Standing on the podium as the winner, Barrichello was already filled with tears of excitement.
He did not give up the car. In the last dozen laps, he led all the way and crossed the finish line first. He won the European Grand Prix.
For Barrichello, this all seems like a dream. He is already 37 years old. Before Schumacher's comeback, he was the oldest driver on the racing circuit. A group of young men in their 20s cannot stand in the fiercely competitive F1. He is lucky to have a stable foothold and still have a job in F1.
Barrichello feels that this may be his last season in F1. During this season, Barrichello is indeed very nervous. Although he has a fast car, as the second driver, he naturally has to be the second driver. The realization of the No. 1 driver, the championship in the race is something he can't even think about.
If it was ten years ago, or even five years ago, Barrichello would not be so excited by winning a race, but it is different now. At the end of his career, he can still stand and receive the award. In the center of the stage, enjoying the glory of the championship, this is indeed the best reward for a veteran driver with more than ten years of F1 experience.
A championship in a race will not have an immediate impact on the final outcome of the season, but it at least proves that Barrichello is still in good shape and is still in good shape. Although Lian Po is old, he still eats more than the average young man. A championship in a race, coupled with Barrichello's skills and experience, are enough to ensure that he will not be unemployed next season.
"Thank you! Boss, thank you! You are the best boss!" Barrichello hugged Zhang Guan. He knew that if Zhang Guan had not taken the initiative, the team would have given the order to give up the car. It can be said that his The championship in the race was given to him by Zhang Guan.
Zhang Guan smiled and patted Barrichello on the shoulder. He could feel the veteran's joy.
"I'm not just your boss, don't forget that we are comrades in arms!" Zhang Guan said.
"Comrade! It's a comrade!" Barrichello seemed a little incoherent.
Next to him, Hamilton looked very depressed after finishing third. He could have at least finished second, but due to the engineer's mistake in changing tires, he fell to third place. He lost two points for no reason, not to mention the distance. The champion is also one step further.
Zhang Guan won the runner-up in this race. He currently has a total of 93 points. Barrichello, who is second, has 56 points. Zhang Guan still has a 37-point advantage. Vettel, who was ranked third in the overall standings, retired due to an engine explosion. The gap between him and Zhang Guan widened to 47 points.
The fourth place was a name that Zhang Guan did not expect: Michael Schumacher.
With three laps to go before the end of the race, Schumacher overtook his teammate Raikkonen and rose to fourth place. Although it is still unclear whether Schumacher's own strength or Raikkonen deliberately gave up the car in this overtaking, it is still unclear. What is certain is that Schumacher has basically regained his game form.
After returning to the competition after three years, he won the third place in the first game. It was a perfect comeback for Schumacher. The next stop was the Belgian Grand Prix, where Schumacher was crowned for the first time. People also have more expectations for Schumacher.
…
The Force China team once again took the top two places, and Barrichello, who won the championship, generously booked a restaurant and treated all the team's staff to a big meal as a thank you.
Zhang Guan was sitting in the corner, holding a dinner plate, but he didn't show much excitement on his face.
It all comes from Schumacher.
Schumacher was supposed to return next season, but now he is on the field this season. Moreover, in Zhang Guan's memory, Schumacher's comeback was not very satisfactory in terms of results. At least he was still far away from competing for the championship. Many professionals also believed that Schumacher's comeback was a failure. However, the fourth place result in the European Grand Prix obviously shows that Schumacher recovered very quickly, which is another deviation from Zhang Guan's perception.
"What are you worried about? Are you worried about the championship?" I don't know when Ross Brown came to Zhang Guan's side. He continued: "You have now scored 93 points, and there are still six months left before this season. Station, if other drivers want to surpass you, there is only a theoretical possibility, and maybe after two stations, even theory will no longer exist.”
"I was thinking about Schumacher. He hasn't participated in the competition for three years. How can he still run so fast?" Zhang Guan asked.
"That's normal. He is the car king Schumacher! He should run fast." Ross Brawn spread his hands and said.
"But that's not his car. That car originally belonged to Massa." Zhang Guan continued: "I remember you once told me that every driver has different needs for the car. Drivers will follow their own needs. A car that needs to be tuned, like me, would definitely be very uncomfortable if I drove Barrichello's car. Schumacher shouldn't be an exception, right?"
"Schumacher is certainly not an exception. It is impossible for any driver to achieve good results when driving a car that he is not familiar with. But you just said that Schumacher drove Massa's car before, so for Schumacher As far as Mach is concerned, it’s not a car that he’s not familiar with,” Ross Brawn explained.
"What do you mean?" Zhang Guan asked somewhat puzzled.
"Before Schumacher retired, Massa was Ferrari's No. 2 driver and Schumacher's partner. Massa replaced Barrichello at Ferrari at that time. Massa was still very young at that time, and he learned from Schumacher. In many things, he even imitated Schumacher's driving style for a while, but he didn't have Schumacher's amazing talent. It can be said that the current Massa is like a poor man's version of Schumacher in terms of technical characteristics. In many ways, Massa and Schumacher are from the same origin," Ross Brawn said.
"So Schumacher is very familiar with Massa's car tuning. Massa's needs for the car are very similar to Schumacher's needs for the car. Is this what he means?" Zhang Guan asked.
"You understand it right, but Schumacher can adapt to Massa's car so quickly, which is a bit beyond my expectation. But if you think about it carefully, he is Schumacher, the greatest racing driver in the world, maybe In the world of F1, there is nothing he can't do," Ross Brawn said.
"But for us, what we are about to face will be a powerful opponent." Zhang Guan continued hurriedly: "A top racing driver in the world, coupled with a world-class racing car provided by Ferrari, even more The key thing is that he has adapted to this car. In the next race, Schumacher may be my biggest competitor!"
"If before today's game, I agreed with your statement." Ross Brown smiled meaningfully: "But after today's game, I think you can remove the word 'maybe', Schumacher will definitely become Your biggest competitor at the next stop.”
"Because that's Belgium? Because that's Spa?" Zhang Guan asked.
"Yes, that is Belgium, that is the Spa circuit, and Schumacher is the king there!" Ross Brown continued: "Schumacher has won six championships here, so he is known as the 'King of Spa'. King! You are about to face off against the king of the track at Spa. Do you feel a lot of pressure?"
"No, I feel very excited now! I'm looking forward to playing against him in Spa." Zhang Guan said.
Ross Brown nodded with satisfaction and continued: "The Spa track has the largest drop among all tracks. This track is built on a mountain, so it is very steep. The length of a single lap of the track is more than seven kilometers. This track has steep slopes, smooth curves, narrow turns, changeable weather, and more importantly, it is a high-speed track. This track is suitable for every driver. It’s all a challenge. Even many drivers think that Spa is the most difficult track in the world. To win the championship on this track, you may not necessarily have the fastest car, but you definitely need the best technology. You know Who was the last 'King of Spa' before Schumacher?"
Zhang Guan shook his head, and Ross Brawn explained: "Before Schumacher, the 'King of Spa' was Senna, the car god. He has won five Spa championships, second only to Schumacher. In addition, Jim Clark has won four Spa championships, and Damon Hill has won three Spa championships. Now you understand, this track is prepared for the king of Formula One! If you want to conquer Formula 1, you first have to conquer Spa!”
"Conquer Spa..." Zhang Guan repeated this sentence, and then nodded seriously: "I will!"
…
The F1 European Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix are back-to-back races, so after the European Grand Prix, all the teams rushed to Belgium non-stop to prepare for the Belgian Grand Prix that is about to start on the weekend.
Spa is a semi-road track. The so-called half-kilometer track means that part of the track exists in the form of a road. Part of the road can be used by civilian vehicles during normal times, while the track part is closed. When there are competitions, The road will be sealed and the track will be partially opened, just enough to form a lap track.
This track has high technical requirements for racers. Without excellent skills, it is impossible to run at the ultimate speed on this track. Therefore, the champions of Spa-Francorchamps are relatively easy to win. Basically, they are those familiar faces who win consecutively, or they win consecutively every other year. Among the drivers competing this year, only two have won championships at Spa, one is Schumacher and the other is Raikkonen. If Schumacher does not come back, only Raikkonen has won the championship here among the contestants, and he has won three consecutive championships.
The Belgian audience also has unusual feelings and special expectations for Schumacher. Seventeen years ago, it was on this track that the Belgians witnessed Schumacher's first race championship and witnessed the start of Schumacher's career. His own road to car king, and today, the Belgian has begun waiting for the first crowning of the car king after his return.
As a high-speed track, cars using high-speed engines definitely have an advantage. In the past decade or so, the championship of the Belgian Grand Prix has been almost monopolized by Ferrari and McLaren, because the engines of Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz are both high-speed engines. engine. Now, Force China, which also uses Mercedes-Benz engines, has become a disruptor between Ferrari and McLaren.
The press conference before the race was full of gunpowder. Both Ferrari and McLaren vowed to win the Belgian Grand Prix. Ferrari, in particular, was full of confidence in the Belgian Grand Prix. Their cars are more suitable for this. kind of track, and currently two people who have won the championship in Belgium are also in the Ferrari team.
However, the weather was unfavorable in Friday's practice session. It started raining at the Spa-Francorchamps just as the practice started. The drivers had to end the morning practice in the rain, and there were several rains that accompanied it. Not a big accident.
Belgium is a very livable country in Europe. Its temperate maritime climate makes Belgium warm in winter and cool in summer. The average temperature in summer is only about 25 degrees, while the average temperature in winter is above zero. It's just that this is not a temperature that can work perfectly for the tires, and the frequent and sudden rains also increase the driver's driving burden.
The weather suddenly changed on Friday afternoon. There were blue sky and white clouds above the track. The warm sunshine had already dried the track. The unique aroma of earth in the mountains was walking around along with the water vapor, and I slowly walked into The only flaw in everyone's nostrils is the occasional smell of gasoline.
The results of the practice session did not exceed everyone's expectations. The cars of Ferrari, McLaren and Force China could easily enter the top ten. In addition to these three teams, the performance of Toyota Racing Team and BMW Sauber Racing Team in Belgium was also It's very good, and their cars are very suitable for this kind of high-speed track.
In the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, Toyota and BMW Sauber once again gave everyone a surprise. Trulli of Toyota Racing Team actually won the pole position, while Heidfeld of BMW Sauber Racing Team took second place. This The results surprised many people. Originally, people thought that the pole position would be born among the three teams of Ferrari, McLaren and Force China, but unexpectedly, two inconspicuous teams, Toyota and BMW Sauber, got the front row of the grid. This can be regarded as a Big upset.
Another upset is that neither McLaren team's two cars made it into the top ten. If it weren't for the good performance of the Chinese force, some people would definitely think that it was a problem with the Mercedes-Benz engine.
Force China's two cars were ranked third and fifth respectively, which also prevented McLaren from blaming the car engine. Zhang Guan finished third, and Barrichello, who was in good condition, finished fifth with a gap of 0.033 seconds.
…
"Zhang Guan, fourth place is Schumacher, he will start on the same row as you!" Ross Brawn's voice sounded in the headphones.
Zhang Guan clenched the steering wheel with some excitement. The news was so sudden that even he did not expect that the head-on confrontation between him and Schumacher would come so soon!
(End of chapter)