Not only Daniel was looking this way, but the two riders from the adjacent Suzuki pit also turned their heads towards them, their gazes sweeping up and down Lin Yan. They held no animosity towards Lin Yan, but the chief engineer had subtly hinted that they should cause some trouble for him today. Out of consideration for their de facto leader, the two had agreed.
Of course, agreeing was one thing, and acting was another. Unless Lin Yan was directly behind them, they would deliberately obstruct him. With so many spectators present, it wasn't ideal for them to get too involved; any significant misstep could lead to criticism.
The relationship between riders and their teams was a delicate one. Strictly speaking, it was a hierarchical relationship, yet it was also a collaborative one. Unlike some celebrities and their management agencies, their status was considerably higher. They were the kind of people who could afford to ignore you, but still needed to maintain good relations for the sake of performance. They weren't pushovers, but neither were they completely unyielding.
Lin Yan's strategy for qualifying was straightforward. As Vinales had suggested, Daniel was likely targeting him. Qualifying lasted ten minutes, allowing for five laps. Lin Yan would lead the first lap with Vinales, while Ren Fei would follow behind Vinales. During practice, the three often trained in this formation.
If everything went as Vinales predicted, they would likely only have one clear lap. By the second lap, Daniel would probably be coming for Lin Yan.
With Lin Yan leading and providing a slipstream, Vinales's skill, combined with the aerodynamic draft from Lin Yan's bike, should make it manageable for him to match Rinsler's lap times. After all, this track was one of Vinales's strongest, and it featured two long straights, which offered a slight advantage to Ducati.
In Vinales's view, if Vinales could start the race no more than one position apart from Rinsler, then Vinales would have a chance in the main race.
In the Ben Tian pit, the "Horse King" sat on a nearby sofa, legs crossed, his gaze fixed on the screen before him. He wasn't particularly worried about today's race. As he had said before, if the rider he had such high hopes for couldn't even deal with a twenty-nine-year-old Daniel, how could he become the icon of the next era?
Meanwhile, Su Mojin was also feeling tense. She sat in the lounge, watching the proceedings on the lounge's screen.
Her legs were together, her small hands clasped, and a hint of worry graced her delicate face. Whenever Lin Yan took to the track, she invariably wore this expression. Now, due to their child, their bond had deepened, making Su Mojin even more anxious.
Under the scorching sun, the track was intensely hot. Due to its special material composition, the track temperature had already reached nearly sixty degrees Celsius.
Many riders took to the track as soon as qualifying began, with over a dozen bikes on the circuit. This was nearly half the riders in the premier class who had chosen to go out at this time. Normally, teams would wait and observe for a while due to the initial traffic congestion. Today, however, there were significantly more riders out than in the previous race.
Lin Yan's decision to go out at this time had a reason. Since Vinales had said Daniel was targeting him, it was likely Daniel would be watching him. Traffic could hinder them, and it could also hinder Daniel. Moreover, with so many riders, it might also serve to obscure his movements.
However, Lin Yan's thought was somewhat unnecessary. Daniel was still leisurely warming up off the track, his gaze not even glancing at the circuit.
"Old man, you don't need to rush me. I know what you're thinking. I'll go out when I want to," Daniel said, finishing a stretching motion and glancing at the chief engineer Ben Tian beside him, finding him somewhat superfluous.
"Uh..."
The chief engineer Ben Tian was rendered speechless, his intended words retreating back into his mouth. He had actually intended to subtly encourage Daniel to go out and disrupt the Ducati team's performance.
At the start of the East Tooth circuit, the two Suzuki riders exchanged glances behind the three fiery red GP22s. Good heavens, they had assumed Lin Yan wouldn't come out at the start of qualifying. This counter-intuitive thinking had backfired. They hadn't wanted to encounter him, but here they were, running straight into him.
The air grew somewhat tense. Through their helmets, the two riders reached a consensus: a half-hearted effort would suffice.
After a brief communication, one of the Suzuki riders slowed down slightly, angling his bike outwards. He pretended to inspect his engine, but in reality, he was scanning Lin Yan's position with his peripheral vision.
The spectators paid no mind to his slowing action; some even thought the Suzuki might have a mechanical issue and the rider was checking it. The primary reason the audience didn't think much of it was the sheer number of bikes on track, and the fact that there was only one fastest racing line. Many riders were slowing down to yield, forming a queue.
Seeing Lin Yan approaching, he gestured to the other Suzuki rider beside him as if performing a check. The latter immediately understood and drove his bike slightly closer, feigning a desire to assist. His gaze didn't look back, but their positions perfectly blocked the path of Lin Yan and his group.
Lin Yan, behind them, frowned. He couldn't tell if their actions were intentional, but it didn't significantly affect him. He simply turned his handlebars to avoid them and then exited Turn 15. The distance from the pit lane to the track had a minimum speed limit of sixty kilometers per hour, so their speed wasn't high.
Feeling the bikes pass by him, the Suzuki rider immediately waved his hand, indicating his bike was fine. The other Suzuki rider, who had been preparing to move closer, drove away from him.
However, this maneuver nearly caused a collision with Vinales, who was two positions behind Lin Yan.
Below the track, Vinales breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they didn't block Vinales, everything else was manageable.