How Did I Become an F1 Driver?
Chapter 39 - 33: Worlds Apart

Chapter 39: Chapter 33: Worlds Apart

Actually, what Qin Miao said while desperately struggling wasn’t entirely unreasonable, because indeed, a mere two days isn’t enough time for his physical strength to see a noticeable improvement.

But it’s undeniable that if Qin Miao starts training now, his physical strength will see some degree of improvement after two days, just that the extent won’t be too significant.

In short, the timing of this competition made things pretty awkward for both of them, but Qin Miao also agreed with what Qimeng said — any improvement is better than none.

Qin Miao’s main training at the gym was focused on enhancing his physical strength, while also strengthening his hands during rest periods.

After all, steering a car requires strength, even if racing cars have steering assist.

Qimeng’s practice was more singular, focusing solely on body shaping.

The afternoon passed with both of them sweating profusely, and after the training Qin Miao relaxed his muscles with a coach’s massage.

The main issue was that the sudden intense exercise would cause muscle fiber tears on Qin Miao’s body, and his muscles would definitely ache the next day. Massaging would help alleviate this.

In the evening, the two had a simple dinner at the hotel’s restaurant before heading out to catch the subway to The Bund.

Like many couples spending their evening out, they strolled around The Bund hand in hand, leaving numerous photos on their phones.

In the photos, Qin Miao’s expression looked a bit unnatural, because he always felt his selfies were unattractive, which made him averse to taking pictures.

However, Qimeng enjoyed it thoroughly, believing that as they grew older or had kids, these photos would become treasured memories for them.

After wandering outside for over three hours and having some late-night snacks, they returned to the hotel before the subway service ended.

Nothing much happened overnight, and the next morning Qin Miao got up early.

Even though he felt sore all over, at Qimeng’s strong insistence, Qin Miao grudgingly went to the gym downstairs.

After a morning of practice, they had lunch and returned to Shanghai in the afternoon.

Buying tickets, passing through security, and entering Shanghai — these procedures had become routine for them.

Qin Miao initially wanted to head straight for the team renting the F4 cars, but Qimeng stopped him.

"Try the Focus first! Who opens with F4 on their first track experience?"

"Maybe I’m the exception?" Qin Miao tried to resist a bit.

"Go! Safety first!"

Qin Miao reluctantly glanced at the direction of the F4 rental team before turning towards the Focus rental team.

He knew Qimeng made sense, and he could certainly wait.

The car rental process wasn’t much different from paying yesterday, but since Qin Miao was renting the car this time, the team took quite a few of his documents, like his driver’s license and ID.

They also gave Qin Miao a list of easily damaged parts, listing the prices he’d have to pay if any car body components were damaged, and Qin Miao handed over 20,000 yuan, which would be directly deducted for any car damage. Otherwise, if he returned the car intact, the full deposit would be refunded.

For now, Qin Miao rented the car for one session, totaling twenty-five minutes, costing 369 yuan.

Qin Miao felt the price was okay, but Qimeng thought it a bit expensive and wanted to haggle, but was stopped by the team citing regulations.

After taking care of the pre-race formalities, according to team procedures, there should be a final training before handing the car over to Qin Miao.

However, when the front desk staff checked the system, the young man standing before them turned out to have a B-level racing license.

Training? Training, my ass. This guy might have a faster lap time than the team’s professional drivers.

But soon the staff had doubts; what was someone who could drive F2, GT3, or FE electric formula doing here driving a Ford Focus? Show off? No need for that here.

However, seeing Qin Miao holding hands with Qimeng next to him, they understood — he was here with his girlfriend to experience the track!

After all the procedures were completed, Qin Miao received a blue Ford Focus.

Sitting inside, Qin Miao was bewildered to find that apart from removing the rear seats and adding a roll cage, the car was no different from a regular Ford Focus.

Moreover, the car didn’t have paddle shifting; it used a standard manual stick shift.

Qin Miao, who hadn’t driven a car since getting his license, was stumped about how to start a manual transmission car. However, since it had been under six months since getting his license, after some careful thought, he recalled the steps.

Turn on the ignition, release the handbrake, press the clutch pedal, change gears, then slowly release the clutch, give gas, and the car moves.

Of course, having not driven since obtaining his license, Qin Miao stalled the car once while starting.

"Ahem, it’s my first time handling this car, stalling at the start is inevitable, right?"

Qin Miao awkwardly tried to excuse himself.

Sitting in the passenger seat next to Qin Miao, wearing a rented white half-covered helmet, Qimeng watched him with a teasing smile, clearly unconvinced.

Qin Miao caught a glimpse of Qimeng’s smile through the helmet’s visor, but helmets are great — once you wear them, you don’t feel any fear or embarrassment.

So, without expression, Qin Miao restarted the engine and drove the Ford Focus out of the parking area.

The car was just a regular family car with the back seats removed and a roll cage installed, with no other modifications, so it didn’t have the speed limitation feature in the maintenance area.

Thus, Qin Miao drove out of the parking area at a speed of 55 km/h.

Soon after, Qin Miao was on the track, marking his first real-life experience on a racetrack.

Initially, Qin Miao thought that upon entering the track, the system would award some achievement and give a chance for a raffle or something.

But the system showed no response.

Of course, it was just a fleeting thought; Qin Miao was more concerned about his ride and the track ahead.

After leaving the maintenance area, Qin Miao unapologetically floored the gas pedal, but as this car was frequently rented to tourists, its condition wasn’t great for intense drive over extended periods.

Qin Miao felt the car accelerated slowly and had sluggish responses, taking at least half a second before any power came through after pressing the pedal, and the power delivered felt weak compared to the robust GT3.

Qin Miao’s first step on the gas left him feeling somewhat indifferent.

After twenty-five minutes of laps, Qin Miao’s familiarity with Shanghai track increased by 11. His lap times were average, and he didn’t have a great driving experience.

Having accustomed himself to paddle shifting, Qin Miao found the manual gearstick inconvenient, often mistakenly shifting in thin air, causing the engine to rev wildly.

The steering was insufficient, the chassis was too soft, and Qin Miao couldn’t push the car speed to its limits.

In short, nothing felt comfortable.