F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 146 has passed.

"Wow! That's amazing! He really ran it in under 1 minute and 45 seconds! This result should be acceptable!" the soldier shouted excitedly in the studio.

Fei Ge clapped and said, "That's amazing! That speed is incredible! I don't know if we can compete for the top three, but this is definitely a time that will get us into the third qualifying round (Q3)!"

While the two were acting like madmen, the broadcast replayed Wu Shi's last TR clip.

The simultaneous interpreter began, "Uh, Wu Shi said there was no energy, which means the vehicle has lost some power."

These simple words don't actually need simultaneous interpretation.

After the replay ended, the broadcast showed the Mercedes pit garage, which appeared very oppressive compared to the pit garages of other teams.

The soldier quickly noticed something was wrong and said, "Why isn't the Mercedes team celebrating? I see the other teams are having a great time."

"Is it possible that Toto is considering who to replace?" Fei asked.

"Haha, that's really true. Hamilton and Rosberg are both very strong, which is a real problem," the soldier laughed.

At this point, the second TR segment is released.

Interpreter: "Uh, Wu Shi said he wanted one more Flying lap, and the team told him that was fine, and he could pit to change tires after fully charging the car."

"Wow! This treatment is too good!"

The soldier was surprised and suspicious. He had wasted a set of tires in the training and was giving Wu Shi another chance. If he didn't know Wu Shi's background, he would have suspected that Wu Shi and Tuo Tuo had some more secret relationship.

"Something's not right. No matter how talented a driver is, the team wouldn't waste another set of tires just to test his ability." Fei Ge didn't understand either.

Despite their confusion, they continued to stare at the screen. Wu Shi was going to do another round of practice; would he break his own record again?!

At the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, Mercedes recalled number 44 Lewis Hamilton. After the car was settled, Toto immediately said, "Peter, bring the crew over and replace Tony."

The cold words made the temperature in the Mercedes-Benz P room drop a few degrees, but Tony remained calm, taking off his headphones and placing them on the table.

Rosberg tried to stop him, but Rosberg avoided him.

Peter took a deep breath and sat down in the engineer's seat, and the rest of the crew members were replaced one after another.

Shortly after, Hamilton changed his clothes and came out. He glanced at the scene and immediately knew what had happened. Half-jokingly, he asked, "What happened, everyone? Did that kid get into a car accident?"

When Wu Shi was making his circle, he was just cooling off and returning to the circle, unaware of what had happened.

“No, he needs to run one more lap,” Peter replied.

“Hey, why did you switch seats? Where’s Tony? Is he feeling unwell?” Hamilton continued to ask.

He had certainly noticed that something was off in the team, but he didn't want to appear too sensitive until he came up behind Peter and looked up at the record of car number 6 on the previous lap.

Then he saw 1 minute 45.879 seconds.

"."

After a moment of silence, he said, "Why does he still need to run?"

“He’s vying for a spot at Mercedes,” Rosberg said bluntly.

The atmosphere immediately turned cold.

Wu Shi TR: "BOXBOX!"

At this point, Wu Shi, having finished charging, chose to enter the station.

The crew immediately pushed another set of ultrasoft tires into place.

Hamilton and Rosberg stood side by side in the pit lane, watching the familiar silver race car drive into the pit area, stop precisely, and be lifted up by the jack.

The tire change took 3.6 seconds.

hum!
The race car drove off.

"He, I'm afraid."

Rosberg looked slightly anxious; he was an exceptionally anxious person. He couldn't imagine the pressure he would face if he drove the same car and his lap times were even worse than Wu Shi's. Hamilton didn't speak; he felt dazed that this kid he'd known since 2007 was now standing next to him.

Everyone in the convoy had their own thoughts. When Sid saw Toto, he gave Wu Shi another chance and didn't lash out.

However, having just finished the warm-up lap, before even completing the first time trial, Wu Shi said in the TR (time trial mode): "The gearbox, it must be a problem with the gearbox. I feel the gears are very stiff." ①
Toto took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and then exhaled slowly. He wanted to take off his headphones and slam them on the table, but he managed to restrain himself.

Peter replied in TR: "We've found the problem. It can't be fixed remotely. Bring the car back."

"copy."

Wu Shi's voice was devoid of emotion, sounding only hoarse.

He was indeed very tired, and he slowed down a lot on his way back.

He parked the vehicle in the repair area, removed the steering wheel and headrests, rested in the cabin for a while, and then climbed out of the car.

At that moment, all the nearby cameras were pointed at him.

Sid approached Toto and said firmly, "Mr. Toto, I think we need a reasonable explanation."

“I will.” Toto nodded, his expression more serious than ever before.

Jingle bell bell~
Sid's phone rang; it was Martina calling.

"It looks like something unexpected happened?" Martina asked.

"Hmm, the engine power output seems to have fluctuated abnormally during that last stretch," Sid said.

“I understand. I just asked them about their predictions, and they estimate that the pole position time should be around 1 minute 45.8 seconds. Wu Shi has a very high probability of finishing in the top three with this time.”

The "they" Martina was referring to were naturally Ferrari's side.

“But a Ferrari is probably much slower than a Mercedes.” Sid’s words silenced Martina.

Wu Shi took off his helmet, his black hair was soaked with sweat, and he looked somewhat weak.

“Little guy, you still need to exercise more!” Hamilton walked up and extended his hand.

Wu Shi shook hands with him, nodded, and said with a smile, "He's already training like crazy."

"Don't you think it's a pity?" Hamilton suddenly asked. The engine power was limited at the end, and conservatively estimated, there would be a loss of at least 0.1 seconds.

“Of course, but that’s the competition, isn’t it? It’s the same as the Shanghai leg in 07, isn’t it?” Wu Shi replied.

If Hamilton hadn't gone into the gravel zone at the 07 Shanghai Grand Prix and had scored just two points, he would have made F1 history—winning the world championship in his rookie season (except for 1950).

“Yes, it’s a pity no matter how you look at it, but it’s all in the past, isn’t it?” Hamilton gave a polite smile.

"Yes, it's all in the past, the first training session is over."

Wu Shi looked back at W05. He had done his best, performing an incredibly crazy maneuver without a complete understanding of the vehicle.

In his pursuit of speed, he not only disregarded his life but also gambled with his future—a crash would undoubtedly have a huge impact on his career.

Actually, when he told Toto later that he wanted to run another lap, his right eyelid was twitching. He also felt that if he ran another crazy lap, he might end up on the wall.

Is the time loss caused by the engine problem regrettable? Of course it is.

But he felt he had no regrets about being able to achieve this lap time tonight.

Hamilton didn't say much, he just patted Wu Shi on the shoulder.

After Wu Shi left, Hamilton said to Rosberg, "I feel that he is stronger than you."

Rosberg glanced over but did not refute Hamilton.

　① Historically, Rosberg also encountered gearbox problems, and later also had a problem with loose rearview mirrors.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)