The red flag means the race is terminated and all cars must return to the starting area to wait.
The safety car stopped at the front of the grid with its lights flashing, and all the cars behind it stopped. The team's maintenance engineer braved the heavy rain and rushed out as soon as possible, holding up umbrellas and placing them on the head of the car.
According to the rules, the game will wait for the first 10 minutes, waiting for the stewards to evaluate the weather conditions and whether to restart the game. If the race ends here, the final race ranking will be determined based on the results of the penultimate lap before the red flag is shown.
As time passed by, the drivers, maintenance technicians and spectators all became anxious. They didn't know whether the race would continue. But only Zhang Guan felt peaceful in his heart. He leaned on the back seat of the cockpit, opened the goggles of his helmet, and began to close his eyes and rest. Above his head, the maintenance man held an umbrella for him, and there was a person next to him with an electric fan facing him to cool him down.
"Just like what I remembered, this match finally came to an end!" Zhang Guan thought silently in his heart. If it weren't for the discomfort in the cockpit, he would have even wanted to take this opportunity to sleep.
The race only lasted 33 laps, and the 42 laps that accounted for 75% of the entire distance had not yet been reached. If the race was completed now, the points earned by all drivers would be halved.
Drivers and spectators cannot wait indefinitely. No one knows when the rain will stop. No one knows when the rain will lighten up. It is even possible that the rain will become lighter. After the game is restarted, there will be a heavier rainstorm again.
The first 10 minutes passed, and the official still did not give an answer on whether to continue the game. People began to wait for the second ten minutes, and then the third ten minutes.
The third ten-minute wait finally came to fruition. At this time, the heavy rain still did not abate, and time was no longer allowed to run to the 42nd lap. The race stewards finally announced that the Malaysian Grand Prix was over. The driver's ranking will be calculated based on the results of the two laps before the red flag is shown.
Zhang Guan undoubtedly won the first place, but his points were halved and he only got 5 points. Zhang Guan’s teammate Barrichello finished second and gained 4 points. Force China once again took the top two spots.
Barrichello climbed out of the car and took the lead to hug Zhang Guan. At this time, he could not hide the excitement on his face.
In Barrichello's view, his runner-up position was as if he had picked it up for free. If he had chosen to pit and change tires just now, he would have dropped to fifth place. At that time, he would have definitely missed the podium. It was Zhang Guan's suggestion that allowed Barrichello to use wet tires for a few laps, which gave him the advantage of having to make one less pit stop and helped him get on the podium.
In addition, Barrichello felt even more fortunate that the game was terminated early due to heavy rain.
With the current amount of fuel Barrichello has, it is impossible to complete the next twenty laps. If the race is not terminated, he will definitely have to stop for refueling. In this case, he will still be delayed some time, and he may be caught. Squeeze off the podium. It was precisely because the race was terminated early that the rankings of the drivers were fixed, allowing Barrichello to pick up a runner-up spot.
For a 37-year-old veteran like Barrichello, it is already very good to get a pension contract. In fact, what he is seeking is also a pension contract. Now he has been on the podium in two consecutive races, and Still the runner-up, this is definitely an unexpected surprise. It's like a former star player in the NBA suddenly entered the MVP competition while earning a veteran's minimum salary. The feeling of surprise has surpassed the performance itself.
…
For many viewers, it was a pity that the game was terminated early. They bought full-time tickets but only watched half of the game. If the audience is of lower quality, they may be clamoring for a refund. Fortunately, car fans are people who are not short of money. If they can spend a few hundred dollars to buy a ticket to an F1 match, they are considered rich at least in Malaysia.
And the final result of the game was acceptable to the audience. There are many Chinese in Malaysia, and the majority of the Chinese support Zhang Guan. It's just that Ferrari fans are destined to be disappointed. In this game, Ferrari once again failed to gain anything.
Heavy rain can be a nuisance for awards ceremonies. Because the podiums of Formula One races are all built at high places, spectators cannot see the podium if they are holding umbrellas. If they are not holding umbrellas, they will be soaked in the rain.
The staff of the team are not so particular. According to the tradition of the award ceremony, the staff of the winning team will stand directly in front of the podium, closest to the driver. When the driver opens the champagne and sprays it to the audience, the staff of the team will They can enjoy the aroma of champagne for the first time. For them, the moment they are sprayed with champagne is a reward for them and a thank you for their efforts.
A car, a driver, behind it is the hard work of the entire team for countless days and nights. The people behind these drivers are not as dazzling or eye-catching as the drivers, but they are the core of every team. Indispensable, they are the ones who most deserve to enjoy the glory of the championship.
…
"Force China still performed very well in this game, but what caught my attention more was the strategy they used." On the TV screen, the person speaking was a former professional racing driver who was reviewing the game. Do post-game reviews.
"Is there any difference in China's power strategy? Please explain it to us in detail." The host said immediately.
"Although the race is only a little more than half way, some drivers have already entered the station four times, and I paid special attention to the fact that the two cars of Force China have only entered the station once. I think everyone who understands motor sports has Understand how much time there will be after three pit stops." The former professional racing driver paused and then said: "In my opinion, the only pit stop of the Force China team to change to wet tires should be a routine one. During the pit stop, because it was raining at that time, it was impossible for the car to run on dry tires, but then Ross Brawn’s choice was the key to China’s victory.”
"Are you saying that after the track is dry, the two Force China cars are still running on wet tires?" the host asked.
"Yes, Ross Brawn is indeed a master of strategy. He chose the most correct racing strategy and allowed the two cars to continue running on the track for four or five more laps. It was these four or five laps that allowed them to wait until the end. It's raining heavily." The retired racing driver's eyes were shining with an expression of admiration.
In the racing festival, Ross Brawn is a hall-level figure, and it is natural that drivers will admire him. Of course he didn't know that not pitting for a tire change was actually Zhang Guan's decision.
…
"Yawn..." Ross Brown sneezed.
"It seems like someone is talking about you." Zhang Guan said with a smile.
"I was caught in the rain on the podium just now. I need to drink more water when I go back." Ross Brown continued: "Old men like me are not as strong as you young people. Even God is on your side. "
"God is also on my side?" Zhang Guan asked inexplicably.
"Yes!" Ross Brown pointed to the sky and continued: "You can bet on things like rain, but isn't God also on your side?"
Chapter 6 has been delivered, please give me monthly votes and recommendation votes!
(End of chapter)