Soaring Past the Constant Star [Rebirth] - Chapter 7

Duan Xingheng remained tight-lipped about how he intended to handle Qin Yun.

Jiang Yue wanted to express some concerns, wondering if this would cause trouble for Duan Xingheng, given that the race was equally important to both of them.

In response, Duan Xingheng raised an eyebrow and shot back, “Is she even worth it?”

“You should be more worried about the upcoming race, sweetheart.”

His smile carried a hint of his signature provocation, as if he had shed his gentle sheep’s clothing to reveal a predator’s intent toward its prey.

“Who was it that just said they were going to beat me?”

Jiang Yue’s face flushed. In the last race, Duan Xingheng had pulled off a massive ten-second lead over second place. If an amateur like Qin Yun could actually rattle him, then the secret, fierce “power struggles” within the paddock would be nothing more than child’s play.

Following Duan Xingheng’s advice, Jiang Yue put Qin Yun out of his mind and began to focus entirely on the race weekend.

A Grand Prix weekend starts on Friday and ends on Sunday. In the absence of a Sprint Shootout, it consists of three practice sessions, one qualifying session, and the main race.

Each practice session lasts 60 minutes, and the focus of each varies. Generally, Free Practice 1 (FP1) on Friday morning is for drivers to adapt to the car and the track while engineers evaluate track characteristics. Based on driver feedback, they find the right setup and balance. Free Practice 2 (FP2) on Friday afternoon involves qualifying simulations and long-run race pace tests with high fuel loads. Teams use this data to finalize tactics and tire strategies.

By Free Practice 3 (FP3) on Saturday morning, drivers usually push the car’s overall power and output. Consequently, FP3 times are often better than FP2. However, because FP3 is so close to the afternoon qualifying session, any accidental damage to the car becomes an engineer’s nightmare.

In Jiang Yue’s past life, his very last race had seen such an accident.

That kind of mishap had only happened once in his entire previous career, but it directly impacted his qualifying. He had struggled into Q2, but was ultimately shut out of Q3, qualifying in 12th place.

Once bitten, twice shy. He would not allow a repeat of that situation.

Although he had returned five years into the past, for Jiang Yue, it had only been about ten days since he last sat in a cockpit. His career had no gaps, and while he hadn’t always been on an upward trajectory, he had never stopped moving forward.

Fortunately, the three practice sessions went smoothly. The car was in better condition than he expected, seemingly unaffected by the previous crash.

While the Aston team was currently mid-field and lacked the R&D capabilities of the top teams, its predecessor had been glorious during decades of F1 history. The car’s performance was acceptable, and its ceiling wasn’t low.

Finally, it was time for Saturday’s qualifying.

A valid qualifying result requires three laps. All cars start from the pit lane, using the first lap to warm the tires before accelerating past the start-finish line to begin a “flying lap.” After setting a satisfactory time, the driver cools the car down and slowly returns to the pits.

In yesterday’s FP3, Duan Xingheng was the only driver to break into the 1:30s. During Q1, he set the fastest sectors across the board, pulling away from the pack with a time of 1:29.890.

Jiang Yue placed 7th with a 1:31.1, advancing to Q2, two places ahead of his teammate, John.

He maintained a calm mindset, seeking steady progress and pushing his car to its absolute limit.

Regrettably, though he made it into Q3, his ranking did not rise, and he remained in 7th. As expected, Duan Xingheng secured pole position. His teammate, Davis, dropped to 4th, leaving the two Mettler drivers sandwiched between them on the broadcast screen, looking determined to take the podium.

Qualifying results are crucial for the main race. Barring any grid penalties, the P1 qualifier starts from the first grid slot, known as “pole position.” The pole sitter has a very high probability of winning the race.

As of the last round, the fourth race of the season, Duan Xingheng’s pole-to-win ratio for the season was a perfect 100%.

Barring any surprises, Jiang Yue would start tomorrow afternoon’s race from 7th.

He wasn’t exactly satisfied with the result, but he wasn’t disappointed either.

F1 is the only sport in the world where every team builds its own unique car. The inherent differences between the cars are part of the sport’s charm, but they also mean that performance gaps represent a massive chasm for drivers to cross.

Duan Xingheng had once driven for a struggling Hurricane team that had lost its Chief Technical Officer. He had used what fans called a “tractor” to fight his way to the podium and create miracles, but such events were once-in-a-millennium occurrences. Even he admitted that luck was the deciding factor.

Jiang Yue could only adjust his mindset. After all, starting 7th was already a solid result for the Aston team.

He couldn’t be impatient, impatience led to mistakes.

He needed to be in peak condition for tomorrow’s race.

A-Wei was a Chinese fan who, influenced by his die-hard fan father, had grown up staying up late to watch live races.

When he started high school, the heavy workload meant he followed F1 much less.

It wasn’t until he started university that he had more free time. Returning home for winter break, his father excitedly talked about the current state of racing. He praised the national driver, Jiang Yue, who had scored points in the very first race of the season, but lamented the absolute dominance of the Silver Snake team and Duan Xingheng. He claimed the excitement wasn’t in the title fight anymore, but in the mid-field “catfights” for a few measly points. Compared to the era of multiple champions fighting years ago, it felt a bit dull.

The reputation of the six-time champion Duan Xingheng was deafening. A-Wei sometimes joked that he grew up watching the man race. The legend of Duan Xingheng driving a “tractor” to challenge the King, Keller, and reviving the Hurricane dynasty was still a favorite topic among veteran fans.

“Silver Snake is getting ridiculous now,” A-Wei said after watching several race replays. “What is Duan Xingheng? The dragon slayer who eventually became the dragon?”

Similar comments flooded the internet. Years ago, Duan Xingheng had come from below to defeat the legendary “Great Demon King” Keller, but now he had become the new demon king dominating the standings.

However, netizens also said that if you ignored Duan Xingheng, the racing was actually quite good.

For instance, Jiang Yue, who was about to compete in his home race, suddenly became A-Wei’s primary focus.

On a Sunday that didn’t require staying up late, he settled in early in front of a sports channel’s official account. His father loved this channel’s commentary, and A-Wei was influenced by it too. During a two-hour race, he would definitely fall asleep if he didn’t listen to these specific commentators.

The broadcast began. The host in the studio greeted the audience, and the screen transitioned to the classic F1 intro music.

The shots of the 20 drivers flashed by, most in somewhat awkward arm-crossing poses. Jiang Yue only had a brief side profile shot. Finally, the frame froze on Duan Xingheng’s face, a face that made countless female fans swoon.

Then came the usual analysis of qualifying results, along with introductions to the venue and track temperature. The screen showed crowded grandstands and the busy staff in various team garages.

Next was the drivers’ parade.

A-Wei munched on potato chips and drank “Fat House Happy Water” (Coke), patiently waiting for the interviews with the top three starters. After a long wait, the cars finally lined up on the starting grid.

His spirits lifted, and he sat up straight in his chair.

Five red lights flickered on, went out, and the race began!

Twenty cars launched simultaneously, the roar of engines echoing across the track.

The two Mettler cars starting in 2nd and 3rd immediately launched an attack on Duan Xingheng in P1!

However, Duan Xingheng’s starts were always rock solid. Even with the Mettler drivers’ premeditated attack, he maintained the best line and held his advantage into the first corner. His control of speed and braking points was flawless.

A-Wei had wanted to see the two Mettlers sandwich the Silver Snake, but Duan Xingheng was impossibly steady!

If there were a live comment section right now, people would be typing: “The race is over.” A-Wei felt the same. He took a long swig of his soda, sighed, and then fixed his eyes on the rankings on the left side of the screen to check on Jiang Yue.

8th! He dropped a place!

“It’s okay!” A-Wei reassured himself. “No big deal! As long as it wasn’t a total stalls-start, everything can be recovered!”

The start of an F1 race is one of the most exciting parts. The replay gave plenty of screen time to Duan Xingheng’s perfect start and the cars behind him where positions had shifted significantly.

This allowed A-Wei to see exactly how Jiang Yue had dropped a spot.

The deep blue car next to him had pushed hard amidst the chaos. Jiang Yue was boxed in from the front and back, unable to pull away. At the first corner, the two cars were quickly wheel-to-wheel. Theoretically, Jiang Yue had the right to the corner, but the other car gave him zero space, driving right on the white line and forcing Jiang Yue wide.

Meanwhile, while the “snipe and the clam” fought, the “fisherman” benefited. The car behind them seized the opportunity to overtake while they were battling. Even though Jiang Yue quickly adjusted and shook off the car beside him, it was too late.

A-Wei looked at that deep blue car, fuming!

“Why is it you again?”

The guy from the Hurricane team who had sent Jiang Yue flying in the last race was their second driver. Usually anonymous, he seemed to have a personal vendetta against Jiang Yue, striking hard whenever he had the chance.

“Go, Jiang Yue! Get him!”

A-Wei stood up from his chair, shouting excitedly at Jiang Yue’s orange car.

“Are you crazy, A-Wei? Pipe down!”

His roommate in the next bed was startled by the noise and peeked out from behind his bed curtain.

A-Wei didn’t even hear him. He stared intently at the computer screen for a long moment, then suddenly jumped up, waving his soda can in excitement:

“Beautiful!”

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