Chapter 1408 - 529: Double Blessings (Part 2)

Chapter 1408: Chapter 529: Double Blessings (Part 2)

Since Vassel said so, Qin Miao gave up his inner doubts.

Besides, speaking of Leclerc, Qin Miao actually doesn’t care about the status of being the number one driver. The reason is simple: he has absolute strength, whether the team gives him the title of the number one driver will not affect the final outcome of the race between him and his teammate.

However, these rights can remain unused, but they cannot be absent.

After all, at the end of the day, it’s Ferrari who needs him, not him who needs Ferrari.

If he’s not happy at Ferrari, he can just leave; there will always be teams wanting him.

"So if you agree, can we continue with the contract negotiation?" Vassel asked.

"Of course, I’ll call the agency in a moment."

"Hahaha, I can’t wait to see you in a Ferrari team uniform now."

"I’m also looking forward to it." Qin Miao shrugged with a smile and said, "But if you want to see it now, my suggestion is to check out my photos from the F2 period. I remember there’s one with me in a Ferrari team uniform there."

"I’ll go check it out."

"By the way," Qin Miao suddenly said, "Vassel, please don’t announce my agreement to join Ferrari within the paddock."

"Rest assured, we know what to do. We’ll continue the negotiations with you, but the timing of the announcement is entirely up to you," Vassel said.

"Thank you very much for your understanding. The main purpose of this call was to convey this, so if there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now," Qin Miao said.

Vassel nodded, "Alright, then I wish us a pleasant cooperation! Also looking forward to seeing you at the end of the year in Maranello."

Qin Miao nodded with a smile, "Wishing for a pleasant collaboration! See you in Maranello then."

...

After hanging up with Qin Miao, Vassel started to get busy like Toto.

After all, the addition of Qin Miao, a two-time world champion, is a big deal for Ferrari. While the internal handover can’t be arranged immediately due to confidentiality needs, it’s still possible to give a heads up to those inside Ferrari.

Under the same starlit sky, both are top F1 team leaders. However, one is now full of worry, planning for the future.

The other is beaming with joy, looking forward to the future.

As for the instigator of all this, Qin Miao, he went to sleep after hanging up the phone.

Although the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has left two weeks of rest and adjustment time for the drivers, Qin Miao knows after talking with Toto that leaving, while not wrong, meant he owed nothing more to Mercedes. The glory of two world championships is more than enough to pay back Mercedes for all they’ve invested in him.

Yet Qin Miao still feels like he let the team down, let down their expectations of him.

So for this last season, Qin Miao wants to do his best to win another driver’s world championship before leaving Mercedes.

On one hand, to thank Mercedes for their nurturing, and on the other, with the honor of being a three-time world champion, transitioning to Ferrari would ensure a heroic welcome at Tiefu Temple upon his return to loyal Maranello.

Of course, all these are matters for later.

Meanwhile, Qin Miao took advantage of this short one-week rest period to return to his home country.

After all, strictly speaking, the distance from his home country to Australia is shorter than from the UK to Australia.

So going home for a bit wouldn’t delay anything.

Moreover, since Qimeng’s due date is in April, Qin Miao must seize the time he has to quickly check on his wife and daughter.

Of course.

Things like prenatal checkups, maternity supplies, baby formula, and the room are all well taken care of by his mother and in-laws.

Qin Miao’s main value is to provide emotional support and make the person with the highest status in the home (Qimeng) happy.

But honestly, Qin Miao feels that his role is only the last one.

As for money, Qin Miao has a feeling that Qimeng is much richer than he is.

Although he has no evidence, Qin Miao just feels that Qimeng is certainly well-off.

And for his daughter, after countless prenatal checkups, there are no issues, the due date won’t shift, the fetal position is correct, and there are no problems like umbilical cord around the neck.

Qin Miao can even feel the baby kicking his hand.

However, after all, Qin Miao is still a driver and cannot stay at home for too long.

On March 27th, Monday, Qin Miao left his comforts and headed to Australia a week early.

Now going, Qin Miao primarily aims to adapt to the climate.

In the past, Qin Miao had no concerns in this regard, usually arriving at the race venue by Wednesday afternoon.

But as race frequency increased, he discovered that if he got to the track early to acclimate, he’d be in much better shape on race day.

Although feeling good doesn’t boost lap times significantly, at least during the race, he’d feel more comfortable.

He doesn’t know the exact reason, but going to the track a few days early has no downsides for him.

Moreover, Albert Park is a seaside track.

The last two races were spent eating sand in the desert, and now he finds himself at a temperate seaside, so pre-adapt to the humid climate here is indeed needed.

Upon arriving at the race location, Qin Miao’s daily routine and work content returned to normal, with no difference from a regular grand prix.

Yet behind the scenes, Qin Miao’s management team had already terminated negotiations with the Mercedes team, with almost everyone heading to Maranello to begin negotiations with Ferrari.

The first confirmation was that upon arriving at Maranello, Qin Miao would be acknowledged as the number one driver at Ferrari, with a genius like Leclerc supporting him.

Though this approach might seem unfair to Leclerc, or even unacceptable to him.

It’s a reward for Qin Miao’s demonstrated prowess after keeping his teammate, seven-time champion Hamilton, in check for two years.

No one will doubt Qin Miao’s capability compared to Leclerc.

This is also one of the mutual understandings put forward by both parties, accepted readily and included smoothly in Qin Miao’s contract.

This kick-started the contract in a good note, as both parties were eager to finalize it.

However, subsequent negotiations started to slow down.

Mainly due to contractual details, such as Ferrari wanting to sign a 3+2 contract with Qin Miao.

That is a three-year formal contract, with a two-year team option.

This so-called team option means Ferrari has the right to decide whether Qin Miao stays with the team after three years.

But Qin Miao’s management team aims primarily to protect Qin Miao’s interests.

Although an F1 driver’s career isn’t as fleeting as traditional sports stars’, it isn’t overly long either.

Legends like Hamilton and Alonso, who remain competitive and active as they age, are exceptions.

Therefore, Qin Miao’s team wants a same 3+2 contract with Ferrari, but where the 2-year option is the driver’s choice.

Meaning after three years, Qin Miao has the right to decide whether to renew with Ferrari.

Coincidentally, those three years align with the implementation of new regulations in ’26, giving Qin Miao control.

If he performs well in those three years, he can leverage that for more from Ferrari, or if not, he could enjoy two years’ salary without pressure.

Then retire and enjoy life.

There began a lengthy tug-of-war over this issue.

But Qin Miao suspects they’ll end with each side stepping back—a year for the team option, a year for the driver option.

The only speculation is whether the first year is a driver’s option or a team’s option.

Someone’s handling it, so Qin Miao didn’t focus too much on it.

After reaching Australia, Qin Miao takes morning walks by the sea every day.

After all, abroad, the safest time is in the morning.

Then he does fitness training in the morning, familiarizes himself with the track in the afternoon, meticulously works on driving details, and watches race videos from last year and the year before.

Busy until evening, he barely has a few hours of rest.

Time flies during Qin Miao’s relentless training, swiftly arriving at Thursday.