F1: Absolute Car Feel

Why is he throwing his hat again in Chapter 269?
"BOX BOX BOX!"

Jonathan and Bono shouted the words at the same time.

At the end of lap 43, the two cars in the front row entered the pits one after the other.

Wu Shi is showing off his extreme late-night braking technique again, slowing down to the speed limit at the last moment before the braking zone.

Compared to Wu Shi's precise calculations, Hamilton didn't dare to do that when entering the pit lane; in fact, most drivers wouldn't dare to do that.

After all, speeding results in a 5-second time penalty, which can be a significant loss.

The two entered the maintenance area with a slightly greater time difference.

Inside Williams' room, Claire and Jonathan stared outside.

Rodrigo, standing on the command wall, turned to look at the work area.

Almost everyone's attention was drawn to the tire changers.

The mechanic holding the air gun was drooling and his palms were sweating profusely with nervousness.

The mechanic holding the front jack felt himself trembling slightly.

Heh!

Wu Shi plunged into the parking space, the spot perfectly aligned with the line.

At that very moment, the jack lifted up.

Buzz!

Four air guns spun simultaneously, and then the mechanic next to him immediately removed the tire.

The mechanics behind immediately patched up the tire.

Buzz!

Tighten the knob.

Bang!
Wu Shi landed, stepped on the gas, and sped out of the work area with a slight fishtail.

2.8 seconds!
On the other hand, Hamilton's crew operated the car more swiftly.

2.6 seconds!
When the two numbers appeared, Williams immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Even after Wu Shi emerged, he remained ahead of Hamilton.

However, the positions on the field have changed.

Rosberg, who had previously had his tires changed in the pit lane with the safety car, has returned to the top spot.

Wu Shi and Hamilton ranked second and third, respectively.

Vettel and others entered the station again, so Verstappen moved up to fourth in the pecking order.

Button also dropped from fifth to eighth due to a tire change.

"Oh wow, the cards have been shuffled again."

"I feel like this restart is the end of the story," Fei said.

“Wu Shi’s tires are five laps newer than Rosberg’s; this is an opportunity,” the soldier said.

"But Hamilton's tires are just as new as his, so even if he gets second place, it won't mean much to Wu Shi," Fei Ge added.

This is the big problem Wu Shi is facing now: Mercedes-Benz is too strong, and only he can compete with them.

This meant that no one could help him.

“That’s true. Hamilton didn’t run very well in the rainy conditions, but he’ll be in his element on dry ground,” the soldier said earnestly.

On lap 46, the safety car will be leaving.

Rosberg didn't slide the car left or right, but instead started pressing the car to its limit.

He clearly wanted to get off to a sudden start and widen the gap.

Buzz!

The engine noise ahead suddenly increased, and Wu Shi accelerated sharply, but was caught off guard by Rosberg's sudden braking.

He had to brake suddenly, almost overtaking Rosberg.

Keep in mind that lap 46 wasn't over yet. If he overtook Rosberg, Mercedes would definitely hold a grudge against him for this minor violation!
However, before he could even catch his breath, Rosberg ahead accelerated and began charging towards the long straight.

Wu Shi was inevitably delayed by this ordeal, and Rosberg quickly pulled ahead of him.

He harbored no resentment, because this was a common tactic used by leading drivers during dynamic starts.

Just like he tricked Rosberg in the first two starts, now it's just that Rosberg got tricked, nothing more.

Even Wu Shi was not spared from this deception, and Hamilton, who was behind him, was even more severely affected.

He didn't have Wu Shi's braking skills, and he stepped on the brakes and locked them out, which disrupted his rhythm even more than Wu Shi did!
From the start, Rosberg immediately created a one-second lead, putting Wu Shi in a very passive position.

Hamilton was also very passive, and Wu Shi pulled ahead by 1.2 seconds.

Meanwhile, Vettel easily dealt with Verstappen, given the difference in vehicle performance.

Bottas also rallied and surpassed Sainz.

At the end of lap 47, Rosberg set the fastest lap time since the restart with a time of 1 minute 41.334 seconds.

Wu Shi was a little slower, finishing in just 1 minute 41.889 seconds.

Hamilton is faster, 1 minute 41.853 seconds.

However, entering lap 48, Wu Shi's speed increased very quickly in the first timeout, thanks to his unique handling of turn 1.

Soon, Rosberg felt the pressure from Wu Shi.

He had just exited Turn 9 when he saw Wu Shi following very closely. If this continued, activating DRS would mean facing a fierce attack from Wu Shi.

With that in mind, he increased the throttle after exiting the bend.

The attempt was successful. Does this mean that the track conditions have improved enough to support such an operation?

The next turn, number 10, is a corner that you can take with a lot of throttle.

Without hesitation, he increased his output.

At that moment, a section of road with moisture on Route 10 caused his rear wheel to slip slightly.

Wow!
The swaying of the rear end caused instability, and the entire car was affected and began to sway.

Rosberg had to immediately make quick steering corrections to prevent the vehicle from sliding off the left into the run-off area.

Swish!
At that moment, Wu Shi flashed by.

Ohhhh!!

In Williams' pit room, everyone instantly leaped high into the air.

"Rosberg has made another mistake under pressure! He can't continue like this!" the commentator lamented.

But Rosberg's misfortune was yet to come. Just when he regained his speed, Hamilton caught up from behind.

He immediately moved to the center line and completely blocked Hamilton's overtaking space at Turn 11.

Toto frowned and said a few words to Nikki Lauda.

Wu Shi maintained absolute composure while driving, and regaining the lead did not make him lose his head.

Susu!

At turn 12, Wu Shi once again perfectly aligned himself with the racing line to navigate the corner.

On tracks where only the track lines are dry, his extremely precise control brought him huge benefits.

Swish!
At the end of lap 48, Wu Shi set the fastest lap time of 1 minute 40.987 seconds.

Hamilton, however, was blocked by Rosberg and only managed a time of 1 minute 42.1 seconds.

But that wasn't the end. On lap 49, Wu Shi set a time of 1 minute 40.321 seconds!
Rosberg maintained his pace, setting a time of 1 minute 40.666 seconds.

Hamilton, however, was still affected by the polluted air, which disrupted his rhythm, and he only managed a time of 1 minute 40.738 seconds.

"Nico, we need to get Lewis over there. We need him to attack Wu Shi," the Mercedes TR announced.

"Does he want a world championship that he's given up?" Rosberg suddenly said in TR.

These words immediately silenced Mercedes-Benz.

"Oh, how could Rosberg say something like that? I think he's definitely in big trouble after the game," the soldier laughed.

"But Rosberg isn't the number 2 driver, so does he really have to give way? Hamilton isn't that much faster than him."

Fei Ge's rational analysis actually reflects his hope that Rosberg wouldn't give way.

When DRS was reactivated, Rosberg still held Hamilton tightly.

Hamilton himself also made mistakes, stepping on the slippery surface several times and having to slow down.

第50圈，吴轼领先罗斯伯格2.3秒、汉密尔顿2.8秒、维特尔7.1秒、维斯塔潘14.6秒。

Perez overtook the demoralized Alonso and moved into sixth place.

“Nico, do you know what you’re doing?” Mercedes had to tell Rosberg the seriousness of the problem again through TR.

"Is he faster than me?" Rosberg asked.

"."

For the next six laps, Rosberg played a very defensive game.

It even got to the point where they slipped and pushed Hamilton out of the way.

"Hiss! What on earth is Rosberg doing?" Even the soldier couldn't help but wonder, was he really determined to stop Hamilton?
"Rosberg demonstrated his driving skills, constantly blocking Lewis with tires that were older than Lewis's! And Lewis was also not very consistent today."

"Oh! They fought to the very end! Let's see, Wu Shi is on the screen now!"

"The young driver is leading the Grand Prix again, and he can already see the waving checkered flag! He's going to win again!"

"Whoa! He crossed the finish line! He crossed the finish line!"
"Let's congratulate Wu Shi on winning the U.S. Grand Prix! Congratulations on taking another step closer to the world championship, and congratulations on taking another step closer to making F1 history!"

David's commentary remained passionate, and he always praised Wu Shi in this way.

On lap 56, Wu Shi crossed the finish line first with a 5.1-second lead!

Then came Rosberg, the German who had an exceptional performance today, holding off the Briton for a whole stint!

"P1! P1! Wu Shi, you did it again! Congratulations! Congratulations!" Jonathan cheered loudly.

"YES! Yes! Thank you to the team, thank you for giving me a stable car! Thank you for everything you did this weekend!"

Wu Shi cheered loudly.

Hamilton's TR: "He drove really well today, it would be even better if he could consider the team's interests more."

This "he" clearly refers to his teammate Rosberg.

Bono TR: "Okay, bring the vehicle back."

Rosberg finished second, but did not receive any congratulations from the team.

This made him feel even more that his intervention was the right choice.

This is what you did to me in the first round, so now I have to be even more ruthless!
During this time, Rosberg's mind was in turmoil, and he wanted to ignore everything so he could fall asleep.

However, as long as you are working, you will face immense pressure from all sides at all times.

Even though many people were just saying it casually and not deliberately targeting him, his keen mind could no longer discern the truth.

He parked the race car behind sign number 2, but didn't get out of the car for a long time.

After a round of calming down, the car had cooled down, but he was still not calm at all!
No matter how you look at it, Hamilton is the cause of everything that's happening today!
He had good lap times on the wet tires, and Hamilton was no match for him. Otherwise, how could he have caught up from behind?

If Hamilton hadn't committed such a violation on the first lap, he would have maintained his lead instead of all the things that happened afterward!
Engulfed by his emotions, Rosberg stopped thinking about anything else.

He got out of the race car and walked straight into the corridor.

Wu Shi was celebrating with Williams and the others over there; this victory in the storm was hard-won.

He excitedly swung his fist repeatedly at the camera that was about to be shoved into his face.

Only he knows how depressed he was during this period.

However, after venting his pent-up emotions, he immediately fell into a suffocating atmosphere with a headache.

However, when he entered the lounge, he saw a scene that seemed familiar yet completely different.

Rosberg adjusted his baseball cap and then tossed the cap with "3rd" written on it to Hamilton.

Hamilton took the hat, but instead of throwing it back, he stared at it blankly for a moment, then stood up. ①
He didn't even glance at Rosberg, but instead said to Wu Shi, "Congratulations! You're one step closer to the world championship."

"Thank you for your congratulations. I thought I was going to lose everything again after this match," Wu Shi said.

"Haha, it's definitely a little short." Lewis forced a smile.

At this moment, Jonathan also came over and handed the towel to Wu Shi.

“If Rosberg lets Lewis go, you’re in danger,” Jonathan said.

"He didn't seem to be able to surpass Rosberg today? I remember Rosberg's tires were older," Wu Shi said.

“Yes, he was stopped for a long time.” Jonathan recounted the rest of the story.

Wu Shi nodded and said, "Lewis was indeed a bit slow today."

"Well, there's no point in making any more assumptions. That's just how things happened. That's how it always is in the Grand Prix. These kinds of things always happen, whether they're reasonable or not. That's just how it is."

Jonathan said with a smile:

"Finally, congratulations on getting one step closer to the world championship."

"Thank you, but we can't celebrate too soon. It wouldn't be wise to open the champagne prematurely," Wu Shi said.

"Of course, but we should always celebrate victory!"

Jonathan knew Wu Shi's personality, so he patted the young driver on the shoulder.

He said these words to make Wu Shi feel more relaxed, because Wu Shi always liked to be on edge until victory was assured.

The driver, however, needs to be attentive, but not too tense.

Like Rosberg, it's quite possible for things to go wrong on the track.

Jonathan took a deep breath. As a track engineer, he felt that there were some things that a psychologist had to do, and he had to do too.

After all, almost no track engineer in a small team would encounter such a gifted driver, so he would do everything in his power to help his driver win the world championship!
Wu Shi took a sip of water. To be honest, after learning what had happened, he felt sorry for Rosberg.

On the first lap, at Turn 1, Hamilton's squeezing maneuvers were so blatant that he treated Rosberg like he was no human being.

He certainly knew how much road rage the drivers had.

If he gets squeezed out, he might be even more ruthless to Hamilton than Rosberg!
However, he is unlikely to be pushed out like that, so road rage incidents are not frequent.

As the host's voice rang out from outside, he put on his hat.

He walked up to the podium after Rosberg and waved happily to the crew members cheering for him below.

The national anthem was played in the beautiful country.

Wu Shi savored the victory at this moment, glanced back at the national flag fluttering on the screen, and felt quite satisfied.

When the music ended, he held the championship trophy, kissed it, then placed it at his feet and picked up the champagne.

However, neither of the two podium drivers, who seemed preoccupied, were in the mood to celebrate, and Wu Shi was also not very good at opening champagne.

So the three people on stage seemed to be struggling to get enough champagne.

Hamilton spat at the audience with a blank expression, then started shouting into his own mouth.

After exchanging a few words with Wu Shi, Rosberg went on to drink heavily.

Wu Shi did exchange a few words with Jonathan, who had been sent to accept the award.

The interviewer walked onto the stage and began by saying:
"I felt like I was standing next to a hurricane, and I was almost unable to breathe."

After finishing speaking, he first asked Wu Shi:
"Driver from China, you have won another crucial championship in your career. How did you win this race?"

"Yes, I won. It's that simple," Wu Shi said simply.

"Oh, okay, three safety cars had a big impact on you, but you still won in the end, congratulations."

He then looked at Rosberg and said:

"Nico Rosberg, you didn't give up your position to Lewis on the track just now, which cost him three points. Will that affect his chances of winning the championship?"

"We are racing, we are competing, not playing house."

“Our team has its own internal rules, and I followed those rules before, but Lewis didn’t; he broke the rules too much.”

"So I was thinking, I am also an athlete, and I am also a person. I have my own emotions, and I also want to run the race well and get a better ranking."

"I was just doing what a driver is supposed to do, nothing more."

The interviewer nodded and said, "Well, congratulations on winning second place! Congratulations!"

Finally, the interviewer turned the microphone to Hamilton: "Lewis, today's result may have been a bit unexpected. You had a chance to go for the championship."

Hamilton took the microphone, stared at it for a moment, and said:

"Yes, I had a chance to go for the championship, but I was too slow today. I was not as fast as my teammates or Wu Shi on the rainy ground."

"I threw away everything I achieved on the starting lap. It wasn't the team's fault, or my teammates' fault, it was my fault. I should have been faster."

The interviewer nodded and continued, "After this stop, the point difference between you and Wu Shi will widen to 25 points. What will you do next?"

"I will win every single victory," Hamilton said earnestly, nodding, his eyes shining brightly, a sight to behold.

The interviewer was somewhat surprised and said, "Relly?"

Hamilton smiled and didn't answer the pointless question.

The result of the U.S. Grand Prix was unexpected, and the media, who had thought Hamilton had it in the bag, began to speak vaguely.

Wu Shi has never been particularly dominant, and each of his victories has been a matter of chance.

But can chance explain everything?
That's definitely not possible, otherwise Massa should also be in the top three of the standings, since both of them drive Williams cars and should have the same opportunity.

　① In the 2015 US Grand Prix, Hamilton aggressively targeted Rosberg at Turn 1, but was overtaken again. Despite three safety car interventions, Hamilton secured first place and clinched the world championship title three races early. In the post-race lounge, Rosberg sat sulking on a sofa, while Hamilton, beaming, tossed him a hat with "2nd" written on it. Rosberg, without hesitation, threw it back – a memorable moment in F1 history. (The last two pictures show the situation at the time.)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)