How Did I Become an F1 Driver?
Chapter 42 - 36: The Difference Between Formula Racing Cars and Other Cars

Chapter 42: Chapter 36: The Difference Between Formula Racing Cars and Other Cars

Before leaving the pit area, Qin Miao already had a plan. In the first lap, start off steadily. After getting familiar with the condition of this race car and its performance on the Shanghai track, gradually increase his lap speed.

Once acquainted sufficiently, make a pit stop to change to a new set of tires to improve lap time.

There’s nothing much to say about the straight track; just step on the gas pedal, and shift gears once the engine speed reaches the right range.

However, upon reaching that iconic Turn 1 at the Shanghai track, Qin Miao truly felt the difference between a formula race car and a regular sedan.

The first thing that hit him was just how freakin’ heavy the brakes were on this thing.

With Qin Miao’s strength, pressing the brake with force is necessary to bring it to the floor. Plus, the G-forces pressing from behind while braking made it feel challenging to release the brake.

Qin Miao’s first impression of the brakes was: can’t press down, can’t release easily.

Entering Turn 1, Qin Miao noticed that the car’s steering was exceptionally precise. The standout feature was just two words: agile.

It was so agile it was almost unbelievable. It went exactly in the direction Qin Miao wanted, making it very easy to drive.

However, since he was using semi-slick tires, the tire temperatures hadn’t reached optimal operating levels during the first lap. Naturally, the speed didn’t pick up, and there wasn’t a strong sense of grip, barely better than a Ford Focus.

The deepest impression Qin Miao had in the first lap was the sensation of speed.

If the speed sensation of driving a Ford Focus at 80 kilometers per hour is 1, then in an F4 formula race car, you already feel a speed sensation of 1 after reaching just 30 kilometers per hour.

Sitting in an F4 formula car, there’s no protection on your helmet. You can clearly feel your helmet crashing into the wind, with the wind rushing into the cockpit and through the gaps in the helmet’s neck area, impacting your skin.

The scenery on either side flies backward, combined with an extremely low viewpoint, a terrifying sensation of speed hits you directly.

The first-time F4 racers could easily be scared by this sensation of speed and hesitate to press the accelerator any further.

But Qin Miao just enjoyed it more and more as he pressed the pedal, even taking pleasure in it.

This, however, was merely the feeling of the first lap. The car didn’t reach its best state, and the thing that gave him a thrill was just the sensation of speed, with the G-forces not even matching those of the GT3 he sat in yesterday.

But when temperatures rose in the second lap, Qin Miao truly understood why people said formula cars were made solely for the track.

This F4 formula race car, priced at around 700,000 yuan, can achieve a speed of 85 kilometers per hour during the slowest section of Turn 1 once the tires reach operating temperature. This is at its slowest while Qin Miao drives conservatively, unfamiliar with the car’s limits.

Yesterday’s AMG GT3, which starts at least 3 million, had a slowest speed of 75 kilometers per hour at the same turn.

That’s the difference.

Of course, adding Qin Miao’s weight, the F4 doesn’t exceed 700 kilograms, allowing it naturally to take corners faster due to being lighter.

However, at straight-line speed, the power-limited F4 falls short, with the GT3 pulling significantly ahead, boasting speeds around 250 kilometers per hour before Turn 1 on the long straight, while the engine-restricted F4 maxes out at 170 kilometers per hour.

And the faster cornering speed compared to yesterday’s GT3 means stronger G-forces while cornering.

Moreover, the F4’s cockpit isn’t designed to fit Qin Miao’s body, so apart from his shoulders and body position being held in place, any increased cornering G-force would cause him to crash into the monocoque.

But of course, this minor setback couldn’t dampen Qin Miao’s passion for racing.

Meanwhile, the biggest difference between F4, GT3, and a Ford Focus while cornering is that the F4 experiences almost no body roll, eliminating concerns of losing grip due to a shift in center of gravity, thereby having stronger grip.

Due to the sequential gearbox, after starting the engine and driving out of the pit area, there’s no need to press the clutch again.

And also, the driving feel of a formula car is excellent, with strong accuracy and sensitivity. This seamless control made Qin Miao addicted by the second lap.

This comfortable driving feel, coupled with an irresistible sense of speed, stimulated Qin Miao’s adrenaline and dopamine, making him fall in love with the car.

Of course, there were things about the car that made Qin Miao uncomfortable, like the steering wheel, which, even with power assistance, was still heavy, especially in high-speed corners.

Qin Miao felt that during high-speed corners, the force needed to turn the steering wheel was about five times what his five-newton-meter direct drive wheel at home required.

And the brakes were heavy. Each time after the long straight, considerable force was needed to fully press the brake pedal.

After finishing today’s three sessions, Qin Miao felt he should hit the gym and have the coach relax his arm muscles.

But as for future matters, let it be for now. Qin Miao’s mind began to clear, immersing himself in his world to make lap times.

...

[Proficiency: +1]

"Last lap time: 2:12.267, three green segments, refreshed your fastest time, keep it up."

Qimeng’s voice would ring out through the radio after Qin Miao completed a lap.

This was mainly because Qin Miao’s car only had a speedometer and gear display, lacking a more advanced car system.

After all, the car monitoring system for a race car is so expensive that those who don’t understand racing can’t fathom it.

When things go wrong, and you ask them to compensate for the broken computer, they question why an in-car computer costs 50,000.

Is your lousy in-car computer equipped with a 4080TI or H800?

What do you say? Just that it costs that much? Would they believe you?

People who don’t understand the market would surely have a big argument with the team staff, thinking you’re just making money off them.

So rather than arguing endlessly and ending up in court, it’s better to just remove the car system and install it only when needed for a race.

When Qin Miao reached the seventh lap, he felt that he had a better understanding of the car’s limits.

So Qin Miao said over the radio: "Mengmeng, I’m planning to pit at the end of this lap to change tires. Ask the team to prepare my new tires."

Qimeng: "Roger, BOX. BOX."

Qin Miao smiled, then completed another lap before driving the car into the pit area.

As he entered the pit area, he indeed saw the employees from the team he rented the car from running out at the pit entrance, with four tires placed on the ground.

Driving over, Qin Miao stopped steadily in the pit area.

Compared to F1 and F2, there are only four people changing tires for F4.

Two lift the car, while two others are responsible for changing the front and rear tires.

Don’t even think about the tire change speed. Qin Miao didn’t know if the tire change in an F4 race is also this slow, but he experienced the feeling of tire changing: damn, this is too slow, taking half a minute for four tires.

Once the tires were swapped, Qin Miao felt the car drop, and subconsciously hit the gas pedal, following his gaming habits....

And then the car stalled again...

"Damn..."

He cursed, reigniting the engine, and quickly drove off under the strange looks of the four tire-changing workers.

Pushing aside the embarrassment and discomfort for now, with new tires, Qin Miao’s first lap was still a warming lap, but by the second lap, he noticeably felt much stronger grip while cornering.

He could also carry more speed into the corners, and by the end of the second lap, his lap time improved by a full half-second.

"Last lap time: 2:11.657, three purple segments, well done!"

While Qimeng was observing Qin Miao’s data at the team’s control center, a young man, looking around his early thirties, walked into the pit area.

Whenever noticed by staff, they greeted him.

"Li!"

"President Li!"

"Hello, Captain."

"Hello, boss!"

He also smiled and nodded back to each of them.