F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 121 The Impossible

Large companies like Longteng Technology Group have quite a few vice presidents, and those who are not industry insiders are not very familiar with their responsibilities and division of labor.

Shortly after, a tall, thin, bespectacled, and refined middle-aged man walked in, accompanied by an assistant.

Martina helped Wu Shi stand up, shook his hand, and said, "I am very happy to have the opportunity to discuss this cooperation with you. I am Martina Cataqia, the general manager of Hpeng Company, and also Wu Shi's agent."

Hpeng is a driver management company founded by Martina herself, and Wu Shi is currently under her name. In other words, this company was originally established for Wu Shi.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I am An Yan'ang."

After greeting him politely, President An looked at Wu Shi and said with a smile, "I've only seen Mr. Wu in photos before. Today I finally get to meet you, handsome young man."

"Hehe, I often hear my father mention you, Uncle An. He says you are as upright as bamboo and have a strong will. He also told me about your glorious deeds, how you once led a team of seven to open up a new world in Southeast Asia."

Wu Shi smiled awkwardly but politely.

"Hahaha! Your mouth is even better than your dad's!" An Yan'ang laughed heartily.

After the pleasantries were over, the atmosphere became more lively, and An Yan'ang continued to ask:
“I’ve seen quite a few media reports in Europe about you and your seat in the Mercedes F1 team. I won’t ask about anything else, I’m just saying hypothetically.”

"If you were given the opportunity mentioned in the news, could you seize it and secure a seat?"

An Yan'ang's question was very clever; it seemed to prevent the two from revealing any secrets, but in reality, he wanted to know the specifics of the situation.

This is quite normal, since Longteng Technology Group wants to sponsor Wu Shi because, firstly, there is a very high probability that he will join an F1 team, and secondly, there is the possibility that he and Mercedes may have a seat.

All sponsorships are based on established interests; there is no sponsorship without a reason.

Martina paused for a moment before saying, "President An, I want to clarify that all the recent news reports are rumors and misinformation."

An Yan'ang nodded and said, "I understand. There are only the four of us here, and everything we discuss today will be kept confidential."

After speaking, he took out a confidentiality agreement. The content of the agreement was quite simple: regarding today's meeting, whoever leaked the information would have to pay corresponding compensation, and the amount of compensation would be directly equal to the amount of sponsorship.

It can be said that by presenting this confidentiality agreement, we are telling Wu Shi and the other person that we have shown sufficient sincerity.

Martina read the contract carefully. Having worked in the legal industry for many years, she was able to quickly see that the contract was effective.

"Okay, I understand. Let Wu Shi answer this question himself."

Martina looked at Wu Shi.

An Yan'ang also looked at Wu Shi and raised his eyebrows, as if to tell him not to feel any pressure.

"Phew, then I'll tell you the truth."

Wu Shi assessed in his mind that although he had never driven an F1 car in this life, he still had memories from his previous life.

If you give him an F1 car directly, he won't have to think about many things like a novice.

As the pinnacle of circuit racing, Formula 1 cars have a driving style that is quite different from other types of cars.

The most important thing is downforce. Ordinary race cars can get through corners better by reducing their speed.

However, when facing certain corners, F1 cars actually need to increase their speed to generate stronger downforce in order to better navigate the corners.

This is very counterintuitive, and many drivers who are new to F1 racing tend to overlook this detail.

Wu Shi, who has relevant driving experience, can obviously adapt to these problems quickly.

Of course, it's only 2014 now, and F1 cars mainly use aerodynamic kits to generate downforce. They may need to adapt to the driving habits of the ground effect era.

The differences between the two are quite obvious, and there may be cases of misjudgment.

"I have a 50% chance of fulfilling the agreement, so let's call it 50/50," Wu Shi finally said.

An Yan'ang looked at his assistant, who remained silent.

"Fifty percent."

He tapped his fingers on the table, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"A 50% probability is more than enough. Besides, even if you don't join Mercedes, you'll most likely join another F1 team next year, right?"

Wu Shi did not nod, completely ignoring the words "Mei Ben," and instead said:

“I already have an F1 seat contract. You may not know this, but at the beginning of the season I reached an agreement with Ferrari, provided I get 21 wins in this F3 championship.”

"As you can see, I've already secured eight victories. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I have the 21st win in the bag." *Clap clap clap!*
An Yan'ang clapped his hands in approval and said, "Impressive! Ambitious! Then I won't beat around the bush with my little nephew. We've prepared $10,000,000 for basic sponsorship."

Ten million dollars!

If we succeed, that would mean we've already achieved one-third of our goal!

"This most basic sponsorship is the same as all other sponsorships. All we ask for is co-branding or other collaborations, and the specific agreement is not demanding."

An Yan'ang paused at this point, then smiled and said, "I still have a quota of ten million on hand."

Wu Shi and Martina were both surprised to hear this. As expected of a technology manufacturing giant, they were truly impressive!

"Appreciate further details."

Martina said that the subsequent ten million dollar sponsorship obviously came with conditions.

“After joining F1, I’ll get 20% of my income for three years, or 10% for five years,” An Yan’ang said.

Upon hearing this condition, Martina instantly realized that the previous discussion about the team seats was just a smokescreen; what the other party really wanted was this.

Although she keenly sensed this, Martina did not reject the idea.

After all, this is a sponsorship of ten million US dollars, and what Wu Shi needs most right now is financial support.

“I think we can discuss this in more detail,” Martina said.

Bargaining is also an important part of the negotiation process. Unlike what he used to hear when he was a child, Wu Shi listened attentively this time.

He wasn't saying he wanted to see the results or learn the techniques or methods involved. He might not be an expert in this field, but he certainly couldn't be completely ignorant of it.

Some important contracts are often discussed in a short time; Martina and An Yanang finalized all the details in just half an hour.

“Not bad, now you’re a young multimillionaire too,” An Yan’ang joked after the contract was signed.

Wu Zhenlin only appeared after Longteng Technology Group finalized the contract and hosted a dinner party that evening.

The next day, Martina brought Wu Shi to Beiben's territory.

Unlike the treatment they received at Longteng Technology Group, the personnel sent by Beiben were only at the level of general manager of the business department.

Fortunately, they were very direct, offering a $300 million sponsorship without any strings attached.

Upon receiving this result, Wu Shi believed that Bei Ben had actually been treated very well.

Without pausing for the day, the two flew directly to Lin'an, where they had arranged to meet with the Jili Group that evening.

On the plane, Martina couldn't help but praise Wu Shi, saying, "It seems you've learned quite a few negotiation skills now."

"Where?" Wu Shi asked, puzzled, not knowing which play Martina was referring to.

"The 50% you mentioned to that Mr. An, you didn't make any wild claims like 70%, 80%, or even 100%, nor did you tell the truth that it was only 10%," Martina said.

"Wait! Do you think I only have a 10% chance of fulfilling that agreement and getting a seat at Mercedes?" Wu Shi interrupted.

Martina turned her head and asked in confusion:
"Isn't that right? One percent is too extreme; it's probably only a 1% chance."

"And it's not just me who thinks so, it's everyone who thinks so. You can't possibly adapt to F1 as quickly as you do to the car you're driving now, can you?"
"I remember you adapted to F3 racing quite quickly, but that was after you had a very long testing period. Mercedes didn't give you that much time in F1 practice sessions."

Seeing how serious Martina was, Wu Shi finally realized that it seemed no one believed he could fulfill his contractual obligations with Mercedes.

No wonder Sid insisted on emphasizing his contract with Williams.

No wonder Toto agreed to Nikki's idea and signed the contract.

No wonder Daimler approved the contract at its board meeting.

No wonder the contract was leaked so thoroughly later on, with all the details exposed.

So, it turns out, nobody took it seriously! Everyone thought it was impossible!

Wu Shi was relieved; if he were in Wu Shi's shoes, he wouldn't believe it either.

(End of this chapter)