F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 199 Another Tire War
After Wu Shi left, he naturally had no idea that Hamilton was still dealing with Rosberg's mindset. To be honest, the old man was not as harmless as he appeared to others.

In the paddock, each driver has their own philosophy of survival and competition, and their personalities are also very distinct.

Many reporters captured this scene, some eagerly awaiting the next interview, but unfortunately neither the old man nor Wu Shi revealed much.

Having gone through three competitions, Wu Shi has long since adapted to the pace of this year's interviews. He knows what he can and cannot say, and how much truth and how much falsehood he should tell.

In any case, Williams' cars are not as good as Mercedes and Ferrari, and whether they can maintain their ranking advantage remains to be seen.

This kind of evasive and repetitive way of speaking left many reporters speechless. How could someone so young speak so succinctly?

After qualifying, the West Bromwich Albion team, as usual, rehearsed their strategy for tomorrow.

Even though the Bahrain Grand Prix will now take place after sunset at 6 p.m. and the temperature is not as high as before, the wear and tear on the tires from the track still makes it impossible for anyone to adopt a stop-and-go strategy.

This is mainly due to the influence of fine sand on the track. After all, it is in the middle of a desert, and no matter how well the protection is in place, it is still inevitable that sand will be blown from outside the track by strong winds.

Regarding wind direction, the strategy team stated that they could only roughly estimate the wind force, and as for how the wind would blow, it was almost impossible to predict. The wind here is too unpredictable.

The following evening, the temperature was 26°C, the humidity was 51%, and the wind speed was 32 km/h.

The sky was somewhat overcast, and the setting sun appeared enormous on the horizon, somewhat reminiscent of the phrase "the setting sun over the long river."

After completing the reconnaissance lap, the drivers parked their vehicles in the starting grid and turned off the engines.

Because the temperature is low, warm blankets are still very necessary.

“Button’s car won’t start and he will be unable to participate in the race,” Jonathan told Wu Shi.

"it is good."

The bell rang, and the crew left the track.

The drivers started their engines, and Wu Shi pressed the start button as usual, but the engine did not respond. He was stunned and immediately began to look for the problem.

"Insufficient oil pressure, won't start! Why is this happening?" Wu Shi's urgent voice rang out in the TR.

“Easy, easy!” Jonathan’s reassuring voice rang out.

hum!
Suddenly, with Wu Shi's own adjustments, the vehicle started successfully again.

At this moment, Hamilton's car started moving, and the tire warm-up began.

He immediately followed, relieved that he no longer needed to start from the repair area.

Then Jonathan said, "Massa's car won't start its engine, the problem is probably the same as yours, but he's already missed his chance to start."

Wu Shi glanced at the rearview mirror and, sure enough, did not see the other white Williams.

He was about to reveal his actions, but then he thought that since Jonathan hadn't asked, he definitely didn't need to tell him.

After all, TR is a public frequency band, and some parameters cannot be disclosed carelessly.

Williams' mechanics immediately ran back to the track after the other eighteen cars had left and pushed Massa back to the pit lane.

With Wu Shi's explanation as a reference, they first checked the oil pressure and then discovered that the problem was indeed there.

Finding the problem and figuring out how to start the engine is not difficult for the technicians.

Therefore, Massa's vehicle was started very quickly, and the operation was nothing more than pressurizing or changing the pipeline parameters.

“Massa’s engine started successfully, and he is able to compete,” Jonathan said.

Will he be at the back of the line?

“Yes, starting from the pit lane.” Jonathan paused, and the buzzing of the electric microphone sounded again: “Sainz has been penalized 5 seconds for speeding.”

The vehicles were all in place.

When Rosberg isn't in second place, Hamilton's car won't veer to one side; it will stop steadily.

This reflects Hamilton's wariness of his teammates, but also his indifference towards the other cars.

Wu Shi naturally noticed this small detail.

He stretched out his palm.

The safety car at the rear of the pack arrived at its final position, and Matthew waved the green flag as he walked across the track.

The red light took almost three seconds to light up, and Wu Shi, feeling a little anxious, immediately held his breath and stared intently at the indicator light.

Five red lights lit up one after another, and then went out in less than a second.

The 2015 Bahrain Grand Prix has officially begun!
Buzz!

Wu Shi got off to a very fast start and almost immediately caught up with Hamilton, who also had a very good start.

Without hesitation, he shifted to the left to block Vettel and Rosberg behind him. However, Vettel was a bit slow to get going and was blocked by Rosberg who had moved up.

'I'm free for Turn 1 for now.'

Wu Shi instantly assessed the situation and immediately focused his attention on Hamilton ahead.

The old man's competitive form this year is amazing! His starting speed is incredibly fast.

However, before entering the braking zone at Turn 1, he immediately veered to the center line, reducing his braking time and wedging into Hamilton's inside line, who was entering the corner from the outside.

However, the old man turned very quickly and decisively, and the whole car rolled right over him. Wu Shi ignored it and let his car move forward without reaching the braking point.

Sure enough, Hamilton made a move, but instead of passing back to the outside, he stepped on the gas and accelerated forward!
Wu Shi hadn't expected Hamilton to act this way, but he had never intended for a mutually destructive battle from the beginning. After all, his torpedo-like actions would only draw criticism and were pointless.

So, before Turn 1, he had already rehearsed various scenarios in his mind. Coupled with his on-the-spot reaction ability, he turned right into the turn almost the instant the old man accelerated.

The two cars passed each other!

'It worked. '

The old man was forced to lose his rhythm when entering the corner. The throttle input at the beginning prevented him from biting the apex of the corner, and he had to slow down slightly.

As he slowed down, Wu Shi went directly over the shoulder, and the entire car went completely out of bounds, but the left wheel was still on the shoulder—according to the current F1 rules, the shoulder is the boundary of the track, and being on the shoulder is not considered out of bounds.

Despite all this, even though the right-side wheel ran over the sand held together by the green adhesive, it still darted directly in front of Hamilton.

"Holy crap!!! What's going on?!" Someone in the studio exclaimed, cursing as they watched the scene unfold.

"Can we hold on?!"

Wu Shi briefly took the lead, but Turn 2 is a left turn, and Hamilton, who is on the left, naturally had the advantage.

Buzz!

Both Mercedes engines were roaring, trying to gain the upper hand at Turn 2.

In the end, the W06 still had the upper hand. Even though the FW37 was leading before entering the corner, the advantage of the inside line, coupled with Mercedes' stronger vehicle stability, allowed it to regain the position.

The next turn, number 3, turned right again. Wu Shi was supposed to have the advantage, but W06 suddenly surged ahead, pulling ahead by a third of a car's length. In addition, the turn was small, so Wu Shi didn't gain any advantage at all.

Buzz!

The old man stepped on the gas and steadily pulled ahead, widening the gap slightly.

That's what makes the W06's transmission so amazing.

"Oh dear! What a pity," the soldier sighed.

In Williams' P room, everyone sighed and shook their heads.

Wu Shi's heart rate had exceeded 190 beats per minute at this moment. This was not only due to the thrill of driving, but also because it almost suppressed the old man's excitement at getting a front-row seat.

It's a pity that a veteran in his prime can't stage an accident while driving slowly.

Behind him, Kimi closed in on Rosberg, using the same tactic at Turn 1 to perfectly replicate his overtake of another Mercedes. Kimi then began to pressure Rosberg, and at Turn 2, by steadily following Vettel's rear, he formed a Ferrari train, completely blocking Rosberg's best racing line and holding onto his gained position.

Kimi secured fourth place at the start!
Rosberg has slipped to fifth!
In the Mercedes pit room, Toto looked rather unwell, but he simply crossed his arms over his chest and continued to stare at the game.

"Wu Shi exceeded the track limits at Turn 1. Is that not punishable?" Hamilton's voice crackled.

"Yeah, we'll communicate with the race organizers. You just need to focus on driving. Just be aware that the track temperature is 31°C, and the tires haven't reached their operating temperature yet. You need to be careful of the upcoming corners."

Bono (Peter Bonnington) replied.

Wu Shi had a deep understanding of the rules—mainly because he knew some of the historical context and could judge whether the competition would impose penalties for such behavior.

Besides, the advantage of the tangent line was only maintained for one bend, and there was no profit to be made.

Besides, wasn't he cutting the shoulder because Hamilton hadn't left enough space?

So he was complaining to the team at almost the same time as Hamilton: "He just pushed me off the track, and my floorboards may be damaged."

After saying that, he pressed the accelerator harder, braked before Turn 4, and turned into the corner.

Its silky smooth appearance doesn't suggest any damage to the base plate.

After the first half of the lap, the front row layout became Mercedes, Williams, two Ferraris, and Mercedes.

Five cars, one at the front and one at the back, and two Ferraris surrounded by three Mercedes engines.

When you get to the combination of turns 5, 6, and 7, you have to be a little more careful. If you cross the white line on the left, you will be penalized by the race organizers. As for why there is such a rule, Wu Shi did not delve into it and just followed it.

"The tire temperature is very bad, and several race cars behind you are skidding. You need to be careful," Jonathan warned.

Wu Shi checked the tires and found that they were indeed not fully warmed up yet. Coupled with the sand on the road, it was true that they could easily slip off if they were not careful.

The first lap ended quickly.

Hamilton is undoubtedly in the lead; in that short time, he has already pulled ahead of Wu Shi by about 0.7 seconds, which is simply outrageous.

Vettel was very close to Wu Shi, with a difference of only 0.4 seconds.

Kimi and Rosberg were pretty much the same after that.

It's foreseeable that a fight will break out soon.

On the second lap, the old man set a purple score again, with a time of 1 minute 38.955 seconds.

Wu Shi had widened the gap to 1.1 seconds, while Rosberg behind him was also closing in on Kimi, looking ready to launch an attack at any moment.

"What's the situation between me and Vettel?"

“The difference between you two is 0.369 seconds. 0.369 seconds, he’s faster than you in the third timeout,” Jonathan said immediately.

Wu Shi knew he had to keep a distance from the Ferrari, but doing so with the heavy fuel load would inevitably lead to excessive tire wear.

So after thinking for a moment, he realized that instead of pushing Vettel away and letting him have the energy to rest, it would be better to fight a couple of rounds later and wear each other down.

"What's the situation with Kimi and Rosberg?" Wu Shi then asked Jonathan.

"Rosberg is very fast; the difference between the two is about 0.1 seconds."

Wu Shi listened in silence. 0.1 seconds—that's the level at which you can launch an attack by exploiting the wake at any time.

At the end of the third lap, Rosberg braked late on the inside of Turn 1, bursting through with white smoke to take the lead and successfully hold onto his position. He then used his excellent traction control to maintain his lead as he exited the corner.

A remarkably decisive leap forward.

“Rosberg has surpassed Kimi,” Jonathan said.

On the second straight, Kimi again clung to Rosberg's slipstream, attempting to overtake using the slingshot effect, but Rosberg blocked him at the center line, forcing Kimi to give way.

Kimi's attempt to overtake Rosberg failed, leaving him with no choice but to continue chasing Rosberg, hoping to hold out until DRS.

It seems the two will remain deadlocked for some time.

However, based on calculations and simulations, Westbrook concluded that Kimi would be left behind and wouldn't last until DRS, so Jonathan immediately informed Wu Shi:

"Their grappling will last for half a circle, after which Rosber will create distance."

On the fifth lap, DRS was activated, and before the first DRS, Kimi was indeed pulled one second behind.

"Be careful, your brakes are getting a bit overheated," the Mercedes team told Rosberg.

At this point, Wu Shi and Vettel were not more than a second apart. Therefore, in the first DRS zone after the first combination of corners, Vettel got the DRS and began to catch up with Wu Shi at high speed.

The original 0.5 gap was about to disappear in the blink of an eye, but there wasn't much space left for Vettel at Turn 4, so he couldn't overtake.

"Looking at it this way, as long as Vettel stays with Wu Shi, he will launch an attack in the DRS zone after Turn 10," Bing Ge said.

This is obvious to anyone with eyes to see.

"Wu Shi needs to maintain a proper distance to hold his position," Fei Ge commented.

On the track, Wu Shi did not do that. Turns 5-10 are downhill, and if you need to keep a distance in this section, the tire wear will be much greater than in other places.

A temporary lead won't help him win the game.

Last night, Rodrigo and Jonathan both offered the same strategy: proper tire management.

At night in Bahrain, the racetrack, covered in fine sand, still wears out tires.

Just like last time, in this race, the one who manages their tires well will gain the final initiative.

Given that Williams' long-distance performance is not as good as Mercedes and Ferrari's, strategy becomes especially important.

After Turn 10, Wu Shi and Vettel were only 0.23 seconds apart. Even without DRS, they could launch an attack by using the slipstream.

Moreover, there is a DRS here.

With Vettel's Ferrari firing at full power, sparks flew from the rear. Wu Shi simultaneously unleashed all his power, barely managing to squeeze out more speed, and then at Turn 11, he pressed inward from the center line.

Although Vettel gained the initiative by cutting inside, he was controlled by the entire right side of the track.

Turn 12, after Turn 11, is a right turn, where Wu Shi on the right will regain control of the inside lane.

Now it's time to work your way through the curve!
Wu Shi's exit from corners always relies entirely on grip, which results in Williams having excellent cornering traction.

Of course, Massa has a different opinion regarding Williams' cornering traction.

The two cars entered Turn 12 side by side, and Wu Shi showed no mercy, continuing to squeeze Vettel's space and preventing him from overtaking.

This pause slowed both of them down by a full 0.2 seconds.

"Wu Shi, Rosberg has caught up, and is 0.987 seconds behind Vettel," Jonathan reminded in the TR.

Because the head tilt did not result in a successful overtake, the head tilt is still the primary indicator for comparison with Rosberg's second difference at this point.

Upon hearing this, Wu Shi did not change his approach and continued to keep Vettel under pressure.

The upcoming Turn 13 and Turn 12 are both right turns, and he still holds the advantage on the track.

As he entered the corner, he continued to pressure Vettel relentlessly, refusing to give an inch, and actually managed to push Vettel aside.

As a result, after exiting the corner, he decisively moved to the far left outside line and completed his defense against Vettel.

"Fantastic!" the commentators clapped.

The crowd in Williams' pit room cheered.

As the two race cars, one white and one red, entered the straightaway, a silver Arrow suddenly turned into the road from behind.

(End of this chapter)