F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 103 He was really brave
For Wu Shi, pushing the tires at full power for a full lap would cause enormous wear and tear, as he would push them to their limits at every corner, bringing them close to slipping.

Such excessive pressure will cause the tire to deform significantly when turning, and after a few turns, it will become a completely unusable tire.

The team's plan is to give him two equal pushes, setting a time two laps faster than 1 minute 32.169 seconds, to secure a second-row position in the second race and pole position in the third race.

This seems like a safer approach, but considering two things, he doesn't intend to follow the team's requirements for the race.

First, there's the remaining set of new tires. According to the requirements of this race, they can only be unsealed in the third race. This means that everyone's tires will be the same in the third race. And if there's no difference in tires, then it comes down to the skill level of the driver and the car, right?

Secondly, if he can set a faster lap time than Bromqvist with these tires, he will be able to highlight his ability again, which will be beneficial for negotiations with F1 teams the year after next.

He was already being noticed by an F1 team, so he needed to highlight his uniqueness.

Buzz! Swoosh!

As the race car entered the starting straight, the engine power was fully unleashed. Under conditions of low drag and low downforce, the car's top speed was even higher than at Silverstone!

The first bend is an obtuse angle bend, which is gentler than a right angle bend, meaning you can pass through it at a faster speed.

During his seven-year racing career, Wu Shi was most familiar with this type of corner, and he was always able to achieve higher cornering speeds and higher cornering efficiency by having excellent control over grip.

Swish!
As the race car drove over the curb, the stiffened chassis quickly brought it firmly to the road surface. The moment all four wheels regained traction, the torque of the rear wheels immediately followed, while the front wheels guided the direction, throwing the entire race car out of Turn 1.

Susu!

In the pit room, Alan rubbed his fingers together. He glanced at the crew members who were all intently staring at the screen, took a deep breath, and felt somewhat helpless.

He didn't know if others had noticed, but he had. This guy wasn't using the strategy he'd given him; he was preparing to try and overtake Tom Bromquist on this lap.

Not to mention that Van Amersford's car is not as good as the JAWC team's. Others have slipstreams, but you don't. How are you going to overtake?

You can achieve the same result as Verstappen without using a slipstream, but you can't squeeze out that same performance without using a slipstream, right?

Bang! Bang!

The race car shook up and down as it drove over the uneven road surface.

Wu Shi knew that to be faster than Brom, he had to push himself to the limit and not allow for the slightest mistake. He had to break all three time slots to have any chance of challenging his opponent.

His mind was filled with the racing situation and racing line, as well as constantly analyzing and calculating the most extreme angles in the past.

F3 cars have a higher floor and are slower than F1 cars, so they don't need to follow the same lines as F1 cars in many corners and can be more aggressive!
Of course, he also remembered how the American lost control. The grass and sand outside the track had very poor grip, so you couldn't go off the track and run over them, otherwise you would experience a temporary loss of grip.

He felt his head throbbing and burning, but his eyes were fixed on the track ahead.

Swish! Whoosh!
Just like Turn 1, Wu Shi pushed the limits at Turn 2, with the rightmost wheel pressing against the very edge of the track, and the tire sidewall even rubbing against the roadside weeds.

A huge gust of air stirred up a cloud of dust.

There were no high-speed cameras at this location, so all anyone could see was flying sand and stones. The commentator couldn't help but exclaim, "Did they run over the grass? But it doesn't seem like it caused the vehicle to lose control. Wu, keep going forward, you'll be at the first timing section soon!"

Alan clenched his fists, staring intently at the data.

Swish!
The race car crossed the timing mark, and two data points appeared simultaneously. Alan immediately exclaimed excitedly on the TR: "0.143 seconds slower than Brom!"

Wu Shi did not reply, because this was only the beginning, and there was no room for error in the future!
Then everyone in the P room started clapping, because when Bromquist pulled the wake, it was in the first timing segment. In this advantageous range, it was normal for Wu Shi to be unable to keep up!
Importantly, being unable to compete can be divided into being completely unable to compete and being just a little bit behind. In this case, it's just a little bit behind!

So, in the next two time slots, Wu Shi only needs to be able to catch up with these results. Judging from the situation in the previous qualifying round, it is still possible.

After all, Wu Shi's speed in the first time segment was simply terrifying!
"Unbelievable! Oh my god! Wu was 0.1 seconds faster than his last qualifying lap! It's incredible! And he didn't use any slipstream at all! How did he do that?!"

While the commentator was still reeling from the shock, Tom Blomqvist had already returned to the pit lane. He was wiping his face with a towel when he saw Wu Shi's first timeout result appear on the team's monitor screen.

His hand froze instantly, and it took him a while before he rushed to the screen.

He swears that the lap he just did was the most unbelievable lap of his career. He drove his yellow car and outmaneuvered Prema's tricolor car! It was the culmination of his many years of experience in F3 racing!

Most importantly, the reason he can go so fast is not only due to the wake, but also because the engine power has been overclocked to a certain extent!
However, after seeing Wu Shi's results, he realized that if this guy ran so hard and consistently in the last two sections, his pole position might really be lost!

What is this?! Is this something a normal person can fight against?!

He watched silently as Wu Shi's almost terrifying, seemingly out-of-control cornering posture in the hairpin bend, as he passed the high-speed bend without slowing down, and then steadily sent the car into the next sharp corner.

Such operation is pleasing to the eye.

Only those who are fellow drivers and compete in the same race can see the difference between them.

Racing is a sport where victory is won by the smallest margin.

"He, he is really brave."

Bromquist was stunned when he saw Wu Shi take away another 0.121 seconds after passing through the second timing segment.

At such high speeds, even the slightest deviation in steering could cause the vehicle to veer off the track and crash into the guardrail.

Therefore, in some narrow sections, drivers will rely on their sense of distance and leave some margin.

This margin isn't something you absolutely have to leave, but rather something you can't control by squeezing it out. If you slightly increase the steering wheel angle, that margin might be gone, and a crash could happen.

But Wu Shi was different; he left no room for compromise, and that almost zero distance seemed unbelievable even under the camera.

"If he runs a street race and still dares to run like that, I have nothing but admiration for him."

Blomqvist awaited the final verdict in silence.

Swish!
Car number 32 crossed the finish line, and the results were announced.

1: 31.632.

It was 23/1000ths of a second faster.

(End of this chapter)