The four-second gap already represented two turns of distance, and catching up within a single lap was something Lin Yan had largely given up on.
Late braking, the car shuddered to its limit.
"Hmm... I feel like Lin Shen might not win this race."
Watching the situation unfold, an old man in the audience voiced his thoughts.
"Eighty percent chance it's difficult, unless a miracle happens. But it's not like he absolutely has to win, I think second place is also good."
"Right, second is good too. Our Lin Shen hasn't gotten second place yet, it would be nice to try it out."
"Yeah, yeah!"
Most of the fans in the stands had accepted reality. It was just second place, what was there to not accept?
Lin Shen had won enough championships, and occasionally getting a runner-up to try something new wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Zhang Mingzhi breathed a sigh of relief at this result, even a smile appearing on his face. Second place, and still able to achieve it after changing cars, was something he wouldn't have even dared to dream of in his previous decades of life.
In the next lap, Lin Yan fought with all his might, racing against time, trying to make his cornering speed as fast as possible at every turn. However, even with this effort, with three turns left before the finish line, Lin Yan was still about three seconds behind Reisner.
Catching up four seconds in one lap was pure fantasy.
At turn sixteen, a hairpin turn, Lin Yan was just beginning to enter the corner while Reisner on the opposite side was already exiting. The two tracks, one for exiting and one for entering, had them facing each other diagonally.
Reisner flashed past on the opposite side, and Lin Yan began to brake, entering the turn, his knee scraping the ground, sending sparks flying.
"With two more turns left in the race, Reisner is already three seconds ahead of Lin Shen. Barring any surprises, the winner of this race's Grand Prix..."
In the audience, Hao Dong stood up, ready to announce the winner.
Benta's pit crew had already begun their premature celebrations. A three-second lead, two turns left, even the heavens couldn't catch up.
They hadn't won a Grand Prix in almost a year, so how could they not celebrate?
With a "bang," Tesu opened a bottle of champagne and led the celebration.
He had only been with the team for two months and had already led them to a Grand Prix victory. Although Gena was out, Reisner was still very supportive.
Tesu was overjoyed to be able to surpass that old guy, and he was very happy about it.
"Chief, congratulations! That old guy didn't win a single Grand Prix in the latter half of last year. I didn't expect you to win one right after joining our team."
A technician came over, enthusiastically flattering him.
"Heh, you can't say that. After all, he was our senior."
Hearing this, Tesu's mood clearly improved, but he maintained a stern expression.
"Yes, yes, after all, he is a senior. But Chief, you are definitely the most suitable person I've ever seen to lead the team to its peak."
The new technician immediately nodded and bowed in agreement, his face full of fawning. Compared to him, the other veteran technicians who heard this fell silent, and the former chief's apprentice clenched his fists tightly.
Shaking the champagne in his hand, Tesu struck the bottle against the corner of the table, and the cap flew off. However, before he could raise the champagne to start spraying,
"Oh my god, Reisner actually went too wide on the last corner, went off track, and handed the victory to Lin for free."
A God-like exclamation suddenly came from the official commentary booth, followed by a string of English.
Reisner didn't understand human relationships very well, but he understood methods like disgusting Tesu while simultaneously pleasing the new boss.
On the final corner, a highly skilled but obviously fake mistake, he directly drove his car off the track and into the runoff area.
"Damn, Reisner, well done."
"Hahaha, so Reisner is our mole at Benta? I thought he was done for. But was this intentional or a real mistake?"
"Indeed, I also thought Lin Shen was definitely going to be second in this race. I didn't expect there to be a turn of events."
"Do you even need to think about it? No matter how well he pretends, it's definitely intentional. Have you ever seen someone make such a big mistake on the last corner when they were racing alone?"
"Brothers, those who know, know. It was a mistake, see through it but don't say it."
"Right, it was a mistake!"
A sigh of relief came from the audience of Lin Yan's fans. The vague words quickly spread around.
Lin Yan was also confused. He had the clearest view from behind, and Reisner clearly looked like he missed the braking point and went wide off the track.
Was this guy faking it?
Lin Yan was a little puzzled, but he didn't stop his actions. He crossed the finish line, and with Reisner's mistake, Lin Yan became first, and he became second.
Third was Luns.
The timing was perfect. After Reisner went off track, he returned just behind Lin Yan, allowing Lin Yan to pass.
The top three crossed the finish line, and the checkered flag waved, signaling the official end of the race.
Deafening cheers erupted from the Chinese audience section, and Zhang Mingzhi even jumped for joy in the pit.
Winning the championship after changing cars was absolutely unprecedented.
"I wonder what Reisner's intention was with this favor."
Ren Fei also rejoiced for a while, but being a quiet person, he quickly calmed down and began to ponder Reisner's intentions.
"Hmm, Reisner is indeed unusual. Making a mistake on the last corner, he's probably retaliating against the Benta team."
Vinaris also found it a bit strange. No one was chasing or fighting him, and he was racing alone. Such a big mistake in the last lap was almost unheard of in GP history.
The amateurs could see it, and the insiders could see even more clearly that Reisner was doing it intentionally.
Seeing their confused expressions, Zhang Mingzhi felt much happier.
He knew that Reisner was coming to their team. The young master had informed him yesterday.
Compared to Ducati's pit, Benta's pit was much more miserable.
"What the hell is this damn Reisner doing? Does he not want to work anymore! Does he think I can't tell it's intentional! Fuck!"
Tesu was furious, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor of preparing to celebrate.
At this moment, he still smelled of alcohol, and there were foam-like liquids on his cuffs. These were remnants from the champagne celebration, and unbeknownst to him, their celebration was becoming the biggest joke of the race under the camera lenses.
"Hahaha, what is the Benta team still celebrating? Who would have thought the championship wouldn't go to them."
"I think it's possible that Reisner is retaliating against them."
"Right, it's possible. Didn't the media report that Reisner and Benta's newly appointed chief technician had a few arguments? It's quite possible."