F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 299 The National Flag Flies High
The weather in Shanghai on April 9 was still very cold, with a temperature of only 12℃.

The rain started as expected, but it came earlier than usual, just before the game began.

Wu Zhenlin arrived in Shanghai early this morning and is currently in the P room at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

However, as before, he kept a low profile and did not choose to stand in a place where he would be easily photographed.

Wu Shi had already put on his racing suit and, with the help of the crew, sat in the monocoque.

“The track is still wet, so we’ll put on semi-wet tires for you,” Jonathan told him.

"Hmm, doesn't the race require starting on semi-wet tires?" Wu Shi asked.

“There are no requirements yet,” Jonathan said.

“Okay, I’ll test the current track conditions,” Wu Shi said.

After saying that, we waited for the green light to go to the repair area.

I'll go out later.

“Okay,” Jonathan said.

As a result, Wu Shi was released very late.

When he arrived at the track, the race lines were dry except for some sections of the track, such as corners 15 and 16, which were still flooded.

After trying it out briefly, he found that he still couldn't switch to dry tires, otherwise he would definitely be unable to pass several corners.

Finally, he parked his car at the end of the starting grid, and after getting out of the car, the crew members next to him quickly came over to push the car.

After getting off the ground, Wu Shi immediately took off his gloves and wiped the ground twice.

Although there was no obvious standing water, it was still damp. If you put a piece of toilet paper on it, it would quickly become soaked with water.

He didn't go back to the pit room, but instead went to the front of the room with the car.

“Lewis was using dry tires for the lap, but he just slipped,” Jonathan told him.

“Yes, there are a few corners that can’t be taken with dry tires. If you’re a driver in the back row, you can try your best with a strategy,” Wu Shi said.

"Verstappen is running his second lap. He also used dry tires for the first lap, but obviously found that he couldn't run on them, so he has switched back to wet tires."

Jonathan put on a jacket and looked around the field. Most of the cars that had been pushed to the starting grid had been re-erected and their tires removed.

However, each race car had two sets of tires wrapped in tire warmers on a rack next to it, so it was clear that it was impossible to know everyone's specific strategies by simply observing them.

"The weather forecast says there won't be any rain during the main event," Jonathan continued.

“We can only trust this, but inevitably we’ll have to start with semi-weather tires.” Wu Shi nodded.

Seeing Wu Shi's determination, Jonathan nodded.

At this time, Six Star Sports also connected with reporters on site.

"Yes, I'm currently on the starting straight section. From what I've just learned, the ground is still very slippery."

"Some riders used dry tires for their laps, but the results were not very good."

"I just asked our driver Wu Shi, and he is optimistic about whether it will rain during the race."

"However, for Wu Shi at the Mercedes, rain during halftime could still be a variable."

"It's fair to say that Red Bull is the one that most enjoys rain right now, as they are significantly slower than Mercedes and Ferrari."

"If it rains, they will be able to recover a lot of their disadvantages."

As soon as the reporter finished speaking, the soldier immediately replied:
"We just received many messages from our audience backstage, expressing their hope that it wouldn't rain, which is quite rare."

Most spectators enjoy watching the races and are eager for a downpour to see the drivers in a chaotic brawl.

Because F1 races are often quite boring, many spectators prefer rainy days.

However, Wu Shi started from pole position in this race, and the home crowd naturally didn't want any changes; they just wanted Wu Shi to stand on the highest podium!

On-site, the time before the game started was quite agonizing, because no one knew whether it would rain or not.

Wu Shi and Jonathan stood together, continuing to listen to this highly competent track engineer explain the easily overlooked details.

Wu Shi was already used to this kind of listening, and even though he understood many of the points, he still let Jonathan continue.

The camera frequently panned to Wu Shi's side during the match, and each time it was shown on the big screen, it would elicit cheers from behind him.

Wu Shi then smiled and greeted him, which in turn elicited enthusiastic shouts.

"The area in the middle of the stands right now is the Wu Shi section, and you can see everyone is very enthusiastic," the soldier said, watching the broadcast.

"This is Wu Shi's third year in the hunting grounds. Compared to the desolation of the first year, the scene this year is extremely spectacular."

"A sea of ​​red!"

The soldier sighed.

Foreign commentators, however, had to explain that the red color belonged to Wu Shi, not Ferrari.

However, seeing that the flags being waved on the field were all five-star red flags, everyone understood.

After waiting a few minutes at the starting grid, the pre-race activities began.

This year, the pre-competition performance prepared by Shanghai will be a student choir combined with a cultural performance.

When the time came, everyone gathered in front of the national flag unfurled by the flag-bearing team.

The organizers made a special arrangement to have Wu Shi stand in the middle.

The drivers have no choice but to accept Wu Shi's various privileges granted to them on his home turf, even if they don't understand or manage them.

In fact, most drivers have no objection to this. Excellent drivers already have some special honors and treatment, let alone when they are on their home turf.

Then, the national anthem was played, and an aerial view showed the words "I love SH".

The noise from the stadium only subsided after the national anthem finished playing.

Wu Shi also returned to the starting grid, wearing a down jacket.

Before the race, it's better to be too hot than too cold, otherwise your hands and feet will become sluggish, which will greatly affect your start.

After a final discussion, Wu Shi put on his headgear and helmet and got into the race car.

"Go for it!" Jonathan patted the edge of the race car.

Wu Shi clenched his fist and waved it forcefully, then sat quietly in the car and waited.

After several rings, the race queens and non-staff members left one by one.

"The race organizers have still not announced that partial rain tires are mandatory," Jonathan said.

"Does anyone use dry tires?" Wu Shi asked.

When dry tires are available, semi-wet tires don't just slow you down by a few seconds per lap, they slow you down by several seconds.

“Sainz is using dry tires. Note that the warm-up lap has begun,” Jonathan said.

Wu Shi looked up and saw two green indicator lights, so he immediately took action.

"The ground is still very wet."

Fei Ge noticed that there was still water on the side where Wu Shi had started, and immediately said something.

“It’s the same scene, but what I see is different from what Fei Ge sees. I think many places are dry,” Bing Ge chimed in.

"Hahaha!"

Fei Ge laughed and then explained why he was interested in wetlands:

“The dirty side was already greatly affected when starting, and now Hamilton’s side will also be affected by the wets.”

"So, Wu Shi has quite a few advantages," the soldier said.

As he spoke, the camera focused on Sainz, where the red supersoft tires were very slippery in some places.

Vettel then added in TR that there was still a lot of water on the ground.

While warming the tire, Wu Shi also felt the ground conditions. When it was about right, he took a step forward.

Hamilton was deliberately slowing down, so Wu Shi had to slow down at the last corner and wait for the old man to catch up.

To be honest, Wu Shi doesn't really like to use these strategies all the time, but Hamilton is a very meticulous driver.

He would seize every opportunity to weaken his opponent, so whenever Wu Shi started from pole position, he would have to play a game of pressuring the car with the old man.

At this moment, the camera suddenly focused on Ferrari's pit garage.

Marchionne, dressed in a suit, stood next to Maurizio.

"Oh, Ferrari's big boss is here too! He didn't come to the first race, but he'll definitely be here for the second one."

"Did you see that lady behind you?" Fei Ge suddenly asked.

"What's wrong? Why do you always focus on things that are different from mine, hahaha!"

The soldier looked over as he smiled and said:
"Oh, it's Martina."

"Yes, according to a lot of information, Wu Shi stayed at her house when he went to Italy to race go-karts," Fei Ge said.

"It seems that Wu Shi has quite a connection with Ferrari."

As the soldier was speaking, he suddenly remembered something and added:
"Is the Ferrari boss here just to poach Wu Shi? Hahaha!"

"Unlikely. It's said that Wu Shi signed an extremely long contract with Mercedes-Benz, and the breach of contract clause is quite unusual," Fei Ge said.

As the two were talking, Wu Shi had already arrived at the starting grid and parked, with Hamilton beside him.

Vettel, however, did not stop in the starting grid, but rather slightly to the right of it.

"He parked way off course," Wu Shi said in TR.

"OK."

Jonathan pointed out the problem, saying that Vettel's parking was highly inappropriate.

However, the organizers did not issue any announcement.

Renault's Palmer did not enter the starting straight after returning from the warm-up lap, but instead went directly to the pit lane to change to dry tires before starting.

The commentators were mostly focused on Vettel's erratic parking and Palmer's sudden pit stop; no one noticed that a red light had already illuminated.

Wu Shi rubbed his fingers together a couple of times before gripping the steering wheel tightly.

The second red light came on, the engine revved up suddenly, and a loud sound echoed in the straight road.

It wasn't until the third red light came on that everyone's attention returned to the departure of the bus.

Wu Shi took a deep breath; his mind was completely blank except for the red light above his head.

Fully lit.

call!
Off!
Buzz!

Wu Shi immediately started moving, and the torque was perfectly distributed to the rear wheels, and the whole car started moving instantly.

He could clearly sense that Hamilton beside him seemed to be a beat slower.

No, it wasn't that I was a step too slow, but rather that the ground was too slippery and I didn't have enough grip!

Advantages!

As luck would have it, Wu Shi only slightly guarded the center line, then drove over the wet track surface at the pit exit and went straight into Turn 1.

Hamilton, who was affected, was now a car length away from him!

"Oh! Wu Shi has maintained his advantage and will continue to lead the race!"

"Vettel's start was too slow! He's being threatened by Kimi, no, Ricardo is even faster!"

When the front row cars exited Turn 3, the two Mercedes cars had already completely taken the lead over Ferrari and Red Bull.

However, just after the second time segment, a Williams car drove onto the gravel track behind, and the section's yellow flag appeared.

Soon, the first lap ended, and Wu Shi had already widened the gap with Hamilton by 0.7 seconds.

With the ground in a semi-dry condition, Hamilton was unable to follow Wu Shi on the optimal route, as the polluted air made driving extremely difficult.

Wu Shi, on the other hand, can freely choose when to press down on the water and at what angle to attack the bend.

"Wu Shi has already pulled away by a lot. If we do just one more lap, Hamilton will be out of the one-second zone."

"Mercedes is still fast! Vettel held on to third place, but he's already 1.3 seconds behind Hamilton."

"Hey! Something's wrong. Watt is going to be investigated."

"I knew it! How could you park like that?! Will you get a ticket for that?"

At that moment, the broadcast camera focused on Storol as he rushed into the gravel area.

He had no choice but to withdraw from the race. The gravel area of ​​this track is an absolute no-go zone, which directly affects the competition for the world championship!
As Storr stopped struggling, the crane was about to enter the field, and the entire stadium turned yellow.

“Virtual safety car, virtual safety car,” Jonathan’s voice rang out.

Wu Shi immediately slowed down and, as he circled back, he just happened to see Storol.

"He got stuck in the gravel?"

"Yes, it looks like someone hit him from behind, Indian Forces."

"Didn't he check the rearview mirror?" Wu Shi said directly.

It's not that he was prejudiced and thought it was the young master's fault, but rather that Storol always closed the door like that, regardless of whether there were cars behind him.

With the virtual safety car deployed, many drivers took advantage of the time to enter the pit area and change to dry tires towards the end of the second lap.

However, Wu Shi did not choose to enter the station—or rather, Mercedes-Benz did not choose the entry strategy.

Vettel, on the other hand, pitted and changed to supersoft tires, while Kimi remained on the pitch.

On lap four, the safety car was removed, and the race restarted.

Wu Shi's dynamic start was still very rapid, but before the fourth lap was over, another yellow flag appeared.

Giovanni Zi and his teammate crashed into the wall just after exiting Turn 16, leaving the car wreckage on the starting straight.

Mercedes reacted quite quickly, immediately informing Wu Shi via TR:
"All vehicles were required to go through the repair area so we could change their tires."

"Wasn't Watt just change the tire for nothing?" the soldier immediately realized.

"Well, Wu Shi and Hamilton both benefited."

What kind of tires will they use?

"Everyone except Vettel has new soft tires and should be switching to soft tires."

As expected, both Mercedes players ended up on soft tires.

Wu Shi maintained his lead, but due to the safety car's speed reduction, Hamilton caught up to him again.

On lap 6, the car will pass through the pit lane.

"Wu Shi is still in the lead, but due to the safety car, his lead is not as large. When the race restarts, he will face fierce attacks from his teammates again!"

David quickly summarized the situation on the field.

It must be said that the efficiency of doing things in China is quite high; cranes have already been deployed to clear the wreckage.

On lap 7, the safety car was still leading the way.

Wu Shi noticed that the tires were very cold, and he was somewhat worried about Hamilton behind him.

However, Hamilton was even more worried than him, and said directly in TR:
“I’m having a very hard time getting my tires warm up. You should tell Wu Shi to hurry up.”

This left Mercedes somewhat bewildered, but Jonathan still managed to communicate with Wu Shi:
"Our two cars are staying in the front, so you need to speed up a bit to warm up the tires as much as possible."

“Yeah, this shouldn’t be communicated to me, but to the safety car in front. If Lewis wants to run faster, let him run ahead of the safety car.”

Wu Shi said in a calm tone, "This must be something Hamilton said in TR again."

He wasn't saying this to Jonathan, but to everyone.

"Hahaha." Soldier Brother and Fei Brother both stopped laughing.

With the new round of changes, the track positions have shifted slightly.

Wu Shi maintained his lead.

Behind him were Hamilton, Riccardo, Kimi, Verstappen, Vettel, Alonso, Sainz, Kvyat, and Bottas.

It's fair to say that Vettel was the most affected by these two yellow cards.

As the seventh lap was about to end, the safety car evacuation notice was issued.

After feeling the condition of the tires, Wu Shi spun the tires left and right. In the first few laps, he had already tested the condition of various areas of the track.

Therefore, even when the tires are worn down, he will always make sure the tires are on dry ground, rather than running over water and making them slippery.

On the straightaway, all the drivers in the front row were doing this.

Kimi, who was in fourth place, remained motionless, which prompted the commentators to discuss Kimi's style.

However, as the safety roof light went out...
The camera suddenly panned, revealing that Bottas, who was warming up his tires, slipped and almost drove his Williams onto the wall to join the young master.

As Turn 16 approached, Wu Shi could already see the green flag ahead.

The track reopened, but he didn't relax; the car plunged into the corner at a tricky angle.

Hiss!

The wet ground caused the front of the car to sway.

Wu Shi remained unmoved; it was just a minor situation he had anticipated.

Entering the long straight, his perfect gear shift and acceleration immediately gave him a significant speed advantage over Hamilton.

Clearly, Hamilton had no idea that Wu Shi would dare to start like that in the wet Turn 16.

This caused him to be slow from the start.

In fact, not only him, but none of the drivers behind him expected Wu Shi to be so fast.

"Oh! Wu Shi still has a perfect start, he's sprinting faster than everyone else!"
"Lewis seemed to react a beat too slow. Driving the same race car, he truly faced the challenge of another genius this year!"

The three players ahead remained in their positions, but Verstappen immediately launched an attack on Kimi, overtaking the tireless Kimi a few turns later.

Meanwhile, Perez also made a miraculous run, overtaking Bottas, Magnussen, and Kvyat to reach 9th place.

At this moment, Vettel was following behind Kimi.

"Will the Ferrari let Kimi give way?" the soldier asked.

"I don't know, why would they allow it?"

However, no sooner had the two finished speaking than Kimi said in TR:
"I don't know what's wrong with my engine."

"Hahaha! Now we don't need to give way."

"Vettel will overtake on his own."

Despite saying this, Vettel still didn't actually launch an attack, as the track was slippery and attacking in the corners could easily cause an accident.

"Lewis is much slower than you; he's 1.8 seconds behind you now."

On lap 10, Jonathan told Wu Shi that DRS had been activated.

Clearly, Hamilton had no way to attack Wu Shi.

“You need to maintain this lead, or even faster,” Jonathan continued.

On lap 11, Verstappen overtook Ricciardo and moved into third place.

“You did a great job. Now you need to put pressure on Lewis.” Red Bull gave him the instruction immediately after Pan Zi came in third.

This isn't Red Bull being delusional; it's because Hamilton is indeed slow.

老汉的圈速仅仅只有1分40秒807，而维斯塔潘则是1分40秒405。

He can catch up to point 4 in one lap, and the time difference between the two is only 1.5 seconds.

Red Bull believes Verstappen has a chance to surpass Hamilton.

"However, Verstappen was using red supersoft tires, so it's understandable that he drove more aggressively."

"So, Wu Shi was also using soft tires, but his lap time was faster than Hamilton's. So, Hamilton was still slower," Bing Ge added.

Toto was also watching the data of the two drivers. He knew, of course, why Hamilton was slow: because the tires hadn't warmed up yet.

Sure enough, on lap 12, Hamilton immediately improved his lap time to 1 minute 39.358 seconds.

However, Wu Shi ahead improved even faster, reaching 1 minute 39.211 seconds.

This is enough to show that Wu Shi's adaptability to tires that have not reached their operating temperature is better than Hamilton's.

After the first two laps, Toto smiled; as long as the leader was fast enough, nothing unexpected would happen. Meanwhile, in another pit lane, Horner, seeing Verstappen's lap time, also rubbed his hands together with a smile.

Two of the three major racing teams were happy, but Ferrari's boss watched the race with a serious expression.

Ferrari couldn't even beat Mercedes, let alone get squeezed between two Red Bulls.

Ricciardo's lap times weren't fast, but the two Ferraris couldn't keep up.

Vettel was constantly blocked by his teammates and had no ability to attack.

"Wu Shi has only pulled away from Ferrari by 9 seconds, not much. If Vettel wants to aim for the championship, he definitely needs to get ahead as soon as possible!"

The soldier didn't understand.

"Vatter himself can't get close to it!"

"Is it really that hard to overtake on this track? We should let Vettel pass as soon as possible! The big boss is still here!"

As the soft tires reached operating temperature, Hamilton finally widened the gap with Verstappen to 3.3 seconds.

Wu Shi, who was ahead, was now nearly 5 seconds ahead.

Because of the difficulty in following and overtaking other cars, the race fell into the most boring part of F1: watching the laps.

However, this is the best thing for car enthusiasts who follow Wu Shi.

On lap 19, Vandoorne retired from the race due to a problem with the Honda engine.

The focus on the field has now shifted to Ricciardo and the two Ferraris.

Vettel didn't overtake Kimi until lap 20.

This wasted more than ten laps, making it impossible to catch up with Mercedes any longer.

The race finally saw another overtaking moment, which was repeatedly replayed for appreciation.

After getting past Kimi, Vettel increased his speed and immediately threatened Ricciardo ahead.

It seems that Vettel didn't use a hard line against Kimi just now, probably because he considered their teammate relationship.

At that moment, Hamilton suddenly asked, "Do we need to finish the race using this set of tires?"

Bono replied, "We are considering this."

"Based on the current situation, we should be able to hold out until then," Hamilton said.

"50 laps on a soft tire? How hard are Pirelli's tires this year?" The soldier was incredulous after hearing the translation.

"What about Wu Shi? Could Hamilton be trying to wear down Wu Shi's tires by not increasing his speed and just keeping revving and stopping?" Fei Ge asked.

As the two were talking, the race reached lap 22, and Vettel rallied to catch up with Ricciardo.

After entering the turn at turn 1, he attempted to overtake from the outside of turn 2.

But Ricciardo held firm, rushing out of Turn 3 and immediately trying to steal the inside line at Turn 4.

Vettel was completely unconcerned and continued to take the outside line at Turn 4, but after exiting the corner on the straight, he slightly sucked in the slipstream and ended up next to Ricciardo.

Ricardo continued to defend his interior defense with all his might, while Vettel went to the perimeter without a care.

The two players went through Turn 5 side by side, but when Turn 6 came, Vettel moved to the outside, taking up more space.

Heh!

The tires of the two cars rubbed together, and a wisp of smoke rose from the tires.

This shows that Ricardo has done everything he can to keep Vettel on the outside.

However, at Turn 7, the inside and outside lanes switched, and Vettel, who was standing side by side, directly gained control of the inside lane.

Swish!
Vettel finally got past Ricardo through a series of fierce attacks.

After the vehicle pulled away from the side, the yellow label on the Pirelli tires was completely erased in the footage!

“Wonderful!”

The soldier, who was already inclined towards Watts, immediately clapped and shouted.

After getting past Ricardo, Vettel continued the pursuit.

The advantages of soft tires are becoming increasingly apparent, as they are far more durable than the ultrasoft tires used by Verstappen.

On lap 28, Verstappen made a mistake by braking hard in a corner, allowing Vettel to easily return to third place.

On lap 29, Verstappen's tires gave out, forcing him to pit for a tire change. He came out next to Alonso.

At this point, Wu Shi in the front row was still increasing his lap time, having already broken the 1 minute 37 second barrier, and was clearly going to get even faster.

"Sebastian is in P3, 15 seconds away." Jonathan's TR was rarely broadcast by the tournament organizers.

"What is this telling Wu Shi?"

"Are you not going to enter the station unless you've made it past one of the entrance windows?" the soldier asked, puzzled.

"But it looks like this soft tire set can actually finish the race."

"Have you noticed that if Wu Shi weren't leading, the camera would basically never focus on the leading position? For example, Hamilton, he didn't get any shots at all later on." The soldier's focus shifted again.

“This is our home ground, so naturally we’ll get more screen time. If we went to other Grand Prix, Wu Shi wouldn’t get much screen time while he was leading.” Fei Ge shook his head.

F1 broadcasts can only look for the most valuable shots, and the shots of drivers who are consistently in the lead are often only valuable when they cross the finish line.

Sometimes, even crossing the finish line isn't very interesting.

At the end of lap 35, Vettel suddenly chose to pit and change to soft tires.

"BOX BOX".

Upon observing this situation, Jonathan issued the order without hesitation.

Wu Shi then accelerated at full speed on lap 36, while Hamilton on the other side naturally received the news that he would be pitting on the lap after next.

The first and second drivers started accelerating almost simultaneously.

However, Wu Shi ahead was still faster.

Wu Shi entered the pit at the end of lap 36.

It changed to a soft tire in 4.4 seconds.

"What are you doing?!"

"These tire changers need more training! How can they be so slow!"

Bingge and Feige immediately shouted.

Fortunately, Wu Shi was more than 4 seconds ahead of Hamilton, so as long as he was fast enough on his exit lap, it wouldn't be easy for Hamilton to overcut him.

The moment Wu Shi landed, he knew the problem he was about to face.

Therefore, he had to exert all his strength, and the vehicle began to accelerate rapidly the instant it passed the inspection point in the maintenance area.

The roar of the engine propelled him rapidly toward Turn 1.

The slightly extreme driving line caused a brief vibration throughout the car, indicating that the tires were about to exceed their grip limit.

sieve!
On lap 37, Wu Shi rushed across the starting straight and glanced at the pit lane as he passed it; Hamilton had just been cleared.

call!
He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he hadn't been overcut.

"Still in the lead!" the soldier said happily.

"very good!"

After the two finished praising him, the camera never focused on Wu Shi in the front row again.

However, as the race entered lap 50, and Wu Shi still maintained an absolute lead, the atmosphere on the track began to change.

Everyone realized that Wu Shi was highly likely to win the championship on home soil.

While the broadcast was focused on the drivers vying for position, it frequently showed Wu Shi in several shots.

And so it went, round and round, each round like inflating a balloon.

On lap 55, Wu Shi crossed the checkered line.

The race has entered its final lap, lap 56.

From that moment on, the camera remained fixed on Wu Shi, never leaving his face.

The constantly changing camera angles show Wu Shi driving a Mercedes-Benz at high speed on each track.

Meanwhile, in the stands, the fans had already stood up.

"Oh! Do you remember what I said two years ago?"

David's voice rang out.

As Wu Shi rounded Turn 10, the car appeared to have been moved sideways in the side view.

"At that time, Wu Shi, who was still a minor, drove the Williams and worked incredibly hard to finally reach the podium."

"Unfortunately, against the faster Mercedes, he was unable to get the national anthem played at home."

A beam of light shone down from the clearing sky and hit Mercedes No. 59. As it turned into the 11-13 series of corners, the gleaming silver arrow sped along.

I said, it doesn't matter, he's young enough, he still has a chance.

"He will bring unparalleled expectations to the country's car enthusiasts."

"One day, their own country's drivers will be able to stand on the highest podium."

"This expectation vanished in the face of the huge disappointment in 2016."

"But what does it matter?"

Buzz!

Wu Shi charged toward the longest straightaway on the Shanghai International Circuit, slowly releasing his power as he sprinted and sped away.

On the left side of the main road, countless red flags were already waving in the stands, and in the very center of the stands, there was a huge national flag.

Unfortunately, Wu Shi can't see it now; he's staring intently at Turn 14.

"But what does it matter?"

After David repeated it, he continued:
"Wu Shi has already proven himself, and we all believe that when this talented young man gets into a fast enough race car, he will be able to win this honor."

"I thought this expectation might be long."

"But in 2017, Wu Shi joined the Mercedes-Benz team, and he won the championship with a perfect performance in the opening race!"
"Perhaps by then, his fellow fans will know."

"This year will be the year that this expectation comes true!"
"Now is the time!"

"Oh! This is the most wonderful moment, a moment that all car fans should cheer for!"
"Let's welcome this talented home driver to the highest honor in his country!"

Swish!
As Wu Shi turned into Turn 14, he gradually slowed down. After passing Turn 15, he became extremely cautious before Turn 16.

The last bend is often the most difficult part to navigate in a normal race.

Heh!

The tires rubbed against the ground, and the engine roared like a tiger suppressing its roar.

Roar!
After turning 16, the race car sped off, and the checkered flag was already waving ahead.

In the main grandstand, a row of standing fans stared intently at the race car driven by their own country's driver.

Swish!
Mercedes number 59 crosses the finish line.

"Wow! Wu Shi crosses the finish line under the waving checkered flag! He has won his first championship on home soil!"
"This is the victory that he, I, and you have waited for for seven hundred days!"

David roared out his voice with all his might.

"Oooo!!!"

The entire stadium erupted in cheers, and red flags painted the entire field. In the very center, a giant red flag that had been prepared beforehand was unfurled.

Cheers erupted one after another, like giant waves crashing against the earth.

slap~
The moment he crossed the finish line, Wu Shi seemed to open his ears.

He heard the cheers and shouts from the audience, and he also heard Jonathan's TR:

"Slow down and move closer to the maintenance exit."

"it is good!"

Wu Shi remembered what the press officer had said he would prepare for him, so he stopped the car.

"Why did he stop? Is there something wrong with the race car?" The soldier was still stunned for a moment.

Immediately, Matthew handed over a national flag.

Wu Shi reached out and grabbed it, then started the race car again.

"The national flag, it's the national flag!"

Wu Shi held the steering wheel with one hand and the national flag with the other.

Braving the wind, the national flag flutters.

"Oooo!!!"

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers once again.

Wu Shi!

"Wu Shi!!!"

Gradually, the shouts turned into a unified roar.

"Ugh! The atmosphere down here," the soldier said, rubbing his eyes.

The crowd cheered and jumped for joy. This track had been waiting for 13 years, and finally a driver from his hometown won the championship here!

The commentators' voices faded away, replaced by the cheers of the fans.

"Thank you! Thank you everyone! Wuhu! Thank you to the team, thank you to my fans, thank you to the country!!"

Wu Shi shouted happily in TR.

On the return lap, Mercedes No. 59 drove incredibly slowly, circling the outer track as it made its way back to the pit lane.

After Wu Shi parked his race car at license plate number 1, the crew members by the fence offered their congratulations once again.

Wu Shi draped the national flag over himself and then embraced the crowd.

"Go to the podium quickly!" Wu Zhenlin said, patting Wu Shi's helmet.

"Ok!"

Wu Shi nodded emphatically and walked towards the lounge.

In the lounge, Hamilton and Vettel were both drinking water.

“That’s really enthusiastic, your fans are so enthusiastic,” Vettel said with a smile while drinking water.

“Yeah, I used to think this was my lucky place, but it truly belongs to you,” Hamilton added.

He won many races at the Shanghai International Circuit, which naturally made him popular with Chinese racing fans.

At this moment, the screen is replaying the only exciting overtaking moment of the entire race, which was Vettel overtaking Ricciardo.

Hamilton couldn't help but praise the offensive and defensive play.

Vitter patted Hamilton on the shoulder, seemingly sensing a hint of the Englishman's melancholy.

As the host's voice rang out, Vettel and Hamilton went out one after the other.

When the host called out Wu Shi's name, the stadium was once again filled with enthusiastic cheers.

When Wu Shi stepped onto the podium, he truly felt the enthusiastic celebration of this vast mountain and sea landscape.

He waved and stood on the champion's platform.

Then, the national anthem was played.

He frequently turned back to look at the national flag.

For the first time, the national anthem was played at the end of the race at the Shanghai International Circuit.

As the national anthem finished playing, the soldier remarked, "What a perfect echo between the beginning and the end!"

Subsequently, Vice Mayor Weng went on stage to present Wu Shi with the championship trophy.

Clearly, this leader in charge of culture and tourism wanted to say something to Wu Shi.

Wu Shi bent down and leaned closer.

"A young hero, a fine example of bringing glory to the country! Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you!" Wu Shi smiled and shook hands with her.

Only after the champagne had finished its final eulogy to the victory did the interviewer step onto the stage.

Wu Shi took the microphone, but instead of immediately answering the interviewer, he addressed the audience in Chinese:

Thank you for your support, fellow car enthusiasts! Thank you everyone!

"I lived up to everyone's expectations and won this long-awaited championship. Thank you all for your support! Thank you!"

"Wu Shi!!" A shout rang out from below the stage.

"Wu Shi, awesome!"

Someone else screamed with all their might, almost ruining the rhythm of the shouts.

Wu Shi laughed and waved to the crowd before turning to the interviewer.

“Wu Shi, you are very happy right now!” the interviewer said.

“Yeah, this is a victory on home soil. Although I’ve won the world championship before, I’ve never tasted victory on home soil before,” Wu Shi said.

"Haha, now you've got what you wanted! We saw that you got off to a good start in qualifying and then won the championship with a steady performance in the main event. You seem to be a bit faster than Lewis."

"Yes, actually I went to bed very late on Saturday night. I kept watching past in-car videos and I was thinking about why I was so much slower than Lewis in the second timeout during qualifying."

“I’m so glad I watched it all night, because I understood it, so I can use that knowledge during the main event.”

"If I can be a little faster on each lap, I can extend my advantage."

"And I can sense that the tires don't reach operating temperature in the early stages, but I usually have ways to overcome these issues as much as possible."

"I did everything I could, but this victory was also given to me by the team. Without the team's help, I couldn't have done any of this."

"Thank you to the team! And thank you to everyone who has supported me!"

After Wu Shi finished speaking, the interviewer continued:
"Congratulations! You've shown us the people who cheer for this sport, and everything that everyone is striving for!"

The interviewer finished speaking before handing the microphone to Hamilton.

Even after the stands were cleared, the spectators hadn't left, and people kept calling out Wu Shi's name.

He kept waving to the audience, attracting most of the broadcast cameras.

Hamilton's voice rang out from the side:
"Yes, our cars are identical, I can confirm that. We use the same equipment, maybe there are differences in tuning."

"But I don't think I could have performed better with the same setup. There is no setup that is more suitable for each driver."

The interviewer nodded and continued, "You're currently 17 points behind Wu Shi, which isn't a small number."

“I have to admit that Wu Shi has far more talent and consistency than the other drivers. I have almost never seen him make a mistake on the track.”

“He is the toughest opponent I have ever faced, but he has already taken a world championship from me, and I will not let that happen again.”

Hamilton's words did not elicit cheers; most of the audience seemed somewhat indifferent to his determination.

The interviewer looked at Vettel.

Vettel took the microphone and said:

"We are still far behind Mercedes, I have said this before."

"I defeated Lewis in Melbourne, but I was helpless against Wu Shi, he..."
"Yes, he's like a demon king, always able to do things that others can't."

"As Lewis said, I haven't seen him make any mistakes either."

"He didn't seem nervous or flustered at all; he always drove calmly and then took the lead over all of us."

"He's like a great demon king."

Vettel repeated it again.

(End of this chapter)