F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 262 Strat 3
After the qualifying rounds, the three held a small press conference.

Wu Shi sat in the middle of the sofa, his racing suit pulled off his upper body, and as his body cooled down, the flush on his face slowly subsided.

After all three were seated, the host began as usual.

"We witnessed a truly spectacular qualifying performance today!"
"Wu Shi, you finally secured pole position by a very narrow margin."

“We saw from the start of qualifying that you seemed very confident about this race and wanted to go for pole position.”

"In the end, you got the pole position you wanted and also showed enough speed."

Wu Shi, holding the microphone, nodded and said:

"Yes, when we arrived at the Suzuka Circuit, we knew we were not slow."

“Whenever this happens, I see it as an opportunity, and I must seize any opportunity to maintain my advantage.”

"I should thank my teammate for providing me with the slipstream in order to get this pole position."

"It helped me overcome that seemingly insurmountable 0.2 seconds."

The host listened attentively and continued:

"We heard that you are more focused on training for qualifying, so you showed more speed in qualifying."

"But you may face a very tough challenge in tomorrow's main competition."

"But no matter what, you can still stay optimistic even if there's no one in front of you."

Wu Shi chuckled, scratched his nose, and said:
“Yeah.”

"Isn't the purpose of fighting for pole position to gain an advantage in the main race?"

"I came here to win the race, and I will take every lap seriously no matter what."

The host chuckled and added, "Yes, that's every driver's goal."

Then the conversation turned to Rosberg, who said:
“Nico, as I just said, you lost pole position by a very narrow margin. Where do you think you lost today?”

Rosberg didn't seem too frustrated; he appeared to have adjusted his mindset by now.
"There was some imbalance in the positions of Turn 11 and Turn 16. Well, that's unfortunate, but sometimes that's just how things are."

"Moreover, we prepared for a second flying lap, and the track conditions were gradually improving. Wu Shi came out much later than us."

"In conclusion, we lost this qualifying match by a very narrow margin."

Host: "Yeah, based on your current understanding of this weekend's races, how do you feel overall?"

Rosberg: "I feel very good. I had a lot of speed all weekend. If nothing unexpected happens in qualifying, I don't think we'll lose pole position."

Finally, the host looked at Hamilton:

"Lewis, you still weren't faster than your teammates in qualifying here this year. We know there were some issues in qualifying, and you couldn't do any better."

Hamilton's face was expressionless, but a closer look revealed that he was in a very bad mood. He said:
“Yeah, I don’t think the problem lies with either the team or me in this race.”

“We continue to execute each step according to the normal plan, but unexpected things always happen whenever this situation arises.”

Host: "Starting from the second row, on the Suzuka track where overtaking is quite difficult, how do you think you'll fare in tomorrow's race?"

Lewis: "Uh, I will do my best to get the position I deserve. Our car has very good speed here."

"Although we only had one meaningful practice match over the whole weekend, we still got some pretty good data feedback."

"I think I will achieve good results in the main competition."

Hamilton put down the microphone and nodded to indicate that he had finished speaking.

His words revealed an extraordinary aggressiveness and determination.

His withdrawal from the Singapore Grand Prix has definitely put him on high alert; he can't afford to lose any of the upcoming Grand Prix matches!
The interviews with the three drivers did not cause much of a stir; it was clear to everyone that the tension between them was far greater than in the previous race.

The rivalry between Wu Shi and Hamilton for the world championship title goes without saying.

Hamilton and Rosberg have a complicated history of grudges and rivalries, so even though Rosberg has withdrawn from the World Cup race, he is still happy to see Hamilton suffer a setback.

After completing the qualifying rounds, Williams convened another meeting to plan for tomorrow's main race.

The data and strategy departments jointly developed a general strategy plan.

Williams is very tire-intensive on this track; according to previous data, medium tires are faster than hard tires.

Wu Shi was the first to start, but the two Mercedes behind him were very fast, so it was very difficult for him to time his first stint.

"Our top speed won't be much slower than Mercedes', but they have better balance and less tire wear."

Pirelli's prediction is white-white-orange.

"But tomorrow, we will most likely face the risks of both undercut and overcut at the same time."

"Based on our calculations, we believe that Wu Shixian will not lose too much time by switching to hard tires at the next station."

Looking at the data in the notebook in front of him, Wu Shi also found it very troublesome.

The Suzuka race consists of 53 laps, with a total distance of 307.4 kilometers, and requires at least two stops.

“If I use hard tires on the second stint, I might lose position.”

Rodrigo nodded and said:
"But if we use neutral tires, our tire management will face big problems."

"With a light load of fuel, our tire consumption is significantly better than with a heavy load of fuel, so it might be better to use medium tires on the last Stint."

The strategy team's recommendation is white-orange-white.

Wu Shi didn't have any better ideas, so he didn't speak again.

This is Williams' predicament, similar to Red Bull in 2025, where they can reach pole position through special setups and the individual skill of their drivers.

However, when faced with long-distance races, their weaknesses and shortcomings will be exposed.

Even the unspoken agreement among everyone was that there was no discussion about whether Wu Shi's first stint would be surpassed.

After all, no matter what, we have to follow the tire strategy at this station, otherwise the speed will be much, much slower.

According to the weather forecast, tomorrow will still be sunny, and the weather is not expected to change.

After a quiet night's rest, we arrived at the competition venue at noon the next day.

Williams held another meeting before the match and finally confirmed the details of the game.

At 1:30, the service area light turned green, and Wu Shi drove his No. 59 Williams car through the reconnaissance circle and stopped at the first starting grid.

After getting out of the car, he looked around and said to Jonathan next to him, "There are many empty seats in the audience."

“Yeah, maybe the people here aren’t as passionate about F1 as you might think, or maybe the view from the front row is just too bad.”

"Perhaps it's because we're missing a driver of our own nationality," Wu Shi said.

"Yes, with Kobayashi Kamui leaving the track, they've lost a reason to go and watch the race live."

Jonathan said, smiling at Wu Shi, "You are not only stronger than him, but also luckier."

"Oh, yes!"

The eternal topic in the paddock is: Is it the car that's good, or the person?

Even if Wu Shi were to join the Mano team now, unless ten cars retire, he would have almost no chance of scoring points.

After all, he's one second slower than the second-to-last lap in every lap, so even a god couldn't catch up!
Cars and people are bound to complement each other.

Teams and drivers complement each other; focusing on only one side would be meaningless.

During this break, the reporter searched for people to interview.

They also approached Hulkenberg to ask him about his thoughts on the three-point penalty.

Hulkenberg was also quite frank, claiming that the collision in Singapore was a misunderstanding.

Although he was penalized and moved to the fifth row to compete, he will still do his best to finish the game.

Wu Shi walked over to Verstappen.

Drivers rarely move around during the break before the warm-up lap.

"Hmm? What's up? Does our pole position driver want to share some tips?" Panzi said with a smile.

“If we have enough time, I don’t mind talking to you slowly,” Wu Shi said with a smile.

"So there's not enough time, so let's get to the point."

Verstappen patted Wu Shi on the shoulder and said:

"Brother, don't forget that in F3, we always drive cars that are a gear behind. Are you losing your courage now just because the world champion is behind you?"
"A person who fears the world champion can never become a world champion!"

Verstappen is actually a very perceptive person, so when he saw Wu Shi walking over from the front row, he was obviously not there to reminisce.

Sometimes, pole position doesn't guarantee victory, but rather means taking on pressure.

Wu Shi hadn't expected Verstappen to come like this, helping him relieve the pressure before the start of the match.

He reached out and shook hands firmly with Vestapan.

He then returned to the front seat, and Jonathan reminded him that it was time to get on the bus.

When the 15-minute bell rang, everyone except the car crew and track personnel began to leave the track.

Several more bells rang, and the drivers took their seats while the crew moved to the sides of the track.

At 2:00 PM sharp, Wu Shi received the start order and began the tire warm-up exercise.

It's only 20 degrees Celsius here in Suzuka today, so it will take some time for the vehicle to warm up.

On the last stretch of the road, Wu Shi slowed down slightly to allow the cars behind him to gather together.

Then he accelerated and sprinted to raise the tire temperature. After coming to a stop at the front, Wu Shi touched his wrist; his gloves were on perfectly.

One car after another took their positions behind them.

With the safety car in place, the first red light soon came on.

Buzz buzz!

The drivers all revved their engines high, filling the entire straight with noise.

The five red lights lit up very quickly.

However, it took a little while for the lights to turn off.

Swish!
Lights out, start running!

Wu Shi's clutch reaction time was only 0.123 seconds, and Williams started up quickly!
Rosberg, who was also in the front row, was a little slower.

Before Wu Shi could even be happy, Hamilton had already reached the middle of the track.

Before taking action against Wu Shi, he had to deal with his teammates first!
Before Turn 1, the two Mercedes-Benz cars were already driving side by side.

Swish! ! !

As Hamilton exited the corner, he took the lead and then aggressively pushed towards the inside line.

Rosberg once again showed weakness when facing his teammates, actually moving further inside to give way to them.

This caused him to drive directly onto the shoulder, instantly losing a significant amount of speed.

Susu!

The moment he rounded turn 2, he not only lost second place, but also quickly slipped down another position!
Vettel overtook Rosberg on the straight after Turn 2!

Rosberg paid a heavy price for going onto the kerb, and the car only regained stability as he entered Turn 3.

By this time, Wu Shi and Hamilton had driven quite a distance.

But just a moment later, Massa suddenly said in TR: "I have a problem."

Dave TR: "Yes, your tire has been punctured, Philip, BOX, BOX."

On the other side, Ricciardo also told the team, "My tire has been punctured."

In the front row, Wu Shi also said on TR:

"He's chasing so fast, I can already see him in the rearview mirror."

Jonathan TR: "Stay stable, stay stable."

On the track, Williams #59 was already being chased by Mercedes when he reached Turn 11.

After withdrawing from the previous race and losing this qualifying session, Hamilton finally revealed his full ferocity.

What is DRS? What is strategy-based catching up?
He was about to attack Wu Shi directly!

From this moment on, Wu Shi could no longer hold back.

Heh!

Exiting Turn 11, the tires' grip was fully utilized.

Wu Shi seized a small opportunity, ensuring his acceleration out of the turn.

Buzz!

After stepping on the gas, he glanced at Hamilton behind him.

Damn it! They're chasing us too closely!

Swish!

The race car sped through Turn 12, and immediately faced two high-speed corners, 13 and 14.

The accelerator and brake were used to keep the car at its highest point as much as possible during the sprint.

Buzz!
As Wu Shi exited Turn 14, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped on the gas.

The car accelerated fiercely, speeding through the entire long straight road.

Hamilton was hot on his heels, relentlessly pursuing them.

However, the gap between the two cars on the straightaway was not large, and Hamilton could not close the distance.

When they reached turn 15, Wu Shi swung the entire car into it.

Heh!

He could almost hear the tires groaning, but he dared not relax for a moment.

If he can't pull away by even a second in the first three laps, he'll be doomed once the DRS Mercedes catches up in speed!

Click, click, click!! Swish!
After passing the 16th and 17th kerbs, the race car was finally about to complete a lap.

Swish swish!
One F1 car after another sped across the grid lines, and the timer updated accordingly.

"Wu Shi, the difference between Lewis and you is 0.311 seconds. You need to pay attention to the tire temperature."

Jonathan felt the latter part of the statement was somewhat cruel.

"Yes! I know! I want to know how Lewis is doing in the dirty air!"

On the straight road, Wu Shi shouted with all his might.

“Current telemetry data shows that he is in very good condition, let’s keep going for two more laps,” Jonathan said.

"it is good!"

Wu Shi was breathing rapidly; adjusting the settings from the qualifying rounds to the main competition would present huge problems.

Insufficient downforce in corners meant that every time he took an unusually long corner, it came at the cost of tire life.

Although there are few overtaking points at Suzuka Circuit, this track is not Monaco. As long as Mercedes is fast enough, it still cannot stop him!

However, shortly after entering the second lap, Jonathan informed Wu Shi:

"Yellow flag for the second and third time slots."

"copy".

Upon receiving the message, Wu Shi breathed a sigh of relief and inquired, "What's going on?"

“Massa and Ricardo both had flat tires,” Jonathan replied briefly.

The yellow flag lasted for quite some time this time.

At the end of the second lap, Massa and Ricciardo both pitted.

However, on the third lap, Massa's front wing developed a problem again, forcing him to pit again to replace the front wing.

This directly cost Massa a significant amount of time.

By the time Massa came out, he had already been ringed by Wu Shi.

Two Williams cars passed each other, which was quite dramatic.

"Hamilton played really aggressively today," the soldier remarked.

"Well, the fastest lap time for the first lap is out: Wu Shi, 1 minute 39.689 seconds."

“汉密尔顿1分39秒710，吴轼在第一计时段慢了0.3秒，第二计时段追回0.21秒，第三计时段追回0.11秒。”

After Fei Ge reported the data, he looked at the broadcast screen again.

"The yellow flag will postpone the activation of DRS."

Midway through the third lap, the yellow flag was removed, and the race restarted.

At this point, the broadcast resumed showing the departure sequence.

Wu Shi took the lead in the front row, while Rosberg's start wasn't slow, but he paused slightly at the beginning.

Further back, it became a complete mess, with everyone crammed together after entering Turn 1.

Perez was hit at this moment and crashed into the gravel buffer zone.

Massa and Ricardo's vehicles were also damaged around this time.

Immediately after the replay ended, a Mercedes-Benz TR clip was released.

Hamilton TR: "Can I increase the engine power?"

“It’s alright, transfer him to Strat 3,” Bono said.

After the simultaneous interpreter translated TR, the soldier immediately said:

"Wow, Mercedes is determined to win the championship in this race!"

Immediately afterwards, Rosberg's radio also started playing; he was asking the same question as Hamilton.

The team gave the same response.

"Both Mercedes couldn't hold on any longer," Fei said.

"Then Wu Shi and the others are going to be in big trouble."

"This is something you have to face if you want to win the championship."

(End of this chapter)