F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 182 Vettel & Prancing Horse & Victory
With the battle for the front row over, the only remaining highlight on the track is the infighting between the two players from each of the Red Bull and Toro Rosso teams.

When Wu Shi overtook Hamilton, he was still a full 9 seconds behind Vettel, and the remaining lap times were not enough to close the gap.

Even with a fast enough lap time, this set of medium tires has no room to maneuver further; being able to outpace Hamilton is already a victory.

On lap 56, Vettel swayed the car from side to side before crossing the finish line, with the backdrop behind him showing the Red Bulls that had been lapped.

Ferrari Team TR: "Yes! You drove brilliantly! Absolutely superb! Ferrari is back!"

"Thank you, thank you everyone! Thank you everyone! Go Ferrari! We will keep moving forward! Ohhhhhh!!!!"

Vettel roared excitedly in the TR, his excitement almost overflowing the radio.

He waved to the entire stadium, his joy beyond words. There are also many iron Buddha temples in Malaysia, and they waved Ferrari flags on the grass!

David, who was also celebrating excitedly with Vettel and Ferrari, commented:
"This is a victory to celebrate for the Ferrari team! Ferrari has finally reclaimed the trophy since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix! They have once again stood at the top of the Grand Prix!"
"For Sebastian Vettel, this is the end of a two-year slump. His joy is palpable. Let's cheer with him! Victory is hard-won, and all the more precious!"
"Similarly, this is also the first time a German has driven a Ferrari to victory in nine years since Michael Schumacher left! What we are seeing is not just a victory, but a future where the Prancing Horse and the Germans can create miracles together again!"

"We see that today's success is thanks to Ferrari's bold strategy and their excellent tire utilization at high temperatures!"

"We've also seen that Mercedes is not invincible! Therefore, the competition in this year's championship may be far more intense than expected!"
"No matter how you look at it, this victory is of great significance! Let's give them our warmest congratulations!"

The broadcast repeatedly panned the camera back and forth between Vettel and Wu Shi.

"Well done, congratulations on your second runner-up title!" Jonathan congratulated him.

"Thank you, thank you everyone."

Although Wu Shi was excited, he didn't perform as well as Vettel, after all, it wasn't him who won the championship.

On the return lap, he wandered around the edge of the track as much as possible, sticking more clay to the tires for weighing on the way back.

When he arrived at the parking area, all three parking spaces behind the signs were empty, indicating that Vettel was still on the track celebrating his victory and releasing his excitement.

He parked the car behind sign number 2, then removed the steering wheel and headrest. At that moment, Vettel's Prancing Horse drove into the parking area.

Ferrari staff dressed in red surrounded the fence, and cheers and celebrations were taking place all around the venue.

After parking the car, Vettel held the steering wheel and showed it to the surroundings.

The cheers grew even louder, and the surging atmosphere made Wu Shi very envious. To win while riding a leaping horse was the lifelong dream of so many geniuses!

He could only look on longingly as he walked towards the inner area, while Hamilton, who was closer to the inner field, walked ahead.

He didn't bother to strike up a conversation. After weighing himself, he walked through the corridor lined with young women and into the lounge.

The old man had already sat down, taken off his helmet, and placed it next to the chair.

He was clearly very tired, but when he saw Wu Shi walk in, he still smiled and gave him a warm hug.

You ran really well today!

"You too, this sweltering weather is really unbearable."

As the two chatted while wiping away their sweat, applause suddenly rang out in the corridor; Vettel had entered.

The Germans were incredibly excited today, practically skipping and jumping as they walked. Vettel, who inherited Schumacher's childhood dream of winning the French Open, finally took a significant step forward today, so naturally, he couldn't help but be thrilled.

Wu Shi stepped forward and hugged him, saying, "Uncle Wai Tou, congratulations!"

"Thank you! Thank you!" Vettel patted Wu Shi on the back, then hugged Hamilton.

The old man also offered his congratulations.

Vettel grinned from ear to ear, then hugged his engineer, leaning on his shoulder, doing many things halfway through but then stopping.

Finally, he sat on his stool, half-supporting himself and wiping his face with his hand. After a moment, he stood up again, and it was unclear whether the sweat on his face contained tears.

Wu Shi turned his head away. Knowing what had happened to Ferrari, he didn't look at the excited Vettel. Instead, he chug down a whole bottle of water. This Malaysia, the dehydration was too damn severe.

The staff handed him the hat. Winning the runner-up title twice was incredibly lucky, and Wu Shi felt that his luck in the competition was quite good.

It remains to be seen whether the Shanghai Grand Prix will be as successful as it was at the next race.

Just then, the host's voice rang out from outside.

"Hamilton came in third place today!"

Before leaving, the old man put on his hat, held water in his hand, and smiled, showing no sign that the defeat had affected him.

"Next, let's give a round of applause to the second place winner, Wu Shi!"

The cheers inside grew louder, so Wu Shi went outside and politely waved to the cheering crowd.

There are many Chinese people in Malaysia, but their attitude towards China is hard to describe.

He turned his head to look for the second-place stand and saw someone who looked somewhat familiar. Wasn't that the Malaysian Prime Minister?
Oh, I almost forgot, this is a tradition of the Malaysian Grand Prix, with the Prime Minister personally attending.

Since he recognized him, he naturally shook hands with him. The Malaysian Prime Minister was also very polite and even said in Chinese, "It is such a pleasant surprise to see an East Asian standing on this stage."

"Thank you!"

Wu Shi nodded.

At this moment, the host announced loudly, "Finally, let's welcome today's winner, Sebastian Vettel!"

Wearing a red jersey, Vettel was overjoyed, waving his right hand in a gesture of victory, and then did a side jump in front of the podium before stepping onto the stage.

As the national anthem began, Vettel's expression turned serious, but he couldn't help but laugh a couple of times.

Wu Shi glanced back at the national flag on the electronic screen behind him. The smaller star was pointing towards the larger star, so the flag was correct. He was genuinely worried that these Southeast Asian countries might cause trouble. If he found anything amiss, he would definitely leave immediately, no matter what.

As the national anthem finished playing, Eddie Jordan, as the day's interview guest, came on stage, looked at Vettel, and loudly addressed the crowd:

"I know you're not used to him wearing a red battle robe yet, but he still won!"

Eddie Jordan put his hand on Vettel's arm and asked, "You look really emotional. Why is that? The last time you cried was when you won the World Championship!"

(End of this chapter)