F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 255 There is good news

When the awards were presented, Italia fans, who have a very high TIFOSI (Tifosi) level of support, cheered with joy.

This is one of the few places where so many fans remain on the track to celebrate the winner after the race has ended.

Most of the people here are wearing Ferrari team jerseys.

The fans of Tiefo Temple are probably the least picky group.

They have a very high tolerance for teams and drivers.

For example, they now consider it perfectly normal that the newly added quadruple champions failed to defeat Hamilton and Wu Shi.

After all, Mercedes' engine is incredibly powerful, as demonstrated at the beginning of this season.

Wu Shi is leading the points standings.

The Iron Buddha Temple players' self-PUA skills are MAX, so it's already something to celebrate that Vettel was able to stand on the podium today.

Ferrari, win!
Of course, a large number of fans of Tiefo Temple or Itali also cheered enthusiastically when Wu Shi took the stage to present the award.

Even when Wu Shi stood on the podium, you could see many people below holding up photos of him as a child sitting in a go-kart.

He greeted these people warmly, but most importantly, he greeted Louise, who was standing next to the convoy members.

After opening the champagne, Wu Shi deliberately sprayed it repeatedly towards the motorcade below the stage.

Of course, he only managed to spray twice before Hamilton ambushed him.

So he sprayed it back at them.

After the award ceremony and interviews, Wu Shi was walking back with the trophy in his hand when he met Louise, who had come to greet him.

The young girl wasn't bothered by the champagne and sweat on him; she went up and gave him a big hug.

"You did a fantastic job!"

"haha, thank you!"

The two walked together toward the P room.

As soon as Wu Shi returned to the pit room, he saw Jonathan walking over:

"There's good news."

"Have we made any breakthroughs in our research and development?" Wu Shi joked.

"Do not."

Jonathan shook his head, a smile on his face:
"Just now, the referees were investigating Mercedes."

"Oh?" Wu Shi exclaimed in surprise.

"When they started, their tire pressure was set a little low; Hamilton's was 0.02 bar too low, and Rosberg's was 0.08 bar too low."

"Oh, will this cancel my grades?"

Wu Shi was very concerned about this matter. Although he had just celebrated with Hamilton, it did not stop him from hoping that Hamilton's results would be cancelled.

The competition for the world championship title has always been like this.

"Mercedes is currently communicating with the referee, and the result may take some time," Jonathan said.

Just as Wu Shi was about to ask whether Westbrook would put pressure on them, Jonathan seemed to see through his thoughts and immediately said:
"No, we will not make any comments this time. Don't forget, our engines are supplied by Mercedes."

"Ok."

Wu Shi could understand that if it was said that he and Hamilton had collided, then Williams would definitely have to argue for the driver.

Williams wouldn't accuse Mercedes of kicking someone when they're down, given that it's just some of their own rule violations.

"Second place is what we expected, so don't worry too much, the competition is still long," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, the competition is still long. It would be great if it ended now."

Wu Shi smiled bitterly.

Meanwhile, Rosberg was being interviewed.

“Nico, we’ve seen that you seem to have had some issues with your performance over the weekend.”

"You mentioned before that it was because of some issues with the engine."

"Can you tell us what exactly caused you to achieve such a poor result in this match?"

Rosberg ran his fingers through his no-longer-bright blond hair and said:
"This race was very tough. In fact, my engine power was relatively low at the beginning, so I had to compromise throughout the race."

"And I was also a bit unlucky. I don't know if it was because we took too many risks, but the engine exploded in the end."

"Although I lost a lot of points here, I don't think it will stop me from continuing to compete for the world championship."

"I will still fight for the world championship because I don't know what giving up means."

Wu Shi happened to see Rosberg's live interview.

Hamilton wasn't the only formidable opponent; Rosberg was another.

Although Rosberg is far from being a championship contender, he can stop Rosberg from scoring.

After the Italia Grand Prix, Williams did not return immediately but stayed in the area for promotional activities.

Wu Shi and Massa are both in business, and coincidentally, both of them have some connection with Italie.

First, there was a fan meeting where Williams signed some merchandise.

Surprisingly, the T-shirts and hats sold quite well.

"Get ready, the next activity is to answer 10 questions," Jennifer whispered to Wu Shi as she came up to him.

“Oh, can I know in advance what the problems are?” Wu Shi asked.

Jennifer smiled politely.

"Don't do this! What if they ask questions you can't answer?" Wu Shi said anxiously.

"Don't worry, we'll review the issues," Jennifer patted him on the shoulder.

"Is this your first time participating in an event like this?" Massa asked after signing off a hat.

“Yes, I remember the tournament organized a few sessions before, but I didn’t participate in any of them,” Wu Shi nodded.

“Then I’ll teach you a secret,” Massa said mysteriously.

"What's the secret?" Wu Shi asked.

“No need to tell the truth,” Massa laughed.

"Did you always tell the truth in front of the camera before?" Wu Shi asked rhetorically.

“Oh, don’t say that. At least the argument between Alonso and me before was real,” Massa said.

“But even though you two argue, you’re still good friends. I saw a quote in the media before,” Wu Shi said.

"What?" Massa asked, somewhat curious.

"They say the two drivers who argued the most fiercely in the paddock are still best friends, while the two drivers who embraced each other in 2014 are now bitter enemies."

After listening, Massa silently signed the document for a while before continuing:
"That's how racing is. You can't expect a group of drivers who are fighting at deadly speeds every day to calmly discuss friendship."

"Yes, just separate the track and off the track. It's like I've already made all the preparations," Wu Shi said with a hint of ease.

"What preparations?" Massa asked again.

"We are prepared to do everything possible to win on the track, even if it hurts others, but that's just a matter on the track. Once we're off the track, we won't discuss those things anymore."

Upon hearing this, Massa looked at Wu Shi and smiled, but said nothing. He turned back to continue signing, and then smiled again as if he had thought of something.

“A lot of the points battles happen not only on the track, but also off the track; you just haven’t experienced it,” Massa said.

Wu Shi remained silent for a moment after hearing this.

Why do people always talk about "Pastoral Politics" when discussing the hunting grounds?
That's because, of course, too many things happened in the history of F1, at least in the 20 years around the turn of the millennium.

Massa was a witness to these events.

Spy scandals and car crash scandals—they all boil down to three words: how much power struggle is behind them?

Take the car door incident, for example. If Piquet Jr. hadn't revealed it himself, this secret would probably have remained buried forever. "Sometimes you feel very powerless, and I know you want to maintain a friendly relationship with everyone."

"But inside the paddock, when you're sitting in a car belonging to a motorcade, you're not just yourself anymore."

"What you do might not be what you intended, but the team might require you to do it for some benefit. What do you do in that situation?"

Wu Shi knew that what Massa was saying would definitely harm the other drivers.

"Ok."

Wu Shi pursed his lips and did not continue the topic.

Massa's career was filled with too many regrets.

After the autograph session, a Q&A session, which fans love, took place.

"We've selected 10 questions from the ones our fans just asked, and we'd like you to answer them," the host said with a smile.

“Oh, no problem.” Massa nodded.

"I'm a little curious about what kind of questions they'll ask?" Wu Shi said with a smile.

The host made an exaggerated expression and said:

"Would you like to know who these 10 questions are primarily aimed at?"

Seeing the host's expression, Wu Shi had a bad feeling. He made a surprised face and pointed to himself.

"That's right, it's you." The host smiled even more broadly, then flipped through the cue cards and said:

"Let me see what the first question is. Hmm, the first question is for Wu Shi."

"A car enthusiast asked, 'Do you have a girlfriend now?'"

"Oh, why is the first question such a private one?"

Wu Shi scratched his head and said, "NO."

"If it's a confirmed relationship, then not yet."

Then he added a sentence.

The host opened his eyes wide, nodded, and then shouted into the crowd:
"Girls, take a good look, this is a great opportunity!"

"Okay, let's look at the second question."

"This is aimed at Philip. What is your relationship with Wu Shi?"

the host asked.

Massa, holding the microphone, replied with a smile, "Very good, as you can see."

Following that, the host asked several questions.

As expected, all the questions were ones that Jennifer had selected in advance, and none of them were particularly difficult to answer.

The main purpose of organizing these events is to allow F1 drivers and fans to interact and showcase their lesser-known side off the track.

"If I could, I still wouldn't really like participating in these kinds of activities," Wu Shi said, scratching his head.

“This is unavoidable; the FIA ​​will also organize many events,” Massa said.

The Italia Grand Prix ended with Hamilton's victory.

The race organizers ultimately did not penalize Hamilton for the tire pressure issue.

According to Mercedes-Benz, this was due to a problem with the tire warmer blanket, which caused an error in the initial tire pressure setting.

This is great for Wu Shi, as he now only leads the drivers' championship by 11 points.

Hamilton's momentum in the chase is so strong that many media outlets are speculating how long Wu Shi's points lead can last.
Some places have even opened up sales, saying that after a few more Grand Prix races, Wu Shi will lose his leading position on the leaderboard.

This clamor in public opinion is fueled by some behind the scenes, while others seek to profit from it.

British media outlets were very active, with the BBC, which has a history of conflict with Wu Shi, stating bluntly:

"Wu Shi will end his lead in the points standings at the Singapore Grand Prix."

Wu Shi, also unwilling to tolerate the BBC, posted the following on social media:

"The BBC is a good media outlet. If they can compete in verbal sparring, it's probably because they've been dealing with animals for so long that they're no longer very good at communicating normally with humans."

These remarks naturally sparked considerable controversy, as they were seen as making sweeping generalizations.

Other slightly better media outlets also predict fairly that Wu Shi will leave the top of the standings after at most two Grand Prix races.

Italian media, however, still sided with Wu Shi, believing that:

"Hamilton's victory was due to the team's resource allocation. If Rosberg and Hamilton had been allowed to compete normally, Wu Shi might still have been able to take the lead after a few more races."

The Italian media's comments are quite interesting. They subtly criticize Mercedes, but they probably hope that this will cause some turmoil for Mercedes.

After all, Italian media are not just speaking up for Wu Shi; they are more concerned about whether Ferrari has a chance to take a bite out of Mercedes.

Of course, it has long been a routine for these media outlets to take sides and attack each other after each game.

Most car enthusiasts just followed along, observing and enjoying the spectacle.

A small number of hot-headed fans will make a scene on social media.

However, regardless of public opinion, the final result still depends on the outcome of the match.

Therefore, many questions remained unanswered until the end of the Grand Prix.

The truly significant piece of news from within the industry is Bernie Ecclestone's condemnation of the current F1 governance as being too democratic.

This has affected the development of F1.

His real purpose was to criticize the FIA ​​for not actively considering ways to change the sport during the development of F1.

This has led to a very large financial crisis for the sport.

But Jean Todt still had many concerns, whether it was about forming a strategic group or formulating technical standards for manufacturers through negotiated agreements.

In fact, it is also to balance the interests of all parties.

Formula 1 is an extremely expensive sport, and to ensure its long-term success, it is essential to guarantee its economic benefits.

At the same time, the interests of all parties participating in this sport must be protected.

Therefore, the FIA ​​faces a very difficult situation.

A week before the Singapore Grand Prix, a massive fire broke out on Sumatra.

The dense fog generated by the fire enveloped Singapore, making its air quality extremely poor.

This not only affects the driver's vision, but also their health.

Therefore, the Singapore Grand Prix is ​​at risk of being cancelled.

Mercedes stated that every Grand Prix has its purpose and should not be canceled for any reason.

In reality, they were afraid that canceling a Grand Prix would reduce Hamilton's chances of closing the gap.

Williams remained silent.

Fortunately, by Wednesday of the race week, the air quality had gradually improved, and the Grand Prix would not be cancelled.

Button did express some concerns in the media, hoping that the air quality would be better over the weekend, otherwise the drivers would suffer a great deal of health damage from inhaling the smog.

It is well known that F1 drivers' heart rates can reach as high as 190 while driving their cars.

In this situation, breathing becomes very rapid, requiring a large intake of air. If the air quality is too poor, the driver's lungs might burst halfway through the race, let alone the entire race.

It's normal for Patton to have this concern.

However, in order to ensure the Grand Prix can be held smoothly, Singapore is also working hard to improve air quality.

This year's Singapore circuit is different from last year's.

Slight modifications were made between Turn 11 and Turn 13, resulting in a change in the outline of Turn 12.

That's how the Singapore circuit is; it's changed frequently in recent years.

(End of this chapter)