Chapter 1554 - 567: Demonic Wind

Chapter 1554: Chapter 567: Demonic Wind

Although it looks like both of them are neck and neck, frantically pushing forward, anyone with a bit of racing knowledge can tell that the W14 on the track is superior to the RB19.

Because Qin Miao entered the track from the safety path, there’s more dust, rubber granules, and debris on the ground, unlike the clean racing line where Verstappen’s car is.

Yet, Qin Miao’s acceleration is basically identical to Verstappen’s RB19.

This shows the performance gap between the two cars.

Unfortunately, even though Qin Miao managed to parallel Verstappen on the straight between T1 and T3 using the strong performance of the W14.

But Verstappen was on the inside line, and Pan had medium tires for this race.

With better tire grip than Qin Miao, Verstappen dared to brake later than Qin Miao.

Qin Miao was aware of Verstappen’s tendencies.

If he took the outside to brake, Pan would definitely come close and try to force him off the track.

But if he pressured Verstappen to brake on the inside, Qin Miao was worried he might not be able to maintain his current position against Verstappen.

After all, Verstappen has pushed drivers off the track while braking out of control on the outside line multiple times.

In yesterday’s sprint race, Qin Miao seized the gap when Verstappen defended against his teammate Perez in this manner, overtaking both Verstappen and Perez, and winning the sprint race.

To avoid falling prey to Pan’s signature braking style, Qin Miao chose to brake early before the braking point at T1.

He planned to let Verstappen pass first, then follow behind Verstappen on a crossover line.

It’s worth mentioning that Qin Miao’s early braking position was before the DRS detection point prior to T3 at the Red Bull Ring.

Before passing the DRS detection point, Qin Miao’s car was already trailing Verstappen’s RB19.

Meaning, in the following stretch of straight, Qin Miao had Verstappen’s DRS.

Verstappen, seeing Qin Miao’s mistake falling behind at T1, was initially quite happy inside.

On one hand, Qin Miao seldom made mistakes, on the other, due to Qin Miao’s mistake, he didn’t have to face this relentless defense on the track.

Because of this, overwhelmed with joy, Verstappen overlooked the possibility of Qin Miao braking early before the DRS detection point despite driving alongside him.

Once he realized Qin Miao deliberately braked early, Verstappen couldn’t help but feel anxious again.

Actually, before entering the T3 braking point, Qin Miao had already been completely overtaken by Verstappen.

However, as they descended from the exit of T3, Qin Miao revealed his claws.

DRS, ERS, slipstream, go all out! Activate all!

At this point, someone might say, didn’t Qin Miao already activate ERS after exiting T1? Why does he still have battery?

This is where you might not understand; although Qin Miao indeed has little battery left, the previous straight didn’t exhaust all his battery, and the braking point at T3 also charged quite a bit.

Now Qin Miao managed to charge his battery from the original 15% to 25% during this corner, which might not seem like much.

But Verstappen doesn’t have much either!

Realizing Qin Miao made a mistake on the track, Verstappen went all in, intending to seize the opportunity and overtake Qin Miao.

On the track, after the corner, Verstappen realized Qin Miao’s pursuit speed and had a sense of foreboding.

Realizing that Qin Miao was quickly closing in after the corner with DRS and catching his slipstream, Verstappen had no choice but to start weaving on the track.

Even though weaving is frowned upon by many drivers.

Not just drivers, but many F1 paddock staff, including spectators, view defensive weaving as a low-class move.

But it’s undeniable that it works!

ps. Guys, monthly votes.