In Zhang Guan’s memory, there was a situation of 0.5 points in this Malaysian Grand Prix. This is a special situation that may not happen once in ten years. The reason is that 75% of the Malaysian Grand Prix was not completed due to heavy rain, so the driver's points were halved.
There are a total of 56 laps in the Sepang circuit, and 75% is equivalent to 42 laps. In other words, this race has not even completed 42 laps.
Of course Zhang Guan can't remember how many laps he ran in the end of this race, but it is certain that the final number of laps was definitely less than 42 laps, so there is 0.5 points. And now we have reached the 30th lap, which means that in the next 12 laps, there will definitely be a heavy rain.
In reality, it is impossible to stop the race immediately when it rains. It requires at least one or two laps of buffering process. If you subtract two laps from 12 laps, it is 10 laps, so it will inevitably rain within 10 laps.
"Ten laps, this should be the largest number. The actual situation will definitely be less than 10 laps, maybe seven or eight laps? Five or six laps? Or even three or four laps? If it rains heavily after seven or eight laps, change it again. The time it takes to run on dry tires is basically the same as the time it takes to continue running on wet tires, but if it rains after three or four laps, it is a waste of time to stop and change tires! In other words, the best situation for changing tires is As long as you don’t lose money and don’t change tires, if you continue running with this set of rain tires, you will definitely make a profit!”
Zhang Guan thought of this and said to the radio: "I won't change the tire yet. I see there are still a lot of dark clouds in the sky, and it might rain."
"But the road surface is dry now. Do you want to run with this set of rain tires? You will lose nearly two seconds in one lap. We have calculated that if you put on a set of dry tires, you only need to run seven or eight laps. , it’s not a loss. If it rains again, you can come back and change the rain tires.” This time it was Ross Brown who spoke. When he heard Zhang Guan said not to change the tires, he immediately picked up the intercom.
"Give me a few more laps. There are still many places on the track that are still slippery. And I still have a lot of fuel. If I pit, I will have to use heavy fuel again." Zhang Guan said.
"Okay then! You are the boss, you have the final say!" Ross Brown said angrily, his tone full of complaints. Obviously he didn't like Zhang Guan's behavior of dictating the team.
In fact, Ross Brown is a very strong person. Of course, the person who can achieve Ross Brown's achievements cannot be a docile Newfoundland dog. If Zhang Guan hadn't given Ross Brown enough surprises through his performance, and Zhang Guan's lead was now large enough, Ross Brown might have gone crazy on the spot.
"Then I'll let Rubens (Barrichello) come in and change the tires first!" Ross Brown said casually.
"Where is Barrichello now?" Zhang Guan asked immediately.
"Second, right behind you, there is... uh... a gap of more than 20 seconds between you. He was originally ranked fourth, but Rosberg in second and Trulli in third were both I pitted for a tire change, so Rubens is second now," Ross Brawn said.
"If Barrichello pits to change tires, where will he be when he comes out?" Zhang Guan then asked.
"Let me see... Well, it's fifth! He will also be behind Rosberg and Trulli. In addition, BMW's Heidfeld has been using wet tires, so he will also be in front of Rubens, but I think Hayfield will also pit for tire changes," Ross Brawn said.
"Then I suggest that Barrichello also wait a while before changing the tire." Zhang Guan said immediately.
"What? It's fine if you don't change the tires, why don't you let Rubens change the tires? Are you going to keep running with this set of rain tires?" Ross Brown thought about it carefully and immediately understood the reason, and he said: "I understand what you mean. Are you betting that it will rain heavily soon?"
"Yes." Zhang Guan continued: "If I stop to change tires, my lead is big enough. Even if I come out of the pit, I will still be first, but Barrichello will move to fifth. We might as well bet If it really rains heavily, we will have one less stop and we will be in first and second place! We will take the top two spots in two consecutive stops!"
"Your idea is really bold. Are all track and field athletes gamblers?" Ross Brown took a deep breath, thought for two seconds, and then said: "I will pass on your suggestion to Ruben. Damn it, let him make his own choice!"
…
At this time, Barrichello was running alone on the track.
He was more than 20 seconds behind Zhang Guan. With such a long distance, Zhang Guan's shadow was obviously not visible, and the driver behind him was entering the pits or had just come out of the pits, and the tires had not warmed up yet. At this time, all Barrichello could see were several slow cars far ahead that were about to be lapped by him.
"Rubens." Ross Brown's voice came over the radio call.
"Are you telling me to stop for dry tires?" Barrichello asked immediately.
"Originally, yes, but now you need to make your own decision. I just had a conversation with Zhang Guan. He is not planning to pit now. He thinks we should take a gamble." Ross Brown said.
"Gamble? What do you mean?" Barrichello asked.
"Bet it will rain again soon. So prepare to use this set of rain tires for a while, and he also recommends you do this." Ross Brown said.
Barrichello instantly understood Zhang Guan's intention. After all, he is a veteran driver with 16 years of experience in Formula One races and is well aware of various pit stop strategies.
"If I pitted, where would I fall?" Barrichello asked immediately.
"Based on the current situation, it's fifth place." Ross Brown said immediately.
Barrichello immediately began weighing the pros and cons.
"If you stop to change tires, you will drop to fifth place. If you don't stop, you will be in second place. If it doesn't rain, the lead will be quickly overtaken by other cars, and second place will definitely not be saved. But if it rains If so, my rain tires can still last for a while, save one pit stop, and maybe I can actually finish the race in second place. How should I choose?" Barrichello looked up at the sky in the distance. , but he is not a professional meteorologist and cannot tell whether it will rain. Moreover, even a professional meteorologist cannot accurately predict the weather in a place like Malaysia where it will rain whenever it says it will rain.
"Perhaps it was a mistake not to stop and change tires. This is indeed a bet on whether it will rain. But this was Zhang Guan's idea, he is the boss! Well, if you do what the boss wants, you will make a mistake. , it’s the boss who takes the blame, so he won’t blame me. Besides, I’m already 37 years old. Maybe no team will want me next year. I still want to work on the pension contract for another one or two years, well, Just do what the boss wants!"
Barrichello thought of this and said, "Then I'll wait a little longer!"
Chapter 3 has been delivered, please vote for me!
(End of chapter)