F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 129 Nobody is here

On June 22, the Austrian Grand Prix also concluded along with the Hungarian Grand Prix of the F3 Championship.

In this Grand Prix, both Mercedes drivers performed poorly in qualifying. Hamilton made a mistake and finished ninth, while Rosberg failed to outrun the two Williams cars and only managed third.

However, Mercedes' pace over long distances is unmatched by other cars. Hamilton returned to fourth place on the first lap, and by the end of the race, Mercedes had once again taken first and second place.

At this point, the points difference between the two Mercedes drivers had widened to 29 points, with Rosberg having 165 points and Hamilton having 136 points.

Before the Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton had earned 100 points after withdrawing from the first race, thanks to his four consecutive wins, which was 97 more points than Rosberg, who had completed five races.

Of course, everyone knows what happened at the Monaco Grand Prix. Rosberg's coincidental mistake triggered the yellow flag, preventing Hamilton from completing his flying lap and thus ensuring that his pole position was not surpassed.

Finally, Rosberg PTW finished second, with Hamilton coming in second.

In the overall standings, Rosberg overtook Hamilton with 122 points compared to Hamilton's 118 points.

This is why Hamilton was so angry afterwards, even suggesting that he give Wu Shi special treatment in order to oust his rival.

Hamilton, who already has a world championship title, naturally believes that Wu Shi's promotion to Mercedes is definitely to replace Rosberg, a driver who has performed well but has not achieved any outstanding results.

But what happened next was somewhat beyond his expectations.

On June 8, at the Canadian Grand Prix at the Villeneuve circuit, Hamilton retired due to brake failure.

Although Rosberg's car also experienced a malfunction, it ultimately managed to finish the race with difficulty.

With this back and forth, Rosberg's score has reached 140 points, surpassing Hamilton by 22 points.

Now that the race at the Red Bull Ring has ended, Hamilton is even further behind.

Looking at the standings alone, Rosberg seems to be the better driver. So if Mercedes is going to make a driver change, who will it be?
The old man, who was already feeling unsettled because of the frequent problems with his car, now had an even greater worry.

As Hamilton's dedicated engineer, Peter could naturally sense the change in his partner's mindset. He said:
"You performed excellently today, starting ninth and finishing second, contributing many exciting overtaking moments."

Hamilton wiped the sweat from his brow, nodded expressionlessly, and said, "I didn't have to start from the ninth."

“Everyone makes mistakes, don’t they? Don’t put too much pressure on yourself because of it,” Peter advised.

Upon hearing this, Hamilton paused in wiping his sweat and asked, "What about Wu? Has he made any obvious, major mistakes?"

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Peter was speechless. He watched some F3 races in his spare time, but he didn't seem to have heard of Wu Shi making any major mistakes in the races.

This guy's retirements are always caused by other drivers.

"What do you think Toto is thinking?" Hamilton asked.

"What do you mean, what are you thinking?" Peter countered.

“The agreement between Wu Shi and the racing team,” Hamilton said.

“That’s a rumor! It’s some damned news dug up from who-knows-where by those reporters. Neither Toto nor the team has ever admitted to it!” Peter said.

"But they haven't come out to deny it, have they?" Hamilton chuckled.

Seeing the old man's expression, Peter seemed to know what the world champion was thinking and couldn't help but speak up:

“I roughly know his background. He has been developing in Europe since he was a child and has never been to Japan. That track is completely unfamiliar to him! Do you think he can get a pole position based on just twenty laps in a practice session?”

“I’ve seen his simulator logs.” Hamilton realized he’d said too much as soon as he finished speaking.

"What simulator recording?" Peter couldn't help but ask.

Hamilton shook his head, not saying more about the matter, and instead said, "The next stop is my home ground, and I will take back the victory that belongs to me."

Peter's initial purpose in coming to the old man was to cheer him up, but now that the old man has cheered up, Peter feels even more upset.
He vaguely sensed that the conflict between the team and Wu Shi had already affected many employees. However, he was someone who could understand Toto very well; just by looking at Wu Shi's resume, he believed that no team would refuse such a driver.

Thinking of this, he took out his phone, typed in the keyword "F3", and sure enough, the first message that popped up was always about Wu Shi, and today's big post title was:

"Wu Shi achieves a three-game winning streak at the Belgian Grand Prix! He dominates the Spa circuit!"

Scrolling down further, you'll find all sorts of shocking headlines.

"Fifteen battles, fourteen wins! The king of F3!"

"The strongest driver born after 95 may surpass F1!"

It's fair to say that if it weren't for the internal competition between Hamilton and Rosberg in this year's F1 season, the popularity might not even be as high as that of this young man from China.

After all, only those who have been in the racing world know that this win rate not only demonstrates Wu Shi's driving skills, but also his stability and adaptability!
This guy has never stayed in a certain level for more than a season; if he has, it's because he's too young to be promoted.

And every time he moves to the next level of competition, it seems like he doesn't need much time to adapt.

Peter didn't know how much time Wu Shi would need to adapt when he entered F1, but he believed that Wu Shi couldn't possibly become familiar with F1 cars after just one practice session.

Because of this viewpoint, he discussed these matters with Toto, and the leadership's views were consistent: Wu Shi is very strong and Mercedes needs to keep him in check, but now is not the best time to bring him into the Mercedes team.

After looking through several news articles and posts about Wu Shi, he thought for a moment and decided that he still needed to communicate with Toto.

So while everyone was still packing up the items on the field, he went to the office in the back area.

After entering, he casually closed the door.

Toto, who was looking at the documents, looked up and said, "Is there something we need to discuss privately?"

“Of course.” Peter nodded, walked to his desk, and said to Toto:
"Regarding Wu Shi's matter, I think you need to pay attention. Now it's not just one or two people in the convoy who have been affected."

Toto put down the documents, leaned back in his chair, and turned to Peter, asking, "What else do you think I need to do?"

“Clarify,” Peter said.

Toto clapped his hands, sat up straight, then bent over and rested his hands on his knees, saying, "Clarify what? You should know that not everything can be clarified."

"To clarify the matter that Wu Shi may replace one of the two drivers next season," Peter said.

Toto stared at him for a long while before speaking:
"Didn't we discuss this before? No one can achieve pole position in a single practice session without ever having played F1 before! Remember, absolutely no one! Does this really need clarification?!"

Toto spoke with conviction, wondering why Peter was so concerned about this issue.
"What do you think of Wu Shi's adaptability?" Peter countered.

“They’re very strong, but it’s impossible for them to fulfill their agreement with us.” Toto relaxed; he knew this was a question that didn’t need to be questioned.

"So you've never considered what we need to do if he fulfills his promise?" Peter countered.

“Of course I’ve considered it, but it’s impossible,” Toto emphasized repeatedly.

“What if he trained on the simulator beforehand?” Peter’s voice was slightly somber.

Toto frowned, his body slowly tensing up. He realized that Peter might know something he didn't.

"An emulator? Who gave him access to the emulator?"

"Heh, looks like you're starting to worry too." Peter didn't answer Toto's question, but laughed and said:
"As a member of the team, I have done my job to the best of my ability, and in this matter, I think I have done everything I could."

After saying that, Peter left the office.

Toto sat in his office, his brow furrowed, deep in thought.

(End of this chapter)