F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 207 Is this 2016?
In the morning, as usual, the floats paraded through the racetrack. The European spectators were even more enthusiastic, with many Ferrari fans waving flags.

The old man, wearing sunglasses and sporting a stylish braid, leaned against the side, holding an umbrella and occasionally waving to the audience.

“You look quite relaxed,” Wu Shi said with a smile.

“The sun is shining brightly today, isn’t it?” Hamilton nodded.

With a points lead and his teammates' lackluster performances in the first four races, the old man isn't under much pressure.

"The sunshine is really nice; today will be a good start," Rosberg said, unusually in a good mood.

The old man replied quite naturally, "You shouldn't be blocking my way, right?"

The tension between the two instantly flared up.

Wu Shi quietly moved to Pan Zi's side, where the guy seemed a bit unsociable.

"Can I congratulate you in advance on getting another podium?" Pan Zi said.

"Don't nurse me!" Wu Shi immediately stopped this behavior.

"Haha, you guys are really strange, to have developed such a peculiar custom," Pan Zi said with a chuckle.

Before every competition, Wu Shi was very reluctant to hear others say what good results he would achieve, even when he was a child.

It was also during a karting race that Verstappen first heard Wu Shi explain the internet meme "poisonous milk" to him.

Of course, this meme has become famous on the Chinese internet now because Huang Xudong successfully jinxed a bunch of players at last year's WCS World Finals.

"There's nothing I can do, you just haven't seen those commentators with high magical power."

Wu Shi shook his head helplessly. Six Star Sports must be watching him right now!
Others might be considered "poisonous jinxes" in esports, but this crosstalk duo are like deadly poisonous jinxes in Formula 1. Their countless instant-cast "poisonous jinxes" sent chills down Wu Shi's spine.

“Oh, I remember now, you showed me the commentary on the Sepang circuit in your country later, and they said it wouldn’t be easy to deploy a safety car, but they deployed one right away.” Pan Zi actually became a bit serious.

"Just you wait and see, there will be more of these kinds of things in the future," Wu Shi sighed.

In the afternoon, the air temperature was 26℃, the track temperature was 45℃, the wind speed was 2.2m/s, and the humidity was 45%.

Wu Shi from the survey team left very early, so when he returned to the starting straight, he was not blocked by the crews of other teams and was able to drive to the starting grid on his own.

After the car was parked, Jonathan helped him remove the steering wheel.

Because the national anthem has become an essential part of the pre-race program for almost every race, drivers must get off after the lap.

"The temperature doesn't look high, so why is it so hot?" Wu Shi couldn't help but complain.

“It’s always been like this here, so you need to pay attention to how much the tires wear out,” Jonathan said.

“Yes, I will try my best to conserve tires and block Vettel.” Wu Shi nodded.

"Ferrari's tire management is still excellent over long distances, but we all believe in you because you can compete with them on equal footing." Jonathan patted Wu Shi on the shoulder.

“Thank you. Our straight-line speed is more competitive at this station, which gives me an opportunity,” Wu Shi said.

Williams has always been focused on how to unleash the engine's potential while reducing drag.

Since it's difficult to achieve a comprehensive approach to aerodynamics, let's focus on one aspect.

Reducing drag is slightly easier than balancing the pressure.

This would naturally lead to a decrease in the vehicle's handling performance in corners, but Wu Shi's driving skills could make up for this. The engineers discussed it and decided that since they wanted the car to be competitive, they would take a different approach.

As the two were talking, the two Mercedes cars stopped at the starting grid.

The old man was one of the rare exceptions to be the second to start the bus, and he put on sunglasses as soon as he got off.

Rosberg stepped out of the car, his slightly dull blond hair flying in the wind.

It's clear that the princess has become noticeably nervous as the competition approaches; her almost expressionless face testifies to this.

Once the race cars are on the track, the drivers communicate very little.

The three of them simply greeted each other, unlike during a parade where they would chat idly about this and that.

After the pre-race procedures were completed, all the drivers got into their vehicles before the bell rang.

The bell rang, and all crew members evacuated the track.

As the warm-up lap began, Rosberg enjoyed the rare feeling of being in the lead car.

"It wasn't easy! We finally got pole position," the soldier exclaimed.

"This is truly remarkable. After missing out on pole position in four races, Rosberg must have gotten his revenge right now," Fei Ge added.

"If he can complete a PTW match, he will not only return to second place on the leaderboard, but also regain his confidence in the competition," Bing Ge continued.

“We also understand that Rosberg changed to last year’s clutch and it is performing better in the race car,” Fei Ge said.

"Is the clutch still under development this year? It's not as good as last year's. Mercedes is really strange. Did they use all the R&D budget on the engine?" the soldier asked, puzzled.

“Hamilton didn’t have this problem; it’s obviously Rosberg’s own inability to adapt to the new clutch,” Fei Ge nodded.

"Judging from the qualifying results, the two Mercedes cars continue to maintain an absolute lead, and their lead is getting bigger and bigger as time goes on."

"Ferrari's aerodynamic upgrades for this race didn't have a good effect, while Williams didn't bring any upgrades, which made the suspense of the race change back to the suspense of the two Mercedes drivers."

“In 2014, we saw quite a few matches like that, which definitely made the games boring.”

The soldier spoke at length, and the drivers took their positions. Before the starting bell rang, an animation appeared on the broadcast screen, showing the drivers and their qualifying results according to the starting order.

"Rosberg was the first to start, followed by Hamilton, Wu Shi in third place, and Vettel in fourth."

"Hey, do you think Massa's form has declined that badly? The gap between him and Wu Shi is huge," the soldier interjected.

"That's possible. Over the years, we've seen his competitive form decline." Fei Ge agreed with this view.

"Today, the two little Red Bulls also came out very far ahead, outperforming the big Red Bulls."

As the two explained, the animation disappeared, and the camera showed a race car stopped on the starting grid.

Ring ring! Buzz!
As soon as the bell rang, the roar of the engines immediately followed, and all the drivers revved their engines up and pressed the clutch to shift into first gear.

"Okay, now the red light is on."

Wu Shi glanced at the indicator light.

"All five red lights are on."

"Lights out, start the race! The 2015 Formula One Spanish Grand Prix has officially begun!"

"Let's see, Wu Shi is getting off to a great start, he's trying to pressure Vettel in the paint! Vettel is clearly a bit slow, he can't keep up with the pace!"

"The two Mercedes in the front row are starting very well. Turn 1 is coming. Will there be any changes in the positions?"

"Rosberg maintains his lead! Hamilton is in second place!"

"Mercedes is really fast! They've already pulled two car lengths ahead of Wu Shi before Turn 1. Rosberg's driving style is quite aggressive today!" Bing Ge exclaimed as he spoke.

“Good, there’s no change in the front row position in the first few corners. Let’s look at Turn 4. Hamilton is still very close to Rosberg. It seems he still wants to overtake here.”

"There's basically no chance to overtake here, unless Rosberg makes a mistake himself."

"No! How could Rosberg be slower than Hamilton? Hamilton is trying to overtake Rosberg on the straight!"

As the camera shifted to an overhead view, it became clear that Mercedes number 44 was rapidly closing in on Mercedes number 6.

44 tried to overtake on the left outside line, but 6, who was at the center line, immediately made a slight adjustment to block him.

44 reacted very quickly, pulling the ball directly into the right side of the paint.

Rosberg, who was in front, veered to the right at almost the same time.

He glanced in the rearview mirror; Hamilton's car was still lagging behind. He gritted his teeth; he had to forcefully close the door and not give up the inside position!
This is his best chance to win! If he doesn't take a tough stance, his teammates will ruthlessly seize the initiative again.

Behind him, Hamilton, who was most accustomed to overtaking from the right rear of the car in front, knew Rosberg's personality on the track, so when he saw that there was still room on the inside line, he did not hesitate to squeeze in.

But at that moment, Rosberg squeezed to the right.

Hamilton had almost no time to react and instinctively swerved further to the right.

*Sizzle sizzle!*

After the tire crossed the edge line and landed on the grass, the car lost its grip and instantly began to spin, flying out of control and hurtling towards its teammates.

Boom!

Mud and grass flew everywhere as the two Silver Arrows performed a tragic double waltz before crashing into the gravel buffer zone.

Wu Shi, as the third-place finisher, presented a perspective entirely from that of a war correspondent.

Even with his strong mental fortitude, he was stunned and his direction faltered after seeing this scene.

He remembered that there was a crash in Spain, but wasn't that in 2016?

However, before I could think it through, my instincts kicked in and I turned to the side. At the same time, my heart pounded and a heavy feeling rose in my chest.

Mercedes-Benz has retired!
Fortunately, he still had his senses, and he immediately said in the TR: "I saw them rush out, it seems to be a very serious accident, are they all okay?"

"The safety vehicle has been deployed, but the situation is currently unknown," Jonathan said.

Wu Shi's initial elation quickly turned into worry. The old man hadn't had time to slow down before losing control, and if he crashed into him like this, something bad might happen.
The main problem is that without Halo, two vehicles locked in a stalemate can easily lead to crushing or even death.

Fortunately, after a moment, Jonathan said, "They both seem to be doing well; Rosberg still has the energy to throw the steering wheel far away."
"Huh, it's okay."

Wu Shi breathed a sigh of relief. He was very sensitive to F1 accidents, after all, he had also died in an accident.

The dramatic collision and subsequent retirement of Mercedes Benz fans caused all the commentators to scream in disbelief.
In the broadcast footage, Rosberg threw the steering wheel and climbed out, while Hamilton remained seated in the car on the other side.

The camera then panned to the Mercedes-Benz Arena's P-room, where the technicians watching the match on the screen were either stunned, thinking they were seeing things, or clutching their heads in disbelief.

"No way, two Mercedes-Benz employees had such a serious accident."

"But that's just how cruel the reality is."

"Oh! The Mercedes-Benz CEO is here too!"

In the footage, Dieter Zetsche, sporting a long white beard, shook his head; the rivalry between these two drivers was truly unacceptable.

Toto took off his headphones and started packing his things. He was in good control of his emotions; apart from looking more serious than usual, there was not much else to tell.

"You just had an internal meeting last week?" Dieter Zetsche asked Toto.

Toto nodded and said, "It's very regrettable that this happened."

Daimler Group granted Toto very high authority in managing the team, and Toto himself joined the Mercedes F1 project as a partner, so their interactions were completely equal.

"Their struggle has continued from last year to today."

“I don’t think we should blame any of the drivers,” Toto said.

"Yes, of course, they are all top-notch drivers, but teamwork is still very important."

While the two bosses were talking, the rest of the staff had already started packing their luggage.

It's over!
"The safety car is leading the way on the field now. Let's take a look at the replay."

"Rosberg was noticeably slower, but he still maintained his lead, so his closing the door was perfectly reasonable!"

"Hamilton forced his way in too hard and was forced onto the grass, losing his grip."

"How will the FIA ​​rule on this matter?"

“I’m actually not that concerned about their rulings anymore; I’m more concerned about Wu Shi, who’s currently in the lead,” the soldier suddenly said.

"That's right! Wu Shi is leading the pack now!"

As if in response to their words, the broadcast camera switched from the crane to Wu Shi, who was leading the race.

The white Williams was dazzling, while the red Ferrari behind it seemed like a malevolent demon king.

Both of them were hesitant to speak. Even though Wu Shi had defeated Vettel before, who could guarantee that he could still hold off Vettel this time?

"Williams' strategists must be saying this came too suddenly, did they have a strategy to win the championship?"

The answer to this question, soldier, is of course no.

At this moment, not only the people in the pit room, but even the huge team at the England headquarters were somewhat stunned. Such a huge opportunity was presented to them, and their hearts were pounding, and they didn't know what to do.

The strategies for winning the championship and the strategies for defending the podium are completely different. This is why many mid-table teams often make a lot of mistakes when they have the opportunity to win the championship.

Before the race, both two-stop and three-stop strategies were considered. To this end, the team also reserved an extra set of medium tires with sufficient lifespan for Wu Shi.

“If we want to win the championship, I don’t think the strategy should be too complicated,” Jonathan said.

"Second stop?"

“Yes, the three-stop technique can only be used in chases,” Jonathan nodded.

No one was confident and didn't know how to handle the upcoming entry strategy.

If this were Monaco, I could just pit and change to the hardest tires and drive straight to the end.

Although both of them thought that a second suspension would be better, they still needed to wait for the data center to send over the latest simulation data. Fortunately, there was no rush to make a final decision.

On lap 4, the safety car was removed, and everyone's attention was focused on Wu Shi, who was in the lead.

　P.S.: The Mercedes-Benz incident actually occurred during the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, which led to Verstappen becoming the youngest F1 champion. All images in this article are from 2016.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)