F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 292 Five-Year Period

Rosberg's retirement announcement was like a depth charge dropped into the already turbulent winter media landscape of the paddock.

Most people were utterly shocked and bewildered.

Why would a driver who just won a world championship suddenly retire at this time?
He said he had put all his energy into winning the championship this season, which had hurt him and his family, and he wanted to get a better rest.

"He also said that becoming a world champion has been his only dream for the past 25 years, and after experiencing unparalleled disappointment in the first two seasons, he finally did it."

Louise read Rosberg's post, then looked at Wu Shi:

What do you think?

Wu Shi peeled an apple and said, "That's his thinking. The immense pressure and almost completely scheduled time made him give up his obsession. He no longer had any attachment to the hunting grounds. On the contrary, he didn't want to stay for even a moment longer."

"And what about you? Do you have an obsession with the paddock?" Louise asked.

"Here, have an apple! Ouch! Don't bite my hand!"

Wu Shi withdrew his hand and said, "Yes."

"Oh? You've broken almost every youngest record in F1, and you still have such an obsession?" Louise asked curiously.

"Of course, I've never won a championship on my home turf!"

Wu Shi ate a piece of apple and was reminded of another Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"Ow~"

Louise leaned back on the sofa, looking rather languid.

Meanwhile, Martina, who was still working in the living room, suddenly said:
“You don’t seem surprised at all.”

"Unexpected, yet reasonable. Before each game, if you visit Mercedes and pass by Rosberg's locker room, you can often hear him gagging," Wu Shi said.

"uh-huh?"

Martina looked up from the computer screen and glanced over.

“Tense and fear, a complex and extreme negative emotion, can cause stomach cramps, nausea, weakness, and a blank mind,” Wu Shi said.

“It seems you’ve been through this too,” Martina said.

“Of course, 2015 belonged to me, but 2016 belonged to Rosberg,” Wu Shi said with a smile.

Louise leaned closer and tenderly ruffled his hair.

"So it seems Hamilton performed better than all of you?" Martina asked.

“Mommy!” Louise cried.

“Yes, he’s different.” Wu Shi thought for a moment and continued:
"He is a Black man."

Martina nodded. Everyone knew that F1 was a sport dominated by older white people.

Hamilton has faced various forms of discrimination since his go-karting days.

"Of course, it's not just about that identity; he's been through so many things in F1, whether it's with Button or Alonso."

Martina largely agreed, saying that Patton and Alonso were not easy people to get along with.

Now that they are older, they are behaving more gently.

Growing up alongside these two seasoned veterans of paddock politics, one wonders what strange and unusual things Hamilton experienced.

This is also something that Massa envies about Wu Shi, who did not suffer inexplicable suppression in the hunting grounds.

"Moreover, Mercedes's inexplicable change of the racing crew this year suggests there's more to the story," Wu Shi said.

"So you still want to go to Mercedes?" Martina asked.

"of course."

Wu Shi nodded. Winning the championship by driving fast is a low-level championship, but a low-level championship is better than no championship at all.

Go and take Massa's hand and ask him if he wants a water crown.

These are the kinds of things that fans like to say when they're debating online in forums, but when real honors are presented to them, few would refuse.

“I understand. There were quite a few aerodynamic changes in 2017. You have so much faith in Mercedes?” Martina continued to ask.

"Hmm." Wu Shi nodded.

It's not that I trust Mercedes, it's that I don't trust Ferrari.

His current qualifications are still too shallow for Ferrari. What can he do there besides being tortured?
It's not like he hasn't experienced it before.

Martina laughed and said, "You got Sid to refuse pretty quickly, but it's good that he did, otherwise you might have faced some trouble."

"What?" Wu Shi asked in surprise.

“Neither Kimi nor Sebastian will leave,” Martina said.

Kimi had initially expressed his intention to retire, but Vettel's performance in 2016 was nothing short of disastrous.

This indirectly led to Maurizio's position becoming unstable—of course, this was all revealed by reporters.

"Going to Ferrari alone, it's too difficult to win the championship," Wu Shi said.

Martina remained silent, staring at the screen.

Just then, the phone rang.

The caller was Toto Wolf.

“Once you’ve won enough championships, you won’t be alone at Ferrari anymore,” Martina said.

Wu Shi looked at her, and Martina smiled slightly and said, "Answer the phone."

"OK."

Toto didn't say much, just offered his greetings and said he'd see him again after the FIA ​​annual awards ceremony the next day.

Wu Shi pursed his lips. Negotiating with Toto was never a pleasant experience, but he had a huge advantage now, so he wasn't afraid of it.

The next day, upon arriving at the awards ceremony, Wu Shi saw reporters catching Rosberg before even entering the venue.

Rosberg didn't come to present the award alone; his wife, Vivian, was standing next to him.

During the interview, Rosberg seemed to be in much better spirits; at least he took care of his beard.

Wu Shi stepped forward, and Rosberg, who had just finished his interview, greeted him happily.

Wu Shi then congratulated him, as he is another driver in F1 history to achieve the feat of father and son becoming world champions.

He is also the first driver since Alain Prost in 1993 to end his career by winning the world championship.

After the two world champions finished their conversation, the reporter handed the microphone to Wu Shi:
"Wu Shi, it's a pleasure to meet you. As you can see, the newly crowned champion of 2016 has chosen to retire. What are your thoughts on this?"

Wu Shi smiled. This was a question almost everyone involved would be asked, and he already had a prepared answer in mind:
"It was indeed a bit of a surprise, but I think his choice was good. As he said, he has accomplished everything he wanted to accomplish, and it's time for him to enjoy a wonderful life."

The reporter then followed up with, "Is this also your idea? Is there anything else you want to accomplish while you're in the paddock?"

"Oh, I don't know either. You know, for someone who just turned 18 this year, what is life and what do they want to accomplish are really advanced questions."

"Hahaha."

The reporter laughed; the question was like asking someone new to the workforce when they were going to retire.

When Verstappen arrived, he was asked the same question, and his answer was always direct:
"I was certainly a little surprised, but it was his personal decision, so if he's happy, then it's the right thing to do."

Panzi's core belief is always: happiness is everything, life belongs to oneself, and one should do what one needs to do.

Wu Shi nodded in agreement upon hearing this. Verstappen was a very pure person in life. He only did what he could and wanted to do, without much anxiety or internal conflict.

"Oh, long time no see." After the interview, Verstappen turned around and hugged Wu Shi.

The two have not seen each other since the Abu Dhabi incident.

Would you join them?

Verstappen asked directly, without needing to specify which team "they" were.

"You're already in Red Bull."

Wu Shi smiled, neither admitting nor denying.

"Haha, it seems I've gotten the most important firsthand information from the person involved. If I were a top journalist, I'd be rolling in money," Verstappen said happily.

"Aren't you at Red Bull?" Wu Shi asked rhetorically.

Verstappen gave a thumbs up: "You're very tactful too." "Bro, look where we are."

The two walked into the venue together, chatted for a few minutes, and then returned to their respective seats.

At that moment, Toto arrived outside the door, and the reporters asked the team leader for his thoughts.

Officially, Toto would also say polite things, expressing his support for everything and respect for Rosberg's decision.

"Hmm, have you considered who Lewis's teammates will be in the future?"

Toto smiled, demonstrating excellent negotiation skills as a businessman:
“We are searching for talent. This position is attractive enough in the paddock, and we hope that the most suitable person will sit in this position.”

He revealed no thoughts whatsoever, and even went so far as to say that the seat was very important.

However, the people in the paddock weren't fools; the contracts of the world champions were extremely tight, with staggering penalties for breach of contract.

If we're talking about someone with a low buyout clause who's a good fit for the spot, then it's only Williams' player.

At the awards ceremony, even though Wu Shi did not win a regional championship this year, he was still awarded a number of miscellaneous awards.

The day after the ceremony, Wu Shi visited Mercedes-Benz's headquarters in Brackley, England.

Today the sun is shining brightly, and the stream ripples with light under the sun.

Like every F1 team with a rich history, this young team has also displayed various highly commemorative items in the reception hall.

Trophies, helmets, and cars suspended in mid-air—along with four badly worn side cases—are lessons learned from the two Spanish Grand Prix races.

"It's truly magnificent," Wu Shi remarked with a smile.

"Of course, although we don't have as long a history as Williams as the team, I believe we will achieve more in the future."

Toto was exceptionally confident, and he certainly had the confidence to back it up.

From 2014 to 2016, Mercedes won the team championship, and three consecutive victories were enough to mark the establishment of a dynasty.

After touring the headquarters, everyone finally sat down in the meeting room.

We look forward to your joining us.

Toto stated his purpose directly from the start, but his next words lacked sincerity:

“But you witnessed everything that happened this year and last year. Lewis and Nico were very good friends before, and we can’t imagine why things ended up like this.”

Upon hearing this, Sid realized that he had been too optimistic about today's trip to Mercedes.

On second thought, Mercedes has cars with enough competitive power and a champion driver like Lewis, so it seems that it doesn't need another champion driver to come.

And most importantly, Mercedes demonstrated this year that no matter how talented Wu Shi is, it's all for naught if he's not in a competitive car.

As the new regulations entered their fourth year, the smaller teams became increasingly less competitive, and the three major teams regained their leading advantage.

The other two major teams, Red Bull and Ferrari, are unlikely to have the absolute courage to poach players at this time.

Once he understood all this, Sid was already prepared for a heated debate.

“You are one of my favorite drivers, even though you are only 18 years old now.”

Toto started rambling on and on about various things before finally handing over a draft contract and saying:
"Let's look at these issues later, why don't we have lunch first?"

The whole day's itinerary was not pleasant; until leaving Mercedes headquarters, Sid and his team had not discussed the contract with Toto.

“That’s just the kind of person he is,” Wu Shi said.

"You know him well?"

“No, I ran into Rosberg in the restroom yesterday, and he happily shared some things about this boss with me.” Wu Shi shook his head.

"Let's talk about that later. Now we can analyze this contract."

Sid sighed; he couldn't understand what Toto was doing.
“He was previously ridiculed for starting out selling candles,” Wu Shi said.

"I know."

Sid nodded, a businessman's penny-pinching.

Every F1 driver's contract is a meticulously crafted, customized contract. Many details need to be carefully examined, otherwise you might inadvertently fall into a trap.

It took Sid and his team more than half an hour to study this contract before they reached a conclusion:
"First of all, this is a 5-year contract."

"Ah."

Wu Shi nodded. Although Toto had manipulated them this year, the sincerity shown for this year was quite substantial.

Toto is always one to drag people along, always giving them 2+1 or 1+1.

The last player to sign a five-year contract was Rosberg.

However, at that time Mercedes had just joined the paddock and needed a stable environment for drivers.

Rosberg's partnership with the racing legend is very stable, which is enough for the startup team Mercedes.

Given Mercedes' current competitive position, Toto's willingness to offer a long-term contract demonstrates his sincerity.

"His annual salary in 2017 was $1500 million, and it increases year by year. The rate of increase is based on the driver's performance and, in some cases, the internal evaluation of the team."

"Evaluation?"

"As they said, they hope the team's instructions will work."

“Oh, that? I agree. Didn’t Lewis also solemnly promise the team in Abu Dhabi that he wouldn’t hold up the cars?” Wu Shi said.

"Hahaha."

Sid laughed immediately, but still reminded him, "These are specific details written into the contract, not verbal promises."

"Then let's add some conditions: if I still have a chance to win the championship, then we can't use biased team instructions."

“That’s impossible, but I will negotiate with that goal in mind.” Sid shook his head.

Next are the detailed rules regarding sponsorship, business activities, and many other aspects.

Fortunately, with Hamilton, a superstar in the paddock, Mercedes didn't have overly demanding requirements for Wu Shi.

Wu Shi speculated that it was because his influence in Europe was far less than Lewis's that the loophole was loosened.

For example, if it's an event held in China, he's required to participate without a valid reason.

After watching it, there's nothing I can't accept overall.

Wu Shi was puzzled. What was Toto doing?
Why don't we just discuss this contract in person?
"Besides the issue you just mentioned, the most important thing now is whether this annual salary and bonus are commensurate with your value," Sid said.

"I'm not really interested in talking about money right now," Wu Shi said.

"This is five years, and you shouldn't believe that Mercedes can produce a competitive car for five consecutive years."

"You also can't believe that Mercedes will change drivers for no reason, just like they did this year."

"And there's also your and Williams' buyout clause, which is another issue that wasn't discussed."

Sid said a lot in one breath.

"Ah."

Wu Shi nodded, and then said:

"So this contract does need further discussion. I'd like to ask Jonathan's opinion."

“Jonathan?” Sid asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Do you remember the practice match in Singapore in 2014?"

"remember."

“Rosberg’s former track engineer has resigned to take responsibility,” Wu Shi said.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, it seems we haven't heard anything about him since. Did Mercedes not sue him?" Sid asked.

“I haven’t heard of it, so some people are more trustworthy than acquaintances,” Wu Shi said.

“Mercedes might not agree, that’s not something we should be considering,” Sid said.

“So let’s talk first, and talk in a way that’s in our favor. We’re not going to be number two,” Wu Shi said.

"Yes, I understand." Sid nodded, it seemed he was in for a busy day.

(End of this chapter)