F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 203 Want to Learn Arabic
Without DRS, on the starting straight, Kimi could only rely on the slipstream to get close to Rosberg.

Turn 1 has arrived again. Kimi is on the sideline and wants to try to overtake by pulling over. This time, Rosberg doesn't defend at all and protects his tires as he turns into the corner.

His decision was so correct, after all, Kimi wasn't far enough away.

His perfect linework allowed him to finish faster, while Kimi lost some time due to his maneuvers.

"It's fortunate that Wu Shi taught Rosberg a lesson, otherwise he would have made another mistake here," the soldier said with a big mouth.

"Yes, Rosberg's performance has indeed improved a lot since his previous experience. Although we are happy to see Wu Shi surpass him, we still have to say that Rosberg's mistake just now was absolutely unacceptable," Fei Ge said.

"Yes, given Rosberg's ability, this kind of mistake is really low-level. But then again, Vettel made a mistake and gave him the position before, so there's a reason for his mistake as well." The soldier inexplicably said a philosophical remark.

Fei Ge burst out laughing upon hearing this, saying, "With your actions, you've damaged Ferrari but given it to Williams!"

"Haha, now that you mention it, it's really true. Vettel drove on the big rocks and damaged the front wing, so it had to be replaced. Now even Kimi can't surpass him. It seems all the bad things are on Ferrari." The soldier clapped his hands in admiration.

Half a lap later, Kimi finally seized an opportunity to overtake using the DRS, but the distance was still not enough. Rosberg was blocking the center line, constantly watching Kimi through the rearview mirror.

On lap 56, the overtaking attempt failed.

“Nico, you need to watch your brakes,” Mercedes reminded Rosberg again.

"Lewis, it's the last lap now, Wu Shi is almost 2.78 seconds behind you." Mercedes also reminded Hamilton at the same time.

Two reminders: the former is anxiety-inducing, while the latter offers ample room for maneuver.

“Yes, I know. Is there a better setting?” Rosberg asked urgently.

"This is the best setting right now, just focus on driving," the team replied.

Rosberg kept looking back at the rearview mirror, once or twice, every lap and every corner, he was thinking about his line and his defense.

This state of intense concentration allowed him to remove extraneous thoughts from his mind, enabling him to unleash his full potential.

Kimi's tires are certainly better, but facing Rosberg's almost suicidal defense, he must seize the best opportunity.

Unfortunately, with only one lap left, a full 15 turns, there wasn't a chance to go anywhere.

The broadcast cameras followed the car all the way back to the starting straight, where Hamilton, who was in the lead, swayed his car and easily crossed the finish line.

Wu Shi, who was behind, also swayed a couple of times, but then realized that the tires were not in good condition, so he gave up.

Further back, Mercedes No. 6 was running at full power, sputtering sparks, and Ferrari No. 7 was also running at full DRS power, sputtering even more sparks.

In the footage, Kimi made a U-turn in the middle of the starting grid, and the silver and red cars sped across the finish line. Except for the spectators who were right in front of the finish line, who could probably see who crossed the line first, everyone else could only wait for the official result.

The two crossed the finish line so close!
“Well done, you held your position,” Jonathan said.

"Yes, yes, a very good match, Wuhu!"

Wu Shi also replied happily, saying that this victory was a reflection on the previous competition and a manifestation of the effectiveness of the new strategy. After these four competitions, the goal of winning second place in the annual points has been taken a step closer!
“Good news, Massa has also overtaken Kvyat and finished ninth,” Jonathan said.

"What great news! Double happiness!" Wu Shi whistled.

Just when everyone thought the race was over, the number 3 red bull was seen crossing the finish line with billowing white smoke from its tail.

"Yellow flags for the first and third timeouts of the track. Ricciardo's car has encountered engine trouble and has stopped behind the checkered lines," Jonathan immediately reported.

"Did his results work? What a pity."

Wu Shi lamented, "What kind of engine is this? Red Bull has had a really bad year. Of all the Red Bulls, only the Kvyat didn't break down."

"Sorry, Nico, we need to look into the brake overheating issue again after the race," Mercedes told Rosberg.

“Yeah, at least I made it to the podium, which is better than my starting position.” Rosberg didn’t feel any regret, just a sense of relief.

After applying enough rubber, Wu Shi parked the vehicle behind license plate number 2.

He had just removed his headrest when he saw Hamilton standing on the race car, waving his hands vigorously at the surroundings.

At the same time, several loud "bangs" rang out, and beautiful fireworks bloomed in the sky.

Wu Shi didn't seem to have a strong desire to show off; he simply climbed out of the car, and cheers erupted from the crowd.

Seeing this, he no longer held back, clenched his fist and lowered his arm in front of the crowd, making a standard victory celebration gesture.

Then he rushed to the guardrail and hugged the crew. Getting second place in this competition was really not possible without any one of them. Everyone was a hero!

At this moment, Rosberg also came out, but without even glancing at Hamilton, he walked towards the back corridor on his own.

Hamilton also ignored his teammates, celebrated with the crew, and then walked over to Wu Shi and patted him on the shoulder.

The two walked together to the rest area, weighed themselves, and then took off their helmets.

"Congratulations! I didn't expect you to be able to overtake Rosberg in the end. I heard from the team that he made some basic mistakes?" the old man asked blankly.

Wu Shi glanced at Rosberg, who was fixing his hair and baseball cap by the table not far away, and said:
"I heard he has some problems with his brakes? That might be why he drove so fast."

“Yeah, that’s possible, but it was your coercion that made him so pathetic.” After saying that, the old man walked to the edge of the platform, picked up two hats, and gave the one with “2nd” printed on it to Wu Shi.

Wu Shi smoothed his hair back, his hands covered in sweat, but he didn't care and put on his hat.

Bono was sent by Mercedes to collect the team award. He said a few words to Rosberg and then started talking to Hamilton.

The three tidied their appearance in the rest area, and then they heard the announcement from the people of Zhucheng outside the venue.

Rosberg walked out, and cheers erupted from the crowd. Wu Shi followed, his voice still quite loud.

Finally, when Hamilton came out, the stadium erupted in the loudest cheers, and many fans waved the British flag.

The three stood on the podium, and "God Save the Queen" began to play.

Wu Shi turned around and glanced at the national flag, just in time to see the old man also turning around to look at the national flag. The two looked at each other and smiled.

After confirming that the national flag was correct, Wu Shi felt relieved and then looked at the award presenters wearing white headscarves standing in front of him.

He didn't know who these people were, he only knew that "with a piece of cloth on my head, I am the richest man in the world."

During the subsequent award ceremony, Wu Shi vaguely recognized the person presenting the award to him as "MR. MAHER SALMAN AL MUSALLAM," which seemed to be the CEO of Gulf Air.

As the closing music played, Hamilton and Rosberg sprayed each other with champagne, and Wu Shi also symbolically sprayed some as well.

Perhaps out of consideration for the attitudes toward alcohol in Arab countries, the old man was noticeably more restrained than at the previous stop.

The three drivers on the podium all looked very calm, which is quite rare.

Then, the interviewer came up; it was Jackie Stewart again. The old man was quite busy.

The old man first congratulated the competition on its perfect conclusion before starting to interview Xiao Han.

Hamilton's public image management is impeccable; he greeted the stadium in Arabic, just like in the last game.

Wu Shi's eyes widened as he realized that he still had a lot to learn.

"You performed exceptionally well in today's match. Does this mean you have the potential to win your third world championship?" the old man asked bluntly.

"The team built this car very well; it has good speed and good handling. Of course, Ferraris are good too, as are Williams cars. I can manage the tires very well."

After listening for a moment, Wu Shi looked down at his toes, thinking the old man's answer was too businesslike.

"After the race, we learned that your teammate had some brake problems. I'd like to know if you experienced the same thing?" The old man's question was quite sharp.

Wu Shi was also very interested in this and looked at the old man.

"When overtaking slower cars later, I had to be careful because their exhaust fumes would put more strain on the brakes."

The old man's words were euphemistic, but they also indicated that brake overheating was a problem. However, since he was in the lead from the start, this issue didn't become apparent. Rosberg and Vettel, however, were affected by the back-and-forth battle.

If the driver had stopped the car a little longer, would the brakes have overheated?
Wu Shi thought for a moment, then shook his head. That's impossible. Rosberg's brakes overheated after a dozen or so laps.

The old man nodded, looked at Wu Shi, and said with a smile:
"Oh! Wu Shi! Are you happy?"

"Of course I'm happy, very happy!" Wu Shi replied.

"Whoa whoa whoa!!!" Cheers erupted from the field as Wu Shi waved to the crowd.

Damn, if I had learned Arabic like that old man, I could have gained a huge following!
He felt it was necessary to learn Arabic; building good relationships with the rich guys would be a sure thing.

"Today's race was quite good. I got a good position in qualifying, then dropped early in the race, and I thought I was going to be far from the podium, but the team's right strategy allowed me to eventually regain my position, which was a really good result."

Wu Shi spoke of being happy, but in reality, his heart had gradually returned to peace.

"You've had such a fantastic performance in your first year. If Williams were to further enhance the performance of their vehicles, would you consider aiming for your first world championship?"

The old man paused for a moment, then asked sharply.

"Yep, of course, I think every driver wants to be a world champion, otherwise they wouldn't be driving in F1. But I think this is a question that needs to be fully discussed. The current cars are quite competitive, and I will try my best to get a good ranking."

While Wu Shi was speaking, the old man exchanged a few words with Rosberg, but Rosberg did not reply.

"Very good, then I wish you even better results in the future competitions."

After the old man finished speaking, he asked Rosberg:

"You narrowly blocked Kimi at the end, giving us a very exciting race. Your brakes seem to have some issues. Were you affected by this problem when competing against Wu Shi?"

The still-sharp questions challenged Rosberg.

"Yes, the brake pedal didn't feel very good, and I couldn't stop in time. I'm still very satisfied with the car, though, as it helped me move up a place. Today was a great race."

The old man nodded, summarized, waved, and stepped down from the podium.

　I wasted some time working on the spreadsheet~ Sorry!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)