Chapter 422: Chapter 422

After making sure his beautiful fan received the gift, Qin Miao didn’t pay much attention to the matter.

Once the post-race activities were over, Qin Miao returned to the team house and got ready to head back to the UK after tidying up.

However, before Qin Miao left the paddock, Toto called him over.

Qin Miao was a bit puzzled; he thought he had completed most of the post-race tasks. Was there something left undone?

Toto, seeing Qin Miao’s somewhat baffled look mixed with confusion, could guess why Qin Miao was acting this way.

The guy simply had no idea what consequences would arise from hitching a ride with Hamilton. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelFɪre.net

And as for Hamilton, Toto also didn’t know what Hamilton was thinking at that time. Even if Qin Miao was clueless, could Hamilton also be?

Toto had just talked to Hamilton, and the explanation Hamilton gave was straightforward: he tried to refuse, but Qin Miao didn’t listen.

Since Qin Miao asked, he just went along with it.

To be honest, Toto felt helpless but had no option.

Even though Toto hoped Qin Miao would have a happy holiday back in the UK, as the team boss and manager, some things must be said.

"Qin Miao, I’m calling you over mainly to discuss the penalty you might be facing." Once Qin Miao closed the door, Toto got straight to the point.

Qin Miao froze for a moment, penalty? What penalty?

Before Qin Miao could speak, Toto said, "Actually, the FIA has a rule now. If you ride another driver’s F1 car back to the pits, you’ll be penalized."

"Whoa?" Upon hearing this news, Qin Miao couldn’t help but blurt out in Chinese.

Then, feeling a bit anxious, Qin Miao asked, "Toto, what specific penalties are you talking about?"

Toto, with a somewhat sarcastic smile, said, "Including a ten-place grid penalty for the next race, a reprimand before the next race, and if it’s severe, they might deduct points from your Super License.

Oh, by the way, I need to emphasize, the next race is at the Monte Carlo circuit in Monaco."

Hearing this news, Qin Miao felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

As dazzling as a pearl, but this damn track is just so hard to overtake on.

"...Nothing, sorry, Toto." Qin Miao said dejectedly.

Toto laughed and reassured him, "Even though the situation is serious, it’s not beyond redemption; the team will try to help you get a lighter penalty."

After all, he’s not even twenty yet.

Toto thought to himself.

"What do I need to do?" Qin Miao asked after nodding.

Toto thought for a moment and said, "After the FIA issues its penalty, you’ll need to post a statement on public social media platforms. The team can help you draft it, or you can write it yourself."

Qin Miao nodded, "Okay, I understand."

"Alright, that’s all I needed to say." Toto patted Qin Miao on the shoulder and said, "Even though you made a mistake, it’s not a world-ending one.

After all, you’re young and have the room to make mistakes.

So don’t worry too much, we’ll discuss the next race when we get to it. For now, go home and get some rest during this holiday, recharge yourself."

With that, Toto paused and added, "However, I still suggest you practice overtaking at Monaco on the team’s simulator during this time."

By the time Qin Miao left the team, it was already past five in the afternoon. At this time, Hamilton had long gone, and after finishing his chat with Toto, Qin Miao came out to see his car being towed back to the paddock.

So, Qin Miao went over to check his car for damage.

The good news was the rear-right suspension was intact, but the bad news was some of the floor’s rear-right section was scraped off.

While this kind of damage wouldn’t matter much on a household car or even a supercar, and some filler would fix it right up,

it’s different with an F1 car; the entire floor is made of carbon fiber.

Carbon fiber has great strength and tensile resistance but isn’t crash-resistant. Once damaged, it can’t be repaired and must be replaced.

So, Qin Miao’s post-race blowout ruined an entire floorboard, costing 800,000 just like that.

Due to the time spent inspecting, he was a bit late when he got out.

In casual clothes, Qin Miao and Barber headed to the parking lot together, and along the way, Qin Miao was visibly down, so Barber was comforting him.

Just as they walked out of the paddock gate leading to the team staff-only parking lot, Qin Miao spotted that female fan on the roadside again.

She was looking towards the gate where Qin Miao and the others were.

When she saw Qin Miao, she was obviously thrilled, waving to him and calling out his name.

Qin Miao was puzzled and looked around. This wasn’t a public area; it was restricted to team staff, FIA staff, and Matthew, not a place where fans would be.

But regardless, since she had gone through the trouble to block his path to the parking lot, taking a risk to get here wasn’t easy, so Qin Miao went over to meet her.

As he got closer, the familiarity of her struck him even more, yet he couldn’t recall where he had seen her before.

The woman, evidently unaware, excitedly said, "Hello, Qin Miao, I’m a fan of yours, thank you for the hat you gave me back then."