you slow down and brake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Verstappen chose the latter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being pushed out of bounds, the curbs could potentially damage the car’s underbody.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damage to the underbody would cause speed loss, which can’t be made up with the mere fraction of a second lost by braking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This braking from Verstappen inevitably disrupted his rhythm, and he lost significant speed exiting the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When both cars entered T5, the gap had widened from 0.2 seconds to 0.7 seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vettel, who was lurking behind Verstappen, seized this rare opportunity and launched an attack on Verstappen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, the attack didn’t yield much success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Ferrari had a top speed advantage, Verstappen had gained DRS from Leclerc ahead at the DRS detection zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vettel didn’t have the DRS boost, so on this straight, Verstappen was faster than Vettel, and Vettel couldn’t overtake Verstappen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, it’s worth mentioning that with Vettel’s attack, Verstappen took the inside line to prevent Vettel from making a late braking maneuver to the inside, costing him at least another 0.2 seconds in speed, which relieved a lot of pressure off Leclerc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While all eyes were on Ferrari and Red Bull, Haas’s two cars quietly retired, and the director didn’t even give them much screen time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lap 14, Verstappen and Leclerc both went into the pits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, Leclerc was in front, and Verstappen was behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But during the tire change, Qin Miao watched in shock as Ferrari’s front left tire changer fumbled a bit, while Verstappen’s tire change was almost perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the two cars exited the pit lane, Ferrari and Red Bull had a wheel-to-wheel moment in the pit lane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For such a situation, the Ferrari tire changer definitely deserves the blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Verstappen was positioned on the right, his car nose even slightly ahead of Leclerc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the next turn being a right-hand corner, it was an advantageous turn for Verstappen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence, after exiting the pit lane, Verstappen naturally took fourth place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason he took fourth was mainly that Vettel, who was behind the two, hadn’t pitted for a tire change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing this, Qin Miao’s blood pressure instantly rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But right after exiting the pit lane and coming to T2, Verstappen made an error as his tires hadn’t warmed up, going wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leclerc quickly seized this opportunity and reclaimed the position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drivers pay for the mistakes of the pit crew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterwards, the two cars engaged in a five-lap long battle on the track.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leclerc defended meticulously, not giving Verstappen any chance to overtake him, and their exciting duel captured most of the on-site cameras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their battle continued until lap 20, when Giovinazzi, running in ninth, lost control at T18 after hitting the curb and skidded into the gravel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Giovinazzi was stuck in the gravel, so the race director decisively deployed a physical safety car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shadowing Leclerc, Verstappen took the opportunity to pit during the safety car period and switched to hard tires, aiming to run to the finish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Ferrari side, Leclerc asked the team if he should pit, but the team didn’t instruct him to pit immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the strategy team calculated that they needed another pit stop, Leclerc had already missed the optimal pit window, forcing him to pit only after running a lap behind the safety car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he re-emerged, he was already behind Verstappen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the defending over the past twenty laps was in vain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ferrari team stabbed Leclerc in the back once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lap 24, the safety car left the track, and the race resumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was followed by a relatively quiet period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lap 28, Gasly, positioned ahead of Verstappen, received the team order to give up fourth to his teammate, and he went to defend from Leclerc in sixth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lap 36, Leclerc, who had been chasing Gasly for a full eight laps, finally found an opportunity at T3 this lap, forcing an aggressive move on the outside line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using his top speed advantage, he blocked Gasly’s exit line while running on the outside, and both cars entered T4 wheel-to-wheel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>T4 was another right-hand turn, which was an advantageous corner for Leclerc, who had taken the outside at T3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Leclerc executed a clean and beautifully executed overtake in T4.\u003C\u002Fp>",801,"2026-06-06T15:23:01.429Z",1,"novelbin.me","414f31dca68e68a67ce4b585aee28244d2fee99f8a9f7e76cbbc49b78f8b64df","how-did-i-become-an-f1-driver-chapter-107","how-did-i-become-an-f1-driver-chapter-105",1086,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-did-i-become-an-f1-driver-cover.jpg"]