F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 232 White Lines in Rotation
A smile can appear on one's face, and the words spoken can sound relaxed.

But when the triple screens were removed and the track was exposed, the obsession with running the best turned into endless pressure.

Boom!

The engine roared to life after ignition, and the mechanics removed the blower.

After the race car landed, the mechanic outside the pit lane waved to indicate that it was safe outside the track.

Ugh!

The race car entered the fast lane, with the pit lanes of various racing teams flashing past on either side.

“Hamilton is behind you,” Jonathan said in TR.

“He really can’t keep his composure,” Wu Shi replied without thinking.

The director immediately played the conversation, which made the commentators laugh.

You were the one who went out first, yet you accused others of being impatient.

During the first warm-up tire ride, Wu Shi always felt Hamilton swaying behind him.

In fact, to ensure the right time to lap, the old man would consciously keep at least a time interval away from him.

This is just a psychological illusion.

Because instructing drivers is no longer allowed in TR, Jonathan speaks less.

Wu Shi felt that the lack of background noise made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Whoosh!

At the end of the warm-up lap, Wu Shi increased his speed and began to sprint.

Having been through the motions of broadcasting, they were unlikely to miss Wu Shi, who had already made an early appearance.

However, on the first lap, when going through turn 9, the car slipped slightly and the right rear wheel went over the white line.

The sensation was completely different from that of the road shoulder and asphalt, and Wu Shi immediately knew that he had slightly crossed the line.

This situation may or may not be punished.

He felt a little flustered, but he didn't dare to ask Jonathan about the tournament's plans, so he could only bite the bullet and run.

Whoosh!

After one lap, the time was 1 minute 33.233 seconds.

"Wu Shi, you should have slowed down a bit when you were on turn 9."

As soon as the flying lap ended, Jonathan reminded everyone in the TR.

"Did I cross the border?" Wu Shi asked.

"Yes, the results are cancelled."

Jonathan's brief words seemed to contain dissatisfaction. Wu Shi didn't know what was going on, so he could only let the car cool down first.

Hamilton, who was following behind him, set a time of 1 minute 32.311 seconds in one flying lap.

He leaped directly to the top of his head, and the old man simply returned to the P-room.

这个成绩比罗斯伯格Q2的成绩要快0.4秒，而罗斯伯格又是Q2唯一跑入1分32秒的。

Clearly, his brother knew what was going on. The old man already had a good idea of ​​Rosberg's maximum lap time, which is why he returned to the pits early.

This is also a psychological tactic to put pressure on Rosberg while protecting the tires and being ready for a second flying lap.

Soon after, the results of the other participants' first laps were also released.

Kimi 1 minute 33 seconds 379.

Ricardo's time was 1 minute 33.943 seconds.

Hulkenberg finished in 1 minute 34.864 seconds.

Vettel finished with a time of 1 minute 11.263 seconds.

At first glance, Wu Shi's results are already quite good.

However, this result was cancelled.

Since the first guaranteed time was no longer available, the team felt it was crucial to achieve a valid time as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen circumstances later on.

"The replay is here. Let's see how Wu Shi appeared just now."

The narration was accompanied by a slow-motion shot.

The all-white Williams No. 59 made a very smooth turn into Turn 9, but the downforce was clearly insufficient.

During a sharp turn, the lateral force quickly exceeded the tire's grip limit, causing the vehicle's tires to slide outwards on the ground.

This seemingly out-of-control scene is actually a daily occurrence for many F1 drivers.

A brief loss of grip does not mean the vehicle is out of control.

Soon, the Williams' rear wheels stopped slipping, and the torque on the wheels began to increase.

Swish!
The camera resumed normal speed, and FW37, number 59, darted out.

"It was extremely close, with a skid near the edge of the line, but whether the right rear wheel actually crossed the white line is debatable," the commentator said.

Since the camera wasn't pointing directly at us, but at an angle, we could only see that the right rear wheel seemed to be touching the white line.

The commentator actually believed that this level of skirting the line did not constitute a violation.

However, the organizers had already issued a penalty, and the result was quite swift, so he could only add, "It's debatable."

"Ok?"

The commentator picked up his phone, an unusual action that meant he must have seen some important information.

"Just now, I received a message from a colleague that Williams is already communicating with the tournament organizers. They believe that if Wu Shi's result is not counted, then Hamilton's result on the first lap should also be cancelled."

These words sparked a heated discussion.

There is a large screen in the audience area that synchronizes the commentary, amplifying the audio so that you can hear the gist of it even in a noisy environment.

Soon, some people in the audience began to boo Wu Shi.

This left many international students completely bewildered.

"It seems that Williams' accusation against Hamilton went too far, and Hamilton's fans were unhappy about it," someone explained.

"What's there to complain about? Wu Shi's results were just canceled!" someone said angrily.

"Try to understand the power of the household registration booklet."

The crowd's anger was aroused, and someone immediately stood up and shouted at the group of protesting fans.

The commotion in the stands immediately attracted the attention of the authorities.

"It seems like the fans on both sides got into a fight, probably because of the Williams team's whistleblowing incident," the commentator continued.

Wu Shi was completely unaware of what was happening in the audience area.

All he knew was that this was his last chance.

He still had enough time to run two flying laps, but the tires wouldn't be able to support him.

The low downforce setup relies on the tires' mechanical grip in corners; if the tires are in poor condition, it's almost impossible to set a new lap time.

He took a deep breath; Q3 had 6 minutes and 36 seconds left.

"Wu Shi is speeding again. Can he achieve a good enough result this time? His result was just canceled by the race organizers, so the result of this lap is crucial."

"Hey! Hamilton has also driven out of the pit lane. Could it be that Williams's report was successful?"

In the broadcast footage, Hamilton, who was sitting calmly, drove out of the pit lane, seemingly preparing for another flying lap.

However, the organizers waited a long time but did not announce the cancellation of the old man's results.

Mercedes probably doesn't know either, so it's best to have them run another lap.

Now, the traffic conditions on the track have become very bad, and a large number of drivers are speeding around.

Wu Shi reminded himself not to cross the line.

With only the roar of the engine in his ears, his attention began to focus completely.

The difficult turns in the bends were all calculated precisely; the car looked slightly strained, but in reality, it was incredibly stable.

Because there was no chance of failure, Wu Shi's mind could no longer accommodate anything else.

Swish!
After driving through turn 9, this time the right rear wheel definitely didn't touch the white line!

However, his left leg suddenly cramped up; he was too tense, and his body reacted!
After Turn 9 comes a series of five curves forming an "S" shape, which is extremely challenging to brake.

He gritted his teeth and tried to hunch his body down on the short straight section. The seatbelt made him panic, but he was finally able to make his stiff left leg fully cover the entire braking distance.

The pain caused beads of sweat to form on Wu Shi's forehead.

But he only had one chance, and he had no choice but to endure it.

Whoosh!

Five consecutive corners, the anticipation of tire grip gave the vehicle a perfect line, like a precise clock, without the slightest error—

Until exiting the corner, the brake release was delayed, causing the accelerator and brake to be applied simultaneously, resulting in a slight loss of time.

There was no other way; Wu Shi's ankles were not flexible enough, so he could only rely on forward and backward extension to make large adjustments to brake.

This data significantly returned to Williams' data.

Jonathan wanted to offer a suggestion, but then hesitated and didn't speak.

The engineer beside him reminded him that he should inform Wu Shi of this mistake to avoid a similar situation on later curves.

He shook his head and told the engineer next to him, "Don't disturb him."

Wu Shi endured the pain immensely, his eyes occasionally itching from the sweat trickling down his forehead.

After the DRS area, we enter Turn 15, and finally, we're almost at the end.

"Wu Shi actually improved this time."

The commentator watched the constantly changing timing data below.

The argument in the audience was about to escalate into a fight when security personnel arrived and began to verbally abuse and suppress the international students.

This emboldened local Han supporters, who frequently used offensive language mixed with discriminatory expressions.

Such comments included things like "Go back to the slums" and "filthy, lowly beggars." However, due to the bias of the security personnel, the international students couldn't retaliate; they could only turn their attention to Wu Shi.

Susu!

He crossed the finish line in 1 minute 32.499 seconds.

This achievement is absolutely something to be proud of!

But it wasn't even as good as Hamilton's first flying lap time.

"Wu Shi, you did it! Excellent result! You can come back after the vehicle has cooled down."

Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief; everything was as usual, and Wu Shi had performed to his expected standard.

"Hoo! Hoo!"

Wu Shi pressed TR; the cramp in his leg had just subsided, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I'll contact a medical professional for you," Jonathan said immediately, his keen observation alerting him.

"Hmm, my left leg is twitching a bit."

Wu Shi was not a medical expert and could not describe exactly what was going on.

When Williams, number 59, drove into the pit lane, Hamilton had just finished his warm-up run.

Upon hearing that Wu Shi seemed to be unwell, the entire crew sprang into action.

After the vehicle was lifted and pushed into the pit lane, staff immediately came forward to help remove the neck guard and steering wheel.

"hiss!"

Two technicians lifted Wu Shi out of the car, and Wu Shi felt a sharp pain.

"Left foot?" Jonathan rushed over and asked.

"Yes, I don't know what's going on, but I feel numb right now."

After Wu Shi finished speaking, he was quickly taken away by medical staff.

The basic medical facilities in the enclosure are still there, and a simple check revealed no problems.

Moreover, the numbness disappeared over time.

The doctor advised him to soak in ice water beforehand, so they put him entirely into an ice bucket.

“What is the actual situation?” Claire asked Jonathan.

"Just like the doctor said, there's nothing wrong. He's so young and as strong as an ox; he was just too nervous during the game," Jonathan said.

“He doesn’t seem nervous,” Claire said.

"How many drivers are so nervous that it's obvious to everyone?" Jonathan chuckled.

Some drivers are so emotionally disoriented that they can't sleep before a race, but who knows about it when the race actually starts the next day?

Few people can remain calm when facing a Grand Prix.

Tension is a normal physiological response; the real issue is how to overcome it and transform it into motivation.

"He's not even 17 years old yet, but he's carrying the weight of competing for the world championship. It's normal for him to have all sorts of wild thoughts," Jonathan said.

"Then he should bear these things. If he can't even control and overcome his emotions, no matter how good his skills are, he won't have a chance to compete for the world championship."

Sir Williams' voice could be heard from afar.

Those who have followed Sir Williams for a long time know that he is a leader who is somewhat cold-blooded when it comes to "emotions".

"Hamilton's lap time is out, 1 minute 32.248 seconds, and his previous lap time has not been cancelled."

After Sir Williams finished speaking, he returned to the front to await news from Massa.

"No pole position," Claire said.

Jonathan smiled and asked, "Does everyone think Wu Shi is a sure thing to take pole position?"

Unbeknownst to many, people's expectations of him have indeed been rising.

This is also part of the invisible pressure.

When everyone thinks you can win, but you yourself are not confident, then that's when your resilience is tested.

Only expectations bring pressure.

Jonathan was well aware of this and believed that the two bosses should not be so harsh on a driver who was still a minor and in the process of growing up.

However, since he was a subordinate, he couldn't say anything too harsh.
“We are not competitive enough at every station. People think we are very strong, but that’s because of Wu Shi.”

After saying that, he returned to the command post.

Claire pondered the words for a moment. Had she already started to ignore the issue after just a few stops?

It seems that the series of good results has indeed made everyone dizzy, after all, she herself has become dizzy.

Massa didn't start his second flying lap until the last minute of the race.

Hamilton was still in first place at this point, while Rosberg set the fastest lap with 5 minutes left in the race, at 1 minute 32.361 seconds, just 0.1 seconds behind Hamilton.

Finally, Massa crossed the finish line in 1 minute 33.085 seconds, placing fourth.

This achievement brought joy and applause from everyone. Jonathan saw it all and realized that different expectations led to different attitudes.

For Ferrari, Kimi beat Vettel in qualifying for the first time, finishing fifth.

The seventh place finish went to Kvyat of Red Bull. Excluding the top three teams, Red Bull's competitiveness has improved this race.

Sainz finished eighth, once again establishing a pattern of one major Red Bull and one minor Red Bull.

Ninth place goes to Hulkenberg, who propelled Force India into Q3.

Ricciardo finished tenth, a result that is not satisfactory, as he was a full 0.3 seconds behind his teammate.

In fact, the performance of the two Red Bull players was very strange. They had wins and losses against each other, but the gap between them was always very large.

It seems that one of them is responsible for the divine aspect, and the other for the ghost aspect; they've figured out the duality of the divine and the ghost.

Wu Shi was so engrossed in soaking in ice water that he missed the subsequent press conference where he was ranked among the top three.

In fact, when he was watching the broadcast from the back area and noticed what was happening in the stands, he no longer wanted to go to the press conference.

How could the Union Jack even sabotage its own team? Just because of his nationality?
He looked at the reporter and asked about the controversy surrounding Hamilton's officiating decisions.

The old man was a seasoned veteran of the paddock, and he replied to the reporter, "As a driver, he only needs to perform well in the race; he doesn't care much about anything else."

Such a highly controversial issue cannot indeed be answered definitively.

However, the reporters already knew about this, and their purpose was not related to the tournament's rulings.

"Lewis, after the ruling was announced, we saw a conflict break out between your fans and Wu Shi's fans in the audience."

"We've seen this situation before, with fans from both sides interacting online."
"We believe you will restrain your fans. How do you view this behavior of the other party's fans?"

Wu Shi stopped and immediately became restless. This was a completely leading question!

What does it mean to "view the other person's fans"?
Isn't this clearly blaming their own fans for the problem?

Hamilton's usually bright eyes widened slightly; he naturally sensed the malice in the words.

To be honest, his relationship with Wu Shi is much more complicated now than it was at the beginning of the season.

At that time, Wu Shi was just a junior, but now he is the leader in the standings.

However, he has always maintained a very upright public image and would not slander Wu Shi for no reason.

So he opened his mouth and said:
“These things happened during the game, and I’m frustrated about it.”

"Wu Shi and I were both racing very seriously and were unaware of what was happening outside."

"I just heard that he seems to be feeling a little unwell. I hope he's alright."

The old man spoke with great difficulty, his words coming out one after another, yet his answers were completely nonsensical.

The reporters didn't continue to harass the old man, but instead looked at Rosberg.

It's quite a rare sight to see both Mercedes players defeat Wu Shi in qualifying.

During the press conference for the top three seedings, Verstappen finished his regular interview early and went to visit Williams.

Hey! Are you alright?

This was the first time Pan Zi had seen Wu Shi in pain, and he was quite surprised.

"It's alright, it's gotten much better." Wu Shi shook his head.

"The British are still as annoying as ever."

Panzi walked to the bucket, splashed some ice water on it, and said.

"I did run over the white line."

"But Hamilton also pressed the limit."

"Whether to cancel or not is meaningless." Wu Shi shook his head.

"That's true."

Panzi nodded, and Hamilton flew around in a circle behind him. His speed was terrifying; he was indeed a local.

As soon as the British Grand Prix qualifying session ended, there was a lot of news in the paddock.

The differing rulings against Wu Shi and Hamilton have sparked considerable controversy.

British media outlets have also become divided this time, after all, Williams is, after all, a Union Jack team.

Louise took the time to collect news about the war of words between the two sides and helped Wu Shi refute them one by one online.

Wu Shi originally wanted to tell Louise to stop and let the foreigners fight each other.

But then I realized, wait a minute, Louise was a foreigner too.

He was both amused and exasperated, but simply told Louise not to worry too much about these things and to focus on her studies.

Beyond the rulings, the British media's coverage of fan incidents was overwhelmingly one-sided.

This even had repercussions domestically, sparking a wave of reflection.

　Verstappen is truly amazing! But sometimes low-drag tuning is just that magical; with the driver's skill as a whole, even a second-rate car can be driven to the top.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)