ATPnovel Chapter 11 Exciting Offense and Defense
Chapter 11 Exciting Offense and Defense
The battle between Tontatta and Perez not only widened the gap between them and the leading group, but also compressed the rear pack, making it easier for cars in the rear to overtake.
Russell made it to P7 with ease, and before anyone knew it, he was behind Perez.
Three months later, the paddock once again witnessed the Mercedes vs. Red Bull showdown, but this time it was a battle between the number two drivers, vying for a mere P6 position.
But the camera still focused on this spot for quite a while.
Why?
Because the five cars in the front row are all at a safe distance from each other, there won't be any clashes for a while; there are quite a few clashes behind Perez and Russell, but none of them are as exciting as the battle between Perez and Russell.
Where the camera wasn't focused, Tanger was engrossed in chasing Hamilton.
On the TR, Toncher instructed Mattia: "Report the gap between me and Hamilton every lap, and also report the gap between Perez or Russell and me."
On lap 8, Mattia reported: "2.7 seconds behind Hamilton, 3.5 seconds ahead of Perez."
On lap 9, Mattia reported: "2.7 seconds behind Hamilton, 5.5 seconds ahead of Perez."
On lap 10, Mattia reported: "2.7 seconds behind Hamilton, 6 seconds ahead of Russell."
Tang Che couldn't hold back any longer: How the hell are we still maintaining relative stillness?
It's still a car issue. Even the worst W13 is better than the AT03. Even if Tontatta were to carry the car, he could only barely improve his lap times to a level comparable to Hamilton's W13.
If you can't push it up by force, you'll have to rely on strategic maneuvering to improve your position.
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#2022 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Commentary (Five-Star Sports)
"Verstappen is complaining: 'I have absolutely no grip now.' We can see that the pit window for the first stop should be coming soon, because all the drivers... except for the two McLaren drivers... are starting on soft tires."
"Oh! Mercedes will get ready first... Hamilton pits... to change to hard tires."
"This is the first pit stop of the year, 3.4 seconds, which is not fast compared to last year, but we also need to see how the other teams perform this year."
"I didn't expect Hamilton to open the stop window. It's also important to see where he exits."
"Hey! Zhou Guanyu! He's right in front of Zhou Guanyu!"
"This is a great training opportunity for Zhou Guanyu!"
"Wow! Zhou Guanyu!"
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"Hamilton switched to hard tires and slid after leaving the pits," Mattia said in the TR. "Your compatriot Zhou Guanyu overtook him very easily."
Tanger: "Although I'm going to switch to medium tires, given Hamilton's mistake, I'll be paying extra attention to tire grip after I leave the pits."
……
"Leclerc, Verstappen, and Sainz have all entered the pits," Mattia joked. "How does it feel to be in the lead?"
Tang Che: "The tires had absolutely no grip."
Mattia hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay, box, box."
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#2022 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Commentary (F1 TV)
(The Iron Buddha Temple drank watered-down Baling poison for three years)
"Verstappen is trying to take the lead! Sparks are flying! He pulled out ahead of Charles Leclerc at Turn 1. He tried to overtake Leclerc as he exited the pits, but had to wait an extra lap. Now, can Leclerc use the DRS to overtake him?"
"Now entering Turn 4, these two have fought for position here before, and Charles Leclerc succeeded this time! Did he get all four wheels out of the white line? Just a little bit! He's ahead of Max Verstappen again!"
"Max Verstappen is attacking again! He's already a car's length ahead! Now they're coming out of Turn 2, and Max Verstappen is several car lengths ahead!"
"Leclerc was quite far behind, but he still had DR'S. This time he cut inside, pushed Max Verstappen outwards, and entered Turn 4... Leclerc regained the lead on the second lap!"
"Here he comes again! Max Verstappen! Oh my god! Verstappen's tires are seriously locked!"
"The two cars had a significant difference in top speed, and thanks to Max Verstappen's lock-up, Charles Leclerc created a safe distance."
"Did you hear the cheers from the crowd when Verstappen's tires locked up? The audience will never forget what they saw in Bahrain tonight."
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Amazing! I glanced at the battle between Verstappen and Leclerc on the big screen next to the track and silently gave it a thumbs up. So exciting!
Tang Che is just that free.
Tangcher can't catch up with the three Martians ahead of him. Russell and Perez behind Tangcher are still entangled and can't spare any time to catch up with Tangcher; Hamilton, the other one who could catch up with Tangcher, has fallen far behind due to a slip after leaving the pit and is unlikely to catch up anytime soon.
The location is very safe.
For more than a dozen laps, Tang Che remained stuck in fourth place.
On lap 31, Verstappen pitted, and Tanger moved up to P3.
On lap 32, Leclerc pitted, and Tanger moved up to P2.
After leaving the station, Leclerc was right in front of Verstappen.
Verstappen was absolutely furious, his anger boiling over, and he complained directly in the TR: "This is the second time I could have overtaken Leclerc in the starting lap. I don't believe you guys anymore."
Mattia then warned in the TR: "Tom, Leclerc will catch up to you in one lap."
Tang Che: "copy".
What if it catches fire? It's like how Tanger can defend against Leclerc.
Mattia: I didn't mean for Tom to guard against them, I was just giving him a routine reminder.
Tang Che: If you're driving a similar car, you can defend against it, but if you're driving this car, it'll be difficult.
Mattia: No, buddy, you...
Tang Che: Don't worry, I know what I'm doing.
#2022 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix Race Commentary (Five-Star Sports)#
"Here he comes! Leclerc is here! Should Tom Cruise be on guard?"
"Given Tom's personality, he definitely won't surrender and lose his position directly; he'll definitely defend."
"Turn 1, Leclerc makes his move! Tom holds onto the apex! Leclerc attacks from the outside! Out of the corner... Leclerc's exit speed is even faster!"
"Hold on! You have to hold on during these two turns! Once you get past these two turns, Little Tom will have Dr. Respirator available!"
"Entering the straightaway, not yet led astray by Leclerc...passing the DRES activation point...nice! Little Tom is still in Leclerc's DRES zone!"
"Tom Cruise activates DRS, and he's on Leclerc... Verstappen is here! Verstappen is here! Is Tom Cruise going to repeat his miracle from last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?"
"Turn 4, should he change lanes? Is Little Thompson going to change lanes? Inside! Little Thompson forcefully cuts into the inside, regaining the lead!"
"This has directly helped Verstappen catch up with Leclerc! Another miracle is about to happen... Oh my god!!!"