F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 139 On Camera
With a pass hanging in front of them, the actual checks aren't very strict.

Before entering the P room, Antonio Vivaldi took out two hats and looked at Louise, saying, "I think it would be better to change your hats."

Wu Shi then remembered that Louise was wearing Lafayette's red hat, and walking into the Mercedes-Benz P room like that felt rather strange.

"Okay, sure~"

Louise blushed slightly, took off her hat and put it in her backpack, tore open the new hat's packaging, and put it on her head.

The two followed Antonio Vivaldi into the pit room of the Mercedes. Wu Shi was very familiar with this kind of scene, but Louise had never seen it before, so she looked around like a curious child.

Although it was not long before the start of the main race, Wu Shi's arrival still attracted a lot of attention, even the two drivers wearing helmets who were about to get into the car looked over.

Antonio Vivaldi led the two directly to Toto's side.

"Hello, Mr. Toto," Wu Shi greeted him first.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Wu Shi. Today, I’ll let you experience the atmosphere of F1. You are free to watch as you please, as long as you don’t interfere with the staff’s normal work,” Toto said.

"Ok."

As soon as Wu Shi entered the repair area, cameras were immediately pointed at him.

In the studio in Shanghai, China, the two commentators from Six Star Sports were instantly excited when they saw this scene.

"In the shot, in the shot is Wu Shi! How come he's in the Mercedes-Benz Arena's P-room?" The soldier was so surprised he almost shouted.

"So, does this mean the previous rumors were true?" Fei Ge added.

"Let me introduce Wu Shi to the viewers watching this F1 race. He is the most likely of China's new generation of drivers to enter F1. He has already achieved twenty-three victories in this year's F3 championship! This performance is simply amazing!" Bing Ge said excitedly.

"Yes, CCTV even did an exclusive interview with him two months ago. Based on my estimation, it's basically a done deal for Wu Shi to enter F1. His achievements in F3 are too dazzling. I don't know if anyone will be able to surpass him, but it's true that there is no one like him before him," Fei Ge continued to add.

"Hmm, I think he was born in '98?" the soldier asked.

Fei Ge nodded: "Yes, December 1998."

"Oh, so that means his championship record is terrible, but his other records are even more terrible: the youngest F3 Grand Prix winner, the youngest three-time F3 champion, and the youngest six-time F3 champion."

"No, no, if this continues, everyone will be a consecutive champion." Fei Ge quickly stopped Bing Ge, who was getting a little excited, and said, "Because Wu Shi is too young, his achievements in F3 racing are destined to be among the youngest."

"Hmm, it's hard to imagine that he could enter F1 at such a young age."

Are there no restrictions in this regard?

"There aren't many restrictions. As long as a team wants him, he'll pay for the venue himself and drive the full mileage to get his super license! If he doesn't have money, I'll donate some! He's our first F1 driver!" Bing Ge continued, exaggerating.

"Who's that person next to him? Anyone who can get into the P room must be the child of some big shot. They seem quite close."

"Is she his girlfriend? But it's a bit unbelievable that Mercedes would let them go to a brothel together."

"Does this count as puppy love?" Fei asked rhetorically.

Wu Shi and Louise were unaware that they were being broadcast; they were simply watching the busy crowd in the P room.

Strategy engineers stared at the constantly changing simulation data on the screen, thinking about how to make decisions when encountering variables in the race; vehicle engineers conducted final checks on the vehicles and fed back the previous data to the drivers.

“They’re all so busy, they look so stressed,” Louise said.

"Yes, the period before the official start of the competition is the busiest and most stressful time, because even with thorough preparation, there will always be unexpected situations, and that's when things really get chaotic," Wu Shi said.

"Whoa whoa."

Looking at these people, Louise felt as if she were seeing the working environment where Wu Shi was a race car driver, and she felt that this feeling was very strange.

"Put on the earmuffs." Wu Shi took the earmuffs from the staff.

Louise took it and put it on immediately. She was still excited when she came down and didn't notice anything wrong, but after a while, she found that the noise inside was loud and noisy.

But actually, wearing earmuffs at this time is mainly to prevent damage from vehicles that are about to start moving.

Buzz! ! !

Some people say that the engine sound after the new regulations is not nice or flavorful, but if you stand next to it, you can still feel the surging power it contains.

The smells of various oily substances filled the air at that moment, and as the engine revved up, hot flames shot out from the exhaust pipes, instantly making the atmosphere in the maintenance area lively and physically hot.

As the indicator light at the end of the repair area turned green, the convoys began to release their vehicles in an orderly manner.

Once all the vehicles have left, the engineers and technicians drag trolleys to the starting grid, where they will make final adjustments to the vehicles as they pass through the survey circle and stop at the starting grid.

In fact, most of the time no adjustment is needed; it's more about putting warm tire pads on the tires to keep them warm.

Twenty minutes later, everyone left the field, and after a warm-up lap, the race entered its countdown.

"I'm starting to get nervous," Louise whispered. Everyone around her was glued to the departure screen, and no one spoke.

The sounds in the entire maintenance area became harmonious at that moment, with only the muffled roar of the engines suppressing the impending explosion.

Beep! After an alarm sounded, the first red light came on.

Louise gripped Wu Shi's arm even tighter.

Five red lights were lit one after another, and even Wu Shi seemed to see only these five red lights at this moment.

Swish!
The light suddenly went out, and Wu Shi's fingers twitched involuntarily.

Buzz!

The Italia Grand Prix has officially begun!
The two Mercedes drivers started in the front row.

Rosberg got off to a very fast start, establishing his lead in almost a second.

Hamilton fainted, started from pole position, and then dropped to fifth before Turn 1!

Hamilton TR: "There's something wrong with my vehicle."

Team TR: "Mode 3, Mode 3."

Wu Shi and Louise were able to hear all the TRs within the Mercedes team. From the start of the race, the two engineers' voices rang out continuously, constantly directing the drivers.

Hamilton TR: "The problem is DRS; it should be DRS."

Team TR: "OK, we are conducting an inspection."

In just one minute, the engineer spoke dozens of sentences, almost without stopping.

"So busy," Louise muttered.

"Yes, during official races, engineers will continuously provide drivers with various information, including reminding them when to switch to which mode, adjust brake output, and so on."

Wu Shi didn't explain it very professionally. For most car enthusiasts, these behind-the-scenes tasks would only make driving seem incredibly tedious and boring.

"Oh! I know that. When we video chatted before, you explained that it was on the F3 steering wheel."

On the track, Magnus started three positions higher, moving up to second place. This guy really hit his peak right from the start!
As for Bottas, who started from the second row, Wu Shi didn't even see where he had gone by then.

Although Hamilton was dazed at the start, he overtook him thanks to Mercedes' superior performance and Magnus' slight mistake.

"Oh!"

On lap nine, everyone in the pit lane shouted because Rosberg's left wheel hit the grass at Turn 1 and he couldn't stop, running off the track and performing an F1 moose test.

This allowed Massa and Hamilton behind him to quickly catch up.

"Oh my god, what's wrong with him?!" Louise covered her mouth as well; from her perspective, Rosberg seemed to be running without brakes.

Wu Shi offered no comment and continued watching the game.

The Neon Grand Prix will begin in early October, and the opportunity to participate in practice races will come soon, making this opportunity to watch the race quite valuable.

Unlike Louise, he didn't just watch the racing footage; he kept his eyes glued to the data on the screen, trying to gain a better understanding of this unfamiliar vehicle through these cold numbers.

So he observed very carefully, so carefully that he barely spoke to Louise.

Louise looked up several times and saw Wu Shi's furrowed brows and his eyes that barely blinked. She couldn't bear to disturb him, so she just held his arm tightly, feeling that this was fine too.

'Hehe~' she chuckled.

Mercedes' car was simply too strong. Hamilton overtook Massa in the corners in just a few laps, which made Wu Shi's scalp tingle. In F1 racing, the difference between cars is so great that it can close the gap between drivers.

It was assumed that Rosberg, driving the same car as Hamilton, would lead to the end, but on lap 29, in the same spot, Rosberg once again tried to test the W05's moose lap time and went off the track again.

Wu Shi took a deep breath. Rosberg, as a "15-time champion," certainly has the skills, but his mentality is arguably the most unstable among all drivers.

It's unimaginable that he could make the same mistake twice in the same game, in the same position.

Look at Pan Zi in the future. He was overtaken by Piastri in the first lap, but he used his skills effectively when defending Norris in the second lap, making Norris feel like he was dying and being reeled from the pain, which made the outside world question Norris's ability even more.

This is normal, though, because every F1 driver is more than just driving a race car on the track.

Instead, it involves constantly adjusting complex parameters under immense psychological pressure and amidst various unpredictable events, battling against G-forces and sweltering heat, driving the race car to speed up or overtake opponents.

For most people, physical strength is a hurdle, but psychological pressure may be the most important factor that ultimately overwhelms a person.

A lead lost due to a mistake can never be regained.

After the race, Rosberg and Hamilton parked their car. Hamilton didn't get out of the car for a long time, only getting out after Rosberg left.

After the race ended, Toto stood up and said to Wu Shi, "Singapore Grand Prix."

　3k~ It's a bit late

　　
　
(End of this chapter)