owlsbooks Chapter 28 Popping Champagne!
Chapter 28 Popping Champagne!
Podium, let's get started!
First to step onto the podium was Lando Norris, the third-place finisher at the 2022 F1 Australian Grand Prix!
Clapping sounds.
Next to stand on the podium was Toncher, the runner-up of the 2022 F1 Australian Grand Prix and the driver of the race in the 2022 F1 Australian Grand Prix!
Clapping sounds.
Is the Iron Buddha Temple ready? Finally, ascending the podium is the Prancing Horse Prince, the 2022 F1 Australian Grand Prix champion – Charles Leclerc!
Iron Buddha Temple: Wofa Helium Magnesium Alkane!
Pop the champagne!
Tancher and Leclerc didn't really spray each other with champagne; they mostly sprayed it onto the team members below the stage. With Tancher and Leclerc doing this, Norris couldn't possibly criticize them anymore, so he went to share the fun with the team members.
In this joyful moment, let's do something even more delightful for Tiefo Temple—calculate points.
拿到这个分站冠军之后，勒克莱尔积71分（两站p1一站p2三站最快圈），暂列车手积分榜第一。赛恩斯积33分（一站p2一站p3一站退赛），暂列车手积分榜第二。
In contrast, Red Bull, Wojnarowski's direct competitor, saw Verstappen retire in two out of three races and finish in P1, earning only 25 points; Perez retired in one out of three races and finished in P4, earning only 24 points.
再反观八冠（WCC）王朝梅赛德斯，汉密尔顿三站比赛一站退赛一站p3一站p11，仅积15分；拉塞尔三站比赛一站退赛一站p4一站p5，仅积22分。
Volkswagen leads the team standings with 104 points. Red Bull is currently second in the team standings with 49 points, significantly behind Ferrari; Mercedes is third with 37 points, and there is currently no hope of breaking their lead.
The ending of this season may have already been written, but considering that there are still more than ten races left in the season, it is unlikely that the final ending of the season will be finalized.
Verstappen was indeed in a bad situation; driving the Mars rover, he scored less points than Tanger, who was driving the Earth rover, after three stops.
Tangche has retired from one of the three races, finished at P6, and finished at P2, accumulating 26 points and currently ranking third in the rider standings.
Even Alfa Romeo's team has been carried by Tontatta, currently sitting in fourth place in the team standings with 36 team points (Gasli retired in one race, got a P9 in one race, and a P6 in another, accumulating 10 points), just one point behind Mercedes.
Alfa Romeo: Could it be...?
It's not difficult at all. Anyone who knows a little about F1 knows that the Alfa Toli team's current ranking is largely due to luck.
To global racing fans, the Alfa Romeo team is like an elephant in a tree; people may not understand how it got up there, but everyone knows it will eventually fall.
The engineers at Alfa Romeo have differing opinions.
The team's engineers even felt that the team's ranking might not necessarily drop, and even if it did, it wouldn't drop too drastically.
Engineer: We admit we built a terrible car, but we have soup! With the help of soup, we might be able to improve the car's performance!
Those who frequently work with F1 racing cars know that the value of top drivers extends far beyond the track; they also greatly enhance the performance of the car.
An average driver can only sense the damage to a bad car, but a driver of Tang Che's caliber can pinpoint exactly where the damage is. This will definitely save engineers a lot of troubleshooting work and will also help them optimize the race car more precisely.
Alfa Toli's engineers have already identified areas for optimization based on Tontatta's feedback and are working diligently to optimize the car, with the first major upgrade of the season expected at the next race.
However, finding an upgrade direction does not mean that the technology can be perfectly implemented. Whether it is a mid-season upgrade or a post-season upgrade, we still need to test it out in the next race. Usually, the upgrade kit is tested in the simulator first, but the AT03's simulation is not working well, so it can only be tested directly on the track.
However, it's important to understand that even a successful mid-season upgrade doesn't necessarily improve a team's competitiveness, because Alfa Romeo isn't the only team that does mid-season upgrades.
Mid-season upgrades will divide the teams into different shapes and could almost reshape the paddock landscape.
Don't be so cocky about Ferrari now; if they were to undergo a major upgrade, they might just crash.
Don't be fooled by Mercedes' current struggles; if they pull off a miraculous mid-season upgrade, they might just continue their dynasty.
This is probably part of the allure of F1.
Having said all that, it's time for our joyful time on the podium to come to an end.
For the drivers, the next steps are routine tasks such as interviews, ice baths, and post-race debriefings.
Today, Tangche has an extra job: the post-race press conference, which is exclusively for podium drivers.
But before all that work, Tang Che had one more small task.
Tanger approached Verstappen: "The power unit is the same, but the engineering team is different... Am I going to have an engine failure in the next race?"
Verstappen raised his middle finger.
"Max, you're a real prophet," Tanger grinned. "Predict how I'll bring back P1 from my next match."
Verstappen retorted irritably, "I predict you'll stall at the start of the next race and then crash and retire."
"Don't get so angry, bro," Tanger patted Verstappen on the back. "Bad luck is just temporary. The season has only just begun. Are you going to get discouraged and watch Charles win everything?"
Verstappen: "How could I possibly be depressed? I'll only be angry, and then I'll win the next game with that anger!"
Tang Che: "So, will the three of us still be able to eat at the same table in the future?"
“I’m not Lewis Hamilton, and Charles isn’t Nico Rosberg,” Vestager said. “We could be having dinner together tonight.”
"Of course," Tang Che said. "But I'll be there later. I need to finish my work at the paddock and do an interview."
Verstappen: "Then hurry up and get to work."
Tang Che went to work.
The paddock is so big, everyone has their own work to do, especially the event director, who is extremely busy.
While Tang Che was busy, the new event director made a number of decisions.
"The collision between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell was a normal track incident, and neither driver should be penalized."
Non-Mercedes fans are calling it FIAMG.
"Red Bull Racing's appeal is rejected: An investigation by the race stewards found that Daniel Ricciardo's car was not intentionally left on the track."
"Rule revision: Starting from the next race, during the virtual safety car or safety car period, the front wing of the following car must not exceed the rear wing of the car in front, and violators will be penalized 5 seconds."
Marco is also quite busy.
"Chris, don't you think Checo is behaving a bit immaturely? Especially compared to Tom," Marco said with a smile.
Horner said seriously, "Helmut, this is only the third race. Cheko and Tom need more time to perform, and we also need more time to observe them."