F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 228 The Princess Profits
Excellent tire condition not only brings better cornering performance, but also better acceleration performance.

Ultimately, racing cars rely on four tires to move, and the grip of the tires always plays a fundamental role.

Hamilton had anticipated this situation, so he had saved up his energy and was prepared to deal with Rosberg's attack.

He knew that Rosberg's target might not only be him, but also Wu Shi, who was in front of him.

If Rosberg is allowed to pass through here easily, then Wu Shi ahead will also face great danger.

He was more reluctant to see his teammates win than for Wu Shi to win the championship.

If Rosberg wins the championship, he will get ten more points than him, which is something he finds hard to accept.

Therefore, when his teammate appeared in the rearview mirror, the old man began to plan how to stop him.

“I think he should let me pass. I’m much faster than him if he wants to bring the championship back to the team,” Rosberg said.

"Keep an eye on the race; what we need is for both cars to get back safely," Mercedes told Rosberg.

"Okay, I understand."

After a pause, Rosberg responded.

He had actually anticipated that the team wouldn't give a clear order to give way, and after hearing the team's reply, he finally gave up on relying on the team's instructions to profit.

He didn't get the DRS checkpoint on the starting straight, but after passing the DRS checkpoint at the end of the straight, the two green lights on the steering wheel indicated that he had obtained the right to use the DRS for the next section.

Once you turn right past Turn 1, you'll reach the DRS section.

The following long section of road, which involves full throttle and includes a second bend, is a downhill section followed by an uphill section.

When his DRS was activated, the vehicle's acceleration performance was significantly enhanced.

Having DRS is not enough; he relies on Hamilton's wake to continuously reduce drag and accelerate.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Hoo hoo!
With the engine roaring like the wind, and the reduced drag, his acceleration was faster than Hamilton's.

Swish!
Midway through the track, Rosberg's speed had reached 318 kph, while Hamilton was only at 312 kph.

The 6kph difference didn't seem like much, but after Rosberg pulled away, the car sputtered and was now level with the old man.

Swish!
Both vehicles entered the uphill section at the same time.

This caused both of them to slow down, which saved the old man's life.

Even with the battery operating at full power, the old man wouldn't be overtaken immediately.

However, the worn-out tires were simply unable to maximize the battery's effectiveness, and when he glanced to the side, he saw that Rosberg was still gradually overtaking him.

If Rosberg takes the lead and can use the slingshot effect to accelerate at the end, he will inevitably be far ahead at the end of the straight.

However, such performance differences are beyond human control.

The old man's heart was pounding, and with his keen intuition, he realized that Rosberg couldn't completely overtake him before the braking zone.

Therefore, he immediately devised a plan to overtake in the next leg of the journey.

Swish!
Rosberg entered the braking zone first and passed the DRS checkpoint, while Hamilton was 0.089 seconds slower.

The gap was quite large, but the old man did it on purpose; he eased off the accelerator when he was almost at the top of the hill.

The downward momentum caused by the slope caused the car's speed to drop significantly.

Because the speed had already decreased, the old man was able to slow down enough before Rosberg and began to track into the corner.

He chose the same slow-in, fast-out route as Wu Shi.

Rosberg, on the inside, ignored the old man's choice, braked hard and drove into the corner, seizing the initiative to enter the corner, while turning to the right.

However, the disadvantage of going in quickly and coming out slowly soon became apparent. He was going very slowly at the apex of the bend, and it took him a lot of time to hit the front of the car. So much so that the old man put the front of the car into the bend at this point.

The different ways of entering the curve caused the two cars' trajectories to form a set of intersecting lines.

Hamilton recovered some of the deficit, and he still has the option to use the next DRS.

"The big downhill after Turn 3! Rosberg still had a half-body lead when he came out of the corner, and he chose to continue squeezing his teammate."

"Hamilton has activated DRS, and he's not going to be second to anyone! He's going to overtake them!"

"He traversed the entire track! He moved to the left and his speed increased terrifyingly, like a rocket!"
"Rosberg should be unleashing his full potential; he's fighting tooth and nail to defend the lead he just gained!"
"The two drivers are going head-to-head! The two Mercedes are neck and neck! They're going to decide the winner on the track!"

"With 100 meters to go before the braking zone, how will they choose their entry method into the corner?"
"Oh!! Hamilton braked first, is he trying to take the same route as Wu Shi just now?!"

The commentator quickly described the situation on the field.

Hamilton was well aware of the situation. On this corner at the bottom of the hill, he had no right to try to brake late on the inside line; the tires wouldn't allow him to do so!
His early braking relieved Rosberg, as it was this mistake in qualifying that ruined his flight lap.

The tires were in different conditions, and the two men were extremely restrained in their struggle.

Rosberg made a quick incursion into the inside, positioning his car at the apex of the corner and initiating a sharp turn.

laugh!
Before the car was even pointing towards the track, he impatiently floored the accelerator, wanting to hold onto his position.

However, a slight understeer caused him to drift towards the outside of the track, a seemingly minor mistake that instantly reversed the situation.

Hamilton was very perceptive to this, so he relied on his better cornering performance to cross the line and regain the position.

In the blink of an eye, they entered Turn 5, and Hamilton was still maintaining a slight lead.

With the lead in hand, Hamilton opted to drive directly to the left side of the track.

As it crossed the entire track, it blocked Rosberg, who was accelerating from behind.

"WHAT?! F**K!"

Rosberg nearly collided with Hamilton.

In his opinion, the old man on the right was on the inside line at Turn 5 and shouldn't have changed lanes, but he did!

This sudden action surprised him, but it also revealed his teammate's thoughts.

Unfortunately, it was too late for him to stop it.

The two Mercedes cars swerved into Turn 5, during which Rosberg, on the inside, managed to close the gap slightly.

However, upon entering turns 6 and 7, the old man switched from the outside to the inside and rudely swerved the vehicle into the turn.

The understeer prevented him from getting close to the apex of the corner, but Rosberg had just closed in on his right, so he was pushed directly towards the sideline.

Rosberg was at a loss.

The further he moves to the outer lane, the longer the journey becomes, and the greater the load on the tires to complete the turn.

The two fought like they had fought before, neither giving an inch!
Toto looked at this scene with a serious expression. This involved the competition for championship points, and no matter how many times it was emphasized, it could not be prevented.

Unless one of the drivers has an absolutely faster speed, the team will find it extremely difficult to make a choice.

It is obvious that Hamilton has performed better last year and this year, but that does not mean that Rosberg is far behind him.

In addition, their respective positions at Mercedes made it impossible for management to distinguish between the number one and number two drivers.

Bono saw the old man struggling and hesitated to speak.

Hamilton took the lead in the U-shaped corner, but a slight slip of the rear wheels as he exited Turn 7 indicated that the tires were in very poor condition.

There are still 8 laps left. If this continues, we might get a flat tire.

Even without a tire blowout, the affected lap time might be overtaken by Massa, who is only about 4 seconds behind.

And it wasn't just Massa; Vettel was also following behind him.

Hesitating until Turn 9, Bono still didn't let Hamilton pass Rosberg.

If you're going to compete, then compete! If you don't fight until you get a clear winner, how can you be considered a champion driver?!
At Turn 9, Hamilton once again opted for a slow entry, leaving the inside line wide open, which Rosberg immediately exploited.

Although the third DRS inspection point is just after the 9th turn, Rosberg didn't care at all about giving up this "perk".

After all, after just half a round of fighting, he could tell that the old man was at his limit.

He believed in his judgment that the high speed brought about by DRS activation would only further accelerate the wear and tear on the old man's tires.

He was satisfied that he could complete the overtaking maneuver more safely and efficiently, saving tires as much as possible.

On the starting straight, the old man activated DRS and caught up with the distance he had fallen behind.

However, he didn't gain much of an advantage throughout the entire straightaway, only leading by half a body length at the last moment.

"Hamilton is going to be overtaken."

"Yeah, Rosberg must have eased off the accelerator; he's trying to get the next DRS," Fei Ge analyzed.

"Why didn't Hamilton loosen his grip earlier? Without DRS, he was completely powerless against Rosberg."

"There's no point in struggling like this anymore, is there?"

"Haha, so you're not even going to struggle anymore?" the soldier laughed.

On the track, Hamilton entered Turn 1 from the inside line. Realizing he would likely be overtaken on the straight, a slight wobble at the rear of his car as he exited the corner forced him to accelerate earlier, resulting in noticeable understeer in the front wheels and a slightly wider turn.

Rosberg quickly seized the opportunity, and after DRS was activated, he overtook Rosberg on the downhill straight.

On the next uphill section, he will create enough distance that Hamilton will have no chance at all.

"Wu Shi, Rosberg has overtaken Hamilton. Your difference in seconds is now 2.6 seconds."

Jonathan had a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. With seven laps left in the race, Rosberg would have a chance if he closed the gap by more than 0.4 seconds per lap.

"I need his clean circle situation."

"Okay, I'll tell you in the next lap."

After 65 laps, Rosberg closed the gap on Wu Shi by 0.5 seconds.

Just as they entered lap 65, Rosberg complained again in the radio:

"My forewing is vibrating, what's going on?"

A moment later, Mercedes replied: "The tire wear is somewhat abnormal."

Rosberg remained silent, but on lap 66 he still closed the gap on Wu Shi by nearly 0.4 seconds.

"Your current second difference is 1.65 seconds," Jonathan announced.

With five laps remaining, Wu Shi could already see Mercedes following behind.

He was truly out of options this time; the tires were worn out so badly that he couldn't increase the speed.

Once he exceeds the limit, the vehicle will skid and go out of control.

In the same lap, Vettel continued to attack Massa.

Every time Ferrari attacks Williams, they encounter the same situation: they close in on the corners but are pulled away on the straights.

The engine gap makes it difficult for Vettel to maintain sufficient attacking distance.

Bottas was still battling Verstappen. In the past two laps, he had been pushed off the track twice by Verstappen, and it was already a sign that he was in a good mood today that he didn't curse out loud.

"Rosberg closed the gap to you by less than 0.4 seconds on that lap."

"He's slowed down."

"Yes, it's slow, and his tires are in bad condition."

"Okay, received."

Wu Shi relaxed a little; Rosberg's poor tire management was a significant weakness for him this year.

In these final few laps, if Rosberg really wanted to catch up, he certainly wouldn't slow down. And if he did slow down, it would directly mean that Rosberg was also running out of steam.

On the same lap, Panzi again pushed Bottas off the track at Turn 3.

The broadcast camera immediately drew Verstappen's attention.

However, in the next two laps, Panzi's defense was commendable, and he didn't allow Bottas to seize any opportunities.

On lap 69, at turn 1, Pan Zi tried to brake late to block Bottas, but failed to shift gears in time, pushing Bottas off the track again.

This time, however, he did indeed make a mistake, and the race car went straight into the run-off area.

After Bottas evaded him, he immediately returned to the track and overtook him.

At this point, Rosberg had closed the distance to Wu Shi within 0.8 seconds, and DRS was activated.

However, the expected battle did not materialize in the final two laps.

When Wu Shi moved to the center line to defend, Rosberg was firmly blocked behind him.

Wu Shi's precise positioning prevented Rosberg from having a good chance, especially since his tires were also in poor condition.

If the difference in seconds is large enough, Wu Shi won't even need to defend much and will simply drive away quickly.

When the time difference is insufficient, Wu Shi will precisely slow down in the corner to disrupt Rosberg's rhythm.

When he did it for the first time, Rosberg almost rammed the front wing into his rear wheel.

However, the effect was also obvious. After Rosberg jolted, Wu Shi had already created some distance between them.

Because the rhythm changes in Wu Shi's bend were unusually absurd, Rosberg had to be on high alert to deal with it.

This further drained Rosberg, who already had very little energy, making overtaking almost impossible.

"On the last lap, Rosberg still didn't have many chances to overtake, both of them had bad tires."

Because of Wu Shi's blocking the way, Hamilton closed the gap to Rosberg within 0.8 seconds. Under the pressure from both sides, Rosberg dared not make the slightest mistake.

The three cars maintained a balance until the final stage of the race.

Everyone realized that this young man from China was about to win the race again!
The broadcast camera was focused on him, and the commentator was already calling his name.

"Alright! Turn 10! Straight! Checkered flags are waving, let's congratulate Wu Shi on winning the Grand Prix again!"

"He crossed the finish line! Congratulations Wu Shi! Congratulations Williams!!"

A series of intense roars erupted from Williams' P room, and almost everyone jumped up!

The tire changer on the left front, in particular, breathed a sigh of relief. Although he would be punished afterward, it was better than losing the championship.

"Wu Shi! You're the champion! Congratulations! Congratulations! You're amazing!"

"YES! Thank you! Whew! Whew! I can't believe it, I held onto this championship!"

Williams celebrated enthusiastically, while Mercedes' celebrations were rather subdued.

Even after reaching the podium, neither driver showed much excitement.

"Wow! I didn't expect Wu Shi's first PTW to come so quickly!"

"We have Mercedes to thank for that."

"Thanks for their engine, huh? Hahaha!"

"Of course we have to thank them. Williams was much faster than Ferrari in this race, and closer to Mercedes than in any of the previous races."

"Every victory Wu Shi achieved this year was hard-won."

"It's amazing, not just his driving skills, but also his mentality during the race."

"Yes! In a competition like the Grand Prix, where you need to concentrate intensely and where there are constant changes in speed and excitement, it is extremely difficult to overcome tension and panic."

"Yes, I believe that none of us could do it under such high pressure, at least I couldn't."

"That's probably what makes him so amazing—his composure is incredible, he has the demeanor of a true champion! He really has the makings of a WDC champion this year!"

While the two were praising Wu Shi, Wu Shi was still shouting in TR, releasing the pressure in his heart.

To be honest, when I encountered Hamilton as I was leaving the station, he was extremely angry.

The hard-won lead was wiped out by changing the tire.

However, he did not blame anyone. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone may encounter accidents. Instead of blaming his teammates, he should focus on dealing with the opponents on the track.

Assigning responsibility is the team leader's job.

Therefore, he quickly put his anger aside and thought about how to confront Hamilton.

With his involvement in tuning, Williams has certainly brought out the advantages of Mercedes' engine even better, which is why he was able to compete with Mercedes on high-speed tracks.

“Wu Shi, bring back more rubber,” Jonathan’s voice rang out.

"it is good."

Wu Shi replied that because of the fierce fighting, the fuel consumption was quite high, and it would be good to increase the vehicle's weight just in case.

So he had to slow down and drive as gently as possible, which made him look like a middle-aged woman on the street.

The audience in the stands was in a frenzy, and it was unclear who they were celebrating for, but as the champion, there must be a lot of fans who admired him.

Therefore, Wu Shi could wave his arms to the audience without any pressure.

Just then, the sound of an engine approached.

44 stood next to him, extending his hand and making a thumbs-up gesture.

Wu Shi immediately retorted.

The three cars that had ascended the podium slowly drove into the pit area and stopped in their pre-arranged positions.

Before Wu Shi could even climb out of his seat, he could already hear the cheers from the railing.

(End of this chapter)