F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 237 You're Still Lacking Something Compared to Lewis

As the race car crossed the finish line, Wu Shi still felt a sense of dreamlike wonder.

When the car slowed down and I no longer needed to have complete control of it, the hazy feeling in my ears was instantly dispelled by Jonathan's congratulations:

"YES! YES! Wu Shi! Congratulations! Congratulations on winning the British Grand Prix! Woohoo! Congratulations!"

Jonathan's cheers were even more enthusiastic than Wu Shi's.

"thanks, thanks."

Wu Shi's lips twitched as he smiled, but he was too weak to do anything about it.

At that moment, a tremendous cheer and applause erupted from the main stands.

A group of people wearing white "59" hats were seen waving small red flags and shouting.

Some of them sat in rows, while others sat scattered in corners, but they all came from the same place.

The cheers caught Wu Shi's attention, and the distinctive little red flags made him realize who was cheering.

So he waved his hand.

The camera on the T-stand played this scene, and the cheers from the crowd became even more intense.

Some were happy while others were sad; many spectators waving Union Jacks looked like they wanted to eat people alive.

However, when a winner is decided on the field, the losing side always seems to lose some momentum.

At that moment, Hamilton's car pulled up and gave Wu Shi a thumbs-up.

Wu Shi responded in kind.

The winner's car stopped at position 1, with its rear tires showing significant wear.

It's hard to imagine how tires could wear down to this extent in the rain.

After parking the vehicle, Wu Shi took a short break to catch his breath before climbing out.

The shouts from the audience hadn't stopped, and people who were originally seated in different places all crowded into this section of the stands.

"Wu Shi! Wu Shi!"

"Champions! We are the champions!"

"Wu Shi! Awesome!"

"Wuhu!"

The enthusiastic cheers and shouts made him feel that all the hard work and adventure were worthwhile.

With the honor bestowed upon him, he recalled the insults he had received online.

He propped himself up, stepped onto the race car, and waved his arms in a 360-degree arc to the entire audience.

He held up his index fingers with both hands, wanting everyone here to know!

Today, he is the champion!

"Ooooooooo!!!"

After performing these actions in front of the entire audience, he rushed to the convoy, where Jonathan had arrived much earlier.

He hugged Jonathan, whose repeated reminders at the end were key to victory!

Of course, he didn't know that Jonathan had also helped him defy a team order once.

After hugging everyone in the convoy, he turned around and saw the photographer who was following him, so he immediately grabbed the camera lens.

"I am the champion! The champion!"

He spoke very seriously to the camera.

Jonathan laughed heartily at Wu Shi's actions, clapping his hands repeatedly.

"This match was extremely difficult, and it was a huge test of Wu Shi's mentality."

"Yes, being able to overtake Hamilton and hold his position in the rain proves that he possesses all the qualities of a WDC!"

"He was so happy! I rarely see him so excited."

"Of course, the fan conflict caused quite a stir before the match, so who wouldn't feel smug after winning?"

The old man came up and patted Wu Shi on the shoulder. The two shook hands and then hugged each other.

The old man, fearing Wu Shi might not hear him, asked loudly:
"You become incredibly fast after it rains? How do you do that? Is your hometown like Kimi's, a snowy and icy place?"

"No, it rarely snows in my hometown, but it rains often."

Hamilton patted Wu Shi on the shoulder and walked down the corridor.

On the other side, Rosberg also came out to greet and hug Wu Shi.

It's that same setup again, with Williams in the middle and Mercedes on either side, like an inverted Heavenly Stem.

When Wu Shi weighed the items, the sun had already risen and was shining directly on him.

Meanwhile, Hamilton and Rosberg were both sitting in the lounge, each with a bottle of water, drinking in silence.

The camera panned over here, and Fei Ge couldn't help but say, "Neither of them looks too happy."

The soldier immediately raised his voice, saying, "How could he possibly be happy! Silverstone! He hasn't even won the championship from pole position yet! How could Hamilton possibly be happy?"

"Rosberg is also unhappy, as his teammates have pulled closer to him in points again."

"After this race, Wu Shi's chances of winning the championship are too secure," the soldier said.

"."

Upon arriving at the lounge, Wu Shi placed his helmet on the table and wiped his sweat with a towel.

"Oh, your mouth."

Claire saw it and asked about it.

Wu Shi touched it and said, "It's okay, it was accidentally bitten open."

"You've worked hard!" Claire patted Wu Shi on the shoulder.

The host's voice could be heard outside, and Rosberg and Hamilton went out one after the other.

"Let's go, and embrace your glory." Claire patted Wu Shi on the shoulder.

"Ah."

Phew, Wu Shi walked towards the podium outside.

When he stood in the highest position, the national anthem was immediately played.

He looked back.

I never imagined that the British Empire would raise its flag so early.

The grassy area outside the track was packed with racing fans, most of whom were international students from England.

They brought their own red flags and waved them from the rear.

Wu Shi waved to them, and a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted.

After the national anthem was played, Prince Michael of Kent came to present the award.

The golden trophy gleamed in the newly risen sun.

After the awards ceremony, Wu Shi picked up the trophy and began to banter with the Mercedes-Benz duo.

Finally, I took a full sip.

The interviewer on the podium was a familiar face; he smiled and began:

"Wu Shi, congratulations on winning another championship. This is something that has surprised everyone."

“We experienced a lot of chaos in this race, and we also saw your amazing speed in the rain, which was the key to your victory. Can you tell us how you did these miracles?”

Wu Shi, holding the microphone, hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"Today was indeed a very unexpected day. From the beginning, we just wanted to defend our position on the podium."

"But the two Mercedes drivers' starting mistakes unexpectedly put us in the front row."

Wu Shi looked at the interviewer, who nodded to signal him to continue.

"Of course, we also made some decision-making mistakes when we were in the front row, which caused us to lose our position after entering the station."

"At the time, I kept comforting myself, saying that it's normal to be overtaken by tactics sometimes, and that I should just try to catch up."

"In fact, at the very beginning, I had no hope of returning to the lead."

"But Lewis' lap times on hard tires dropped very quickly in the later stages. I don't know what happened, but I kept getting closer to him."

"At that time, I already knew it would rain, so I was thinking that I had to complete the breakthrough before the rain started."

"Because once Lewis goes into the pits to change tires, his speed will return, and our battle will become difficult."

"And that was indeed the case. I had a significant advantage with the new two-lap hard tires, but it became very difficult to overtake after switching to the semi-wet tires."

"Fortunately, I made it in the end."

Wu Shi smiled and indicated that he had finished speaking.

As for how they did it, that's something that can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words.

"Your driving in the rain impressed us greatly. Your courageous lines and decisive cornering were amazing. Congratulations!"

"Thank you."

The interviewer looked at Hamilton and asked without hesitation:

"Lewis, it's a real shame you didn't win the Grand Prix in your hometown."

"You made some mistakes at the start, and you also had problems with tire management later in the race. What caused this?"

Hamilton took the microphone, rubbed his nose, and looked at the interviewer, saying:
"There was a problem with the clutch at the start, and both Nico and I started very slowly, allowing two Williams cars to overtake us."

"At that time, I was very close to Massa, and I wanted to overtake him. I was sure I could do it."

"It's just that Massa has always had Wu Shi's DRS, which makes it difficult to surpass him, and he can only keep maintaining his original position."

"We managed to overtake using tactics, but it came at a cost: we overused the tires and barely managed to keep going in the end."

"As for why I was overtaken after switching to semi-wet tires, I don't understand either."

Hamilton shrugged, saying with a hint of helplessness.

"That's definitely a secret," the interviewer said, smiling at Wu Shi.

Wu Shi, however, did not notice this and was instead greeting the fans behind him.

Finally, the interviewer interviewed Rosberg.

Rosberg's performance was average; being able to surpass Massa and return to third place is already a fairly satisfactory result.

After the interview, Wu Shi, exhausted, carried the trophy back to the P room with Claire.

The crew has started packing up, preparing to transport the equipment back to headquarters.

But to his surprise, Sir Williams was still waiting there. He looked at Wu Shi and waved his hand twice, indicating that he wanted to say something to Wu Shi.

"Your defense is very strong and decisive. On the track, you have to put aside all distractions."

"The tournament will not handle the matter of you squeezing out Lewis. This is the best outcome of our negotiations."

Sir Williams said.

Wu Shi nodded and said:

"Yes, I appreciate the team for doing all this behind the scenes. Every victory is the result of everyone's hard work."

“Hmm.” Williams wheeled himself forward and came to stand in front of him.

Wu Shi squatted down.

“What a fine young man!” Sir Williams said, looking him over.

"Ten games left."

After saying this, the gentleman patted Wu Shi's hand with difficulty and then left. Claire gave Wu Shi a thumbs up and left with her father.

Wu Shi looked at the two of them, seemingly lost in thought.

Just then, a voice came from behind:
"Congratulations! You've seen the light at the end of the tunnel for becoming a world champion."

Verstappen was quite emotional; his voice was somewhat hoarse, and he had many thoughts on his mind.

Before Wu Shi Williams, no one expected the 2015 F1 series to develop in this direction.

His old friend is about to achieve great success and become a legend. Verstappen is filled with emotion and also wonders when he can reach that level.

"The season is only halfway through, who can say for sure what will happen next?"

Wu Shi thought back on the past half season, which had been nothing short of a dream.

Even with Williams' involvement, the vehicle's tuning has become more advantageous.

But he was able to compete against Mercedes because he was incredibly lucky.

He won the championships unexpectedly in both the Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen pouted and said:
"Today's mistakes ruined my game. I always feel strange, why can you squeeze so much performance out of me, but I can't?"

Oh, so you weren't here to congratulate me, you were here to seek comfort.

But what is our relationship? Wu Shi said decisively:

"Then practice more."

In reality, every driver has a growth curve, and those who are fully competitive in F1 are definitely not too young.

For example, Pan Zi came to the paddock before he was 18 years old. Although he made mistakes all the time, he was much better than many drivers who never made any mistakes and were just slow and steady.

The pressure in the F1 paddock is immense; most people are physically and mentally exhausted even when dealing with ordinary jobs and small business owners.

Not to mention the sense of oppression that comes with working non-stop and bearing the gaze of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people.

Wu Shi was able to adapt quickly because of his prior experience, while Verstappen...
Oh, I forgot, his dad is already putting a lot of pressure on him; this guy is a stress-resistant monster.

However, Pan Zizhao clearly still had negative emotions when he came over today.

Even after a friend has made a fuss about you, they will still offer sincere comfort.

"You're young, so you'll also want to prove yourself, which is the same for us."

"But that's how competitions are; the more anxious you are, the less you can run well."

"But we shouldn't be conservative either. We should run as boldly as possible. How can we know where the limit is if we don't run boldly?"

Drivers who have just been promoted from lower-level formula racing to F1 will go through an adaptation period.

The downforce of lower-level formulas is nothing compared to that of F1.

Therefore, there are counterintuitive requirements when driving F1 – sometimes you need to be as fast as possible in corners.

Current aerodynamic cars are already like this; when the ground effect era arrives, cornering speeds will be even more terrifying, and drivers will need to readjust.

Faced with this counterintuitive operating logic, drivers need to overcome many obstacles to make it coherent.

After all, before pushing to the limit, you don't know whether going any faster will result in insufficient downforce and slippage, or gripping the ground and smoothly cornering.

Verstappen has performed exceptionally well in this regard.

He nodded, understanding what Wu Shi meant.

He never restrained himself; he was incredibly daring in racing.

He didn't think Wu Shi was being superior in any way; on the contrary, he felt that Wu Shi was saying this because he still considered him a driver of the same level.

Pan Zi is very competitive; he won't admit defeat easily and has his own logic for judgment.

He now faces two major problems: his familiarity with the track is not high enough, and his understanding of the vehicle's limits is not thorough enough.

If these two issues are resolved, given Toro Rosso's current situation, they could easily gain a dozen or even dozens more points, if not the same as Williams.

“That makes sense, you should practice more. You must be using a simulator every day outside of matches,” Verstappen retorted.

Seeing Pan Zi's serious expression, Wu Shi coughed.

"But I'm still very curious, how did you manage to surpass Lewis in the end?"

“I’ve looked at your tires, and they’re worn more than Hamilton’s, which is strange for semi-wet tires that are used on wet surfaces.”

Wu Shi rubbed his chin and said, "Do you remember that time we drove our RV in the rain?"

“Of course I remember,” Vestager nodded.

“Slightly exceeding the loss of control threshold will cause the vehicle to accelerate faster because there is no delay in between, but it will wear out the tires more,” Wu Shi said.

"."

Verstappen remained silent, staring at Wu Shi for a long time before finally saying, "Slightly...above the...point of loss of control?"

Is it really possible for a human to put all these words together?
"That's my understanding," Wu Shi shrugged.

"I'll try."

"Also, if you can always find the best grip, you will naturally consume more energy than your opponent."

"Of course, it will be faster too."

Wu Shi presented a more practical perspective.

Verstappen nodded seriously again. His driving skills were still developing, and his understanding of the track had not yet reached the terrifying level he would later achieve.

The two continued to exchange their thoughts on the track, and the guy who had just finished his interview turned around and congratulated them.

Wu Shi congratulated Brother Tou.

Alonso has had a really tough year, only managing to get one point midway through the season.

For a world champion, this is simply unbelievable.
Before this race, apart from Mano and the other driver, Alonso was the only one in the paddock with zero points.

Everyone knows Mano's situation; she's already an F2 driver in the F1 circuit, and just finishing the race would be a huge success.

Therefore, it can be said that only Brother Tou has not yet received any points.

Despite his already successful career, this situation still made Alonso grimac and shake his head.

After chatting for a while, the group returned to their respective P-rooms.

Soon after, Massa returned.

He looked dejected, congratulated Wu Shi on winning the championship, and then left without saying anything more.

Wu Shi felt somewhat confused; it seemed that Massa didn't really want to talk to him.

Jonathan then called Wu Shi into a private room and told him what had happened during the match.

After hearing Jonathan's account, Wu Shi was completely unaware that such a thing had happened midway through the match.

"Thank you!" he said sincerely.

If the strategy group were to issue direct orders to the convoy, it would put him in a rather unfavorable position.

Clearly, Claire hesitated at the time; if Jonathan hadn't intervened, she would most likely have followed the strategy team's advice.

Ultimately, protecting Massa's position is crucial for Williams' team points, which is of paramount importance.

“Compared to Lewis, you’re missing something right now. Do you know what it is?” Jonathan asked.

Wu Shi was taken aback and shook his head.

"It was a decision, a proactive decision, to pit and change to partial rain tires. It was Hamilton's own decision," Jonathan said.

Wu Shi remained silent. What was he thinking at that moment?

He was trying his best to control the vehicle, thinking he could overtake the old man before it started raining and then get him out of the way.

But what if he really did surpass them ahead of time and leave them behind?

So, in the crucial laps 43 and 44, will he make a pit stop on his own initiative?
The answer is most likely no; he didn't actively assess the difference between the semi-wet tires and the dry tires on the field at that time.

More importantly, he would be very worried about the rain, believing that the team would have better control over the situation.

So, at that time, he will be caught off guard by Hamilton's tactics, just like Rosberg.

"call."

Wu Shi took a deep breath, realizing that Jonathan's advance preparation and timely instructions were crucial to winning the game.

“I know you were exhausted. If the car hadn’t been moving during the last few laps, I would have thought you had fallen asleep,” Jonathan continued.

"."

“But sometimes, you need to give me enough information. The strategy team usually considers the entire team and is supported by their data. I need you to give me more information.”

Jonathan emphasized this point again.

Today, the team's strategy team's decision made him realize that Claire's earlier statement about protecting Wu Shi's championship was not an absolute goal that the team was absolutely committed to.

This worried him greatly, so he needed to talk to Wu Shi about some things privately.

"If you want to win the championship, you can only rely on yourself. You have to fight for everything you can, so that others will know what you want."

Jonathan cupped Wu Shi's youthful face in his hands and said earnestly.

"I...I understand, thank you."

Wu Shi looked into Jonathan's pupils and saw only seriousness in them.

"No need to thank me. If I can train a world champion, I think I will also become a highly sought-after engineer in the paddock."

Jonathan's face relaxed, he laughed heartily, and patted Wu Shi a few times, saying:

"Pack yourself up and go get some rest. Look at the bloodshot eyes, your pale lips, and this wound."

"Only you know about your efforts and struggles; others will only see your honors. So sometimes, remember that preserving your honor should be your top priority."

After saying that, Jonathan left the room.

Wu Shi stared at the open door, remaining silent for a long time.

If Williams does win the WDC, then Jonathan's contribution will undoubtedly be the greatest.

At that moment, he remembered what Sir Williams had just told him.

The team is helping him, but not always.

He felt lucky to have met such a great track engineer as soon as he joined the paddock.

It's important to know that not all track engineers communicate with drivers this much.

Especially for young drivers, sometimes it is necessary to take the initiative to build a good relationship with track engineers in order to get their full support.

Even worse, some track engineers after Ferrari talk a lot of nonsense during the race, and then leave work on time after the race, leaving them with a lot of complaints.

After showering, Wu Shi soaked in the ice pool, resting his head on the edge of the tub. As soon as he closed his eyes, he felt his head getting heavy and he almost fell asleep.

decision?

You are your own best support.
Jonathan should have understood what he was saying, but the atmosphere within the team made him forget about his time at the circus.

It now appears that there are still problems within Williams' team.

This is obvious.

When any team is unable to compete for the championship, no matter how big the problem is, it will be glossed over and ignored.

So the general impression is that there don't seem to be any major problems within the small team.

But once the team is out of contention for the championship, then everything becomes a problem.

If Williams' decision-making team's strategy today wasn't about winning the championship, then everyone would understand; it's about maintaining team cohesion.

But when it comes to competing for the championship, this is just a gimmick!
With ten games remaining, the gap between him and Hamilton and Rosberg is far from enough.

Hungary, Belgium, Japan, Brazil, and Abu Dhabi.

Can this white vehicle carry the weight of WDC?

(End of this chapter)