F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 310 locked in advance
Wu Shi didn't expect it to be exactly as he thought.

Martina relayed Marchionne's words, saying:

"It's unbelievable, but that's what he told me."

“Well, all I can say is that I’m having a very pleasant collaboration with Mercedes right now,” Wu Shi said with a smile.

“I think so too,” Martina laughed.

The two tacitly avoided discussing other aspects of the two teams, as it would have been too easy to cause misunderstandings.

"Should I congratulate you in advance? If nothing unexpected happens in these two events, you'll be the world champion. Two-time world champion at the age of 19!" Martina said with emotion.

"No need for that, the competition isn't over yet."

Wu Shi shook his head, adhering to his habit of not opening champagne in advance.

After talking with Martina, Wu Shi returned to the team, pondering what Marchionne really wanted to do.

However, he quickly dismissed the issue, deciding to address it after the Japanese Grand Prix.

He'll have to talk to Sid about it. He won't agree to Ferrari's offer, but he can negotiate a higher price with Toto.

The five-year contract with Mercedes does not include a fixed annual salary; it is said to increase year by year.

However, the specifics of how to adjust the price upwards are subject to negotiation. The lower limit is fixed, but the upper limit can still be discussed.

With Ferrari's support, his annual salary might become the highest in the entire paddock.

Nobody ever thinks they have too much money.

After reporting to the venue on Thursday, a pre-match press conference was held shortly afterward.

Wu Shi, the current points leader, was also invited to participate.

Hamilton and Vettel are on either side of the sofa.

Once the three drivers were seated, the host briefly explained the race and then began asking the questions prepared by the reporters.

"Wu Shi, you now have a 90-point lead, and the world championship is very close to you."

"Given your past performance, may we open the champagne early to congratulate you?"

As expected, Wu Shi adjusted his Mercedes-Benz hat and said:

"There are still five games left, and Lewis still has a chance to catch up with me. I don't think the game is over."

The host couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, and then continued:
"After returning from the summer break, we saw that the Mercedes cars were very fast, but it seems that there are additional settings in the engine technology involved. Can you talk about what's going on? This question was also asked to Lewis."

Wu Shi held the microphone and looked at Hamilton.

The old man smiled and gestured for him to speak first.

So Wu Shi didn't stand on ceremony and said:
"Uh, I'm just a famous driver. To be honest, I didn't have much schooling. I didn't even understand your question, so you should ask our engineers."

Even if you know the answer perfectly, you can't answer this kind of question.

The host nodded and looked at Lewis.

Hamilton picked up the microphone, weighed it in his hand for a moment, and then said:
"Wu Shi and I share the same view: we are drivers, and we are only responsible for driving."

Seeing that both of them declined the question, the reporter who had asked it fell silent.

In fact, asking this kind of question usually sparks discussion and also lets you see if the driver will let something slip.

The host then asked Wu Shi a question:

"We've received information that Ferrari is reportedly in talks with you about a collaboration for next year or the year after? Can you tell us what's going on?"

The reporters in Weichang really have a keen sense of smell.

Wu Shi, holding the microphone, said directly, "I don't know."

The host continued to look at him, seemingly waiting for more answers.

Wu Shi felt compelled to add a few more words:
“Yeah, I don’t know about these things.”

"Right now, all I want to do is finish this season with Mercedes. As for other issues, they're really not on my radar."

The host finally let him pass, then looked at Hamilton and said:
"Lewis, you previously expressed your intention to retire. How do you view this issue now?"

Hamilton was somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting to be asked these questions at this time.

However, he still said:
“I have no such plans. It would be very interesting to be teammates with Wu Shi. He is very strong, and the world championship this year is within his grasp.”

"So I will continue to play with him and start a new season next year."

The tension was palpable; many reporters could already sense it.

By now, even Hamilton has accepted the outcome of this year.

But next year will be a new beginning, and Hamilton will definitely find a way to challenge Wu Shi.

A match between two two-time world champions is bound to generate buzz in itself.

Moreover, Hamilton was about to lose the World Cup title for the third time at Mercedes, but he did not lose heart and continued to launch an attack.

A quick-thinking reporter had even come up with a headline:

Lewis Hamilton: I will beat Wu Shi next year.

Whether the old man actually said those words is not important.

Finally, the host looked at Vettel and asked:

"Sebastian, it seems you guys had some bad luck in the last game, maybe you encountered some engine problems?"

Vettel nodded and said, "Yes, but we've already solved it, and we won't encounter the same problem here again."

"What's your opinion on the current standings?" the host continued.

"We still hope to finish second," Vettel stated, revealing their realistic goal.

The brief press conference has concluded. As for further interviews, that's up to the journalists to find the opportunity.

Wu Shi walked out of the reception room with the two men and stretched his neck.

“Congratulations in advance,” Hamilton said.

"No, the competition isn't over yet," Wu Shi replied with a smile.

Vettel couldn't help but laugh after seeing this, and said:

"There are five more races left. You just need 10 more points to finish the competition. You should accept congratulations. You will be the world champion this year."

Whether it's Vettel or the other European drivers, they don't really like to be humble.

"OK, thanks."

However, Wu Shi also knew that his current modesty had gone too far, so he could only smile helplessly.

The weather at Suzuka Circuit is unpredictable; it rained during Friday's practice session.

This prevented most teams from getting enough practice time.

Wu Shi recalled that in 2015 at Williams, rain during practice sessions put them at a significant disadvantage because it prevented them from making proper adjustments.

However, for Mercedes, it was just a little rain.

Saturday morning, the three drills on the dry ground proved this point.

Wu Shi didn't even exert his full strength, yet he and Hamilton monopolized the first and second places.

After the summer break, Mercedes' vehicles are, to some extent, superior to those of other teams.

So in the afternoon's qualifying session, the suspense surrounding pole position turned into whether Hamilton would beat Wu Shi.

However, the result remained the same, with Wu Shi taking pole position by a margin of 0.299 seconds.

Hamilton finished second with a time of 1 minute 27.419 seconds.

When Vettel came in third, his lap time suddenly dropped to 1 minute 27.719 seconds.

This ranking result has already made Ferrari, who only wanted to compete for second place, frown.

To make matters worse, on Sunday's race day, the weather was great, but Ferrari's car malfunctioned again.

The situation was so dire that Ferrari even removed the entire engine cowling from the starting grid to deal with the sudden engine problem.

When the lights went out and the race started, the two Mercedes cars were far ahead, while Vettel was noticeably slow and was quickly overtaken one after another.

Vettel had to retire on just the fifth lap.

Marchionne, watching the game, looked grim.

Binotto, sitting at headquarters, was sweating profusely.

Wu Shi maintained excellent control of speed and rhythm throughout the race.

Hamilton was unable to catch up with Wu Shi, and at this point, he was no longer prepared to do anything.

Otherwise, it won't add points for him on Toto's side; instead, it will deduct points from his score there.

He was planning to drive slowly, but Verstappen behind him was going very fast and was trying desperately to catch up.

He persisted for a couple of laps, then immediately requested in the TR: "Bro, make Wu Shi drive faster, I need clean air, or give him and me DRS."

Jonathan relayed the team's requirements to Wu Shi.

Upon hearing this, Wu Shi thought for a moment and then responded:
"There's no way to increase the speed further, otherwise the tires won't be managed as expected, and we could face unnecessary trouble."

Wu Shi's polite refusal did not prompt Mercedes-Benz to issue any further orders for the motorcade.

Subsequently, Hamilton was exposed to polluted air for an extended period without receiving DRS (Damage Reduction System) treatment, indicating very poor tire management.

In the last ten or so laps, Verstappen seized his opportunity and showed the world what it means to be fearless like a newborn calf.

After a fierce attack, he successfully got past Hamilton with his newer tires!

"Wow, Verstappen's overtaking was absolutely brilliant!" The soldier applauded loudly after seeing the overtaking maneuver.

"Hamilton is now in third place, and he wants to overtake them. Can he do it?!"

Hamilton's attack was thwarted by Verstappen's slight deflection in the braking zone.

After being blocked like that, the rankings remained unchanged until the end of the competition.

Wu Shi is first, Verstappen is second, Hamilton is third, Kimi is fourth, O'Connor is fifth, and Perez is sixth.

"Wu Shi scored 10 more points than Hamilton in this race, so he's now 100 points ahead in the total standings, right?"

"When the game ended, the soldier suddenly said..."

Fei Ge calculated it and said, "That's right, Wu Shi should have 352 points now, and Hamilton should have 252 points!"

"He won! Congratulations to Wu Shi on becoming a two-time world champion!" The soldier immediately clapped his hands in joy.

With four games remaining, even if Wu Shi doesn't score in any of them, Hamilton can only catch up by a maximum of 100 points.

However, Wu Shi has more stage wins throughout the year, which means that in the event of a tie, the world championship still belongs to Wu Shi!
"Hahaha! Congratulations to Wu Shi for winning the world championship four races early, he's really amazing!" Fei Ge cheered loudly after straightening up.

"And did you notice? This is a world championship title secured by Japan." The soldier laughed.

At that moment, the national anthem played on the podium, and Wu Shi turned around to look.

Hamilton remained expressionless, while Verstappen seemed quite pleased.

After the awards ceremony and champagne celebration, the interviewer went on stage and looked at Wu Shi:

"Wu Shi, congratulations! You've secured the world championship title ahead of schedule."

"Thank you!"

Wu Shi said with a smile, his heart filled with excitement, and he thanked the convoy and everyone.

Although I had expected it, I still couldn't help but feel excited when I actually received the second title.

With the season coming to a close, CCTV also approached Wu Shi at the opportune moment and began to use his spare time to discuss the documentary.

During the first half of the season, CCTV cameras had already gone deep into the stadium multiple times to film videos of Williams and Mercedes.

However, in order to avoid disturbing Wu Shi's work, not many scenes of Wu Shi appearing on screen to narrate were filmed.

In addition to CCTV's actions, media outlets in various European countries have also published commentary articles about Wu Shi securing his second F1 world championship ahead of schedule.

He is described as "the most talented and charismatic driver of the new generation, possessing the strongest talent and unparalleled driving skills."

Some say he "won the world championship standing on the shoulders of Mercedes, a young driver who simply defeated two older, excellent drivers."

There have been numerous accusations that he held back at Suzuka, allowing Hamilton to be overtaken by Verstappen, which resulted in the team losing points.

Unexpectedly, the criticisms, when they reached China, actually garnered some supporters among racing enthusiasts, who felt that Wu Shi was being overrated.

They also displayed their usual double standards, deeming Wu Shi's actions utterly shameful.

Regardless of what these people say, Mercedes' reaction to this is not intense.

Hamilton made no accusations during the interview, simply stating:

"This is a competition, and you have to admit that everyone is fighting for their own honor. I understand his behavior."

Upon seeing Hamilton's remarks, Wu Shi immediately posted an explanation on his personal platform:

"Tire management still bothers us. I can't drive faster, otherwise the aging tires will make me lose competitiveness."

“I’m sorry that Lewis was overtaken by Max. I tried my best to pull away as the team instructed, but I just couldn’t.”

This must be addressed, otherwise the facts will become what Hamilton said—that it was Wu Shi who deliberately slowed down the car, causing his teammate to lose second place.

Hamilton's words and actions were never arbitrary.

Because Wu Shi was crowned his second world champion, and Vettel withdrew from the competition.

Therefore, this suspected "car pressure" that led to Hamilton being overtaken by Verstappen did not really cause any public outcry.

Toto and Lauda didn't think it was a big deal, or rather, they were eager to get the results sorted out as soon as possible.

No one expected the suspense in the world championship competition to end so early.

Sky Sports even invited Rosberg to comment on this matter, and Rosberg made no secret of it:

"Wu Shi, my first in-depth contact with him was in Singapore in 2014, in that practice match, he became famous overnight."

"Toto was also very bold back then, and he was willing to drive the car at full power in FP1."

"The rest is history. He won his first world championship in Williams."

"He is not only the youngest world champion, but also a great driver who won the world championship as a rookie."

"Yes, I think he can already be called a great driver."

“I was teammates with Lewis, and I know how difficult it is to beat him, but Wu Shi beat him so easily.”

After praising Wu Shi, Rosberg also devoted some space to commenting on Hamilton:

"He is an excellent driver, and I once thought he had incredible consistency, but he is not as consistent as Wu Shi."

"His biggest weakness is not here, but in his unstable mentality."

"In such a high level of competition, even small things are very important."

"If something bothers you, or if you put all your energy into another area, it can distract you."

“This happened to Lewis last year when he attended a press conference on Snapchat and then had to fight an angry media outlet.”

"This is a waste of energy, especially in the decisive stages of the World Championships."

"It disrupted Lewis's focus, especially in Suzuka last year, and Lewis is in the same predicament in the first half of this season."

The opinions expressed by Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, have become one of the most authentic assessments.

Hamilton responded directly to Rosberg's comments:
“Nico’s retirement didn’t immediately make things easier for me, but his absence definitely helped to clean up the atmosphere, and things are much better now.”

Rosberg didn't care about this blatant satire at all; after all, once he left the paddock, what did it have to do with him?

Alonso also shared his thoughts on Wu Shi securing his second world championship title ahead of time in front of the media:
"He is an excellent driver, I don't need to elaborate much. He has accomplished many things that other drivers on the track cannot, it's that simple."

"His ability to defeat Lewis demonstrates his excellent mental fortitude and his skill in managing relationships with his team."

The last thing A-Ge said was nothing more than that he had also been in the same team as Hamilton.

At that time, the two were engaged in political infighting within the motorcade, which caused them to grow to dislike each other.

In the end, Brother Tou lost.

Verstappen posted a celebratory message without offering any further comment.

After all, he was a beneficiary of the controversy surrounding the Japanese Grand Prix, so it's best not to say too much.

Perhaps because the outcome was already decided, Hamilton paid less and less attention to racing in his spare time.

Wu Shi was also busy with the documentary, which resulted in Russell sitting on the simulator at the Mercedes factory.

Russell cherished these opportunities and made no attempt to decline them.

He sat on Wu Shi's simulator, and Jonathan said to him from the side:
"We need to test the data from the next stop, but more importantly, it's for you to practice."

"Practice? Don't you need me to provide the calibration parameters?" Russell asked, somewhat surprised.

“Of course we need it, but that’s not your focus,” Jonathan said to Russell.

Mercedes simply wanted to see the level of their own youth academy driver.

Since the incidents involving Wu Shi and Verstappen, the team leaders in the paddock have placed greater emphasis on building youth training teams.

After hearing Jonathan's words, Russell focused his attention on the screen and first used the Suzuka setup to get used to the Suzuka circuit.

I always see reports about Wu Shi in various media, and I also competed against Wu Shi during my go-karting days. I also often hear Zhou Guanyu mention this driver who has become a legend.

He still harbored resentment.

After so many years of honing his skills, Russell believes he has acquired sufficient ability.

Then, after running it for three days on a simulator where the conditions were far simpler than in reality, he was convinced.

He could not match any of Wu Shi's lap time records.

He couldn't match the fastest lap time in qualifying.

If he keeps up with the cruising speed during the race, his tires will wear out too quickly.

He realized that if he replaced Wu Shi in Suzuka, he would not only fail to get pole position, but even if he managed to get pole position, he would most likely be overtaken by Lewis in the main race.

His turbulent emotions subsided, and he realized that he had lacked reverence for F1.

However, he remains hopeful. Mercedes has given him this opportunity, and perhaps next year he will be able to actually race in F1!
Toto and Lauda had also seen Russell's performance. Both of them knew that it was already a miracle that Wu Shi was in the paddock, so they did not talk about Russell anymore.

“Nico’s assessment of Lewis is quite accurate,” Toto thought of Rosberg’s earlier comments.

"Lewis loves racing and he also loves to be in the media; that's just his personality."

With Wu Shi around, Lauda no longer cared much about Hamilton's situation, even though it was he who had invited Hamilton back then.

Will Lewis leave us?

Toto voiced his concerns, saying that Hamilton's form this year wasn't bad, and he had performed quite well in some races, and he didn't want to lose Lewis.

This is also a requirement of the team.

A team should ideally have two exceptionally good drivers; otherwise, if they only win the drivers' championship, they will suffer a huge loss in year-end bonuses!
“Are you still afraid he’ll leave us?” Lauda asked.

“Both the WDC and WCC (Constructors' Championship and Teams' Championship) are important,” Toto said.

"Wu Shi scored 352 points, Ferrari scored 363 points, it's truly a miracle."

Lauda didn't answer Toto directly, but instead said happily.

"Hahaha."

Toto was taken aback, but then he started laughing too.

Wu Shi only lost to the entire Ferrari team by 11 points. It seems that whoever is put in the other car will win the WCC.
Toto became happier the more he thought about it.

Although their dominance in the vehicle market is not as strong as it was in the previous two years, with Wu Shi joining the team, their achievements have become even more dazzling.

Behind such a success, you might say Wu Shi outmaneuvered Hamilton at the Suzuka circuit?
No, according to telemetry data, Wu Shi was just driving normally.

Mercedes-Benz and Wu Shi will truly usher in a new era of hybrid technology – after all, 2015 was interrupted.

Of the 20 matches played throughout the year, Wu Shi has won 11 out of the 16 matches played so far, while Hamilton has won 2.

Compared to 15 wins in 19 games in 2014, it's not far behind.

Mercedes almost completely dominated the pole position battle throughout the year.

Now, the entire team can focus all their energy on 2018.

In contrast to the relaxed, excited atmosphere at Mercedes, Ferrari was now under immense pressure.

Marchionne criticized Binotto, whose engine failure once again ruined a Ferrari race.

Red Bull is currently in a period of confusion and transformation during the hybrid era.

The only thing they can be sure of right now is keeping Verstappen in the team.

But parting ways with Renault will continue to cause them turmoil. Will Honda engines be reliable?
They couldn't be sure either; they might have to wait until 2019, when they use the Honda engine, to find out.

(End of this chapter)