F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 101 Storytelling

Why are vehicles difficult to drive in the rain?
When water accumulates on the road surface, a water film forms between the tires and the road surface. This water film cannot provide the tires with enough grip, which naturally makes the vehicle uncontrollable.

In layman's terms, the road surface was too slippery.

So is that all there is to driving in the rain?

No.

On the track, the amount of water varies in different areas, and the grip of different road surfaces changes differently after coming into contact with rainwater.

To drive a vehicle stably in the rain, the most important thing is to control the tire's maximum grip and find the area with the strongest grip.

Race car drivers sense the tire's grip limit just like they do in dry weather, but in the rain, the range between staying steady and slipping becomes very narrow. Even a slight increase in throttle or oversteer can cause the tires to completely lose grip.

Furthermore, losing traction in the rain often means complete loss of control, making it difficult to recover the vehicle as easily as in dry weather. As a result, accidents are more frequent in the rain, and when they do occur, they are often major accidents.

Even Wu Shi, after completely losing traction in the rain, would find it difficult to salvage his car. After all, no matter how much you do, the tires can no longer regain traction, and he can only drift and crash into the guardrail.

Experiencing the S14's incredible slipperiness on wet roads, Wu Shi understood what Verstappen meant by finding the feeling of grip.

When the rear wheels are drifting, they lose a lot of grip. At this point, slight control of the throttle or brakes is the only way to keep the car stable in this unstable and unbalanced state.

Drifting isn't difficult; making a car drift according to your wishes is.

After entering the curve, Wu Shi had to use "heel-and-toe" control—using his right foot to simultaneously control the accelerator and brake to ensure that the rear wheel speed matched the gear.

Swish!

Vehicles sped by, kicking up large amounts of rain and mist.

After driving the vehicle for more than a dozen laps, Wu Shi finally drove it back to the repair area.

"Awesome!" He took off his helmet and shook his head.

"Wu Shi, come to the conference room, we need to discuss some things," said Sid, who had been waiting for a long time.

"it is good."

Wu Shi didn't even change out of his racing suit; he simply took off his helmet and balaclava and went straight to the conference room.

"The German Grand Prix is ​​from May 2nd to 4th; that's an unchangeable schedule." Sid took out his notebook, opened the schedule, and continued:
"I've scheduled the interview with reporter Zhi for the day after tomorrow. We'll discuss the sponsorship after the interview in the morning."

Wu Shi nodded. This was something that had been agreed upon long ago, and it was only a matter of time before it was carried out.

"And then there's Rafa. The conflict between Montezemolo and Marchionne is becoming increasingly difficult to resolve. I feel that Montezemolo signed this contract with you not only because he values ​​your talent, but also to gain more say in the internal struggle."

When Sid talked about this, he sighed deeply. The internal turmoil in Rafah had been going on for a long time, and there hadn't been many years of stability.

"Is that even a saying?" Wu Shi asked, puzzled.

"Well, although you are Chinese, you grew up in Italy, and Martina has hinted to others that you are her stepson, so Montezemolo treats you as a local and uses this to counter Marchionne, who wants to 'Americanize' you."

"Most importantly, since the hybrid era, the LaFerrari F1 team's performance has been unsatisfactory, with too many problems. This kind of questioning will undoubtedly impact Montezemolo."

Sid analyzed Rafa's current internal situation. In short, even if the penalty for breach of contract was ten million euros, Rafa might still pay it after changing coaches.

"So even if I win twenty-one matches, I might not get a spot?" Wu Shi asked, finding it somewhat amusing.

"Well, it's hard to say. After your three-race winning streak, all the major teams are interested in you. If you achieve 21 wins, I think you can secure a seat even without going to LaFerrari. That's the main reason I've been traveling so much lately." Achieving 21 wins in 33 races throughout the year—that's an incredibly crazy feat in F3!
It is only because Wu Shi's performance was so extraordinary that it seems possible.

Neither the exceptionally talented Verstappen nor Ocon, nor any of the veteran F3 drivers, could have achieved this feat.

So Sid had to look at Wu Shi with the eyes of someone looking at a monster. This kid seemed to be born knowing how to drive and was born familiar with every track.

"Joss also helped a bit. After all, he's a former F1 driver and has connections with many teams. He was happy to introduce us to some."

"Yes, thank you for your help with these matters." Wu Shi nodded. In matters concerning the hunting grounds, having connections is always better than having none.

When you're training, the days seem to fly by.

Before we knew it, the day of the interview arrived. Zhi Shiwei's team had specially rented a conference room in the building to conduct the interview.

"Is this the script?" Wu Shi asked, holding the script that Zhi Shiwei had given him.

"Well, sort of. You can change whatever you want to say, but it's best to let us know beforehand." Zhi Shiwei nodded. It's an interview segment, not a live broadcast to generate buzz, so the requirements for the content are different.

Wu Shi glanced through them; in fact, most of them were about his upbringing, such as the setbacks and difficulties he faced during his growth.

The questions weren't too difficult, and the example provided by Zhi Shiwei was quite good.

"Can I just say I was short of money when asked the question, 'What was the biggest setback you encountered on your path to becoming a professional racer?'" Wu Shi said with a smile.

"Huh?" Zhi Shiwei was taken aback. When she found the question, her expected answer included things like losing the competition, the resulting mental imbalance, and the surge in pressure.

"Even now, the biggest problem I face is still money."

Wu Shi said helplessly, "Running go-karts basically costs a million RMB a year."

When it comes to Formula One racing, it gets even more outrageous. Just the month-long trip to America at the beginning of this year cost one million RMB.

"Of course you can talk about it, but can't you mention the difficulties related to racing?" Zhi Shiwei asked.

Wu Shi thought about it and realized that since his debut, he hadn't really had any major headaches in the field of racing.

However, thinking back to when he was this age in his previous life, he encountered problems that were far more difficult to solve than money.

That is self-imposed pressure.

Don't be fooled by his relaxed demeanor; it's because he already possesses exceptional skills that allow him to handle any match.

In his previous life, he grew up in the same way as Verstappen. He did have the brilliance of a genius along the way, but he also experienced anxiety and pressure when he failed, which once kept him up at night.

Only after experiencing all of this was he able to calm down. If anxiety and pressure were to reappear, it would only be after he entered the F1 arena.

"Then I'll share some of the difficulties in racing, such as how to face failure, and how to adjust your mindset and keep fighting after a failure with bad consequences."

“Okay! That’s exactly what we, as viewers, want to know.” Zhi Shiwei nodded.

Sid stood off-camera, listening to Wu Shi recount how a failure led to the risk of losing his racing license, which triggered a mental breakdown and a vicious cycle.

He was a little confused. Had this guy ever experienced such a major failure in his career?
It seems not?
How did he manage to describe it so vividly?
The mental state he described is something that people who haven't experienced it can't possibly understand so clearly!

(End of this chapter)