Chapter 955 376: The Crux of the Mercedes Team

Although, F1 drivers are generally seen as delicate.

However, basketball is also a sport prone to injuries. Qin Miao, if you approach this performance match like an ordinary person,

and just dribble around a bit, faking out the defender before finding an open spot to shoot, they wouldn't say much.

But you actually went for a dunk?

What if you sprain your ankle when you land? Can you still race after that?

So, after Qin Miao landed lightly and contentedly, Barber rushed over to him, grabbed his wrist, and said, "Bro, do you not realize your status? Just perform like you're supposed to. What if you land wrong after a dunk and get injured?"

Qin Miao was taken aback. While his physical fitness isn't the world's best, it's still among the top tier, making injuries unlikely.

But seeing Barber's pale face and the Miami Grand Prix staff rushing over,

Qin Miao could only shrug with a hint of regret.

"Alright, I'll play this performance match normally."

The subsequent activities were simpler, with Qin Miao playing a game of one-on-one with Butler for about 10 minutes, ending in an 11-11 draw.

It's likely the other side also read "Emotional Intelligence."

Of course, it might also be due to the host's deliberate arrangement.

Additionally, Qin Miao participated in America's famous V8 drag race hosted by QTM, which focuses on environmental friendliness.

However, since it was a marketing event, Qin Miao couldn't drive a car from another brand, so he raced in a modified old model of a Mercedes.

Surprisingly, Qin Miao's speed turned out to be quite impressive.

Amidst one event after another, the time came to Thursday night.

That night, Qin Miao donned the team T-shirt and accompanied Hamilton and Toto to the paddock.

There was a special concert in the paddock that night.

It resembled a large disco party, and only spectators with ticket packages could attend.

All the drivers would make an appearance and participate in brief interviews.

However, all Qin Miao and the others had to do was show their faces, and most of the pre-race marketing activities would come to an end.

While preparing, Qin Miao and Hamilton started chatting again.

"Did you enjoy the weekend so far?"

"Not particularly, just the usual routine. How about you?"

"I pushed aside most marketing duties this week, spending my time on the simulator."

Qin Miao was surprised, "Are you working on setups or something?"

"Yeah, I tried my normal driving style on the simulator and set a fastest lap, then did another lap using your suggested method."

Qin Miao curiously asked, "How did it go?"

Hamilton scratched his head, "Honestly, it might be due to the simulator. After finding new braking points, my speed wasn't as fast as my usual style."

Hearing this, Qin Miao furrowed his brow, "Are you practicing on this week's circuit? That's impossible. What's your fastest lap time on the simulator?"

Hamilton, without much hesitation, answered, "1 minute 28.1 seconds."

Qin Miao frowned.

"Is there a problem?"

Qin Miao nodded and said, "Your lap time is much faster than my fastest time on the simulator."

Upon hearing this, Hamilton didn't seem surprised but said, "Actually, my simulator times are usually about a second faster than my actual lap times.

It's been like this for the tracks this year."

Qin Miao looked up sharply at Hamilton.

And Hamilton, noticing Qin Miao's astonished expression, paused before tentatively asking, "Is your lap time generally faster than the simulator's?"

Qin Miao nodded seriously, "My lap times are on average 0.5 seconds faster than the simulator. I always thought it was because the simulator didn't capture everything accurately, so I didn't pay much heed.

Moreover, I never had your data before for a clear reference.

But hearing you now, it seems...

"Is the team's simulator faulty?" Hamilton spoke, then corrected himself, turning the question into a statement: "The team's simulator has a problem!"

"We need to report this to the team," Qin Miao said.

Hamilton also nodded, but soon added, "Even if we find the issue, adjustments here...

At this point, Hamilton trailed off, and Qin Miao knew what he was implying, which is that any modifications on the simulator data are not minor tasks.

While the Mercedes simulator isn't filled with bad code, its inner workings aren't easily altered either.

It's likely that even if they identify the issue and start making changes, the team will need at least two months before any initial results appear.

This implies no racing upgrades for the Mercedes team in the near future.

Moreover, if this is true, then the design concept of the current W13 was flawed from the beginning, affecting subsequent upgrades.

Even if recent upgrades are coincidentally effective, somewhat alleviating porpoising and improving lap times,

it's still building on a fundamentally incorrect basis.