How did he even dare?

After all, last season Leclerc had also run his Monaco qualifying flying lap the way Qin Miao just did, and the result was that on his final Q3 flying lap he went straight into the wall, snapping his right-front suspension.

Then those bastards back in Maranello claimed the car had been fixed, but in the race the car still had problems, and he ended up retiring on the spot.

In short, Leclerc doesn't feel that failing to take pole at the Monaco Grand Prix was because he wasn't good enough; it was just bad luck, that's all.

Finally, under the eyes of all the fans in Monaco, Qin Miao's No. 66 car roared past the checkered flag at the finish line.

Right after crossing the line, Qin Miao's heart was a jumble of emotions.

A whole season—this was already the seventh race of the year, and in the previous rounds the closest he'd ever got was brushing the edge of the top step of the podium, never actually standing on it.

Today he had finally managed to take a win, his first Grand Prix victory of the season.

But after taking the flag, Qin Miao didn't feel a huge weight lifted off his shoulders; instead there was a faint touch of melancholy.

Because Qin Miao knew that with how the W13 the team had given him was performing this season, this Monaco Grand Prix was probably his only shot at a race win, relying on the circuit's unique characteristics.

The only other race with even a slight chance would be the Hengelo Grand Prix, but if his qualifying result there isn't good enough, it's unlikely he'll get to touch the winner's trophy either.

Of course, that was just a thought that flashed through his mind.

After taking a Grand Prix win, Qin Miao was naturally pretty happy; whatever direction the team's development took for the rest of the season, whatever the results, at least in this moment he'd relied on his defending to earn a result that satisfied both himself and everyone in the team.

"Awesome! Qin Miao! Fucking awesome! I knew it! I fucking knew you could do it!" The moment Qin Miao crossed the line, Frankie's slightly overexcited voice came through on the team radio.

Everyone understood the state Mercedes were in this season; this Grand Prix win was basically a shot of adrenaline for the whole team.

The car being a bit off doesn't matter—on the right track, Qin Miao can always use his ability to bring the team a win.

Hearing Frankie getting a bit too worked up, Qin Miao laughed and cracked a joke with him: "Phew, Leclerc's attack didn't last long enough, I wasn't done having fun yet."

After hearing Qin Miao's words, the already jubilant atmosphere in the Mercedes garage got even hotter, and quite a few people burst out laughing.

A good many also started whistling right there in the pit box.

Since he'd taken the win, Qin Miao's radio with the team was of course broadcast.

In the studio, the three Five-Star Sports commentators, who had been genuinely thrilled by Qin Miao's victory, also laughed out loud when they heard what he said.

"Gets on well with Leclerc—race over and he still remembers to give him a shout," Libao said with a smile.

Bing chimed in with a laugh, "He should mention him, to be fair. After defending against him for so long, the pressure Leclerc put on Qin Miao must've been huge."

"But you have to say it, no matter how many times you watch it, Qin Miao's defending is pure art, and aside from those two red flags, the only thing in this race really worth watching was the attack and defense between him and Leclerc," Fei said.

Because of the constraints of the circuit, once the top three drivers finished, they all stopped their cars out on track.

So right now on the circuit you could see two Ferraris flanking a single Mercedes.

Everyone knew this scene wouldn't last, and that over an entire season this was probably the only time a Mercedes would appear in this position, so a lot of journalists were hammering their shutters at this shot.

ps. Dads, I'm taking a day off tomorrow