[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 155

Qualifying in F1 consists of three stages.

In Q1, Q2, and Q3, each stage has a time limit of 18, 15, and 12 minutes respectively, and each team can use this time freely. Whether it be strategy or any other reason, there are no restrictions on how they run. It is literally freedom.

In Q1, all 20 drivers compete together, and the bottom 5 who do not finish within the top 15 are eliminated from the race.

Q2 is only participated in by the 15 drivers who advanced from Q1, and similarly, it eliminates another 5 drivers.

Q3 includes the 10 drivers who passed Q1 and Q2.

After 5 drivers are eliminated, and another 5 are eliminated, the remaining 10 qualify to compete for the Pole Position in the grid battle.

Elimination and grid ranking are determined solely based on each driver’s fastest lap, which is why qualifying is akin to a battleground where flying laps follow one after another in a desperate struggle.

Like gladiators in a coliseum who stake their lives on every fight, there was not a single driver among the 20 who did not show sincerity. Qualifying is a scaled-down version of the main race, perhaps even a fiercer second competition.

Perhaps that’s why.

[Verstappen takes the fastest lap! Max maintains an excellent pace from Q1.]

[He has returned much more mature than last season! It seems like his form is at its peak.]

[It’s that age, isn’t it? Verstappen seems to be demonstrating that it’s time for a champion change.]

[The civil war of Mercedes will be even more interesting in Season 31.]

Faster race cars and more developed drivers than last season. Mercedes and several teams have shattered the 1-minute barrier at the Bahrain Circuit, once called the cursed wall, and the battle in the mid-to-upper ranks has intensified due to the unexpected Ferrari intrusion.

Only one season has changed, but the level of competition and excitement has transformed. The flames of competition have become hotter and larger.

The race cars threw everything into that fire, sprinting madly as they sublimated even their own existence into fuel.

The weather was hot, the audience was fired up, the race cars were even hotter, and the drivers burned more passionately than anything else.

The eyes of those steering the race cars shone ominously. The cars shot toward a distant point, dragging them toward their ideals. The drivers thoroughly utilized it, combining everything they could do with every bit of the race car to never stop their sprint toward their ideals.

Champion. Those who gaze at the place where pure ideals reside may have already set themselves ablaze. In their driving, there was no value other than ‘champion.’

The race that those who stake their lives on ideals engage in is so desperate.

[Five drivers are eliminated as we enter Q2!]

[The driver who has never finished outside the top 10, Hyun, survives Q1 for the first time! Kang Ho-yun, who has become his pay driver, barely survives at 15th place.]

[Mick Schumacher’s elimination in 16th is unfortunate, but the newcomer Kang Ho-yun is putting up a good fight.]

[Following Ferrari’s Yooihyun, we have Hyun’s Kang Ho-yun! The rookie drivers are showing good performances.]

[Coincidentally, they are both Korean. Teams looking for new drivers may want to consider Korean drivers.]

The excitement of Saturday night in Bahrain grew hotter as qualifying progressed.

There was no time to be bored. High-level matches continued to unfold. Ranks kept changing. From top-tier to mid-tier to lower-tier. Constant fluctuations occurred within the larger framework, which managed three axes.

The top tier played their part, the mid-tier played theirs, and the lower tier as well. Although the spotlight differed according to their ranks, they all were the protagonists of this stage called the Bahrain Circuit.

Swoosh!!!

The race cars passed the finish line with sharp piercing sounds. With each passing car, debris fell on the track, scattering into the air. The mere act of race cars passing by created tremendous wind pressure that swept the track.

Roar!

The roar of the engines hung in the air for a fleeting moment before disappearing. The race cars vanished along with the sound. The sense of speed was incredible.

Beep-beep!

The signal marking the end of Q2 echoed throughout the circuit.

[Five more drivers are eliminated as we enter Q3!]

[The eliminated drivers are…Hyun’s Kang Ho-yun, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen!]

[Ah, in the end, Hyun’s hope, Kang Ho-yun, is eliminated.]

As the flower of qualifying, Q3 began with an additional 5 eliminations. Five race cars were immediately excluded from the track. Even though they did their best to race, there are no exceptions to the cold laws of the circuit. However, there was no one who felt wronged despite their regrets. Although the conditions of being race cars differed, none of them failed to do their best within this framework.

No one did not put in effort, and no one was not desperate. Therefore, the eliminated drivers did not turn away but continuously looked back. When conditions were eliminated, it meant that winning or losing with the same effort over the same time had to do with their method. They needed to reflect on the path taken and change the path forward.

Drivers are destined to carry more failures than successes.

[Ah… in the end, Hyun’s last hope, Kang Ho-yun, is eliminated.]

[There were no race car troubles either; it’s truly unfortunate.]

Commentators sighed sincerely at Kang Ho-yun’s elimination. He fought well despite being a rookie, and due to his team ‘Hyun’ being considered the weakest in F1, sympathy arose. Like David versus Goliath, people have historically cheered for and hoped for the absolute underdog to defeat the absolute strongman, which made Kang Ho-yun’s elimination feel even more emotionally charged.

“Hyun! Hyun!”

“You fought well, Hyun!”

As if proving this, as Kang Ho-yun was eliminated, fans of Hyun and non-fans whistled and repeatedly shouted his name from the grandstands. Despite the absolutely unfavorable battle, it was a courtesy and praise for those who continued to make the race deserving of its name until the end.

Vroom!!

The last ten race cars advancing into Q3 once again raced on the track, which had become just a little more relaxed.

Those who left have left, and the remaining participants must continue fighting. A race is hotter than anything else, yet at the same time, colder than anything else. At least on the track, there is no time to look back. They had to confront ‘now’ continuously.

[Hamilton is once again challenging the fastest lap.]

[It seems he’s waited until the track flow becomes more forgiving. He looks intent on setting a record this lap.]

[All conditions are in place. The race car and track are ready… Will Hamilton become the final piece of the puzzle? The d*e has been cast!]

As Q3 began, Hamilton, who had given up 1st place to Max, dashed out from the pits at the moment the track became a clean air opportunity. With a silvery trail, the race car of Mercedes, due to its stunning colors and acceleration that was hard to follow with the eye, wore the nickname Silver Arrow quite well.

Swoosh!

Hamilton took off with a sharp sound. Not as a rhetorical expression, but he truly took off. Although it was only a brief moment of being airborne due to the elevation change of the track, considering the tremendous engine power and acceleration, it wouldn’t be impossible to fly.

His performance was not merely about the capabilities of the race car.

At this point, is there anyone who understands the circuit better than Hamilton? The experience gained from achieving seven championships, along with his innate talent, raised him to a higher level. His characteristic calmness and calculating movements brought awe from the audience and immense pressure from competing drivers.

An overwhelming performance of a race car, combined talent and experience that verged on absurd driving technique. This was the reason no driver had been able to stop him until now, and that ability was unequivocally unfolding on the track.

[Hamilton resets the overall best record in sector 1.]

[He’s pulling away from Leclerc, who is right behind him. The gap is quite significant.]

[It seems the Mercedes of FP and the Mercedes of qualifying are indeed different teams. At this rate, Hamilton will break into the 55-second range.]

The moments of sprinting within a sprint continued. Other drivers were also racing at an incredible pace, but Hamilton’s run stood out vividly against those speeds.

Hamilton reset the best record in sector 2 and similarly broke the record in the final sector, firmly establishing his presence on the track.

[Hamilton again resets the fastest lap!]

[Max Verstappen ultimately loses 1st place to his teammate.]

Qualifying was much fiercer than expected, in comparison to practice sessions. Everyone was risking it all for the race.

Drivers and race engineers continuously communicated through earpieces, striving to extract the optimal lap time. Sometimes they returned to the pit to wait for the right moment to head back onto the track, and at other times they pressed on to build momentum on their heated tires.

In F1, overtaking is not easy, and the advantage of starting from the front grid is significant enough to determine victory or defeat. On narrow and winding tracks like the Monaco Circuit, there’s even a formula that states ‘Pole Position = Victory.’

Even though this race is taking place at the Bahrain Circuit, where overtaking is more straightforward and happens frequently, it would be difficult to say that “the importance of the grid is very high!” However, the strategic advantage of the front grid itself cannot be ignored.

So, as the night deepens and the moon wanes,

The stars shine even brighter.

The end of the unyielding battle for grid positions was approaching, with Hamilton reclaiming 1st place and returning to the pits…

[Yuihyun, who was waiting for the opportunity, begins his race with the V-1 race car!]

With the shout of commentators full of anticipation, Yuihyun’s race was starting from Ferrari’s pit.