F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 142 W05
Since its opening in 2008, the Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore has been an important stop on the Formula 1 Grand Prix calendar and the first venue to host a night race in Formula 1.

Wu Shi said he wasn't familiar with the track because, firstly, he hadn't run it in sixteen years, and secondly, the track had undergone four changes, and he was only familiar with the layout after 2023.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit in 2014 was just adjusted last year, with a total of 23 turns and a total length of 5.065 kilometers, which is 800 meters shorter than the layout in 2012.

去年排位赛的最快圈是1分42秒841，正赛中的最快圈是1分48秒574，都是如今还在大红牛的维特尔创下的。

Because this year is the first year of major changes to the engine rules, the speed will most likely be slower, but no one knows how much slower.

Wu Shi was not a data analyst and could only judge based on his own experience, which would likely result in a difference of two or three seconds.

Therefore, he needs to reach a level of around 1 minute and 45 seconds to have a chance of finishing in the top three in qualifying.

On Friday, September 19th, the first practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix will begin at 9 PM.

Wu Shi had already put on the Mercedes racing team uniform; the silver-white battle robe made him feel somewhat lightheaded.

Near the navel on the team uniform, there is a small five-star red flag on the right side of the zipper, and the words "59WUSHI" on the left side of the zipper.

This year, the FIA ​​approved the decision to personalize F1 driver numbers, bidding farewell to the ranking numbering system used since 1996.

Now, each F1 driver can choose a number between 2 and 99 as their own number, and Wu Shi chose number 59.

Although this year is the first year of personalized numbers, all of the top ten numbers except for number 2 have already been selected. Wu Shi naturally won't choose number 2. Either he will win the world championship and use number 1, or he will choose a number with auspicious meaning.

Choosing number 2 always feels low-class. It would be better to grab Lock & Lock's number 16 or Panzi's number 33 in advance and use someone else's number, leaving them with no number to use. The perverse pleasure of this is quite interesting.

However, in the end, Wu Shi still chose number 59, which he had used in his previous life.

There were still two hours before the practice session was scheduled to begin, but the crew members were already busy.

"Whoo~"

Seeing this scene, Wu Shi took a deep breath.

To say there's no pressure is a joke. Driving a top-tier race car you've never touched before and competing with a group of paddock geniuses for pole position would put pressure on anyone. Saying there's no pressure is just easy for someone who doesn't understand the situation.

Sid glanced at him and said nothing more; any words at this moment would only disrupt the driver's self-regulation.

He found Toto and asked, "How's things going with Williams?"

Toto nodded and said, "Sir Williams and Claire (Sir Williams' daughter) are both willing to wait."

Sid was somewhat surprised. Sir Williams was a rather ruthless man, and he never expected him to wait because of Toto's words.

Seeing Sid's expression, Toto knew he had misunderstood and said, "His willingness to wait for Wu Shi is not entirely because of me, but also because of you, or rather, because of him."

“Williams’ financial situation is not very good, and your sponsorship will help the team.”

After Toto finished speaking, he looked at Wu Shi, who was talking to Rosberg on the other side, and continued, "Sir Williams admires him very much and thinks he is a great driver like Senna and Schumacher."

"That's quite a high compliment," Sid remarked. Sir Williams is known for his ruthless approach to eliminating champion drivers, so the fact that Wu Shi could earn his attention speaks volumes about Wu Shi's excellence.

“Yes,” Toto agreed.

"How about we consider giving Wu Shi a place at Mercedes-Benz Arena if he gets into the top three in the first training session?"

Sid joked that getting the top three lap times in practice is much easier than getting the top three lap times in qualifying.

Toto laughed along but didn't reply. It should be said that this is a happy moment for the Mercedes team; Hamilton and Rosberg, two extremely strong drivers in the paddock, are their current drivers, and rising star Wu Shi is also in their ranks.

However, this happiness was a torment for Toto at this moment.

If either Hamilton or Rosberg were not a top driver, he would replace them without hesitation, but these two are WDC-level drivers!

Anyone would fall into a judgment trap at this time.

On the other side, Rosberg said to Wu Shi, "In short, street racing needs to be taken seriously. Kid, you'd better bring my car back in perfect condition!"

"Of course," Wu Shi nodded.

Rosberg patted engineer Tony on the shoulder and said, "Talk to him like you would talk to me, and be patient with him. I watched his performance at Hogheimer, and he's a very good young driver."

“The FIA ​​just announced a few weeks ago that teams are prohibited from giving drivers any information that is favorable to them other than the condition of the car itself, but I will try my best to help him.” Tony nodded.

Rosberg glanced at Tony, but the rule was indeed announced by the FIA ​​some time ago.

Wu Shi sat in the cockpit. Fortunately, he was now about the same height as Rosberg, although he was still a bit thin, but he was already quite close to the seat.

As he sat inside the silver arrow, his heart suddenly raced, just like a swordsman feeling when he gets his hands on a treasured sword.

"Get a feel for the position first. If you need to adjust it, please let us know," Tony said.

Wu Shi nodded, suppressing his excitement, and began to adjust his seat according to his own habits.

Based on the characteristics of this site, Pirelli offers two sizes of dry weather tires: red supersoft and yellow soft.

Each driver can choose thirteen sets of tires, seven of which are designated as "prime" tires and six as "option" tires.

Wu Shi didn't know how Rosberg chose the tire specifications, but during those 90 minutes of training, he would definitely use supersoft tires at least once.

As the time drew closer to six o'clock, the crew brought several screens to Wu Shi's side, displaying track information and data for the other drivers. However, since the test had not yet started, all the data was blank.

“Start the vehicle,” Tony said when the time was up.

Wu Shi nodded and started the vehicle.

Boom!

The engine roared to life.

"Conduct an inspection."

Wu Shi began to perform the inspections on the steering wheel according to the inspection procedures.

"everything is normal."

Tony nodded and said, "Try the soft tires first. Be careful, this is your first time on this track, so your first priority is to get the car back safely. No team likes a driver who only crashes."

Wu Shi sensed the dislike Tony carried in his tone. He didn't say anything, but simply listened quietly to the roar of the W05's engine.

　P.S.: There's a lot of information to research, so the next chapter might be a little late. Everyone, please take a look at the Monaco Grand Prix first. I have a feeling that the forced second suspension might cause some trouble.

　　① In 2014, Pirelli offered four dry tire compounds: red supersoft, yellow soft, white medium, and orange hard, which was simpler than the future rainbow tires.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)