F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 295 Fortunately, Wu Shi was ahead.
The conclusion of Saturday's qualifying session made some people realize that Wu Shi is indeed very fast.

Even though he proved this in 2015, some people still thought Williams cars were tuned better.

This is like comparing apples and oranges; as long as the two top drivers are not in the same car, there will always be fans pointing out that the comparison is unfair, thus denying that the winning side is stronger.

Even when comparing drivers in the same car, fans can still find other reasons to compare them.

Such as a specially tuned car, or the car being past its prime, etc.

In short, when it comes to discussing which driver is better or worse, one's perspective is always determined by their own position.

Therefore, Wu Shi's first victory in the ranking matches did not have the impact that was expected.

After all, it's just a ranking match, how much can it really prove?

The real test is yet to come!

Rather than debating whether Hamilton or Wu Shi was better, what's truly annoying in the public discourse is the assertion that Mercedes is too fast.

Fans seem to be envisioning 2017 as a year-long show of Mercedes drivers in pairs, which is just too boring!

Toto was both happy and annoyed. He was happy that Wu Shi was really that strong.

What's infuriating is that if the public opinion continues like this, Mercedes may suffer a "severe blow" from the FIA.

However, more important than these things to consider later is tomorrow's main competition.

Toto has a lot to say on how to balance the two top drivers in the team.

With Wu Shi and Hamilton starting from the same point, he could only use the management methods from the previous years.

The two players will synchronize their strategies, and when the time difference is small, the leader will usually enter the station first to avoid being undercut by his teammate.

If the time difference between the two sides is large enough, the pit stop order can be adjusted according to the driver's own idea.

Upon hearing the rule established by Toto, Wu Shi immediately grasped its key point.

The strategy favors the frontrunner.

Therefore, it is extremely important to identify the frontrunner.

Wu Shi may seem to have started from the first place, but was he actually the leader?

No, you have to maintain that position for at least one or two laps and bring the car behind you out of the DRS zone before you can be considered the leader.

This also completely explains why Hamilton was always so aggressive towards Rosberg when he started in second place.

Because if he can find a way to take the lead on the first lap, he can get the team's strategy to favor him.

Therefore, for the sake of this top position, they can make any kind of ruthless wheel pair.

Rosberg didn't understand this problem until 2016, which is why he managed to hold onto part of his lead last year.

Instead of being overtaken by Hamilton in such a ruthless manner, almost to the point of fouling, as was the case in 2015, making pole position seem like a free win.

He knew that Rosberg was worried about retiring, but with so many concerns, what good was a good reputation!
In less than ten years, people will forget you in two years.

However, he is different from Rosberg.

He and Hamilton had both retired, giving him deeper experience in battling the old man.

It's just vibranium suspension, now I have that too!
If executed properly, a suicidal attack will not result in a double retreat, but only in one side "committing suicide".

Wu Shi was already replaying Hamilton's famous moments in his mind; he needed to be completely familiar with the driver's driving style.

"Hey! Is there anything you want to say?" Toto asked, wondering why this young man kept spacing out during the meeting.

"Oh, no, this is good." Wu Shi came back to his senses.

On Sunday morning, the clouds that had been hovering over the stadium dispersed, and the chances of rain were very low.

During his preparation for the race, he also heard news about Storol. It turned out that he had performed poorly in yesterday's qualifying session because he had damaged the gearbox during practice.

This can cause damage?
Wu Shi was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but he immediately understood that the paddle shifters were not something that could be pressed at will.

If the engine speed and gear ratio are always mismatched, and the transmission isn't made of vibranium, it will eventually break down.

After listening to the gossip for a while, Hamilton from the other side also came over.

"Are you nervous?" the old man asked as soon as he came up.

"It's the third year now, I'm not so nervous anymore," Wu Shi said with a smile.

"Haha, it's good that you're not nervous. I'm afraid you'll be too nervous and let me pass."

"No, that won't happen. I'm too nervous and I'll just swerve in the wrong direction. I hope I don't knock you out of the way, or the Boss will..."

After Wu Shi finished speaking, he even gave Toto a meaningful look.

Hamilton glanced over as well, only to realize that his little schemes had failed.

This new teammate is completely different from Rosberg; he is calm and composed in the face of big competitions, showing no signs of mental instability.

On the other side, Toto was unaware of the stares from his two teammates.

He had already adopted his signature serious expression and was communicating with the team's strategists.

Wu Shi chatted with Hamilton for a while before they parted ways.

There wasn't much going on in the P room for the time being, so he went to wander around.

I wonder if Kimi brought Magnum ice cream. If he did, we can go and try some.

It's so hot in Australia.

Inside the Red Bull pit room, Ross Brown was still chatting with Marco.

Since January of this year, Ross Brawn has been reappointed as F1 General Manager. Now, he can't stay with the team for too long, or he'll probably get caught by reporters and have a few questions.

"Wu Shi, what are you doing, sneaking around like that?"

Verstappen just came out.

"I'll wander around and ask you for some information while I'm at it," Wu Shi said with a smile.

“You think the same way I do. You give me one, and I’ll give you one,” Verstappen joked.

"Then we'll both take huge penalties and experience prison life?"

"Hahaha!"

After chatting with Red Bull, I ran into Brother Tou on the way back, and we chatted for a bit more, talking about things on the track and in the company.

Since they started collaborating, the two have been meeting quite frequently.

For example, a while ago Brother Tou got a batch of merchandise from Wu Shi, and even with shipping costs, it was much cheaper than products made in Europe.

It's truly a blessing to have a motherland with a powerful complete industrial chain.

At 3:59 PM, the sun was shining brightly and the clouds were drifting by.

The main race of the 2017 opening event is finally about to begin.

At this point, all 19 race cars were parked in their starting grids.

Ricardo returned to the pit garage while on the reconnaissance route due to a broken sensor on the gearbox.

As the hands of the giant Rolex clock moved toward four o'clock, Wu Shi received the tire warming command and started the vehicle.

At this point, Ricardo still hadn't made an appearance.

All of the top ten drivers used the purple ultrasoft tires.

In the back row, apart from Ericsson and Stroll who were using red supersoft tires, most of the other drivers were also using ultrasoft tires.

Three others used yellow soft tires.

Since we started using three different formulas last year, everyone has become much more strategic.

Stroll used supersoft tires, presumably to quickly catch up with the riders ahead who were using soft tires from the back of the pack.

It's unusual for Westbrook to adopt a strategy of starting from the back of the pack.

After Wu Shi parked his car in the starting grid, he waited until all the cars were in place, but did not receive any message that the race was about to begin.

"Um, just a moment, the Kvyat's car has malfunctioned, we..."
"Okay, we just received news that we need to conduct another formation circle (warm-up circle)."

Before the race even started, both the big and small Red Bulls were delayed, with Verstappen sitting on the big Bull and Sainz on the small Bull.

The race, which was originally scheduled for 58 laps, will be counted as 57 laps due to the extra warm-up laps.

Wu Shi circled back to the starting grid and glanced down at the screen on the steering wheel.

This is different from the display screen that Williams uses mounted on the car body, but I've gotten used to it over time.

However, he rarely uses this screen to check on the car's status during the race.

Wu Shi glanced upwards slightly; after a year, he was finally able to see the departure indicator light up close again.

As the first red light illuminated, all the race car engines revved up, their loud, sharp roar filling the entire starting straight.

Then the second lamp, the third lamp, and so on, until all five lamps were lit.

Wu Shi's heart raced as the red lights kept flashing; it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous about starting the car!
Swish!
In an instant, the red light went out.

The rotation speed is just right, the clutch is released, and engagement begins.

Roar!
Appropriate throttle input, racing car drive.

"Wu Shi's start was excellent as always! He didn't allow his teammates to gain any advantage!"
Lewis tried to squeeze Wu Shi's space to the left, but he wasn't far enough! Wu Shi pressed into the racing line first!

"Vettel's start from the back is average, and he may face attacks from his teammates!"
"Verstappen got off to a great start; he's trying to overtake Kimi from the inside!"

In the first race of the season, all the front row drivers made absolutely no mistakes, which is truly rare!

However, from the broadcast perspective, it was clear that Wu Shi, who started from pole position, slightly increased the distance between himself and Hamilton during the acceleration process.

Therefore, Wu Shi pulled the car back to the outside without hesitation and entered the curve in the best way.

After the combination bend, the gap between him and the old man widened further.

The safe departure made Toto feel a sense of relief for some reason.

However, after two laps, Toto frowned and his expression became increasingly serious.

There's nothing wrong with Wu Shi and Hamilton leading the field, the problem is that Vettel is right behind them!
"Wu Shi, create some distance; we need to increase the speed slightly." Jonathan immediately issued the instruction according to the strategy team's wishes.

Wu Shi immediately did as instructed.

On the fourth lap, he had already broken the lap time barrier of 1 minute 28.899 seconds.

"It needs to be even faster."

However, Jonathan's voice sounded like a death knell.

Wu Shi was slightly puzzled, but Jonathan quickly explained the reason.

Lewis' lap time is 29.044 seconds, and Sebastian's lap time is 29.128 seconds.

This kind of lead-off of a fraction of a second per lap is for the subsequent cruise control. In the first few laps, you definitely need to maximize your speed to avoid opponents using DRS to attack you.

Wu Shi checked the condition of the tires and realized that such acceleration would wear them out quickly, so he had to manage them as well as possible.

Avoid changing the tire before you've driven out of the parking window.

Swish!
On the fifth lap, Wu Shi further improved his speed to 1 minute 28.733 seconds.

然而后面两人都不是吃素的，老汉1分28秒789跟着，维特尔稳定1分29秒127。

On the sixth lap, the veteran's lap time fluctuated to 28.919 seconds, while Wu Shi improved it further to 28.697 seconds.

This gave Jonathan a slight sense of relief.

He could relax now, but Bono encountered a problem.

On the ninth lap, Wu Shi continued to steadily improve his speed, reaching 1 minute 28.200 seconds.

The old man also ran a time of 1 minute 28.391 seconds.

However, Vettel ran a time of 1 minute 28.234 seconds!

This mediocre comparison signifies one important thing: Hamilton has not shaken off Vettel.

The difference between the two at this moment was indeed only 1.5 seconds.

"Hiss, Wu Shi and Hamilton's difference in seconds is 2.2 seconds, and he still couldn't pull away!" the soldier said.

"It looks like"

Fei Ge was halfway through his sentence when Wu Shi's TR started playing:

"The tires are overheating, what should I do?" Jonathan knew Wu Shi wanted to know if he could slow down, so he glanced at the data and replied:

"You are now 2.4 seconds ahead of Lewis and 4.1 seconds ahead of Sebastian."

After hearing this, Wu Shi realized the seriousness of the problem.

He can't keep increasing his lap time, otherwise the overheated tires will break down very quickly.

But even with such a small difference in seconds, he can't slow down too much!
Like Wu Shi, Hamilton also spoke out in TR: "I encountered some understeering."

“Be careful to protect the front tires; the particle buildup is quite severe,” Bono replied immediately.

“Yeah, can we make Wu Shi go faster? His thermal exhaust is causing the tires to degrade rapidly,” Lewis continued.

Bono did not reply to him, and Wu Shi faced a similar problem.

However, according to telemetry data, Wu Shi's tires were clearly not as severely overheated as Hamilton's.

However, this is not good news. The performance of the ultra-soft tires on Mercedes-Benz is a big question mark!

This forces the strategy team to consider more things.

At this moment, Jonathan spoke again:
"How are the tires feeling? We need you to maintain a consistent lap time."

"Let me try."

Wu Shi knew that Jonathan had asked him to provide a stable lap time as a calibration.

As he was saying that, on the 12th lap, he ran a time of 1 minute 28.360 seconds.

Jonathan immediately provided this data to the strategy team, and Wu Shi could cruise at this lap time.

The strategy team then provided feedback, predicting that the first pit stop window would be after lap 22.

Jonathan understood and continued to keep an eye on the situation on the field.

Toto listened to the entire exchange and realized that Hamilton's situation was probably quite serious.

最主要是老汉的圈速波动很大，一会儿1分28秒4，一会儿飙到1分28秒8。

Is this due to tire overheating?
Toto couldn't draw a conclusion immediately, but he knew that if things continued like this, the tires would become severely grainy.

Looking at the data, Bono could only inform Hamilton again in the TR:
"You need to create a gap."

Hamilton had to push himself a bit harder, bringing his lap time to 1 minute 28.117 seconds.

But on the next lap, his true colors were revealed, and his lap time dropped to 1 minute 29.037 seconds.

It's like doing nothing at all.

Ferrari's approach was equally straightforward: they had Vettel follow behind Hamilton.

Therefore, Vettel kept the difference between 1.5 and 1.9 seconds.

Such a tiny difference in seconds leaves very little room for error.

What's even more dangerous is that Hamilton hasn't run out of the first stop window yet.

Toto, taking a holistic view, came up with the idea of ​​having Hamilton block Vettel.

However, he ultimately only said to Lauda:

"Wu Shi's position is fine; his lap times are very consistent right now."

“Yes, Lewis has to hold on until the first entry window.” Lauda nodded.

Unfortunately, Hamilton had to pit on lap 17 due to a bad tire problem, though the team had other considerations.

Jonathan noticed this and informed Wu Shi:

"Now Sebastian is behind you, and he is 4.7 seconds ahead of you."

Why did he enter the station?

Wu Shi immediately countered that any lead driver would be wary of a teammate suddenly pitting behind them.

"Relax, he's not going to undercut. His tires are terrible, overheated and have no grip."

"He needs a tire change, and he will be in fifth place after he comes out, behind Verstappen."

Upon hearing this, Wu Shi immediately fell silent, and after a while, he asked:

What lap are we on now?

"18 laps."

There are still 4 laps left before the window the team mentioned appears, and the tires are indeed quite overheated.

Fortunately, the previous adjustments prevented him from losing control of the tires.

Hamilton came out and saw the rear of the Red Bull truck in front of him; his head exploded.

Bono's voice, however, appeared instantly in TR, like a demon's:
“Lewis, we need to close this gap, it’s crucial. The gap is 1.7.”

"nothing left."

With Verstappen up front, things went terribly wrong, and Hamilton was extremely frustrated!

If the fight with Wu Shi resulted in both of them withdrawing, then there would still be no loss.

But if Verstappen and Verstappen both retire, then it's all over!

Hamilton closed the 1.7-second gap to 0.87 seconds on lap 20.

On lap 21, he began to try to attack Verstappen, and with the help of DRS, he successfully narrowed the gap to 0.4 seconds.

By lap 22, Wu Shi's lap time had dropped to 1 minute 28.5 seconds.

Vettel chased after the old man for three laps after his pit stop, and by this lap, his lap time had dropped to 1 minute 28.5 seconds.

“The difference is 4.0 seconds,” Ferrari TR reported.

"I didn't get close to him?"

Vettel was somewhat unsure of what was going on.

"His lap times are very consistent."

Meanwhile, seeing that Vettel's lap times could no longer be maintained, Mercedes finally recalled Wu Shi.

"BOX BOX".

Wu Shi entered the pit and enjoyed a tire change in 2.7 seconds, which was quite fast, considering that this year's tires are wider.

After he came out, he was positioned just a little in front of Kimi.

The cold tires had no chance to defend or counterattack, so Kimi easily overtook them.

But that's alright, there will be a chance once the tires are warmed up.

"You need to surpass Verstappen; that's crucial."

"You need to surpass Kimi, that's crucial."

Bono and Jonathan told their drivers what to do almost simultaneously.

Hamilton's time has been reduced to 1 minute 29.6 seconds by Verstappen. You know, how could new tires be in such a terrible condition?
Meanwhile, Wu Shi, Vettel ahead of him had just received the order to enter the station!

Based on the current situation, Vettel should fall behind Wu Shi after he comes out.

But if Kimi had stopped him, the outcome might have been different!

In fact, Ferrari did give Kimi the order to stop Wu Shi.

Wu Shi got DRS after Turn 10 and immediately cut inside Kimi before Turn 12.

Kimi naturally blocked Wu Shi's path at the center line.

However, the DRS zone that followed immediately gave Wu Shi a faster acceleration capability.

Wu Shi also knew that he had to be quick!
But before the track was renovated in 2022, this track was notoriously difficult to overtake!

The engine power is released rapidly, creating a wake, a sprint, and a turn!
Kimi immediately changed lanes to block, getting right between the center line and the inside line, leaving Wu Shi with nowhere to go.

At the same time, Kimi braked hard, instantly slowing Wu Shi down at turn 13.

Damn!

Wu Shi had no choice but to follow Kimi around the bend.

He had all the possible scenarios for turns 14-16 in his mind, and Kimi would definitely stop him again!
He can't be held off here for too long; his four-second lead over Vettel could very well be wiped out!

hum!
On the short straight at Turn 13, Wu Shi drove directly on the inside line, ignoring the slipstream, as if he wanted to overtake Kimi by pressing down on the white line on the right!
Kimi noticed Wu Shi in the rearview mirror, and instinctively steered to the right, completely blocking the line.

He was certain that if Wu Shi dared to come from this side, he would definitely lose control because of the different grip of the left and right wheels!
Wu Shi certainly knew all this. Last year, the old man crashed into Rosberg in Spain because his right tire had hit the grass.

He kept getting closer and closer, and everyone thought he was going to risk mowing the lawn.

Toto even clenched his fists; he would definitely curse Wu Shi if he dared to do that!

But at that moment, his entire car suddenly veered toward the center line.

Kimi instinctively wanted to make one last lane change to block, but then realized it was a trick!

As long as they defend the inside, they can stop Wu Shi.

Sure enough, as they approached turn 14, he slammed on the brakes, forcing Wu Shi to slow down as well.

However, after Kimi entered the braking zone, Wu Shi veered to the left outside the lane again, and then his urgent late braking actually overtook Kimi, who had braked earlier.

The battle was not over yet. As long as Kimi, who was in the inside, could easily turn into the corner, he would still maintain the lead!
Indeed, this was the case. Even though Wu Shi was controlling the car extremely carefully as he entered the corner, Kimi still managed to pull ahead.

As Kimi exited the corner, his car pulled out three-quarters of the way again.

"Failed again!"

"Kimi is still got it!"

"How could you possibly overtake on the outside!"

Everyone realized that Wu Shi might actually be blocked behind Vettel.

However, on the straight after turn 14, Kimi was unable to widen the gap any further.

Wu Shi managed to trap his driver near Kimi's left rear wheel.

"How does he control the cornering pull?!" Dudley was amazed once again when he saw this.

But the most amazing part was yet to come.

Turns 14 and 15 saw the inside and outside lines switch, and Wu Shi's car cut inside, leaving Kimi with no way to contest the inside line!
He's an inside player!

Swish!
Kimi, who was walking in the middle, braked.

However, Wu Shi, who was inside, suddenly appeared and came to a complete stop after being right next to him!
Heh!

Kimi could almost hear the sharp, piercing sounds of tires and brake pads.

He was instantly stunned; Wu Shi had actually stopped!
What does it mean if the inside line brakes too late and comes to a stop?
Wu Shi turned into the bend, his entire car blocking Kimi's path, squeezing Kimi from the center line to the outside line.

He wanted to replicate the crossover at Turn 16, but Wu Shi demonstrated amazing traction control as he exited the corner.

Roar!
W08 roared, giving Kimi no chance to catch up.

After turning the 16th bend, Wu Shi turned on the DRS.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the camera, Vettel was already changing a tire in the pit lane.

The 22-person team worked together perfectly, and the new soft tires were successfully installed.

Vettel landed and immediately sped towards the pit lane exit.

The camera at the end of the straight section is aimed at the inside and outside of the guardrail.

The silver arrows from the outside hurtled towards them, sending sparks flying high into the air.

Meanwhile, the red prancing horse on the inside has already crossed the white line and begun to accelerate.

Swoosh! Swish!
The silver arrow flashed by in an instant, turning 1 from the outside in, and then speeding away along the shoulder at turn 2.

Ferrari, however, was just a hair's breadth off and could only follow behind.

"call!"

Toto breathed a sigh of relief; he almost let Vettel pass by.

Fortunately, Wu Shi was ahead.

(End of this chapter)