Chapter 278: Chapter 149: Some Rejoice, Some Sorrow
To be honest, Qin Miao’s answer had little connection to the host’s question, but he really didn’t know how to respond to her question. What does it mean to win too easily?
If I tell the truth, it indeed was too easy a win, wouldn’t my already not-so-great reputation in the paddock just shatter?
This kind of self-defeating thing is something Qin Miao would never do.
But Qin Miao also doesn’t have the skill to deftly shift topics or answer such questions in a tactful yet appropriate manner when faced with them, so he could only awkwardly steer the conversation elsewhere as he did now.
However, Qin Miao’s words at this moment wouldn’t seem too abrupt.
After Qin Miao finished speaking, Sui Wentao and the others leaning against the fence cheered and began to whistle.
After all, he’s praising them; it’s normal for them to be a bit excited.
Qin Miao also gave them a thumbs up.
Then the host asked again, "We all know that after winning the F2 championship, you’ll directly graduate, and you can’t continue driving F2 cars next season. So where can we see you compete next year?"
At this time, the director was very understanding, and the camera cut to Toto, who was watching Qin Miao receive the award from the side of the paddock.
Toto was full of smiles, clapping for Qin Miao, and anyone could see the admiration for Qin Miao in his eyes.
"Who knows?" Qin Miao discreetly glanced at Toto’s position but didn’t confirm anything, only vaguely responded, "I like racing, and I happen to have some talent for driving, so barring any surprises, I will still be active on the track next year. If you want to see me compete, you can look for my name in the driver lists of major racing events; maybe you’ll find my name in there."
...
After all, he’s the newly crowned F2 champion, so Qin Miao answered twice as many questions in today’s interview as he did usually when he won championships.
Qin Miao’s answers could only be described as being middle-of-the-road, without any highlights, simply steady and stable.
The subsequent process was the same as usual, but notably, during Qin Miao’s award ceremony, the director also gave Toto a lot of camera time, with clear intentions.
After receiving the award, Qin Miao left without much interaction with Toto.
Although Qin Miao’s performance in F2 has already provided a satisfactory application for joining the Mercedes team to his doubters among Mercedes fans.
However, quite a few audiences with unclear intentions still had plenty of criticism regarding Toto’s decision and Qin Miao’s joining, and the number of people criticizing Qin Miao online hasn’t decreased.
Therefore, at this time, it’s best to just come and offer congratulations; any matter can be communicated privately through calls, avoiding further interaction in front of the camera.
If Qin Miao’s F2 victory is a case of mixed emotions, then the domestic fans are the happiest group.
Now, every racing community or discussion group domestically is discussing whether Qin Miao might join Mercedes as the second driver next season.
At this moment, they are not just hoping Qin Miao can enter F1 anymore, they even dare to predict whether he will join Mercedes.
What’s worth mentioning is that reportedly, after this race, some people were scolded furiously by Ferrari’s chairman John Elkann in an internal high-level meeting.
He knew very well that there’s a particularly distinctive young person in the Ferrari team; he had met Qin Miao at the annual meeting and exchanged a few words with him.
He wouldn’t say he had any positive feelings for Qin Miao, but he certainly left some impression.
Then, today, he learned through the news that Qin Miao had won the F2 championship four races early.
After all, this was someone under his command, and having achieved good results in such a dominant manner, Elkann, as chairman, had to make a call to offer congratulations.
He made a call to his secretary, instructed to issue a bonus to Qin Miao, and also expressed that he would meet with Qin Miao and his team in person on their workday next Wednesday.
Elkann cheerfully arranged everything, ready to congratulate his employee.
Then he received the shocking news that Qin Miao had already left Ferrari, paid the penalty for his contract himself, and turned to embrace Mercedes.
Elkann was stunned for a moment, but based on his impression of Qin Miao and his own experience, Elkann determined that Qin Miao would not have jumped to the Mercedes camp for no reason, so he immediately ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.
This investigation revealed that Qin Miao’s departure was indeed unrelated to him personally; his departure was much more about him becoming a casualty in a political conflict.
Some people did not want Binotto to dominate, and after seizing an opportunity, used public opinion and some tricks to push Qin Miao towards Mercedes.
The tactics were not remarkably clever, but for a young man new to the world, it was enough to shatter all his beautiful fantasies about Ferrari.
If Qin Miao were just a talented driver, such actions would not be problematic, as the opponent wouldn’t stir much trouble.
Even if Qin Miao left after a season and ultimately won the F2 driver’s championship, it would still be mundane, after all, F2 champions are as common as ever, there’s one every year, and an F2 champion from China isn’t particularly noteworthy either.
But the one thing you shouldn’t have done, absolutely shouldn’t have done, was to drive away someone who could claim the championship four races ahead of time, and the most infuriating part was that you pushed him to Mercedes.