F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 227 The Struggle Between Wu and Han
Jonathan's voice was steady, but it brought an incredibly oppressive atmosphere.

The broadcast cameras had already locked onto Wu Shi and Hamilton.

On the straight road, Mercedes-Benz 44 sped along;

In the repair area, Team 59 is on a speed limit;
One fast, one slow; one in front, one behind.

Swish!
After the FW37 crossed the white line and passed the inspection point in the repair area, Wu Shi did not hesitate to rev the engine to a crazy high speed.

At this point, he couldn't afford to damage the engine and gearbox; he had to accelerate onto the track as fast as possible to maintain his position!

As soon as the car entered the arena, Hamilton was just one step ahead.

"Oops! We've been overtaken!"

No one paid attention to the commentator's exclamation.

The moment Wu Shi realized he was behind, he hid the entire car behind Hamilton.

Scalding exhaust fumes billowed out, the soft tires heated up rapidly, but the engine pressure also increased dramatically.

Whoosh!
Wu Shi sensed everything, but gritted his teeth and insisted that he would never let this crown be easily lost.

Soon the two cars were stuck together and rushed towards Turn 3.

Here, Wu Shi turned to the right inside line ahead of time, but Hamilton simply held firm at the center line, braked early, and instantly turned to the right.

This faster turn completely shut down Wu Shi's attacking opportunities, leaving him only able to follow behind at Turn 3.

"The engine is overheating a bit, Wu Shi, you need to be careful," Jonathan reminded him.

However, this reminder did not serve its intended purpose at all.

Just past turn three, the second section of DRS is not far away.

Wu Shi's ability to push himself to the limit played a crucial role here.

With the wake, DRS, and a long downhill section, Williams overtook the opponent midway down the road.

Hamilton, which was lagging behind, immediately swerved to follow Wu Shi and catch the wake.

With Turn 4 approaching, this downhill bend is easy to push off the rails if you're not careful.

After being caught in the slipstream, Hamilton's speed didn't decrease much, and he chose to brake late and drive into the paint.

Wu Shi wanted to replicate Hamilton's maneuver at Turn 3, but entering the corner from the outside put too much pressure on his brakes.

A soft tire that has not yet reached operating temperature cannot fulfill his intended plan.

Heh!

White smoke billowed out, and the front wheels briefly locked up.

Hamilton grabbed the inside bend and immediately ran alongside Wu Shi.

Both cars braked very late and understeered almost simultaneously, so they drove side by side into the run-off area.

Fortunately, both top masters managed to steer the vehicle back at the last moment.

This is a battle fought over the smallest of margins!
The two cars entered the four combination corners of the "concave" section of the track side by side.

Wu Shi started from the outside and then the inside, falling behind at turn 5, but caught up at turn 6.

Turn 7 is still a left-hand turn, and Wu Shi has extended his advantage by occupying the inside line.

Although Turn 8 is a right-hand turn, the angle is very small, which prevented Hamilton from gaining much of an advantage.

The two cars got stuck together several times, but they both managed to maintain a precise distance.

After the withdrawal of both sides, the struggle has evolved into a pure wheel-to-wheel battle.

At speeds of 200-300 kilometers per hour, vehicles are kept close together when cornering.

Amidst the roar of the engine, a fierce wind howled.

After the combination bend, the two cars were evenly matched.

In a tense and suffocating atmosphere, on the long straight after Turn 8, the two cars raced side by side, neither trying to catch the other's slipstream.

Both sides unleashed their power without reservation, sparks flying all the way.

However, the next right-angle turn, number 9, is a right-hand turn.

This was already disadvantageous for Wu Shi, who was on the left.

The audience held their breath without realizing it, and even John, who was always giving passionate commentary, fixed his gaze on Turn 9.

Slowness is inevitable.

Wu Shi was positioned on the outside and moved directly to the far left in the final moments.

There are different ways to navigate curves on the outside. As long as you enter slowly and exit quickly, you still have the opportunity to overtake on the crossing line.

After noticing Williams' change of lane, the old man quickly moved from the inside line to the center line to try to offset the disadvantage of a fast in-and-slow out corner.

The simultaneous actions of both vehicles made it appear as if they were pressed together and squeezed outwards in unison.

Entering Turn 9, the older man, with his superior entry speed, took the lead.

Wu Shi braked harder than ever before, trying to let Hamilton pass.

But Hamilton reacted quickly, slowing down after taking a significant lead.

Now, the rear of his car blocked Wu Shi's way into the corner.

However, after only blocking it briefly, Hamilton stepped on the gas and pulled the car away.

His goal has been achieved: he has hindered Wu Shi's quick exit. So, the idea of ​​a slow in and quick out has become a joke!
The old man's car dealership is very high.

Having suffered a setback, Wu Shi could only continue to follow behind, having automatically ignored Turn 10.

The next battle will take place in the DRS area on the starting straight.

Hiss! Whoosh!

The two cars sped along, sparks flying as they raced down the straight road.

The audience cheered enthusiastically; no one could have imagined such a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle after the stoppage.

Thanks to DRS, Williams barely managed to close the gap with Mercedes.

Wu Shi glanced at the steering wheel; this time, on the long straight road, he didn't use the battery.

Judging from the old man's speed, he must have been using batteries.

At Turn 1, Wu Shi did not hesitate to choose the outside line for a slow in and quick out.

Hamilton, in order to defend, would inevitably have to go along the center line.

Having learned his lesson before, Wu Shi became even more cautious.

Fortunately, Hamilton was far ahead this time and couldn't perform a maneuver at Turn 9.

Just as the old man finished turning and was still accelerating, Wu Shi had already squeezed into the inside.

With better acceleration space, Williams quickly pulled up to be alongside Mercedes.

Then, DRS was turned on, and all the power was released.

Hoho! !
Williams demonstrated his unparalleled speed on the straights, visibly widening the gap between himself and the out-of-power Mercedes.

The next DRS checkpoint is before entering Turn 3.

When Wu Shi saw Hamilton change lanes behind him, he knew that this world champion, full of fighting spirit, was going to use the next DRS to overtake him.

He glanced at the battery level; it was critically low.

Then they suddenly pulled away to the outside, giving Hamilton a lot of space inside.

The old man was puzzled, but somewhat wary of Wu Shi, and was momentarily unsure whether to try and take control of the inside.

On the racetrack, hesitation is a luxury.

In that brief moment of distraction, Wu Shi had already plunged into the bend. Relying on his near-perfect use of grip, he was incredibly fast through the bend, so fast that he clearly created a gap as he exited.

The last bit of power is completely released!
On the steep downhill slope, the vehicle speed increases very quickly.

Mercedes, not to be outdone, gradually closed in with DRS enabled.

Whoops! !
The howling wind swept away all distracting thoughts.

Wu Shi had the latest braking point and the fastest exit route in his mind for the entire Turn 4.

The grip of the four tires, the changes in downforce of the vehicle at different speeds, and the burden on the brakes on a slope.
All the data accumulated since the practice matches was analyzed in his mind.

He saw the only path, and if the control precision was off by even a fraction, then without Hamilton overtaking him, he would rush into the buffer zone himself.

Swish!
Relying on a slight advantage, Wu Shi entered the apex of the bend from the center line.

Completely disregarding whether Hamilton, who was squeezing in, would hit him, the car swerved around the corner like a beast about to go out of control.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Shi took the lead as he exited Turn 4.

“Dangerousdangerous driving!”

Hamilton angrily denounced Wu Shi's dangerous driving behavior.

His panting was enough to prove how exhausting everything that had just happened in the last lap and a half was.

The fact that he was able to speak out in TR at this moment meant that he understood that the struggle had come to an end.

Drivers who have studied Wu Shi will understand that when this guy can drive recklessly, he unleashes a level of ability that only a god could match.

The recent turn 4 is proof enough of that.

Before turn 10, with no more DRS assistance, Wu Shi, who had widened the gap, no longer needed to worry about defense. His lap-running machine was fully activated, and he would soon widen the gap even further!
Knowing this, Hamilton felt somewhat frustrated.

He knew he absolutely couldn't have accomplished all of this sitting in that Williams.

"Oooo!!!"

When Wu Shi returned to the lead, cheers erupted from Williams' pit stop and quickly spread.

"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! A complete wheel-to-wheel battle, fighting for every second of advantage in the most extreme driving conditions!"

"Yes! It's insane! Who would have thought that one of the fighters in this battle would be a rookie!"

"Both of them had such precise car control, and they displayed unparalleled inspiration when handling each corner. Watching their lines and cornering was like watching a meticulously choreographed dance."

The commentators began to praise the match enthusiastically, saying that the game had been so intense that no one had even had time to process it.

Just as Hamilton had predicted, Wu Shi squeezed the tires to create distance at the next few corners.

At this point, the broadcast cameras began showing footage from before.

From several angles, Williams and Mercedes were seen bumping into each other several times.

In slow motion, the battle between the two cars, which was controlled to the smallest detail, is revealed.

The crowd watched what was perhaps the most exciting and desperate fight of the entire match.

"That was too close. If either of them had been slightly off-target, it would have been a situation where both of them had to retreat."

Several shots were played back and forth nearly three times before the perspective returned to the field.

“Lewis, watch your tires. The fight just now caused a lot of damage,” Bono said.

“Yes, I know, so I need to take measures to protect the pregnancy,” Hamilton said.

“Nico is approaching you,” Bono added.

“Let him come,” Hamilton said.

This clip was played by the director, and the commentators couldn't help but express their opinions:
"Comparing the two drivers, Rosberg seems a bit too weak, while Hamilton's declaration sounds more like that of a driver vying for the championship."

"I think Rosberg's choice was more appropriate."

"If we always choose the most appropriate option, we won't see such exciting matches."

"You can't say that. The fight just now wasn't initiated by Hamilton. It was because of Wu Shi's tire change that the two of them were forced into a confrontation. If Rosberg were in that situation, he would have done the same as Hamilton."

The two men have conflicting accounts, but the controversy actually stems from Rosberg's refusal of the team's instructions to not pursue Wu Shi and instead opting for a tire-preserving run.

Regardless, the intense battle between Hamilton and Wu Shi not only provided a visual feast for the audience, but also demonstrated the skill and spirit of the two champion drivers!

When the championship battle came to an end, the broadcast turned the camera to Rosberg.

The Mercedes driver, who avoided the fight, had the best tires among the top three at this point.

It may not be clear now, but the situation will definitely become apparent in the second half of the competition.

After steadily widening the gap to nearly a second and a half, Wu Shi immediately stopped pushing the car too hard, otherwise the tires really wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Once cruise mode was activated, Wu Shi felt much more relaxed.

In order to finish the race without stopping, Hamilton is unlikely to continue accelerating.

On the contrary, Rosberg was only 1.7 seconds behind Hamilton at this point.

It can be said that the three cars in the front row are very close together, and another round of fighting could break out at any time.

The three-person train we see now is just the calm before the storm.

Vettel pitted for tires on lap 37, gaining a slight advantage by persevering for a few more laps.

However, when changing the tire, the right rear wheel locked up completely, and it took 13 seconds to reinstall the tire.

This delay delighted Williams and his team.

Massa has just overtaken Vettel.

When the broadcast camera focused on Ferrari, people didn't yet have the same look of disdain they would later have for a clown.

However, in the current battle for the front row, Ferrari has been absent from several races, which has truly disappointed many car enthusiasts.

Can't even a four-time champion save Ferrari?
If Wu Shi were to answer this question, he might say that even a seven-time champion couldn't necessarily save Ferrari.

On lap 43, Pedro overtook Kvyat.

For the next dozen or so laps, the situation remained generally calm.

Vettel kept closing the gap on Massa, quickly reducing the difference to 1.5 seconds.

At this time, Bottas was also chasing Verstappen.

On 60 laps, Rosberg closed the gap on Hamilton by less than a second.

"Rosberg couldn't sit still any longer."

"His tires are newer and wear out less. If he doesn't close the gap and launch an attack in these ten laps, he'll really be looked down upon."

The commentators from Taiwan were quite direct in their explanation.

“Rosberg is accelerating and closing in; he’s already in Hamilton’s one-second zone,” Jonathan said.

"I see."

Wu Shi responded, but even he could hardly increase his speed at this point.

Hamilton's tires were inferior because he pitted a few laps earlier and ran two laps with high load in order to use the new tires to replace the old ones.

Wu Shi's tire difference stemmed from the combined efforts of his struggle with Hamilton, which involved squeezing out the gap.

In other words, the tires of the two people in the front row are about the same size.

Rosberg's approach also put Hamilton on high alert.

Don't be fooled by his nonchalant "Let him do it" statement; it was just the excitement of a battle that had just ended, his adrenaline still pumping.

After ten laps to "cool down," he had realized the difficulty he was facing.

On lap 61, Rosberg entered Hamilton's one-second zone and could use DRS.

(End of this chapter)