F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 154 is 8 points higher than the perfect score on the college entrance exam.

The ambulance sped away from the paddock, taking a full twenty minutes to reach the hospital. If a rescue helicopter had been available, this time would have been reduced to about five minutes.

Leclerc had no reason to stay on the track, and after getting news of Bianchi from relevant personnel, he immediately rushed to the hospital.

On the bus, everyone was silent. Leclerc stared blankly out the window, where water droplets made the neon lights appear like starlight.

When he arrived at the hospital, the emergency room door was still closed. The glaring indicator lights made Leclerc struggle to keep his eyes open, and tears would uncontrollably stream down his face with every blink.

Wu Shi patted him on the shoulder, and was about to speak when Leclerc spoke first:

"Feel sorry."

"Clearly, clearly God gave us a warning, but we ignored it."

These words left Wu Shi speechless. Perhaps he should have forcefully stopped Bianchi from playing, but was that even possible? How could Bianchi possibly listen to him?
Verstappen stood to the side, silent, perhaps thinking about how his mother would light a prayer candle for him before every match.

It wasn't until midnight that the emergency room door opened.

As soon as the doctor came out, reporters and event staff who had been waiting there rushed forward.

Since Ayrton Senna's death in a crash at Imola in 1994, F1 had gone two decades without a fatal accident.

Perhaps that's why, in today's increasingly safe F1 environment, people have forgotten that F1 racing is a competition where you dance with death.

Therefore, the organizers not only refused the drivers' request to start the race early, but also did not stop the race when the typhoon was raging.

Therefore, after the Bianchi accident, it's easy to imagine how society will view the entire F1 racing scene.

Leclerc also squeezed in, eager to be the first to know the news.

The doctor's English wasn't very good, so he explained the situation in Japanese.

There was a cacophony of chatter, and Leclerc had absolutely no idea what was going on.

But Wu Shi, who was standing to the side, heard words like "safety" and "stability" from the few words he heard. He looked at the crowd and wondered if the rescue had been effective and the person had been saved.

Waiting for news is agonizing in itself, but thankfully, as soon as the doctor explained the situation on camera, a reporter immediately relayed it in English.

"According to the latest hospital update, Bianchi suffered diffuse axonal injury to the head. After initial treatment, his vital signs are temporarily stable. If he can wake up within 72 hours, it will indicate that the treatment is progressing well."

"The organizing committee has contacted relevant hospitals in France and is considering transferring the patient to France for further treatment."

The incident at the Neon Grand Prix has put the event under intense scrutiny.

Many people are questioning why the race organizers did not change the race time when the drivers felt the conditions were unsuitable, and instead chose to hold the race at 3 p.m. when the typhoon was passing through.

Some people are also questioning the track rescue procedures and accident vehicle handling rules. Is it permissible for large cranes to enter the track to operate under yellow flag conditions?
Wu Shi, who is about to join the paddock, also submitted his opinions to the FIA ​​through the team.

First, a virtual safety car will be added to ensure that all vehicles slow down when an accident occurs on the field, rather than slowing down only at the moment before entering the accident site.

Secondly, the Halo system device, also known as flip-flops, was added.

The first suggestion was acceptable, with most people agreeing that it was appropriate. However, the second suggestion was met with considerable opposition, including from some drivers.

Time passed slowly, and on the third day after Bianchi's accident, news came from the hospital that Bianchi had briefly regained consciousness, proving that his brain damage was still under control.

However, because the patient is still undergoing emergency treatment, outsiders are not allowed to visit.

Afterwards, the race organizers and the team also conducted a study comparing Anchi's onboard data before the accident with footage from other angles.

The conclusion was that the car lost grip when exiting the corner, causing it to go out of control. Data showed that Bianchi's throttle input was shallower than in the previous laps.

Researchers believe that the low throttle output caused the vehicle to deviate from its intended angle, just in time to avoid a head-on collision between Bianchi's head and the crane's rear.

According to computer simulations, if the throttle were opened at the same level as usual, the vehicle's sliding angle would have sent Bianchi's head to the side of the crane's rear, resulting in a horrific collision! These investigation results were not released to the public but were kept on file within the event venue.

Wu Shi's life became simpler. He spent less and less time training with the Van Amersford team and more time traveling to the Williams team's Oxfordshire in southern England.

He is already helping the team with simulator testing in order to obtain more research data.

On the second weekend of October, while the F1 Grand Prix was being held at the Sochi circuit in Russia, the F3 race was also taking place at the Imola circuit in Italie.

Wu Shi maintained his consistent performance, achieving a three-game winning streak in his half-home game. Aokang also performed exceptionally well, securing third place in three consecutive games.

In a post-race interview, Ocon publicly stated that the F1 competition mechanism was unfair. He believed that Wu Shi was able to enter the F1 team because of his ability, while Verstappen, who had fewer points than him, was also able to enter the F1 team, which was entirely due to Verstappen having a good father.

These words disgusted Verstappen, but even without them, their relationship wasn't particularly good at the time.

The final race of the 2014 F3 season returned to Hogheimerlin in Germany.

In the end, Wu Shi ended his F3 career with 29 wins and 758 points, leading second-place Ocon by a whopping 397 points.

Wu Shi's assessment of this was, "That's really good, I scored 8 points higher than the perfect score on the college entrance exam!"

After October, Wu Shi left the Van Amersford team in November to report to Williams. Due to contract issues, he would not officially join the team until 2015.

However, during previous tests, the team discovered his shortcomings, which needed to be addressed as soon as possible, so they sent him ahead of schedule.

At the West Bros. headquarters, Sir Williams rarely appeared due to his health condition, and his daughter Claire Williams, who served as deputy team manager, mostly handled the affairs.

The person who received Wu Shi was also this deputy team leader, Claire Williams. She had a smile on her face and didn't seem as serious and demanding as Sir Williams.

She was accompanied by a man, whom Wu Shi initially thought was an engineer, but Claire introduced him as, "This is your nutrition and physical trainer, Ken Ruiz."

"Hello, I am Wu Shi."

Wu Shi greeted the nutritionist and physical trainer in front of him, who was 1.9 meters tall, well-proportioned, and looked like a typical handsome European and American man.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to serve such a talented driver."

After a brief introduction and a familiarization tour of Williams headquarters, Wu Shi's hard times began without warning.

“From today onwards, your diet and training must follow the schedule I’ve prepared for you. Of course, I will adjust this schedule according to your situation. You are only sixteen years old and your body is still developing. You are much weaker than professional drivers.”

"No matter how fast you are on a single lap, without a strong physique, you will be unable to cope with the rest of the race due to exhaustion."

Ken Ruiz speaks in a gentle manner, but his serious expression always makes him seem unapproachable.

Wu Shi nodded. F1 races typically last an hour and a half, much longer than the thirty or forty minutes of an F3 race.

If your physical condition can't keep up, you might not be able to concentrate on controlling the race car halfway through. When people are tired, a lot of their willpower is used to overcome fatigue, which often leads to distorted operation.

Losing your location is a minor issue; an accident is the real big deal.

By the end of November, Bianchi's condition had improved, and he began to be lucid more often, but he still could not control his body.

Because his periods of lucidity were unpredictable and he was unable to communicate verbally when he was awake, Wu Shi visited him once and then returned to England to continue his training.

The good news is that the doctor said Bianchi's recovery is currently benign, and perhaps in another month or two, he will be able to wake up more often.

This situation is undoubtedly encouraging. Although the Bianchi family is financially capable, they still cannot fully afford the high medical costs, so the FIA ​​launched a fundraising campaign.

Most of the drivers in the paddock have donated a lot, which is enough to ensure that Bianchi continues to receive the best treatment.

(End of this chapter)