All-round Athlete

Chapter 724

August 30th, game day.

The sun is shining brightly in the sky, but the possibility of rain cannot be ruled out. The air temperature is only 16 degrees, and the track temperature is less than 30 degrees. Obviously, it takes a long time for the tires to play their due role. At the same time, it is also a big challenge for the drivers to start.

As the five red lights went out, the race officially started. Barrichello's car encountered some problems, the start was half a beat slow, and Raikkonen passed behind him. Raikkonen took advantage of the opportunity to follow behind Schumacher.

Schumacher's starting reaction is also very fast, at least for a 40-year-old person, it is very good, but compared with the 23-year-old Zhang Guan, Schumacher must be slightly inferior. At that time, Schumacher did not take advantage, Zhang Guan seized a favorable position and entered the first turn.

There is a long straight after Turn 1, and it is also a downhill section. This straight can use the kinetic energy recovery system to provide an additional 80 horsepower to the car. Accelerating to the bottom, going downhill and adding an additional 80 horsepower can make the car start to accelerate quickly. At this stage, the competition is the absolute speed of the car. But the next turn 2 is the most dangerous place on the whole track.

In the 1960s, the lap of the Spa circuit was more than ten kilometers, and there were many very deadly corners. In 1960 alone, two drivers died on the Spa circuit. Due to frequent accidents After 1970, the Spa circuit was suspended for a period of time, until it was reopened in 1983, the length of the track was almost reduced, and the most dangerous section of the track was also cancelled. However, the Roenger corner is still retained, which is Turn 2.

Roenger Bend is a high-speed corner, and the arc is not very tortuous. When the car passes here, the speed can reach 300 kilometers per hour, but because it has gone through a downhill, it is difficult to control the car when cornering. An accident is also an accident with a speed of more than 300 kilometers per hour. Just imagine hitting a wall at a speed of more than 300 kilometers per hour. If you don't die, you will be disabled.

In fact, this is also the case. There was once a driver named Alex Zanardi, who hit the wall at this corner at a speed of more than 300 kilometers per hour. He saved his life, but lost half of his right leg. and a whole left leg. However, this driver really loves motorsports. In 2012, he participated in the Paralympic handwheel competition and won the Paralympics championship.

This kind of challenging corner is definitely the driver's favorite. Passing this kind of corner is tense and exciting, and the feeling of heartbeat when cornering can most arouse the driver's enthusiasm. However, for some inexperienced young drivers, if they are not careful in this corner, accidents are very likely.

The reality is also the same, Renault rookie Grosjean made a mistake in this corner, he created a chain rear-end collision, directly let four cars out of the race, including the defending champion Hamilton.

The safety car came out and led everyone to circle around the track. Zhang Guan and Schumacher were still ranked third and fourth respectively. Behind Schumacher was his teammate Raikkonen. Unless there was a big difference in speed between the two, Raikkonen would It is impossible for Corning to take the initiative to try to overtake Schumacher, that is to say, next, Schumacher does not have to worry about the cars behind him overtaking, he can wholeheartedly compete with Zhang Guan for the top three.

The safety car led everyone to run for four laps, and then returned to the maintenance area. From the moment the safety car returned to the maintenance area, there was a bloody storm on the track.

Schumacher launched an attack on Zhang Guan, and Barrichello behind him also bit Raikkonen tightly. Vettel was challenged by Alonso, and several star drivers were inseparable in an instant.

As for the first-placed Toyota and the second-placed BMW Sauber, they were ignored by the audience. The reason why these two cars could get the top two in qualifying was mainly because of the comparison of their gasoline-fuelled cars. Less, the weight of the car is relatively light. The appearance of the safety car is obviously very bad news for light-loaded cars. The advantage of light-loaded oil is that you can use light cars to run faster and gain more advantages. However, under the guidance of the safety car, all racing cars are like a long snake. It will be waste oil in vain. So at the moment when the safety car appeared, the advantages of the top two light cars had disappeared, and if nothing happened, they had withdrawn from the competition for the top three.

...

The camera focused on two red racing cars, which were Zhang Guan and Schumacher, and behind them, there were also two red racing cars, which were Raikkonen and Barrichello. Red has become the main color in the TV broadcast lens, and it is even difficult to distinguish whether they are opponents or teammates from a distance.

"Schumacher tried to surpass Zhang Guan, can he surpass it? One is the greatest car king, he has the best experience and technology in the world; the other is the most talented athlete, he has unparalleled talent. This is a In a duel between experience, technology and talent, who can win? Perhaps the answer will be revealed soon!"

The appearance of the car king Schumacher on the field originally meant the attention of countless eyes, but Zhang Guan is the strongest racer this season, and has staged countless miraculous victories. This can be said to be a new and old car king. The confrontation between them made it impossible for the camera to leave the two of them.

Schumacher is very familiar with the Spa circuit, he knows where the overtaking points are at the Spa circuit, and he knows how to overtake more easily at the Spa circuit.

"China Power's racing car is really fast, at least on this track, we are evenly matched. But there is an opportunity ahead, we can induce Zhang Guan to the inside first, and use the later braking point to overtake him!"

Schumacher recalled in his mind that he surpassed one by one opponents here, many of whom were world champions, so he decided to attack Zhang Guan in the next stage.

Schumacher moved slightly to the inner lane, but Zhang Guan really made a defensive move.

"Okay, I took the bait! It's really nostalgic. I used this method to surpass Hakkinen at this corner. There is the same way to pass another driver."

Schumacher followed Zhang Guan, taking advantage of the wake of Zhang Guan's car to accelerate continuously, and at the next moment, when he was about to throw the car to the outside, Zhang Guan took the lead and moved half a car to the outside.

"Huh?" Schumacher secretly exclaimed, Zhang Guan is equivalent to sealing off his chance to overtake on the outside, that is to say, his planned overtaking plan has gone bankrupt, but at the same time, Zhang Guan's defensive action has blocked the track. The inside gave way to Schumacher again.

"Could it be that my intention was seen through by Zhang Guan? But if this is the case, the inside of the track gives me room to surpass. Whether you have seen through my tactical intention or not, I can pass from the inside!" Shu Maher placed the car on the inside of the track and launched his first attack on Zhang Guan.

Due to the impact of the wake of the car in front, Schumacher's speed was indeed faster at this moment, but Zhang Guan was unmoved. He continued to move forward according to the original route, as if he did not see Schumacher who was about to overtake him. .

"Oh..." the audience shouted.

"It's impossible to pass." Ross Brown looked extremely calm when he saw this scene. The braking point on the inner side of the track should have been earlier. Sometimes it will rush out of the runway, so overtaking on the inner runway must have a large enough advantage. But now there is not much difference between the performance of Ferrari's car and China Power's car. As long as Zhang Guan keeps his own line, it is impossible for Schumacher to overtake it.

In this situation, the most taboo thing for the car in front is to deviate from the original line. Lateral movement will reduce the speed of the car and provide opportunities for the opponent. on the route.

"Perfect response!" Schumacher also knew that Zhang Guan made the best choice. For him, it is not impossible to forcefully overtake from the inside, but it is very difficult to overtake. , but also bear the risk of running off the runway.

For Schumacher, the more difficult technical movements, in the eyes of other drivers, it is simply impossible to complete.

Schumacher still did not choose to overtake forcefully, he braked ahead of time, and followed behind Zhang Guan again.

...

"I guess that's the case. It's impossible for Schumacher to overtake from the inside. It's too difficult. He's just trying to scare me." Zhang Guan learned from Schumacher's experience book, so he knows Schumacher's driving style like the back of his hand , He can guess Schumacher's tactical intentions, and at the same time make targeted adjustments and responses.

Schumacher behind obviously didn't expect this. Not long after, he found a chance that he thought was very good and started another overtaking.

"Been seen through by Zhang Guan again?" Schumacher felt a slight sense of frustration in his heart, but this frustration quickly transformed into Schumacher's fighting spirit. The more he couldn't surpass, the more Schumacher wanted to surpass.

Schumacher attacked, Zhang Guan defended, time and time again, the two chased on the track, trembling, Schumacher kept trying, failed, tried again, failed again... Zhang Guan in front could always see through Schumacher's tactics Intention, so that every time Schumacher surpasses, he will eventually return without success.

Gradually, Schumacher began to feel a little angry, and then the anger gradually expanded, but his rationality was not lost, but what Zhang Guan showed in front of him made him feel a little incomprehensible.

"Another perfect defense. Zhang Guan seems to have seen through my next move again. He directly blocked my next route! Why is it always like this?" Schumacher looked at the car in front, and his heart rose for the first time. Feeling helpless.

"Zhang Guan's driving style is very similar to mine. He also knows how to control the accelerator. This is a great weapon on the steep track in Belgium. In front of him, my technique does not seem to have any advantage. I thought I could use it. Experience knocked him down. Now it seems that he has done a good job in terms of racing experience. His cornering choices are just right, and he can always see through my intentions. But where did he get so much racing experience? "

"It should be the first time for Zhang Guan to participate in a Belgian race, right? Spa is not a track suitable for novices. Experience is very important here. Many drivers have to run four or five Grand Prix here before they can be here. The running is relatively smooth. Experience is something that needs to be accumulated. I have participated in F1 races for more than ten years and have hundreds of races of experience. However, Zhang Guan has only run 12 races including the Belgian Grand Prix. But looking at his appearance, he looks like an old driver who has been running for more than ten years! How could this happen? Could it be Barrichello in front? Did he change helmets with Zhang Guan?"

Schumacher had this ridiculous idea in his mind, but then he vetoed it. Schumacher and Barrichello have been partners for many years. He is also very familiar with Barrichello. He can feel that Zhang Guan in front The familiarity with this track is much stronger than that of Barrichello.

...

On the 12th lap, some drivers started their first pit stop. Due to the relatively low temperature on the track, the new tires just put on by the car could not adapt to the working condition immediately. In addition, refueling increased the weight of the car, so those who walked out of the pit stop The speed of the car has been reduced a lot.

The top two Toyota and BMW Sauber pitted one after another, and at the same time Schumacher's attack came to an end temporarily. After more than ten laps of wear, his tires did not allow him to make unrestrained overtaking actions. And Zhang Guan used the light car to set the fastest lap time.

On the 16th lap, Zhang Guan and Schumacher stopped at the same time to change tires and refuel. One took 9.8 seconds and the other 9.7 seconds. The two sides still maintained the original order and ran out of the maintenance area one after the other.

Two laps later, as the tire temperature rose, Schumacher began to try to overtake again. However, the result was the same as before. Zhang Guan's defense was rock-solid, and Schumacher couldn't see any chances because he didn't make any mistakes.

"Zhang Guan drove really well! It's been more than 20 laps, and he hasn't made a single mistake. It's just like me in 2002, without the slightest weakness." Schumacher sighed involuntarily.

2002 was Schumacher's best year. In that year, Ferrari's car was not as powerful as in the following two years, but Schumacher still set various records on various tracks again and again, that is, In that year, people began to get used to him jumping to the top of the F1 podium again and again wearing a red jersey.

On the 31st lap, Zhang Guan and Schumacher stopped again at the same time to refuel and change tires.

A total of 44 laps are needed for the Belgian race, which means that this will be the last time the two enter the pit stop, and there is not much time left for Schumacher, so he has to give it a go.

On lap 35, Schumacher began to try to overtake.

37 laps, within this lap, Schumacher launched five attacks on Zhang Guan.

40 laps, Schumacher's offensive can be said to be close to crazy.

On lap 41, Schumacher still did not surpass Zhang Guan, and at this time Barrichello, who was fourth, encountered an engine failure, and he had to slow down the speed of the car. Raikkonen got rid of Barrichello's entanglement and successfully approached The two people in front.

On lap 42, Schumacher finally decided to take a risk. He overtook the car on the inside at Turn 8, and even passed Zhang Guan when entering the corner. However, the late braking point caused him to lose control of the car when he exited the corner. After being cut into the inner lane by Zhang Guan, he took the lead to exit the corner. Schumacher's overtaking attempt ended in failure.

On lap 43, Barrichello's engine emitted blue smoke, his speed became slower and slower, and he began to be overtaken by the car behind.

The high-speed and steep slope of the Spa circuit will put a lot of pressure on the racing engine. The engine has been working at full load for more than 40 laps and more than 300 kilometers. Here, the engine Explosions are also normal.

And this also reminds Schumacher. In 2006, Schumacher missed the championship because of an engine explosion in the Japanese Grand Prix. At that time, he was ahead of Alonso in the position and in total points. As long as he finished the race smoothly, he could win the championship. To the championship, but fell short because of an engine blowout, and was overtaken by Alonso in points.

Perhaps because of the psychological impression of the engine explosion, Schumacher gave up overtaking and slowed down his speed with the last lap left in the race.

The 44-lap race was over, Zhang Guan was the first to cross the finish line, and 1.8 seconds later, Schumacher also crossed the finish line.

Ferrari's Raikkonen won the third place, Vettel was fourth. Although Barrichello persisted to the finish line, he only got the seventh place, and after passing the finish line, he stopped the car. At this time, his car engine was on There were already flames emerging, and the firefighters rushed over immediately. Needless to say, the engine must have been destroyed.

The Belgian Grand Prix came to an end. The first contest between Zhang Guan and Schumacher ended with a small victory for Zhang Guan. And Zhang Guan himself also won his ninth sub-station championship this season.