F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 174 A Quiet Departure

Sunday, March 29, Sepang District, Malaysia, sunny weather.

Sepang, Malaysia, is located in the tropics and is normally in the dry season, but strong convection in the morning and evening always brings rain at regular times.

Based on this, the match, originally scheduled for around 5 p.m., was moved to 3 p.m. to avoid potential heavy rain.

Without rain, the Sepang circuit was scorching hot, reaching an extreme temperature of 61 degrees Celsius during yesterday's third practice session, the highest ever recorded for an F1 race.

Around 2 p.m., the temperature in the shaded, open space reached 33 degrees Celsius, and the ground temperature was comparable to yesterday.

Under his survey, Wu Shi had already discovered that the current state of tire production was not optimistic.

After parking the car in the starting grid, he got out with the help of Jonathan and others.

Singing the national anthem before the race is a new part of this year's F1 pre-race routine; it's held at some races and not at others.

Malaysia hired a band to play and sing on the main road in front of the starting grid, and the drivers and crew members had to stand with these band members in white uniforms in the sweltering heat.

The Malaysian national anthem is over a minute long, and most drivers took off their racing suit jackets.

Finally, the performance ended, and the drivers dispersed.

As Wu Shi walked back from the front row, he glanced at the race queens a few times, and one blonde one in particular caught his eye.

However, he quickly regained his composure. The closer it got to the start of the competition, the more he needed to concentrate. Besides, the temperature was making him a bit irritable, leaving him no time to think about anything else.

After putting on the racing suit jacket and sitting in the cockpit, the heat immediately intensified. Driving in this kind of weather really puts a test of a driver's heat tolerance.

Jonathan came over and said, "If it's too hot, there's no need to go in so early."

The drivers around them were slowly putting on their racing suits.

“I’ll come in and try it out first,” Wu Shi replied.

“Don’t be nervous, really. It’s already beyond our expectations that you got pole position. We don’t want you to feel too much pressure,” Jonathan said.

Anyone who frequents racetracks knows that many drivers start perfectly normally from the back row, but once they're moved to the front, they quickly start fainting.

Ultimately, drivers are human too, and humans experience emotional ups and downs.

The more valuable a starting position a driver has, the more it affects their mood.

"Please help me relax with the seatbelt," Wu Shi said, his forehead already covered in sweat.

"Hmm." Jonathan loosened the seatbelt a little.

Another engineer held an umbrella over him to provide shade and lower the temperature as much as possible, while another engineer blew air into him through a duct.

Finally, Jonathan handed the steering wheel to Wu Shi.

Wu Shi glanced sideways at Hamilton, a racist joke popping into his head: "Is the old man more heat-resistant than him?"

As the departure time approached, the staff began to disembark.

His heartbeat gradually quickened; even though he was about to experience a warm-up tire, a sense of tension was already spreading.

The green light flashed, and it took him a moment to realize that he was in pole position.

Hamilton TR: "It seems our rookie isn't quite used to starting from the front row."

hum!
Wu Shi's vehicle started, and the procession of cars began to warm up the tires.

The swaying amplitude is moderate, but because the ground is too hot, it is easy to put a high load on the tires.

However, at this moment, Jonathan said in the TR: "Your tires are a little cold."

Wu Shi was taken aback. If it gets any hotter, he felt that the grip might not be as good as it is now!
He quickly realized that there was a discrepancy between the team's data and his perception; in simpler terms, the temperature range in which Williams vehicles' tires could function normally was extremely small.

This problem was actually exposed during practice, when Massa mentioned that the tire temperature was not high enough, but he quickly stopped talking about it.

Wu Shi licked his slightly sweet lips.

"Except for Button and Alonso, everyone else is using medium tires and is ready to start."

After Jonathan's voice rang out, all the vehicles took their positions. The engines, which had been idling, were immediately revved up, their roar filling the starting straight.

The five red lights were lit one by one.

Wu Shi's heart was beating faster and faster, his head was throbbing, and his limbs felt weak.

Then, the moment the red light went out, all sensation disappeared. Only when he reflexively released the clutch did the feeling of being pushed back bring all the sensation back.

Buzz!

The vehicle surged forward like a wild horse.

Wu Shi took a few deep breaths, and got off to a fairly smooth start!
As he felt the speed and gear, he glanced at Hamilton, whose start was also quite perfect.

With a car length lead, he felt he shouldn't have to worry about attacking at Turn 1.

Sure enough, as he approached Turn 1, he gradually switched to the outside line and entered the corner with a standard racing line.

Hamilton, behind him, was still looking for an opportunity, choosing to enter the corner from the inside, hoping to pull ahead with a shorter racing line before Turn 2.

Upon noticing this, Wu Shi moved toward the center of the bend without hesitation, while Hamilton remained unmoved.

Anyone who has seen the old man's scalpel-like front wing dares not put their rear wheel on it, otherwise the old man will definitely give you a flat tire on the first lap.

However, turns 1 and 2 are opposite to each other, so after turn 1, Wu Shi changed from the outside line to the inside line and no longer needed to consider Hamilton.

Hum!

As Hamilton turned into Turn 2, he was on the outside and could no longer keep up with Wu Shi. He had to pull back to avoid being overtaken by Vettel behind him.

There were no accidents throughout the entire start, which is the advantage of a wide track, ensuring that drivers have enough space to avoid collisions.

Jonathan TR: "Very good, you have a very good start, keep it up, Hamilton isn't very fast right now."

Just five seconds later, he spoke again: "Bottas said his tire blew out, but the vehicle is still normal and there will be no yellow flag."

Wu Shi thought to himself that Lotus was really unlucky, glanced at the rearview mirror and asked, "How much of a difference is there?"

"0.4 seconds."

Wu Shi tilted his head and turned into the bend. It was a distance that was neither too far nor too close, and he needed to give him some space.

After a few bends, he rejoined the starting straight and asked in the TR again, "How far is it?"

"0.5 seconds."

Wu Shi believed there was an opportunity to lead them away.

But after completing the first timed segment of the second lap, Jonathan proactively commented in the TR: "0.5 seconds, he kept up very well."

"If you go any faster, the tire wear will be accelerated."

Wu Shi felt his mouth was a little dry, but he had no interest in drinking a glass of water heated by the engine, as that would only make him feel even hotter.

“Keep your pace,” Jonathan replied.

The situation in this area is not optimistic.

"Kimi had a flat tire. Look around Turn 1; there's some leftover tire rubber there," Jonathan continued.

Heh!

On the second lap, at turn 15, Wu Shi braked and turned, emitting a puff of white smoke, indicating that the pressure on the tires and brakes was extremely high.

Hamilton, Vettel, and Rosberg behind him did the same, driving through the bend and back onto the starting straight with white smoke trails.

"You set a new fastest lap time of 1 minute 45.112 seconds," Jonathan said.

“Is Hamilton still behind me? Hasn’t Vettel attacked him?” Wu Shi asked.

(End of this chapter)