F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 216 Continues to Lead the Points Ranking

With only a few laps left in the race, Wu Shi's heart was already pounding.

This is completely different from the last game. In the last game, after Mercedes retired and Ferrari was unable to launch an attack against him, the victory was already in his hands.

In this game, he was prepared to finish second all the way, but who knew that Panzi would bring a safety car, and then Mercedes would use an incredible strategy to let the old man enter the pits!

The sudden, fantastic opportunity made his hands tremble slightly. If he could finish the last few laps, he would be able to win his second race!
"Wu Shi, it's lap 72 now, 7 laps to go. Rosberg is 1.7 seconds behind you, Vettel is 4.23 seconds behind you, and he's battling Hamilton."

Jonathan's voice rang out just in time, pulling Wu Shi back to reality.

The roaring sounds in my ears, mixed with the occasional cheers from the crowds on the rows of houses on both sides, all foreshadowed what was about to happen.

Susu!

In the broadcast footage, number 59 Williams flashed by, and the cameraman quickly followed the camera to the end. Then, he immediately turned around and number 6 Silver Arrows came speeding towards him.

One shot ends, and then the next shot begins immediately.

Cameras kept capturing images of the two cars, one white and one silver.

In the rapidly shifting perspective, vehicles roared past, their engines echoing throughout the track.

"It's lap 73 now. Rosberg's lead over you has increased to 2.1 seconds. Be careful," Jonathan would remind you at almost every lap.

As soon as he uttered that TR, the broadcast camera completely stopped focusing on Wu Shi and Rosberg, and instead switched directly to a shot of Vettel's car facing backward.

In this scene, Hamilton is extremely anxious. His car is completely off the track, and relying on very new tires, he tries to approach Vettel from various angles.

However, there was absolutely no space on the track for the old man to overtake.

At that moment, Ricardo cut inside into Kimi's open space, causing a slight collision, but he still managed to overtake him. The broadcast briefly replayed the shot before turning its attention back to the battle for third and fourth place.

Hamilton tried everything he could, but still couldn't find the slightest opportunity to launch an attack.

Yes, he could get infinitely close to Vettel, but had no space to attack.

This was not only affected by the track, but also demonstrated Vettel's formidable defensive capabilities as a four-time champion.

After 73 laps, Wu Shi set the fastest lap time of 1 minute 18.411 seconds, but no one paid attention to it.

"impossible".

On lap 74, after turn 1, Hamilton spoke in the radio, his tone sounding dejected.

Impossible! It's absolutely impossible to surpass that!

“Ricardo and Kimi collided and are under investigation,” Jonathan told Wu Shi.

Meanwhile, Ferrari TR told Vettel, "At the back, Lewis said it's impossible to overtake you."

Wu Shi set a new fastest lap record with 75 laps.

"It's lap 76, with 3 laps left. Wu Shi is still in the lead, and we're about to witness Wu Shi's second split win!"

"Mercedes' strategy team made a huge mistake this time. They will definitely be held accountable when they get back. How could they call Hamilton in for a pit stop to change tires in this situation?" Fei Ge was very confused.

"The main problem was that they changed the tire too slowly. Even if it had taken just 3 seconds, this wouldn't have happened, but they took a full 6 seconds!" the soldier said.

"So, when the driver is in the lead, the team strategy team has to bear a lot of pressure."

The two analyzed the situation, and Mercedes' TR then informed Hamilton of the situation on the field again.

Hamilton, his voice electrified, replied, "Don't talk to me now, I'm focused on driving."

"Haha, looks like he's angry." The soldier laughed.

"How could I not be angry! Our own people hurt each other, and we lost a championship, haha." Fei shook his head.

Although the old man lost his crown, Wu Shi gained one, and the two were quite happy.

On the final lap, the investigation into Ricciardo came to a conclusion, and no penalty was imposed.

"Alright! The race is on its final lap! Wu Shi is about to achieve his second consecutive win of the season! What a remarkable achievement!"

"Turn 19! After this turn, Wu Shi will be crossing the finish line! The checkered flag is already waving!"

The broadcast camera showed Wu Shi's first-person perspective of the race car, with the scenery on both sides rushing past.

The race car sped along, passing over the indistinct starting grid and zebra crossing.

Passing through the green ROLEX billboard, the starting grid is about to come into view, and on the red platform not far away, the checkered flag is waving.

Whoosh!

The race car crosses the finish line!

"He's crossed the finish line! Congratulations to Wu Shi for winning the Monaco Grand Prix! He's achieved two consecutive victories this season!" Bing Ge shouted in the studio.

"Yes! Wuhu~ What a pleasant surprise!"

After pressing the TR key, Wu Shi spoke to the team.

"Congratulations, Wu Shi, on winning the Monaco Grand Prix! This is your second Grand Prix victory. You ran exceptionally well today! Congratulations!" Jonathan said.

Hamilton ultimately failed to overtake Vettel, finishing fourth.

The team's fall from fourth to fourth was simply a bad decision.

Hamilton TR: "That's it."

The old man parked the car in the run-up of Turn 8, and the Matthews were all stunned, wondering what he was going to do.

After waiting for a while, he started the vehicle again and returned to the repair area with the others.

Due to the limited space in Monaco, the parking area was located on the track. After passing the pit lane entrance, Wu Shi parked his car behind the number 1 sign, which symbolized the winner.

At this moment, long lenses and short lenses were already set up outside the track fence.

The cameraman inside was already looking at the camera, filming him directly.

He removed the steering wheel, took out the headrest, and propped himself up in the car.
All of the victor's actions were recorded, and a staff member was explaining the next steps to Wu Shi.

"The awards stage is over there. We'll present the awards first, then proceed with the weighing and other procedures. Are you familiar with our etiquette here?"

“No, please tell me about it,” Wu Shi said.

"For the cheek-touching greeting, touch the right cheek first, then the left cheek," the staff member pointed to the princess over there.

"Okay, I see."

After Wu Shi put his things away, Rosberg and Vettel got out of the car.

He stepped forward and shook hands with the two men, exchanging congratulations.

"Congratulations on winning the Monaco Grand Prix! This is a truly significant victory!"

Rosberg was all smiles today, his previous worries gone.

"Thank you! Congratulations to you too, today's victory came somewhat unexpectedly," Wu Shi said with a smile.

"Haha, nobody expected what would happen on the field." Rosberg and Wu Shi hugged.

On the other side, Vettel walked over, smoothing his sweaty hair.

"Congratulations on your continued lead in the standings." Vettel patted Wu Shi on the shoulder.

"Thank you."

The group took off their hats and balaclavas and put on baseball caps.

At this moment, the host announced Wu Shi's name.

He walked onto the stage, and cheers immediately erupted from the sidelines. Many people were surprised by his youth.

Interacting with members of the Monaco royal family who came to present the award, there was still a hint of surprise in their eyes.

"Congratulations! Young driver from China, you have won the Monaco Grand Prix!"

Prince Albert II held Wu Shi's hand and looked him up and down.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Wu Shi nodded.

"We already learned in January that you would be joining Williams."

"But no matter how much I thought about it, I never imagined you would win the Monaco Grand Prix. It's a truly unexpected surprise!" Prince Albert said with a smile, showing Wu Shi a friendly demeanor despite it being their first meeting.

Wu Shi paused for a moment before realizing the reason, and said:
"Although everyone says that opportunity favors the prepared mind, I still want to thank the good luck I had today! Winning the Monaco Grand Prix is ​​truly an honor in my career!"

Wu Shi tightened his grip on the prince's hand; naturally, he was friendly to those who were friendly to him and his country.

"Haha! That's great. Next time I visit you, I might even ask you to be my tour guide."

“Of course, I would be delighted!” Wu Shi nodded.

The prince smiled and patted him on the shoulder, instructing him to greet the other members of the royal family.

The princess, dressed in a white dress and with short hair, said upon seeing him, "Handsome young man, congratulations on your victory."

"Thank you!"

Wu Shi was a little reserved, but the princess naturally put her hand on his arm and leaned in to give him a cheek kiss.

Wu Shi was still somewhat uncomfortable with this kind of intimate greeting between members of the opposite sex.

But I remember to apply the sticker to the right cheek first, then the left cheek.

After greeting everyone on the podium, Prince Albert handed the winner's trophy to Wu Shi.

Wu Shi raised the trophy high and waved to the audience.

Regardless of whether they knew Wu Shi or not, everyone still enthusiastically applauded and cheered for the winner.

Rosberg, on the other hand, was much more at ease. He had always had a good relationship with Monaco and chatted with the royal family members for a while before the princess presented him with the trophy.

Vettel didn't seem as happy as I'd expected when he came up, and I don't know why.

After the awards ceremony, a red flag was raised in the center on the right side of the podium, and honor guards saluted.

When it comes to a sense of ceremony, the Principality of Monaco really does it!
This was the second time the national anthem had been played at the Grand Prix awards ceremony, and Wu Shi thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

He thought that if the national anthem ever became the "end credits song" for F1, then his career would have been worthwhile!
After the awards ceremony, someone handed Wu Shi a glass of champagne. After exchanging champagne with a few people, Wu Shi walked through the crowd, found Jonathan, and started spraying champagne at them.

Jonathan was overjoyed, closing his eyes and opening his mouth to savor the joy of victory.

After the champagne ceremony, we moved on to the post-match interviews.

"Wu Shi, congratulations on winning the Monaco Grand Prix. This is your second Grand Prix victory, and you have made history once again. How do you feel?" the reporter asked.

"Well, of course I'm very excited. This victory was actually unexpected, a victory of luck, but anyway, I won the game, and I think that's something to celebrate!"

The reporter congratulated Rosberg again before turning his attention to him, clearly indicating that the focus of today's match was Mercedes' differentiated strategy.

This not only caused Hamilton to lose the championship, but also resulted in Mercedes losing 13 points.

After the double withdrawal in the previous race, Mercedes' lead is not significant at this point!
"Nico, congratulations. Although it's a pity you didn't achieve a three-game winning streak here, it's still a good result."

"Yes, but as Wu Shi said, my runner-up finish was also partly due to luck."

"So do you know why the team recalled Hamilton later on, but didn't have you pit for a tire change too?"

Rosberg waved his hand and said:
“I really don’t know. I was just driving normally. When I got back to the pit lane exit and saw Hamilton coming out of the pit lane behind us, I was very surprised.”

Wu Shi, listening from the side, also felt that the Mercedes-Benz strategy team was going crazy.

In the final few laps, Vettel proved that even the brand-new supersoft tires are difficult to overtake the old soft tires on this track.

So, is it really necessary for Mercedes to go in for a tire change?

Wu Shi didn't know, but if Wei asked him to go in and change the tire, he would absolutely not go; it would be throwing away their advantage.

At this moment, he recalled Mercedes' questionable actions over the past few years.

In 14 and 15, Rosberg was behind Hamilton, especially in 15, when Rosberg's deficit was very obvious.

The following year, the two drivers switched teams, and Rosberg started the season with four consecutive wins, establishing a huge advantage from the beginning of the season.

Even so, the two fought almost to the very last battle.

After winning the 2016 WDC, Rosberg retired.

This caused shock and confusion within Mercedes-Benz, with Nicky Lauda stating bluntly that Rosberg was a selfish person who lacked team spirit.

Clearly, the situation within the Mercedes team is particularly complex.

Germans and German cars—some things remain unresolved, leaving much to the imagination.

Wu Shi glanced at where Williams and the others were, and he was relieved that there hadn't been any serious political infighting in the convoy. It felt really good.

A convoy embroiled in intense political infighting will inevitably suffer a decline in combat effectiveness.

This is similar to the situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the Southern Ming Dynasty. They were embroiled in internal power struggles and powerless against external threats. Even after their demise, they still had to profess their loyalty.

After the podium interviews, everyone's attention turned to Hamilton.

Everyone wanted to know what he was thinking.

The fact that Mercedes and Mercedes are at odds is already common knowledge.

Hamilton showed considerable restraint in the interview, stating frankly: "The victory belongs not only to the driver but also to the team. The team also worked very hard during the race, and we did our best."

He didn't blame anyone; he simply answered the questions calmly.

Wu Shi was somewhat disappointed when he saw this. The old man had been incredibly consistent throughout the race, but a single mistake during a pit stop led to the loss of the stage championship.

However, given his current condition, it seemed difficult for him to say anything to Hamilton, so he could only offer some words of comfort.

The old man didn't have much emotion to vent here; he forced a smile and congratulated Wu Shi on winning the championship again.

After all the competition procedures were completed, Wu Shi went to the hospital first, while Pan Zi was still undergoing examination.

However, when the final result came out, there was nothing seriously wrong. When he told Pan Zi about the competition, Pan Zi looked puzzled and shocked.

"Oh, what is the strategy team doing? Shouldn't everyone understand that Monaco doesn't need a tire change?"

"That's all your fault," Wu Shi said with a smile.

"Why blame me?"

"You triggered the safety car."

“Then you shouldn’t blame me even more,” Pan Zi said with a laugh. “You should thank me. Without me, Hamilton would have surpassed you in points!”

"Oh, that's true. Looks like I'll have to treat you to a meal."

"Forget it, you might as well use that time to play GT racing," Panzi said.

"You want to participate in GT racing?"

"No, it's on the simulator. I don't usually want to use any F1 simulator other than the team simulator, because that would affect my judgment of the car's condition."

"So you spend your free time playing other emulators?"

Wu Shi marveled. The title of "Autobot" was well-deserved. There was no one like Pan Zi in the hunting grounds whose life consisted of nothing but his wife, children, and racing.

The unexpected turn of events at the Monaco Grand Prix undoubtedly garnered a great deal of attention.

Everyone is wondering what Mercedes' purpose was in recalling Hamilton at the last minute.

This has pushed Hamilton, who could have returned to the top of the standings, further behind Wu Shi.

Mercedes did not release the results to the public, but experts analyzed the situation and believed that the error was due to a calculation error by the strategy team.

Originally, the time difference between Wu Shi and Hamilton was 10 seconds. However, this time increased as the vehicle speed decreased after the safety car came out.

Actually, the gap between the two wasn't that big, and it just so happened that Hamilton had told the team that his tires weren't in good condition because he was pushing too hard.

The team recalled Hamilton due to concerns about the condition of his tires.

In reality, although the team's calculations were slightly off, everything was normal and there wouldn't have been any real problems. However, the old man changed his tires too slowly! After that, he fell far behind.

Wu Shi also saw the report and thought the analysis was quite good; the main problem was the slow tire replacement.

Equally popular as the Monaco Grand Prix is ​​Wu Shi's continued lead in the points standings.

(End of this chapter)