CHAPTER 460: CHAPTER 208: MAGNUM_2

The two of them could still exchange insights during this process.

After walking the track, Qin Miao took out his phone to check the photos he had taken on the track. Once he confirmed there were no unclear photos, his task for this track walk was complete.

To be honest, if no one supervises a person, they really tend to get lazier over time.

In the past, the first time Qin Miao walked an F1 track, he had a small notebook in hand. Whenever he encountered a slightly challenging corner, he would note it down and record his thoughts on cornering and entering the corner, including the height and roughness of the kerbs, estimating the maximum grip of the tires when going over them.

Everything was detailed and meticulous, even though back then, Qin Miao already had the system enhancing his understanding of the track.

But now? Qin Miao relied on the system’s proficiency boost, casually riding a scooter for a quick glance and it was done.

The most he would do was stop the scooter to touch the asphalt, kerbs, or barriers at tougher corners.

Just like this time when he walked the track, Qin Miao deliberately stopped at the stupid corner and asked Kimi to take a photo of him with the barriers.

After ensuring the photo was fine, Qin Miao sent it directly to Leclerc, amidst Kimi’s somewhat speechless gaze.

Let’s not even start on Le the Fourth’s verbal jabs at Qin Miao for now.

In short, this track walk was not a waste for Qin Miao.

After leaving the track, Qin Miao found Kimi was different from Norris.

Once Norris borrowed something, he never returned it or even mentioned it. Of course, it might be because Qin Miao didn’t walk with Norris, and he forgot.

However, after Kimi and Qin Miao left the track, Kimi personally returned the scooter to Barber and thanked him.

This shows that while Kimi might be free-spirited and candid, he still maintains proper principles in conduct.

After walking the track and being back at the team house, Qin Miao took Qimeng and headed back to the hotel with his girl.

After resting for a while in the hotel, Qin Miao went to attend the Thursday pre-race press conference.

At the conference, Qin Miao happened to be on stage with Leclerc for interviews.

Backstage, once Leclerc spotted Qin Miao, he immediately locked onto Qin Miao’s neck and gave his waist a fierce tickling.

In the end, Qin Miao could only helplessly and grudgingly concede.

However, during the pre-race conference, Leclerc remained serious and didn’t cause any commotions on stage.

Once the pre-race meeting ended, most of the work for the Grand Prix’s Thursday was done, and then Qin Miao went to check his car.

Qin Miao’s car was just transported to Azerbaijan today and was unpacked.

Since a new engine was replaced, even though this engine had been tested in Brackley, no one knew if the engine might face some acclimatization issues, so after arriving locally, they had to restart it to ensure the engine could operate normally.

This is considered a routine check.

Almost every time before a Grand Prix, this step is included. Qin Miao just went over to take a look, planning to head back to the hotel once it started.

Unfortunately, the check today ran into problems.

Despite the group’s technicians sweating profusely, no matter how they inserted the starter rod into the car’s clutch, the car engine just wouldn’t fire up.

Seeing this, Reyes and the rest of Qin Miao’s team technicians became anxious.

Still, Mercedes, being an experienced team, always had contingency plans for such urgent matters. So according to the inspection manual, they quickly replaced the already heated engine oil inside the engine and began testing the engine components.

They had to resolve any issues with Qin Miao’s car engine by tomorrow’s Friday practice. If they didn’t complete the checks within the stipulated time, they’d have to install Qin Miao’s old engine.

Normally, the Mercedes team wouldn’t mind the transportation cost of a new set of engines, and they surely wouldn’t just bring one set of old engines as spares.

Yet, no one expected a brand new engine, even one upgraded for durability, to encounter such problems.

After all, in the calculations of the team engineers, any component on Qin Miao’s car could potentially malfunction or get damaged during this Grand Prix, but the engine was least likely to cause problems.

So the logistics department, considering the budget cap, only brought three sets of engines for the two cars to save on shipping costs: one new engine and two old engines.

Under normal circumstances, the two old engines are for regular use, with the new one as a backup.

It just so happened that Qin Miao had installed the new engine and encountered an issue.

This awkward situation arose: Qin Miao’s new engine malfunctioned, but there was no spare new engine to replace it.

But since it had happened, the team staff naturally did their utmost to address the engine issue. Although Qin Miao wasn’t chased out of the pit by Frankie and the others, seeing the impatience in their eyes, Qin Miao figured it was best to leave and not be a hindrance.

So, he left.

With Toto engaged elsewhere and not at the team, Qin Miao talked about his engine issue with Ben Hodgkinson, the powertrain chief on duty today. After confirming they could have a functional car ready for him by Friday, Qin Miao left the paddock at ease.

Back at the hotel, Qin Miao and Qimeng didn’t go out that evening.

Avoiding any work-related activities, they spent the night playing on the PS5 brought from home.

Friday marked the beginning of the first and second practices, officially starting the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The first thing Qin Miao did after getting out of bed was to check the weather. Fortunately, the weather was great, with no sign of rain. The sun was bright, and the local temperature was quite comfortable at 26 degrees. Given these conditions, the track temperature during practice would at least reach above 50 degrees, making the weather perfect for drivers like Qin Miao.

After getting up and freshening up, Qin Miao did a simple warm-up in the hotel gym, and then headed to the track with Barber.

Passing through the gates, due to local policy, no spectators were allowed in the paddock today.

But since it was a street race, many had set up tables and chairs on their balconies to watch the race while snacking and drinking for free.

However, since it was quite empty on the way into the paddock, Qin Miao didn’t see many spectators.

Just as Qin Miao walked through the paddock gates, he saw three hosts warming up at the entrance for the pre-race show.

They happened to be discussing Qin Miao’s Monaco race, so when Qin Miao passed by, one of the commentators stopped him and began asking about his race in Monaco.

When Qin Miao managed to break free from them, he saw Kimi, dressed in an Alfa Romeo short-sleeve team shirt, entering through the door with half-eaten ice cream still stuck on a small stick.

Seeing Kimi, Qin Miao greeted him with a smile, "Morning, Kimi."

"Morning," Kimi also responded with a smile, then came over with his physical trainer to Qin Miao’s side, "I’ve seen the data, and I’ve deleted it."

Hearing Kimi’s somewhat cryptic statement, Qin didn’t respond but curiously asked, "What are you eating?"

"Ice cream," Kimi showed off the Magnum in his hand.

Qin Miao was surprised; while he could eat without worry due to the system, Kimi, on the other hand, was casually enjoying ice cream in the early morning without a worry for a potential stomach upset during practice.