F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 114 Feeling restless
Since its inception in 1950, Formula 1 has seen countless teams come and go, and countless drivers enter and leave.

Today, this sport has evolved into more than just a simple competitive sport.

Why is Sir Williams so respected? It's because people believe that there are fewer and fewer people like him who still maintain the purest passion for racing.

In today's paddock, with eleven teams and twenty-two driver seats, which seat has a simple entanglement behind it?

Wu Shi had always known that his identity meant he would face tremendous resistance in this sport, perhaps even greater than Hamilton's.

If he hadn't shown extraordinary talent from a young age, and had Martina and Verstappen protecting him all the way, he would have been bullied in various competitions.

Putting aside everything else, just the kind of deliberate penalty they can use to annoy you within the rules, leaving you with no recourse even to appeal afterwards.

When I chatted with Zhou Guanyu in the United Kingdom before, Zhou Guanyu told me that when he was karting, some drivers would deliberately bump into him, force him to stop, and say some unpleasant things behind his back.

If he hadn't also achieved good results, this kind of discriminatory behavior would definitely have been more prevalent.

When he reached a contract with Mercedes on Thursday, he thought the biggest challenge would be how to quickly familiarize himself with the car in future F1 practice sessions. However, before he even got to that point, someone jumped out to cause trouble.

This contract should, in principle, only include him, Toto, Nicky, Sid, and the person who drafted the contract.

It's even questionable whether Daimler, Mercedes' other shareholder, knows the specifics of the situation.

After all, Toto wielded considerable power in operating the Mercedes team, thanks to his status as a shareholder and his ability to persuade the majority of the board members on a strong level.

'Sid and I definitely didn't leak this information, and Toto and Nikki wouldn't do such a thing. It's unlikely Toto signed the contract and then changed his mind, right? No, Toto isn't that indecisive or fickle. So the answer is already quite obvious.'

Wu Shi was just about to speak to Sid when he heard cheers coming from outside.

He was momentarily distracted, but quickly dismissed it, saying to Sid, "Neither of us leaked the information about this contract; the problem lies within Mercedes."

“Of course I know that. This time, I feel that it’s not simply a matter of confidentiality agreements.” Sid said worriedly.

"Let's deal with it as it comes." Wu Shi only knew that this was most likely a problem caused by Mercedes-Benz internally, and for now, more detailed information could only be obtained from Sid.

"Well, then I'll leave first."

Sid didn't delay; he needed to meet with Toto as soon as possible to understand their current thoughts in order to proceed with further mediation.

As Wu Shi left the meeting room, a gust of wind blew, and his sweat dried and clung to his skin, carrying a slight chill.

Verstappen had just returned, and the cheers were because he had run a time of 1 minute 10.067 seconds, second only to Wu Shi.

"Whoa!" Verstappen took off his helmet and shouted excitedly. After clapping with the crew, he went straight to Wu Shi's side.

You look a bit serious.

“Yes, some annoying things.” Wu Shi nodded.

"It seems like a big deal, but don't worry too much about it. Things will pass, just do your best."

Verstappen continued to express his open-minded thoughts, perhaps thanks to the strict upbringing he received from Joss from a young age, which instilled these ideas in him.

“Of course, you ran well today.” Wu Shi turned around and patted Pan Zi on the shoulder.

"Haha, of course, I watched a lot of your practice match videos after I got back," Pan Zi laughed.

You're secretly learning!

"Hey! This is just for reference."

Pan Zi chuckled, knowing Wu Shi was joking; after all, it wasn't the team that had revealed Wu Shi's data to him. While the two were chatting, the second qualifying session began. Surprisingly, the overall level of this group was extremely low, with Lucas taking first place with a time of 1 minute 10.429 seconds.

This score would only place them fourth in the first group.

Latifi, also driving a Prema, only managed a time of 1 minute 10.559 seconds, far inferior to Ocon.

Even veteran Bromqvist only managed 1 minute 10.634 seconds.

The streetball tournament starkly revealed the talent gap among the participants, as most of those who made it to the front row were rookies.

According to the schedule, the first match will be held at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, and the second round of qualifying matches will also be held in groups at 4:30 p.m. and 4:55 p.m. respectively.

At night, Wu Shi lay in bed, unable to fall asleep.

The night he signed the contract with Mercedes, he didn't tell Sid that he was actually too excited to sleep.

After all, that's Mercedes, the top team that will dominate the paddock from this year until 2021!

If he had joined Mercedes in 2015, he could have broken several youngest records and possibly debuted at WDC.

And if everything goes as usual in 2021, he dares to guarantee that he will do even better than the old man!

They wouldn't give Pan Zi many opportunities, dragging out the suspense of the championship until Abu Dhabi, so that in the end, the decision of the world champion was inadvertently handed over to the tournament organizers.

There's a chance to win seven world championships hidden within this!

How could he not be excited, how could he not overthink things?
After all, aside from his talent in racing, he is just like any other ordinary person, experiencing anxiety, worry, and fear of loss.

The next morning, Wu Shi felt that he hadn't slept all night, but it was already past nine o'clock, and since he was lying there anyway, he couldn't catch up on sleep.

Besides, there are still more than two hours left in the match, and he has to go and prepare in advance.

When he arrived at the competition venue, everyone noticed that Wu Shi seemed somewhat listless.

“Looks like you didn’t sleep well last night,” Alan said.

"Yes, I'm having some trouble sleeping."

"There's no need to be so nervous, is there? You've always had a very good mental fortitude."

Alan found it strange. In the previous six matches, Wu Shi had been as steady as a rock. Why was he so out of sorts in this match? Was something affecting him?
"Okay, it's alright, let's get ready for the match."

Wu Shi had no idea what Ai Lan was thinking. If he did, he would only ask himself, "When seven world champions are placed in front of you, yet they might all slip away, can you remain calm?"

I doubt any driver could stay calm in this situation!

"Alright, let's cheer up, there's no chance to get distracted in a street race."

"I know."

Wu Shi nodded, went back to put on his racing suit and helmet, and then got into the race car.

After completing the reconnaissance zone, he stopped on a narrow street. He was somewhat disappointed that there were no race queens on this small track, since the profession of race queen was destined to be abolished in the future due to power struggles between the sexes.

Five red lights came on one after another, and the drivers focused their attention.

Snapped!
The light came on for a split second, then went out!
The game officially begins!
(End of this chapter)