F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 236 Crossing the Finish Line!

Hamilton's perception of the road surface was already extremely sensitive, but no matter how sensitive it was, it was still not as good as Wu Shi's.

While he was discussing this issue with the team, Wu Shi had already used his earlier perception of changes in the road surface to quickly close the distance with him.

The difference in seconds between the two players narrowed further.

As the rain subsided, the road surface, which was not completely soaked to begin with, dried up immediately due to the speed of the race cars.

The drivers who switched to semi-rain tires had to look for rain, making driving very uncomfortable.

Among the front row riders, Kimi was a full 5.8 seconds slower than Pedro on lap 40!
The previous predictions have clearly come true; if there isn't enough rain, Kimi's match will be ruined.

Kimi is now completely afraid to increase the speed, otherwise the tires will overheat rapidly.

The only thing that could save him was the possibility of a heavy rain.

On lap 42, Perez passed Kimi, and the overheated semi-wet tires were no match for the dry tires on such dry ground.

On lap 43, the rain that had been predicted to fall finally began to appear, and raindrops started to fall again on the lens.

At this moment, Wu Shi had already entered Hamilton's 1-second range.

Clearly, the old man's older tires were entering the wear and tear phase, especially considering how aggressively he pushed with those tires during his first few laps!
Wu Shi activated DRS, and he floored the accelerator in both DRS cycles.

By relying on higher top speed, the difference of 0.3 seconds was directly reduced. With the addition of 0.1 seconds in the corner, the difference between the two was reduced to 0.5 seconds after just one lap.

“Lewis, you need to speed up. Wu Shi is very close to you, and the rain hasn’t started yet,” Bono told Hamilton.

“Wu Shi, you are 0.511 seconds behind Lewis, and you need one more lap. You can launch an attack,” Jonathan said.

The two TR segments illustrate the different situations the two individuals were in.

"Would two new hard tires really make it this much stronger?" the soldier wondered.

"The road is even wetter, and Hamilton's speed isn't ideal on the slippery surface today," Fei said.

However, after turning 15, Hamilton moved to the center line.

Wu Shi thought the old man was going to defend, but then he heard Jonathan's urgent voice coming from the TR:
"BOX, BOX, BOX!"

Without any explanation, he shouted continuously, as if afraid Wu Shi wouldn't hear him.

Indeed, that's true; the distance from Turn 15 to the entrance of the maintenance area is only a fleeting moment.

Fortunately, Wu Shi reacted quickly, without thinking about why, and stopped in time.

laugh!
The tires locked up, kicking up white smoke, and Hamilton plunged headfirst into the pit lane.

Wu Shi followed closely behind.

It's difficult for Williams to make independent decisions, but it's easy for him to follow the crowd.

Now that Hamilton has made it in, they must go in regardless of whether it's raining heavily now!
With both players entering the pits, Rosberg moved up to first place, and Massa moved up to second.

Mercedes' P room is in the third position, and Williams's is further back.

Hamilton was in position, and the tire changer quickly changed the tire in 2.6 seconds.

On the other side, the Williams tire changers were already prepared. The crew's instructions to them were simply to do whatever Mercedes was doing.

The four and a half sets of rain tires had just been removed from the warming blankets; they were clearly in a greater hurry than the Mercedes team.

Click!

The tires were changed, the vehicle was brought to the ground, and a Hamilton drove past.

Buzz!

Wu Shi immediately stepped on the gas and followed. As he drove off, he saw the Ferrari tire changer also running out with a tire in his arms.

He knew that changing tires on this lap was the unanimous choice of the major teams.

However, he didn't see Rosberg in his rearview mirror, so it seems he's not planning to enter the station for the time being.

He refocused his attention; the exit of the maintenance area was at Turn 2, and beyond that was the first DRS inspection point.

The tournament organizers didn't say DRS was disabled, so it's allowed.

He planned to use this section of DRS to close the gap after Turn 5, and also to get a feel for the condition of the semi-wet tires and the road surface.

Offense is risky; a slight misstep can easily lead to one's own demise.

As they entered the track, the race car accelerated.

Jonathan's voice immediately rang out:

"Wu Shi, your current difference in seconds with Hamilton is 0.59 seconds. DRS is still available, and you will receive DRS."

"Rosberg and Massa are still not in the pits, and they are 25.6 seconds and 10.5 seconds ahead of you, respectively."

Two important pieces of information were given, and the rain immediately intensified.

The broadcast camera immediately focused on Rosberg, who was in the lead, his camera on the T-shaped platform covered in constantly sliding rainwater.

His car wobbled violently around several corners, appearing to be struggling.

But he held a 25-second lead with nine laps remaining in the race.

The camera returns to the main straight, where Hamilton quickly turns into it, followed closely by Wu Shi, who rapidly approaches Hamilton after activating DRS.

"Is it coming? Wu Shi is about to try to surpass Hamilton! Both of them are brand new rain tires!"

Approaching Turn 6, Hamilton became slightly cautious, taking a wider corner to gain grip.

Wu Shi, however, acted like a stubborn young man, forcefully penetrating the inside like a dry, open shot.

As expected, the white smoke from the lock prevented him from overtaking.

'Closer.'

Wu Shi had his own plans. The track in the north had not yet been fully saturated, and its grip was unmatched by the track in the south.

Although wet tires don't grip as well as dry tires, everything I did just now was within my calculations.

He wanted to overtake Hamilton as soon as possible, otherwise the rain would get heavier and the spray would be devastating for the cars behind him!
Jonathan's voice kept ringing in the headphones: "0.47 seconds."

On the next hairpin bend, No. 7, Hamilton again took an even larger arc.

This time, Wu Shi didn't continue to go inside, but instead followed behind the old man.

As he exited Turn 7, he accelerated even earlier, causing the rear wheels to vibrate.

'0.4 seconds'

He silently chanted to himself, while the Mercedes-Benz in front of him began to accelerate.

A mist of water, two or three meters high, rose up, easily obscuring Wu Shi's vision.

But he knew Silverstone circuit by heart, and with the flashing red taillights ahead, he knew how to handle the full-throttle corner number 8.

Swish!

Rain splashed as Wu Shi held fast to Hamilton's wake, taking advantage of the extremely long straight to take the lead in top speed right in the middle.

Then he suddenly turned his head towards the inside, but Hamilton didn't even bother to defend.

When Wu Shi realized his scam had failed, he didn't change lanes to go back; instead, he locked the accelerator.

The braking zone was reached when the front wing of the vehicle came to the old man's side box.

The clear sense of ground grip prevented Wu Shi from acting rashly, so he had to brake before the old man.

Buzz!

The old man made a wider turn, gaining better speed and rendering Wu Shi's advantage of turning the tables meaningless.

"So close! So close!" the commentator sighed in regret.

After Turn 9, Wu Shi did not return to Hamilton's backline to catch the slipstream; instead, he occupied the inside lane and sprinted at full throttle.

Both cars reached their speed limits, with the Mercedes' top speed slightly higher than the Williams'.

Clearly, Mercedes has better aerodynamic balance.

On this straight, Hamilton pulled ahead slightly, a performance victory.

But everyone knows that the real struggle has only just begun.

After turn 10 is the second DRS detection point, and Wu Shi will naturally receive a DRS.

So, after the 10-14 combination bends, will Wu Shi use DRS to overtake directly on the straight?
Everyone became excited.

In the next combination of corners, the rain intensified, and the mist kicked up by the two drivers almost completely obscured the track.

"This is extremely dangerous!"

"Will Wu Shi be able to see the track clearly from behind?"

Some people were worried about the driver, but the driver had already put those worries aside.

Racing is a game for the brave!

When they exited Turn 13, Wu Shi and Hamilton took completely different exit routes.

Hamilton leans more towards the outer edge, while Wu Shi leans more towards the inner edge.

Once you exit turn 13, the impact of turn 14 (the fake turn) will be minimal.

Hamilton pushed the car directly to the center line, determined to obscure Wu Shi's entire vision no matter what.

Wu Shi's goggles were covered in a hazy gray, and even though the wind kept blowing away the rain, he still only had a blurry field of vision.

The flashing red light in the former changed direction slightly.

Wu Shi knew that he had passed bend number 14.

DRS was activated immediately, and he followed the old man's driving path as if he didn't care about his life.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Silently sensing the condition of the front wing and tires.

Suddenly, Wu Shi had an idea.

Swish!
The vehicle moved to the right, and the increased top speed allowed him to immediately complete the turn.

Buzz! ! !

Both Mercedes engines were roaring at full power, ready to fight to the death on this straight line!

Because of the early enough tap and the lower resistance, Wu Shi completed the parallel run in the middle section.

"It should be over by now!"

"No, it also depends on the entry into the corner! Massa was overtaken by Rosberg because he was incredibly slow in the corners."

Once the vehicles were no longer submerged in the rain and fog, visibility instantly became clearer.

The engine roared with all its might, and the battery delivered full power.

Finally, at three-quarters of the way down the straight, Wu Shi's rear wheel and Hamilton's front wheel were side by side.

Almost the instant he sensed the change in airflow around the rear wheel, Wu Shi squeezed to the left.

The movement was so swift that Hamilton had no time to react.

Heh!

The front and rear wheels rubbed together, making a screeching rubber sound.

Hamilton's heart skipped a beat, but he managed to suppress the instinctive urge to swerve to the left!

His mind was far more composed than outsiders expected, and he was never afraid of threats when it came to deciding the outcome!
Chi Chi!

After the tire spun around a few times, the green markings on the sidewall disappeared completely.

Before turn 15, Wu Shi applied heavy braking to ensure he entered the inside line.

Hamilton remained on the center line, allowing him to brake later.

The two cars were level for a moment at the bend, but then Wu Shi's car went right into the curve.

boom!
As soon as APEX passed, Wu Shi floored the accelerator.

The slightly excessive torque on the rear wheel instantly caused the rear to slide to the left.

At this moment, Hamilton was decelerating, and the sidecar was level with its rear wheel.

The moment he heard the engine roar, Hamilton's extensive experience told him that the guy was definitely going to skid and lose control!

So he didn't hesitate to veer slightly outward, thinking he shouldn't get bumped by the kid.

However, the impact was minimal; although the slight shaking of the vehicle affected Wu Shi's exit speed from the corner, he managed to keep it under control.

Hamilton's rhythm was affected by his tendency to move outwards.

boom!
This time, the accelerator roared even louder.

Wu Shi, who came in from the inside, had already passed the slowest point and could now accelerate at will.

Hamilton, however, was unable to achieve Wu Shi's exit speed due to his faster cornering speed.

Swish! ! !

The sound of rain accompanied the sound of wind breaking, and Wu Shi surpassed Hamilton.

"It's overtaken! It's passed!"

"Beautiful! Brilliant transition between slow and fast!"

"it is good!"

"Yes!" The commentators and the crowd in Williams' pit room cheered.

But only Wu Shi knew that this was not the end.

He just used some techniques to overtake, but in reality, with DRS enabled, their lap times were almost identical!
At this point, all the drivers opted to switch to semi-wet tires.

Rosberg has fallen to third place again.

Massa fared even worse; the extra lap he ran on dry tires cost him time to assess the situation, causing him to fall behind Vettel, who had switched to wet tires a lap earlier.

On lap 45, only 13 drivers remained on the track.

Once everyone had switched to semi-weather tires, the positions were practically set.

At this point, only the competition for one or two spots still attracted everyone's attention.

"Wu Shi couldn't create a second difference; the battle will continue!"

After the two race cars passed Turn 15, on the short straight, the Mercedes' stronger traction brought the old man closer to Wu Shi.

However, it was Wu Shi's turn to annoy the old man. He rode on the middle line, spraying a large amount of water mist all over the entire track.

The old man couldn't keep up with Wu Shi at the center line, so he had to choose the left sideline to ensure his own vision.

However, when he reached Turn 16, the old man had to change lanes to the center line in order to better handle the 16-17 combination turn.

Whoosh!

The two cars, like fairies dancing in the rain, were surrounded by water vapor and their tails were shrouded in mist, gracefully navigating the two curves without any swaying.

The last corner is very difficult in the rain. The car has to cross the entire track, which will cause water accumulation. If the throttle is not controlled carefully, the car will lose control.

Rosberg has already learned his lesson here.

But in the misty broadcast footage, the first two cars passed by very easily, drifting past effortlessly.

"beautiful!"

"Wu Shi's ability to fight in the rain is also quite formidable!"

"Didn't we already know this back in F3?"

The commentators applauded and praised the artful linework.

However, the straight section leading up to the start of the race became another battleground for vehicles.

Wu Shi could clearly sense that Hamilton had not been left behind.

The title of "Seven-Time Champion" at his peak was no joke.

He had been following the old man the whole time, so he knew that in those three or four laps, this formidable opponent had figured out the track and his driving had become almost flawless.

The old man only got close to Wu Shi on the short straight, but the following car was at a natural disadvantage on the next five turns.

Therefore, the gap between the two widened slightly.

However, as soon as he came through Turn 5, Hamilton immediately activated DRS and accelerated wildly to catch up with Wu Shi, who was in the lead.

Wu Shi took a deep breath and placed a side line in front of the braking zone, blocking the old man's path and letting the rain and fog affect the old man's judgment when entering the curve.

He chose a route with optimal grip based on his previous experience, the heavily swept road surface, and the tire's grip.

In rainy weather, better grip means faster speed.

Swish!

On the curves, turning left and right immediately created a considerable distance.

"Are Wu Shi and Masa driving the same car? How come I can't feel any slippage?" the soldier asked with a puzzled smile.

"He has a very deep understanding of the track, and I don't know how he judges which line is better." Fei Ge also couldn't understand Wu Shi's driving style.

In fact, the difference in the racing lines of drivers can be very large on rainy days.

On the track, even though Hamilton knew his hometown track by heart, the lack of visual assistance inevitably affected his speed in the corners.

Fortunately, the speed was slow in the bend, and the rain and mist were not kicked up too high.

As soon as he passed Turn 7, Wu Shi couldn't wait to accelerate, knowing that Mercedes would go even faster.

This judgment is correct. The old man is chasing very closely, and even without DRS and wake, his speed will not be slow.

Without DRS, he couldn't establish an advantage on the relatively short straights, but he could recover the speed lost in the corners.

The two remained closely linked and raced all the way to Turn 14.

"Hamilton is 0.26 seconds away from you, and he will launch an attack using DRS."

Jonathan's voice rang out.

Wu Shi had no energy to respond to Jonathan, and in order to maintain his advantage, he used up almost all the grip on his rear wheels after each corner.

His exceptional throttle control with his right foot and perfect prediction of torque transmission are what allow him to perform at his best every time he exits a corner.

He could clearly sense that all the vehicle's components were working together seamlessly.

At this intensity, his mind was only focused on the car and the road, leaving no room to consider anything else.

Swish!
On the second straight of the DRS, Hamilton indeed launched an attack.

With DRS activated, the Mercedes, like a cheetah, possessed such powerful acceleration that it was visibly closing in on Williams.

Two enormous trails of rain and mist stretched out, like two silver dragons, one with a silver head and the other with a white head.

At this moment, the silver dragon, with its higher tail speed, quickly pulled to the left side of the white dragon.

'Outside'

Wu Shi sensed the momentum from the left and understood Hamilton's thoughts.

He estimated the distance and kept pushing the car to the left.

Hamilton realized he had left room for maneuver when he changed lanes, so he immediately veered to the right, completely filling the space between the two.

And so, the two cars drove almost side by side into Turn 15.

Wu Shi prefers to play inside, so he would have to stop earlier, but he didn't want to, otherwise he would be overtaken by the old man.

After being overtaken, the old man will inevitably use his lead in the car to squeeze him out. Even if he doesn't give way, he will be pulled further ahead on the next straight.

Finally, it reached the point where it was completely impossible to enter the bend.

Heh!

Wu Shi stepped on the brakes.

The braking was extremely hard, almost locking the rear wheels and making it impossible for the front wheels to steer.

Hamilton had no choice but to follow Wu Shi into the buffer zone.

call!
Wu Shi let out a heavy sigh, drove over the buffer zone and shoulder, and returned to the track.

Hamilton, on the other hand, experienced a slight slip, and the difference in grip prevented him from finding the optimal grip.

“Wu Shi, please don’t do this. The tournament organizers will investigate your actions,” Jonathan’s voice rang out.

"Copy".

Wu Shi certainly knew that his inability to brake at Turn 15 was not much different from that of a torpedo.

Because he couldn't stop, even if he was in the lead in the braking zone, the race organizers would consider it as him deliberately pushing his opponent off the track.

Of course, this whole situation is going to drag on for a while, and the team's sporting director has already left the control wall to communicate with the race director.

The broadcast screen displayed the words (59) and (44) that number 15 would be investigated for running off the track.

"That's strange," the soldier suddenly said.

"what happened?"

"Didn't Hamilton say anything? Usually in this kind of situation, wouldn't he complain a little?" the soldier wondered.

“Hmph, Hamilton might be thinking about something else,” Fei replied.

"What are you thinking about? Are you wondering why you lost first place again? Hahaha." The soldier laughed.

"Wu Shi's current situation is not good, and it looks like it will be difficult for him to last until the end of the match."

Fei Ge said that if Wu Shi hadn't pushed Hamilton off the track at Turn 15, then Hamilton would have already overtaken him.

If Wu Shi wants to surpass it again, it will probably become even more difficult.

Most importantly, the race has reached lap 46, and with this lap, there are only seven laps left.

"The rain has lessened, but the track is expected to remain wet until the end," Jonathan told Wu Shi.

Wu Shi did not reply; he had already noticed that the water droplets dripping from his goggles were decreasing.

The rain has lessened, which means visibility will improve.

Wu Shi glanced at his battery level. If he continued at this high level, he would probably be overtaken by Mercedes on the straightaway soon.

Should we let Hamilton go now?
Then, using DRS, maintain the distance from the old man and save the battery for last.
Do not!
The reason why it is difficult for a car behind to overtake the car in front is because the impact of polluted air will continue to intensify.

We absolutely cannot give up our leading position!

In the following turns 1-5, Wu Shi used every trick in the book to widen the gap.

Then these gaps were immediately reversed in the DRS area.

By lap 47, Wu Shi felt the tires were severely worn and even regretted not having followed the strategy he had devised earlier.

However, at this moment Hamilton suddenly said in TR:
"How are my tires? I feel like I'm losing a lot of grip on the rear wheels."

After a while, Bono said, "Everything is normal. Your rear wheel is in good condition. We haven't found any problems."

After saying that, the driver's voice disappeared again in TR.

But as he drove, Hamilton did discover a problem.

Wu Shi's tires were visibly spinning as he exited the corner, yet he was still able to maintain a good exit speed.

But when he stepped on the gas, the rear wheels started to slip, which terrified him.

After 48 laps, he realized why: Wu Shi was simply inhuman!

How did he manage to utilize the grip perfectly without slipping?!

Hamilton was unable to capitalize on his advantage in the corners.

He realized the situation he faced when he was playing against Massa at the start of the race; he simply couldn't overtake him effectively!

After 49 laps, the rain had completely stopped, and the road surface was starting to dry.

The drivers need to start looking for water.

Wu Shi blinked, his brain was so exhausted that he felt dizzy and nauseous.

"Which lap?"

"50, 50, 3 more laps to finish the race."

'3 laps?'

Wu Shi tried to exert force with both hands, but found them numb. The only way to perk himself up was to keep biting his lips.

The pain suddenly jolted me awake, and a metallic, salty taste spread across my tongue.

Swish!
Lap 51.

FIA: WUS (59) and HAM (44) will not be investigated.

"Hey! Wu Shi, it's the penultimate lap! Lewis couldn't overtake on the starting straight, his tires are in bad shape."

Jonathan shouted in TR.

"."

Wu Shi still did not respond; he numbly turned the steering wheel.

In the rearview mirror, Hamilton still hadn't given up, but the difference had widened to 0.3 seconds.

It has become difficult to maintain a safe following distance with semi-wet tires in semi-dry conditions.

The dirty airflow was severely damaging the old man's tires.

Lap 52, the last lap.

The track was half dry and half wet, and the route began to change more as they needed to find water.

Turn 1, Turn 2
"It seems."

Just as the soldier was about to speak, he turned his head away, as if someone off-camera needed to speak to him.

When he finished listening and turned back, he had already forgotten what he wanted to say. He just saw that the broadcast screen had changed to Alonso.

"The director understands too; Alonso is about to earn his first point!" the soldier said.

"Yes, this season has been really tough for McClaren."

As the two talked, the final lap, which lasted a little over a minute, came to an end.

The helicopter camera focused on Wu Shi, who was in the lead car, with Hamilton sitting six car lengths behind him.

Finally, after turning 18, I stepped on the far left shoulder and a little water stain next to it, while the checkered flag ahead kept waving.

Cross the finish line!

(End of this chapter)