F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 231 Sancheng
Wu Shi never expected that he would encounter someone so determined to discover a talented young man just by running around.

Log into Louise's account and tell her that you're just doing this casually, that you have a proper job, and that you won't be thinking about these things.

The refusal was so decisive that the other party didn't even reply.

The little incident in life just passed by like that.

For F1 drivers, even if they are not as outstanding as engineers, they are still far more outstanding than ordinary professions, only their job content is relatively less impressive.

Day after day of training and monotonous simulators, the content of each day seems similar, yet they are vastly different.

If you don't take it seriously, your performance will be immediately reflected in the competition.

The victory in Austria has made the team more inclined to adjust the setup for low drag and low downforce.

This tuning maximizes the car's acceleration and top speed advantages, allowing it to catch up on straightaways even when behind in corners.

It is precisely this tuning that makes it difficult for Ferrari to overtake Williams on high-speed tracks.

Silverstone is also a high-speed track, so there was no disagreement on the tuning direction.

However, there are still many disagreements regarding the finer details of the tuning.

How can you ensure that your speed in a corner isn't too slow when you have low drag and low downforce?

If we can't rely on aerodynamics, then we can only depend on mechanical grip.

The design of the suspension is crucial.

After continuous research and experimentation, everyone finally found a balance.

When Wu Shi was testing the newly tuned vehicle in the simulator, he found that the downforce was too low and the steering became somewhat strange.

There may be a critical point that is very difficult to grasp.

However, after several attempts, he and Massa were able to solve the problem well, so they moved on to the next step.

While the teams prepare for the British Grand Prix, the FIA ​​is also working on matters of interest to them.

On July 1, the FIA ​​Strategy Group held a meeting in Beacon Hill, continuing discussions on regulatory issues and the development of F1.

Wu Shi had become accustomed to these kinds of meetings frequently.

Even if he doesn't have to go, he still needs to know the content of the meeting, much of which is closely related to the drivers.

The first issue is the team radio. The FIA ​​has reiterated that track engineers should not give drivers too many instructions.

For example, when to use which gear, and when to adjust the brake balance.

The overly comprehensive auxiliary communication turned the driver into a robot who only obeyed the engineer's instructions.

The race didn't look like a competition between drivers; it looked more like a competition between track engineers.

The issue of radio content has been raised for some time, dating back to the middle of last season.

The regulations were strict at the beginning of the season, then relaxed, and now they've been brought up again. It's unclear how they will ultimately be implemented.

Secondly, there is the issue of racing assistance equipment. The strategy team believes that current racing cars are too advanced and the use of assistance devices should be restricted.

In fact, there are precedents for this; F1 gearboxes are considered perfect.

If intelligent control is allowed and the car is switched to automatic transmission, the acceleration performance of F1 can be further improved.

The FIA ​​has long since ruled out this possibility; otherwise, F1 becoming an automatic would truly be a disgrace to the racing world.

Today's technology has actually advanced to a level far beyond that of humans, yet it still retains a great deal of manual control, which is nothing more than ensuring the role of humans in the competition.

Thirdly, there's the issue of tires. Using two different dry tire compounds for each race still lacks strategic depth, so we should consider expanding the range of tire options.

Wu Shi knew that in the next few years, F1 tire compounds would become more and more diverse, even developing into rainbow tires—in 2018, seven different compounds would be offered for dry tires.

Fourthly, there is the issue of review and penalties for power systems, etc., and we should consider introducing a more stringent and reasonable quota mechanism.

This was mainly due to feedback from the two engine suppliers, Renault and Honda.

The FIA ​​and FOM will also reassess spending caps on powertrains and impose fuel consumption limits.

The fifth issue, which was already being criticized by many car enthusiasts in 2014, is engine noise.

Everyone says that we've entered the hybrid era, and the engine sound is like a kitten meowing; you can't feel anything anymore.

Therefore, the FIA ​​is considering changing the exhaust system to improve engine noise.

Does improving engine noise mean making it sound more powerful and pleasant?

Or is it simply a matter of reducing engine noise pollution and lowering the engine volume?
Wu Shi did not see the specific statement, but it is estimated that the FIA ​​wanted the latter.

With the rise of various environmental movements in Europe and America, Formula 1 has been greatly affected, as evidenced by the continuous changes in fuel.

He just thought it was ridiculous; if the top circuit racing for gasoline cars didn't have a loud enough engine roar, he might as well watch Formula E.

The sixth is the sprint race, and the FIA ​​is considering introducing this brand new thing next year.

Its essential purpose is to increase the entertainment value of the races and make F1 races more aggressive.

After all, in the GPDA survey, many fans said that tire strategy made drivers very hesitant to fight, and often they just took advantage of the time difference.

The exciting competition on the track is no longer evenly matched; it's either a tactical overtaking maneuver or using new tires to beat old ones.

Sprint races, with fewer laps and intense competition throughout, are sure to be even more exciting.

This is a key concern for the teams. The new competition format means uncertainty, and strong teams don't like this kind of uncertainty.

Finally, a survey conducted by the GPDA involving 20 people showed that everyone thought F1 was boring.

These issues that have come to the forefront have naturally attracted a lot of discussion among drivers.

Verstappen directly mocked GPDA's behavior, saying:
"This is all for nothing. We've been discussing it for years. If there are any changes in F1, it will definitely not be because of GPDA."

Wu Shi remained silent about these matters, knowing that F1 would continue to improve in the future.

However, the complexities involved cannot be resolved simply by offering suggestions.

This is similar to how reform is never about whether it is right or wrong, but about whether a result conducive to development is achieved after the conflict of interests.

After the discussion meeting, the competition was about to begin.

Wu Shi, who was "far ahead" on the leaderboard, is now in a completely different league in terms of popularity.

Besides a large number of international students in England, there are also many people who become fans of his cars because of his skill.

On media day, he arrived at Silverstone Circuit, where a large number of people came with clothes, hats and other items to ask him for autographs.

This kind of celebrity treatment is quite troublesome, because this time someone handed him a bra, which completely stunned him.

By this time, a large number of reporters were eager to interview him, but he pretended nothing had happened, took another person's hat, and signed his name.

Then he waved to everyone, indicating that he would sign again next time.

Reporters immediately swarmed around to interview them.

In fact, the content of these interviews was similar to the previous ones, mainly about whether the points could continue to lead the pack.

Wu Shi couldn't reveal the details of the vehicles; he would usually give a vague answer, implying that they were just so-so.

When faced with these questions, Massa stated that the vehicle development work was going well.

The two men's completely contradictory answers left the media puzzled.

However, given that Wu Shi always said no during interviews, everyone assumed that Williams would definitely be able to win this game.

"When you were interviewing, you should at least have mixed the truth with the lies. Your performance in the last station was so outstanding, and you still say that this station is not good. Anyone with eyes can tell that's a lie."

After seeing the report's conclusion, Claire sighed, but instead of blaming Wu Shi, she looked at Jennifer.

“Next time, you should prepare his response in advance, and it would be best to coordinate with him. Mercedes is becoming increasingly wary of us,” Claire said.

“I understand,” Jennifer nodded.

Claire's appearance at the pre-match media day was primarily to address Williams' financial issues.

Since it's in England, many tech companies will be making an appearance.

This year, Williams has demonstrated sufficient competitiveness and the ability to provide services to companies in the automotive research and development industry. However, she doesn't have many connections, making it relatively difficult to close large deals.

“I’ll prepare a script for you before each interview from now on, just try to follow it.” Jennifer said with a bit of a headache.

“No problem.” Wu Shi nodded.

Massa's interview was over, and he came over and said, "If you really don't want to say more, you can learn from Kimi."

"Ah, I get it." Wu Shi scratched his head, imagining the interview scene.

Reporter: "Congratulations on winning! Can you share your feelings?"

Wu Shi: "I'm very happy."

Reporter: "You encountered some challenges during the competition, but ultimately achieved a good result. How did you manage that?"

Wu Shi: "Keep driving and cross the finish line."

Reporter: "How competitive are you this weekend?"

Wu Shi: "Okay."

reporter:"."

The scene was too beautiful to think about, otherwise I would have really been sitting at the same table as Kimi, that ice man.

In addition to interviews, the race organizers also held a drivers' meeting on Media Day to discuss the boundaries of the track.

This is a common topic of discussion at the current drivers' meeting. At this time, the FIA's issue regarding boundaries is still relatively vague, and the boundary line markings are different for different tracks.

The race organizers will flexibly adjust the boundary lines of certain corners based on the drivers' feedback.

In fact, this station mainly emphasizes the problem of Turn 9 (Copse Turn).

Many drivers use the wide run-off area here to improve their lap times, resulting in excessively high speeds.

The race organizers believe that the white line boundary must be strictly enforced here; if the right tire touches the white line, it is considered out of bounds.

The following day, two free practice matches began.

The roar of engines filled the track.

Returning to a noisy environment, Wu Shi actually felt safer.

Mercedes unsurprisingly took the lead in training, Toro Rosso's competitiveness rebounded, and Panzi surprisingly came in second.

McLaren is still having a run of bad luck. Button encountered a hydraulic leak after ten laps, and Ace encountered a suspension failure after twelve laps.

In the second practice session, Rosberg came in first, the two Ferraris came in third and fourth respectively, and Williams was nowhere to be found.

As soon as the two free practice matches ended that day, reporters inquired about the situation.

Wu Shi shrugged, glanced at Jennifer beside him, and said, "I told you long ago, no means no."

Massa responded simultaneously, indicating that there were still some issues that needed to be addressed.

This led many to abandon their previous optimistic assessment of Williams.

The third training session began the following morning.

Because he needed to collect ranking data, Williams could no longer hide and increased his speed considerably.

This time, Toro Rosso's speed was truly impressive, even surpassing Williams and second only to Ferrari.

After the practice match, Wu Shi chatted with Pan Zi and couldn't help but say, "You guys are really fast."

Pan Zi rolled his eyes and said, "Our teamwork isn't very good; we can only run our own ranked match data."

"Science doesn't agree to share data?" Wu Shi asked rhetorically.

Verstappen shook his head. "I scored one more point than him, and he didn't say anything; it was just that the team told us to do it."

“Two second-generation car owners.” Wu Shi laughed out loud.

“You’re quite the first generation of car enthusiasts,” Pan Zi said, looking at Wu Shi with some envy.

"The pressure is immense," Wu Shi remarked.

"I don't see any pressure on you?" Pan Zi looked you up and down, seemingly disbelieving.

"Who can let the outside world see their pressure? Don't they all bear it all themselves?"

"Ah."

Pan Zi agreed, saying:
"Don't pay attention to the other voices, do what you want to do, do what you should do, and that's all."

Wu Shi nodded, but he couldn't suppress the various emotions in his heart.

That's how people are; the more they care, the more anxious they become, and the easier it is to stay calm when they don't care.

At the beginning of the season, he hadn't even thought about WDC, so he could remain calm and collected. Now that he's getting closer to that goal, he can no longer stay calm.

When I sleep at night, I dream about all sorts of accidents I've experienced, and then I wake up in a fright.

"Good luck in the qualifying session this afternoon. You made a great impression on everyone at Silverstone," Verstappen said.

"Okay, you keep it up!" Wu Shi stood up and dusted off his bottom.

Pirelli is bringing two of its stiffest compounds to Silverstone this year: hard tires and medium tires.

There were no changes in the first two qualifying rounds, and both Wu Shi and Massa successfully advanced to Q3.

However, the guy almost got penalized because he put on the wrong tires after weighing himself before qualifying.

After McLaren went to explain to the race organizers, they were ultimately not penalized, mainly because there was no point in penalizing them anyway, as McLaren is currently at the bottom of the pack in the paddock.

In addition to the two Williams cars, the two Mercedes cars will also be present in Q3.

There are also the Ferrari and Red Bull teams.

The last two spots were secured by Toro Rosso's Sainz and Sauber's Hulkenberg.

Lotus's failure to advance in the Q2 was surprising, with Grosjean complaining about understeer and Bottas complaining about vehicle balance issues.

This is naturally a bit of a pity, since if the power unit performs well, the advantage will be much greater.

Entering Q3, the weather remained unchanged, still sunny, with a slightly stronger wind. Be careful at bends, or you might get blown around and spin wildly.

"How are you feeling?" Jonathan asked.

“Something’s not looking good,” Wu Shi said frankly.

"What's wrong?" Jonathan continued to ask.

"There are too many curves, and we can only rely on mechanical grip to make a difference, which is too difficult."

Compared to the Red Bull Ring, Silverstone Circuit is many times more complex; it's the second longest circuit of the year.

There is a limit to grip, and naturally, there is a limit to lap time.

There is always a trade-off; this is something Wu Shi couldn't change.

"What is the pole conversion rate at Silverstone?" Jonathan continued to ask.

"I'm not entirely sure about that," Wu Shi shook his head.

"Less than 30%, so whether or not you get pole position is just the beginning of the competition," Jonathan said.

Wu Shi nodded.

"Also, you've created enough miracles, and you don't have to create miracles in every game."

"Just run at your own pace and perform at your normal level, that's all there is to the competition."

"Relax and don't put too much pressure on yourself. This is only your ninth game in your first season."

Jonathan patted Wu Shi on the back and gave him a thumbs up.

Wu Shi smiled and nodded, saying, "I know, I know, I'll do my best."

(End of this chapter)