F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 113 Politics of the Hunting Grounds
While the narrator was recounting Wu Shi's glorious history, car number 32 successfully crossed the finish line.

"Oh, the results are out. Wu Shi's three dans were all very fast, but he still encountered some obstacles. His time was only 1 minute 11.112 seconds."

“In the second free practice session, Ocon’s fastest lap for Prema was 1 minute 10.688 seconds, so that time is far from enough to get pole position.”

The commentator quickly reported the situation: in fact, most drivers' fastest laps usually take close to ten laps to achieve, so the drivers basically just keep trying to set their fastest laps one by one until they do.

This is very different from F1. F1 has three qualifying sessions in quick succession, and tire selection and fuel management are very important. In addition, the window is so short that there are not many opportunities for drivers to speed around, which really tests whether the drivers can seize every opportunity to achieve good results.

In F3 racing, you basically use one set of tires and about 10 to 15 laps of fuel, and you drive slowly, so the best lap times are usually achieved at the end of the race.

The Pau street circuit has two long straights, and using slipstream to improve lap times is quite effective, but it really tests the skill of both drivers. Teams usually don't instruct anyone to use slipstream.

After all, for many F3 drivers, maintaining a smooth driving style without accidents is already a difficult task.

If they were to pull the slipstream again, there's a good chance of both cars retiring. In the last race, Gustavo made a mistake while pulling the slipstream for Wu Shi, causing the car to go out of control and get damaged, resulting in terrible qualifying results.

After a morning of practice and targeted adjustments, car number 32 has adapted well to the rhythm of the track, and Wu Shi's familiarity with the track is also rapidly increasing.

For many talented drivers, they may set an amazing lap time on their first time on a track. Sometimes, the overwhelming power of talent can leave one feeling helpless.

Because geniuses have a very unique understanding of the track, they may develop a driving style that suits them and the car after only a few laps. In addition, their control over the car is far more precise than that of ordinary drivers, which is why they are able to achieve such a feat.

Wu Shi was playing such a role at this moment. As he continued his cruise, he deepened his impression of the track in his mind and memorized every detail of the track.

By the ninth lap, he felt he was prepared. If he wasn't afraid of making a mistake, he would have preferred to wait until the eleventh or twelfth lap when he had less fuel before setting the timer.

He said in TR, "I'll try again."

Alan TR: "OK, road conditions are good."

Wu Shi took a deep breath to rouse himself, and on the final straight, he mentally reviewed all sixteen turns of the track like a movie animation.

He blinked twice, the car accelerated to its maximum speed, and then "whoosh" across the starting straight, quickly heading towards Turn 1.

In street racing, because the reference points are so close, the speed appears to be much higher than the actual speed from a first-person perspective. As a result, many drivers will release the throttle earlier and prepare to brake.

But Wu Shi did not.

He has memorized the braking point, so he will definitely brake at the braking point. The afterimages of surrounding reference objects rushing past cannot affect his judgment!
Susu!

"Wu started trying to sprint again. His previous time had been hovering around 1 minute and 11 seconds, and he hadn't broken 1 minute and 10 seconds yet. But with this time, he is already sixth in his group."

“Street racing proficiency has a significant impact on a driver’s lap time, and racing here is also an exceptional test of a driver’s courage. We saw that Jack Dennis previously set a time of 1 minute 10.570 seconds, which is currently in the lead.”

"Currently, ahead of Wu Shi are Ocon and Verstappen. They have already passed the second timeout and have broken their own records."

Swish!
Soon, Aokang's results came out.

1 minutes 10 seconds 072!

Upon seeing this result, the commentator couldn't help but praise: "Ocon's lap was perfect! With this time, securing pole position should be no problem!"

Verstappen then crossed the finish line.

Sure enough, he only managed a time of 1 minute 10.432 seconds.

Most of the drivers have now completed nine or ten laps, are lightly fueled, and their results are gradually emerging.

However, these results couldn't even surpass Jack Dennis's, let alone Ocon's. The street racing, which demands extremely high handling details, widened the gap between the drivers' times significantly, with the best achieving 1 minute 10 seconds and the slightly less skilled reaching 1 minute 13 seconds.

"Wow! Wu's speed is also very fast. We can see that he makes quite a few corrections on the road, but that's normal. This is his first time on this track, so he's naturally a bit unfamiliar with it."

"But as expected of a six-time champion, his intuition is sharp and his car control is terrifying. Under these circumstances, he was faster than Ocon in the first stage! However, the second stage ended in a tie, so we'll see about the third stage!"

The scenery on both sides of the road blurred into afterimages and rushed past, with the red and white guardrails stretching all the way to the end.

Suddenly, the guardrail on the right began to turn right, and the next moment, the corner appeared abruptly. Race car number 32 followed the track into the corner, slightly crossing the shoulder and vibrating twice.

Kaka~
Wu Shi hated this feeling, but it didn't affect him much; his race car almost grazed the right guardrail.

It's a pity that this section of the guardrail doesn't have sensors, otherwise it would definitely have been able to measure the distance just now—only 3cm!

At such high speeds, this distance is practically nonexistent; once it's not calculated correctly, there's no chance to correct it.

In other words, when the driver turns the steering wheel into the corner, the minimum distance between the car and the guardrail is basically determined at the moment the car's nose turns.

The more a place relies entirely on driving skills and a feel for the car, the more astonishing Wu Shi's precision becomes!
Swish!

Ultimately, without a doubt, car number 32 Van Amersford secured pole position.

With a pole position time of 1 minute 10.001 seconds, he slightly outperformed Ocon.

After receiving the results, Wu Shi did not hesitate and went straight back to the repair area.

"Well done," Ailan said to Wu Shi, who had taken off his helmet.

"Max hasn't come back yet?"

"He plans to do a couple more laps."

Wu Shi then turned to look at Verstappen's data and found that Verstappen's 11-lap time was still not good enough, but his 12 laps at this time were indeed good, and he had already matched Ocon's time in the first timeout.

At this moment, Sid walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and gestured for them to talk in a private space.

After finding an empty meeting room, Sid went in and said directly, "Martina just told me that our team needs to recruit new people. You will need to review these candidates. If you are available, you can participate in the interview process."

“Okay, no problem.” Wu Shi nodded.

"Also, I'm afraid I won't be able to finish this match with you," Sid said.

"Is something wrong now? Weren't we supposed to discuss the sponsorship fee after this match?" Wu Shi asked, puzzled.

"I need to get to Spain."

"If I remember correctly, this weekend is the Spanish Grand Prix, right?" Wu Shi asked thoughtfully, waiting for Sid's reply.

"Yes, as you guessed, our contract with Mercedes has been leaked, and I need to go there."

Sid shrugged helplessly. He and Wu Shi certainly wouldn't reveal the contract for no reason, since the confidentiality clauses were quite strict, and violating them could even affect the performance of the contract.

Wu Shi frowned. Even before entering the hunting grounds, he could already sense the intricate web of relationships and the brutal struggle for interests within.

(End of this chapter)