Around ten in the morning, with less than two hours remaining before the qualifying race, the day's schedule seemed to have undergone a change. Before the start of qualifying, the organizers held a grand awards ceremony.
The spectators were clearly unaware of the reason, looking bewildered at the stage being erected on the track.
"Hey, something's not right. Why are they suddenly setting up a podium today? The race hasn't even started yet. Did I come late? No, that can't be..." a young Chinese man wearing a red hat and a red t-shirt said with a puzzled expression from the stands. Today was truly bizarre, what was going on.
"Maybe they're giving out awards,"
The spectator stands were very crowded, already filled before eleven o'clock. The young man's uncle, dressed similarly to him, looked down towards the stage and said, as if guessing.
"Awards for what? This isn't even the final stop yet?"
The young man had clearly heard the speculation from the uncle next to him. The stands were packed, and the two were sitting almost next to each other.
Apart from the awards for the individual race winners, other GP awards were typically presented at the final stop. A special venue, like a banquet stage, would be arranged, and these awards would be presented in the presence of major media outlets from around the Blue Planet. Awards presented in advance? Impossible. In its decades of history, the GP had never seen such a situation.
The young man wasn't entirely convinced by the uncle's guess, but regardless, it didn't affect their enjoyment of the race.
With the help of some trucks and trailers, a massive award stage was quickly assembled. Race officials then laid a red carpet, and everything was ready.
As for the prizes and trophies, they hadn't been placed yet as the time hadn't arrived, leaving the audience in suspense about the organizers' intentions.
While the spectators were unaware, the teams in the pit lane had already received the news and were secretly marveling. Indeed, what a prodigy. Not only was his strength explosive, but he had also managed to get the organizers to make an exception for an early award ceremony. However, it was understandable. For a rookie to win seven consecutive races right after entering the GP and to completely dominate the previous year's world champion, it was normal for the organizers to make an exception.
The drivers couldn't help but cast their gazes towards Ducati's pit garage. That guy was truly a monster.
Lin Yan stood at the entrance of the pit garage. He had just received the news from Zhang Mingzhi. An early award ceremony? Well, that was quite a show of respect.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yan's face showed no signs of happiness. Instead, his brows were furrowed, as if he were contemplating something.
"Young Master, it's likely the organizers also intend for you to contend for this year's Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award," Zhang Mingzhi said softly, standing beside Lin Yan. Vinales also approached, standing on Lin Yan's other side.
"Mm!"
Lin Yan let out a soft hum. Zhang Mingzhi was right; he had also thought the same.
While outsiders might see the organizers' actions as normal, Lin Yan, as a seven-time champion in his previous life, was an old hand in the GP, not a rookie. If he were truly a newcomer to the GP now, he might actually believe that the organizers were moved by his astonishing achievements.
Based on Lin Yan's understanding of the GP organizers, this was likely an attempt to build momentum for him. After all, most of the GP's members were Westerners. While not oppressive towards Easterners, they certainly wouldn't make such a significant exception for him. It was most likely for their own benefit. Lin Yan wasn't certain, but this was definitely not something the GP organizers from his previous life would have done.
An exception, an exception. Lin Yan knew how significant it was to have an early award ceremony. Strictly speaking, the GP had a history of nearly a hundred years across three generations, and awards had never been presented early. The probability of them making an exception for an Easterner like him was slim.
As for why they were building momentum, Lin Yan understood.
The Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award was incredibly prestigious.
Vinales didn't quite understand, but Zhang Mingzhi, being Chinese, did. Only three people from China had ever received a Laureus award, and that was across all sports combined. Furthermore, those three had received secondary awards; they had never touched the two main categories. It wasn't that they weren't capable, but the evaluation criteria for the main awards were too stringent.
Laureus was an award that highly valued individual heroism. Its evaluation criteria primarily excluded team sports, focusing mainly on individual sports. Additionally, for individual sports, there were extra requirements: the sport must have a wide audience, meaning it must have high popularity on a global scale. Candidates' sports had to be popular not just in one or a few countries, but across all countries on the Blue Planet.
Currently, apart from the team sports of football and basketball, golf, F1, and tennis were the only other sports that met this criterion. Even the GP was slightly short. The organizers' actions this time were likely to boost Lin Yan's international influence. Increasing Lin Yan's international influence would also significantly increase his chances of winning the award. Therefore, the organizers were taking a gamble.
They were betting that Lin Yan would continue his winning streak. If he kept winning and secured the championship, he might win the award, which would be greatly beneficial to the entire sport.
"Young Master, you should go up now."
After standing for a while and clarifying his thoughts, Zhang Mingzhi, who was beside him, reminded him. Lin Yan then changed his clothes and walked out of the pit garage.
The awards ceremony was very elaborate, and this time, a significant effort was made to create an impressive spectacle. Almost all the well-known media outlets from around the Blue Planet were invited. This was the first step in increasing influence and building momentum. The Laureus voting panel consisted of sports journalists from various regions of the Blue Planet, and a grand spectacle like this would leave a deeper impression of Lin Yan on them.
Lin Yan was handsome, young, and had a good physique, giving the journalists below a very good first impression.
"Only twenty years old, a tall and handsome little genius!"
Below the award stage, a blonde female reporter gazed intently at Lin Yan, who was smiling on stage, and murmured softly. When beauty is high enough, it can be incredibly captivating, even across international borders. Just as Chinese people are drawn to attractive foreign women, these Western female reporters were overwhelmingly impressed by the handsome Easterner, Lin Yan.
Appearance was always crucial in forming a first impression.
After the awards ceremony, when facing questions from reporters, Lin Yan spoke with ease and charm, showing no signs of being a rookie. His eloquent demeanor made several reporters whisper among themselves, thinking that people from wealthy families like his had strong mental resilience and were not stage-frightened at all.