How Did I Become an F1 Driver?
Chapter 40 - 34: Lost and Found

Chapter 40: Chapter 34: Lost and Found

However, compared to Qin Miao, Qimeng, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was having a great time. After all, this car wasn’t fast, and even when Qin Miao pushed it to its limits in the corners, the G-force never exceeded 1G.

This gave Qin Miao a feeling similar to riding a roller coaster—thrilling, but not terrifying; just the right amount of fun.

The session passed quickly. When the team staff reminded Qin Miao over the radio that time was up, he drove back to the pit area without a hint of reluctance.

Returning the car, getting the deposit back, and taking his personal belongings, Qin Miao didn’t want to spend another second in the team’s pit room.

What a piece of junk...

Afterward, Qin Miao finally reached the F4 team pit room he had been dreaming about.

The cost for F4 at Shanghai is far higher than that for Ford Focus. Even though both sessions last 25 minutes, the price for F4 is a whopping 4000 RMB.

Importantly, having money doesn’t necessarily mean you can drive this car. Although F4 is the entry-level formula racing car, it is, after all, a formula car.

If you don’t have a racing license, they won’t dare rent you the car. What if you crash it?

Though a Geely-produced F4 costs about 750,000 RMB in the country, even less than some luxury cars, and several times less than the price of supercars with equivalent performance on the track, there’s still a time cost in ordering parts and getting the car repaired after a crash.

Even if you totaled this car and bought a new one, transportation and tuning require labor costs too.

So rather than have novices drive the F4 and crash it, forcing the team to compensate with a new car, they’d prefer you drive it safely on the track and return it safely.

Less risk of injury for you, less hassle for me.

Before actually observing the F4 up close, Qin Miao naively thought that the F4 might be just a large go-kart, that its speed and aerodynamics couldn’t compare to his yet-to-be-seen Ferrari 488 Pista.

But when he entered the team’s pit room and saw the F4 racing car parked there, with its engine air intake on the top, only reaching his upper thigh in height,

Qin Miao was suddenly struck by its aura, with every part designed for the track.

Qin Miao realized that he had been somewhat arrogant before.

The almost ground-hugging chassis, the aggressively styled front splitter and rear wing, the ultra-lightweight carbon fiber body.

Everything about it was telling Qin Miao that it was built for the track.

"Quick! Drive it, I want to drive it today! Right now!" For some reason, Qin Miao suddenly felt an urge inside himself, pushing him to sit in the race car before him.

Without hesitation, Qin Miao raced to the team counter at a speed that even surprised Qimeng and handed over his ID, saying, "Two sessions, please."

The team staff member looked at the rash young man in front of him and explained patiently, "Sorry, sir, you can’t just drive it because you want to. You need a racing license and must undergo training before getting into the car."

Hearing this, Qin Miao was momentarily stunned. He did have a racing license issued by the system, but the system hadn’t told him where it was. Right now, he couldn’t show his license to the staff.

Damn, did I just come here for nothing again today...?

Qin Miao’s heart skipped a beat.

The staff, seeing Qin Miao’s blank expression and slightly off color, already suspected that Qin Miao was just a complete newbie who, realizing how cool the F4 looked, wanted to give it a try.

Of course, unlike supporting characters in novels who are embarrassed by the protagonist showing off, he didn’t display any disdainful expressions or secretly sneer.

After all, this is reality, not a novel. Working people don’t have the luxury to mind these things during work hours.

Rather than despising others, working people are more concerned with how to slack off a bit more during work hours, keep an eye on the clock, see when it’s time to get off work, and figure out the best timing for a paid bathroom break without the boss noticing.

So, when the staff saw Qin Miao’s daze, he didn’t bother him anymore and just withdrew his gaze, ready to continue emptying his mind.

"Well, I do have a racing license, but I didn’t bring it. Can I drive the F4?" Qin Miao, feeling that he probably wouldn’t get to drive the F4, still couldn’t give up and asked.

The staff, almost instinctively, nodded: "Yes, if you don’t have the original with you, you’ll need to provide your ID number so I can verify it on our system."

Qin Miao smoothly recited his ID number, and the front desk staff quickly entered it into the computer.

Soon, Qin Miao’s information appeared.

Initially, the staff didn’t pay much attention to the details of Qin Miao’s racing license. He just compared Qin Miao’s appearance with the driver’s license photo to confirm it was him, and then looked at the specifics of Qin Miao’s racing license.

Upon seeing Qin Miao’s specific information, a look of surprise appeared on the staff member’s face.

This guy actually has an FIA license?

This isn’t even issued by the Chinese Federation of Automobile Sports (FASC), but by the FIA.

Come on, can someone with a B-grade FIA license not behave like a newbie here, messing with my mood?

Doing this doesn’t only fail to achieve any cool-successful moment but also makes you look like a clown, you know?

Dang, you have a license that allows you to drive F2. Why are you so eager to drive an F4? Is an F4 really more thrilling than an F2?

Though internally full of complaints, the front desk staff maintained a controlled expression and, after confirming that Qin Miao indeed had a license, asked, "Sir, we’ve found your racing license information. Are you sure you want to rent the car?"

Qin Miao nodded, also internally letting out a sigh of relief. It was good they found it.

Finally, it wasn’t a wasted trip this time.

"Alright, let me explain the rental price. Our rental price is fixed: a session is 25 minutes, priced at 5000 RMB per session, with a deposit of 50,000 RMB. You’ll need to sign three contracts. However, considering you have an FIA-grade B license, we can skip the training step; you only need to sign the safety agreement and the car damage checklist. If there are no objections and you accept these terms, please scan the code to pay."

Saying this, the staff pointed to the green and blue payment QR codes on the counter.

Qin Miao cheerfully took out his phone. Initially thinking today would be a wasted trip, he was now thrilled to get back into a race car.

He paid joyfully, then followed the team staff backstage to change clothes. After changing, he went to sign the contract.

Qin Miao didn’t closely read the safety agreement, focusing mainly on the list of easily damaged parts. He wanted to check the prices of parts on this F4 car.

Of course, the F4 car isn’t cheap. Since it’s made entirely of carbon fiber to reduce weight, and although a standard mold can be mass-produced due to the fixed specifications of F4, reducing costs, still, a front wing costs as much as 13,000 RMB a piece.

Though it seems expensive, when you add up all the parts on this list, you’ll find they total only around 700,000 RMB.

It’s fair to say this team is conscientious, not using this as a method to make money off consumers.