F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 324 Only Red Bull wasn't fighting amongst itself
After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Wu Shi was invited to participate in the reshooting of a documentary short film about 1000 Grand Prix events.

In fact, last year, F1 wanted to hold the 1000th Grand Prix at Silverstone in the UK, since it is the birthplace of F1.

However, the weather in Britain in April is best left unsaid.

Ultimately, the 1000th race was held in Shanghai, which also happened to be the 15th anniversary of F1's entry into China.

As the only active home-field driver, Wu Shi has a lot of promotional tasks.

"So I have to explain it slowly according to this?" Wu Shi asked.

"Yes." The crew member gestured.

"Ok."

Wu Shi glanced at the script and thought it was a bit cheesy, but he still read it aloud anyway.

After filming was completed, he rushed back to the convoy.

Toto also prepared a special livery for the car to celebrate this commemorative Grand Prix.

Unlike Williams' previous Chinese-style designs, this one mainly showcases 1000 Grand Prix races. The overall color scheme remains silver, blue, and black, but many Chinese characters are engraved on the car body.

Wu Shi also used a special commemorative helmet, which was engraved with famous landmarks of Shanghai.

Teams like Renault and Ferrari also joined in the fun.

Renault announced that it will include Ye Yifei in its youth training camp.

Ferrari announced that it will sponsor Zhou Guanyu, allowing him to debut in F2 with the Virtuosi team.

There's a reason why the teams are so enthusiastic.

Although aligning with the Chinese market did not bring in a large amount of sponsorship, it did generate a significant amount of consumer demand.

Not to mention the relatively small amount of merchandise sold at Mercedes-Benz, the market share of luxury cars and sports cars has been soaring, with many consumers influenced by the promotions featuring Wu Shi.

Luxury brands that have sponsorship contracts with Mercedes-Benz also used Wu Shi as a model in the Chinese market.

This is quite rare in China, because many luxury brands cannot use Chinese people as spokespeople, otherwise they will be perceived by Chinese people as not being foreign goods or good products.

This peculiar consumer psychology is something that foreign brands simply can't grasp.

Due to regulations in Shanghai, no special celebrations were ultimately held on the track.

Instead, just like the year before last, the "F1" festival was held at Taipingqiao Park.

Wu Shi naturally couldn't escape this kind of business.

At the pre-race press conference, Toto stated that Ferrari would be the favorite team to compete for the championship this year.

Ferrari has an advantage on long straights and dominates the race.

However, what Toto said was not considered true by the media.

Some media outlets even joked:
"Wu Shi is indeed a Mercedes driver. His habit of saying the opposite of what he means comes from their boss."

Wu Shi was caught in the crossfire and looked completely bewildered, especially since a reporter at the press conference asked him how he viewed the issue.

He could only give the reporter a look that suggested he was using a "senior citizen's phone on the subway" before speaking:
"I think we should probably discuss how to celebrate the 1000th Grand Prix."

The reporters, of course, weren't going to let him off the hook, so they continued to ask, "We heard you've brought a new upgrade?"

"Of course, since we were going to do a special edition paint job, we just changed some parts to save some money. You know we are very strict about this."

Wu Shi rambled on and on, completely veerging off-topic.

The old man sitting next to me couldn't hold back anymore and covered his face, refusing to look at the camera.

The reporter smiled, used to Wu Shi's ramblings, and then passed the question to the old man.

The old man, true to his "speaking habits," said:

"We've made some changes, but the specifics won't be revealed until tomorrow. I think there have been improvements, you know, we're at a disadvantage in the competition with Ferrari."

"A 35-point deficit?" a reporter muttered.

A friendly laugh immediately broke out in the crowd.

However, the two people in red didn't seem to be smiling very happily.

"Charles, your smile looks a bit stiff. Are you forcing a smile? It's a pity you lost your victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix." The reporter immediately cut to the chase.

Locke's youthful smile stiffened further, but he quickly recovered and said:

"We encountered a fuel injector short circuit problem, which is a sad thing. We had not encountered this problem in previous tests, practice sessions, or races."

"However, we will solve this problem. We are confident that we can achieve good results here, and I will work hard to do so."

“Very good. You are 4 points ahead of your teammates on the leaderboard. We also know that you and Wu Shi have a very good relationship and hope to learn from him.”

"So you're prepared to be like him, always taking the lead in the team and bringing back the best results for the team?"

The reporter pressed for details, since a newcomer to the fleet might just be able to generate some big news.

Lecce paused for a moment, this was a difficult question to answer, the situation within the team was very unclear.

However, before he could speak, Wu Shi spoke up:

"I've noticed something strange: when you ask questions and give examples, you always like to drag me into it. Have I made so many mistakes?"

Faced with the triple crown winner's question, the reporter gave an awkward smile.

Wu Shi then continued:

“Every driver should bring back the best results they can for the team. This is both a matter of personal honor for the driver and a requirement of the contract.”

"We are all drivers. We participate in races and do our best to achieve a higher ranking. It's all a job."

"Just as you always need to ask me questions, I will answer whatever you ask, because it is your job."

"So we're just doing our job, it's just a competition, nothing else. You're overthinking it."

The reporter blinked, smiled, nodded, and looked at Lock & Lock.

"What about you?"

Locke knew he still needed to answer, and with Vettel sitting beside him, he said:
"I'm a famous driver. I'm just racing at the pace, trying to get a better ranking and maximize the team's profits."

This statement can be seen as a response to the incident at the Bahrain Grand Prix where Vettel was overtaken without team instructions.

Vettel answered the question quite naturally:
"I remember when Rosberg was sitting next to me, I would joke about him and Lewis, but it was just a simple game, nothing more."

This answer, however, became ambiguous.

Hamilton and Rosberg were really fierce rivals!

So you mean you're going to keep fighting with Leclerc?

Hamilton felt like he'd been caught in the crossfire just like Wu Shi, but he just sat there blankly, not caring.

The reporters then turned their attention to Verstappen.

Yes, he's also a young man who rose through the ranks through internal strife.

However, the other player on Red Bull this year is not performing well and has not threatened Verstappen in the slightest.

So the reporter only asked Verstappen about Red Bull's situation at this station.

Pan Zi said a few words casually, which, like Wu Shi's, were incoherent and seemed to say a lot, but in fact he didn't say anything.

"What do you think your chances of winning here are?" the reporter asked again.

“Uh, 50%.” Vestager pouted.

"50%?"

“Yes, you either win or lose, it’s 50%,” Verstappen said, then couldn’t help but laugh.

The others chuckled as well; the press conference still depended on Wu Shi and Pan Zi.

As the event ended, the new and veteran drivers walked out of the interview room together.

The atmosphere among teammates is indeed not very harmonious.

Wu Shi could actually have a conversation with Hamilton:
How did they know about our updates?

“You and I both know that we need to replace the aerodynamic kit, the engineers know it, the mechanics know it, so the whole paddock will know it, after all, it’s not something that needs to be kept secret.”

Hamilton shrugged; any message could get through the paddock.

The reason why there are so few leaks of R&D secrets is probably simply because there is too much and too complicated R&D data.

“This is your home turf, good luck,” Hamilton said.

“Yeah, thank you.” Wu Shi nodded.

The old man always managed to say these inappropriate things in a calm and collected manner, regardless of the consequences.

After all, "Good luck" sounds more like "I'm going to mess with you at Turn 1, I hope you're okay."

The temper between me and my husband this year is actually much stronger than it was in the previous two years.

Because in the previous two years, the old man always started to catch up in the second half of the year, but by then Wu Shi was already far ahead.

From the very first game of this season, the old man has never let go.

However, he is currently at his peak and therefore faster than the old man, making such a contest difficult to achieve.

Just like when Bottas and Hamilton teamed up, Bottas never posed much of a threat to Hamilton; the difference in their raw strength made it difficult for them to compete.

The comments made by several drivers at the press conference were not widely circulated, except for Verstappen's "50%".

Friday's practice match, which was originally supposed to be almost deserted, unexpectedly drew a large crowd to the stadium.

Not only have all the seat tickets for Shanghai Station been sold out this year, but even the grass tickets are overwhelmed.

Even outside the door, a group of vendors have appeared selling small toys they bought from Yiwu.

In the two practice sessions, Ferrari and Mercedes each won their respective matches.

Wu Shi drove very comfortably, but Hamilton said the car was not in good balance.

Mercedes' new front wing has also been unveiled, but it has triggered sanctions from the FIA.

This component was deemed illegal under aerodynamic regulations, so Mercedes reverted to the old front wing on Saturday.

Nevertheless, Mercedes remains highly competitive, with Wu Shi completely outmatching Hamilton.

Mercedes and Mercedes won all three training sessions and qualifying matches.

For Ferrari, Vettel is third, 0.4 seconds behind Wu Shi, and Leclerc is fourth.

Verstappen finished fifth, while his teammate Gasly moved up to sixth, finally catching up.

However, Pan Zi immediately complained after the race that Vettel overtook him at the penultimate corner, causing him to lose a flying lap.

But no matter how much they complained, the qualifying season ended just like that.

Wu Shi regaining pole position on his home field was a small boost of excitement.

Last year, Mercedes-Benz was not competitive here, which prevented Wu Shi from turning the tide and disappointed the fans at the scene.

However, this year's competition, unsurprisingly, proceeded without any surprises.

The main competition began the following Sunday.

Wu Shi had a good start, while Hamilton's start was mediocre. Hamilton couldn't even reach Wu Shi at Turn 1, so the two continued cruising.

When Alan Prost waved the checkered flag, Wu Shi secured his third win of the season and his second home victory.

Another dream start.

Mercedes, which was behind Ferrari in Bahrain, overtook them by about 0.3 seconds per lap at this race.

It's hard to imagine what exactly happened during that time.

But if we really look into it, Ferrari probably faces bigger problems.

Leclerc overtook Vettel at the start, but on lap 11, the team instructed Leclerc to give up his position.
Lock & Lock had no choice but to give up.

Afterwards, people clearly criticized Ferrari's strategy as problematic.

Claire displayed extraordinary composure, saying:
"I'm on the track, I don't know the situation, I need to follow the team's instructions and do my job."

But clearly, he was not convinced, because Vettel's form was far inferior to that of two years ago; it was just that the time was not right yet.

If the race title were right in front of him, Lock & Lock would definitely not give it up, but since it was only third place, he didn't care.

After he let Vettel pass, it took Vettel several laps to find and move away from him, which shows that Vettel's lap time is really not that great.

Indeed, that is the case. Otherwise, would Wu Shi and Hamilton have been able to cruise the entire game without any sense of pressure?
On the Red Bull side, Horner stated directly that they had no hope of winning in 2019.

Great, they're already preparing for the next season after just the third stop of the season.

After the Grand Prix ended, Wu Shi did not leave immediately.

Because Claire and her team were in the country discussing the team's situation.

“Dmitri Mazepin is also inquiring about this; they lost the bid for Force India to Storr, and they want to get into the paddock,” Claire said.

"Ma Zeping?"

"Yes, a Russian billionaire."

“They want to buy the entire team,” Wu Shi said.

Claire smiled but didn't say anything.

"Have you made any progress recently?" Wu Shi asked.

“No.” Claire shook her head.

In fact, Xide had already reported the situation to Wu Shi, and it was obvious that domestic companies did not have a strong desire to invest in F1.

Sid said that Claire still wants to retain the Williams family's control over the team.

But how is this possible?

Merchants are shrewd and profit-driven.

Ma Zeping considered entering F1 because his son, Nikita Ma Zeping, wanted to enter F1.

For Russian oligarchs, money really comes easily, so they don't have many concerns when it comes to investing.

Besides, Russia has always liked to follow the West, just like many Chinese people who insist on going abroad, even if it costs them money, to satisfy their distorted vanity.

Moreover, Ma Zeping's investment was not a simple one, but a complete acquisition!

If Sir Williams agrees to be acquired in its entirety, it will immediately attract a large amount of capital.

"So what does the gentleman plan to do?" Wu Shi asked.

Claire took a deep breath. He knew, of course, that even Wu Shi wouldn't just hire sponsors to buy exposure for no reason. High-level negotiations were never about sentiment, but about profit. "He's in pain. The team is declining, and he doesn't want to see it disappear under his leadership," Claire said.

Wu Shi currently has only about 15 million US dollars at his disposal, which is simply wishful thinking for him to buy a racing team.

Therefore, he couldn't do it himself. However, having some understanding of the future development of F1, he knew that the sport would make money.

In addition, since he already runs a youth training team in China, he does need a team with whom he has a good relationship.

Of course, as his honors increase, his prestige in the paddock will also grow, and most teams will not have a bad relationship with him.

But the future is about making money, but this year is 2019 and next year is 2020.

The economy could be severely impacted by the pandemic in the next two years. Acquiring Williams not only means purchasing at least 1 million euros, but also means bearing huge losses for three years!

Things might get a little better when the budget cap is released in 2021.

Seeing that Wu Shi remained silent, Claire finally spoke:
"We'll try again, and if that doesn't work, I hope we can still talk about something else."

“Okay, everyone’s very shrewd. Perhaps leaving the team name to prove that Williams is still around is something I can do for you,” Wu Shi said.

Claire sighed and nodded. Compared to the team being acquired by people like Ma Zeping, which resulted in the team losing its name, Wu Shi's suggestion was clearly better.

After his meeting with Claire ended, Toto had other things to do.

"Are you talking to Williams about the team?" Toto asked.

"Huh? Is the hunting grounds really that drafty?" Wu Shi exclaimed in surprise.

"Haha."

Toto laughed when he saw Wu Shi's surprised expression and said:

"Don't forget what happened in 2014."

Wu Shi slapped his forehead. Back then, his contract with Mercedes was leaked. Now, only the meeting was leaked. It was really nothing compared to that.

"So, Boss is planning to sponsor me?" Wu Shi asked rhetorically.

“No, I withdrew my stake in Williams because I’m focused on Mercedes. Holding stakes in two teams would likely displease the board,” Toto said.

Wu Shi, however, could see clearly that Toto understood Williams far better than Claire.

After all, don't look at what Toto says, look at what he does—Toto sold his Williams shares at a high price.

Williams' decline was almost unquestioned in the paddock, because everyone knew this day would come.

The increasingly complex aerodynamic designs in F1 technical regulations are placing higher demands on R&D teams, making it difficult for private teams to compete.

In addition, since 2014, F1 itself has been in turmoil, mired in losses.

Even after the free media took over, this situation did not improve significantly.

Wu Shi pondered for a moment, then thought of another possibility for Toto finding himself, and asked:

"Do we need a second team too?"

Toto smiled, a somewhat sinister smile playing on his lips; he neither agreed nor denied:

“We are currently working with Racing Point, providing them with wind tunnels for calculations, but it’s not possible to do what Ferrari and Haas do.”

With the success of Toro Rosso's second team model, coupled with the connections between Ferrari, Haas, and Sauber, there is indeed a trend of major racing teams all setting up a second team.

Toto added:
"We only need to provide the engine supply to secure a team's youth training slots, which Red Bull doesn't have."

"So Mercedes, Renault, and Ferrari are all different from Red Bull."

Wu Shi nodded, now even more curious about what the Boss was going to say.

"I'm just here to remind you of these things," Toto said, not making his meaning clear.

Wu Shi frowned, and only understood after Toto had been gone for a while.

Toto used his own example to tell him that it was disadvantageous for him to own a team as a Mercedes driver.

Secondly, Williams, as a private racing team, cannot compare to a factory team, nor is it like Red Bull, a beverage brand that has established itself globally through successful marketing.

"Does this mean I shouldn't get involved, or that I should consider the consequences of getting involved?"

Wu Shi sighed; his mind was clearly not good enough in this regard.

However, his idea was very simple: he just wanted a racing team with a domestic background.

After all, he loves this sport.

But he was conflicted. If it was just about losing money, it would seem like he was leading domestic companies to give money to foreigners.

Ultimately, operating a fleet of vehicles must be profitable.

After thinking about all this, he suddenly realized why Sir Williams was so respected by the older generation in the paddock and by the drivers.

Because he may be the last person to possess the pure F1 spirit, after all, he was someone who was willing to sell his family property for the team.

However, as he got older, Sir Williams' health deteriorated, and he appeared in the paddock less and less often.

Claire didn't have the same deep passion for F1 as her father, so Wu Shi sensed that once the Jazz gave in, the Williams team would be gone.

He picked up his phone and called his father to ask about some things, then called several of his company's senior executives.

Some preparations still need to be made. If it really comes to that point, give it a try. Anyway, you have plenty of money and nothing else to do.

Even if he loses 3 million over the years, he can just take on more jobs.
-
Upon returning to England, Wu Shi discovered that F1 had once again been thrust into the spotlight.

Yes, the current public opinion is that the absence of female drivers in F1 is discriminatory against women.

The "Me Too" feminist movement launched a media offensive, taking down race queens last year and pulling another stunt this year.

This is something Wu Shi really disliked: he did nothing but engage in moral criticism all day long.

However, in reality, these people do not stand on the moral high ground of rational humanity; they are merely a swarm of bloodthirsty flies running for their own selfish interests.

Wu Shi glanced at the report and then put it aside; he had no intention of getting involved in such matters.

However, Liberty Media has shown its consideration for the commercial value of this event, and they are planning to organize a "Women's Series".

That's true. The more people participate, the greater the benefits. And only those who actually participate in the competition will understand why there are no women in F1.

This is the same reason why sports meets are divided into men's and women's groups.

Physiological differences cannot be denied with a few words of "you're discriminating".

Marco, the veteran, spoke frankly about the so-called discrimination:

"Women cannot make breakthroughs in F1 because they have less muscle mass than men."

"Driving a car is too physically demanding for them."

"Brutality is part of motorsport, and I don't know if it's in a woman's nature."

"In single-seater racing, you have to maintain excellent physical condition, and in particular, you need insane power in your shoulders."

When Marco talked about feminism, the battle also spread to him.

Some say he plans to send Gasly to Toro Rosso in exchange for bringing Kvyat or Albon to Red Bull.

Horner immediately refuted these rumors, claiming:
“Pierre had a tough time during the preseason testing, and some things hit him hard.”

"But he is gradually moving towards victory, and we need to give him more time. We will see him make progress."

However, the more Gasley talked, the more pressure he seemed to feel.

Subsequently, before heading to Azerbaijan, it was revealed that Williams was facing financial difficulties and was seeking sponsorship and investment.

Williams Group immediately denied negotiations with Ma Zeping and presented their financial statements, indicating that the group's turnover still increased by 4%.

No one expected that so much would happen in just two weeks.

When everyone arrived in Azerbaijan at the end of April, it felt like time had flown by.

During Friday's practice match, Williams, who was already going through a rough patch, suffered another misfortune.

Russell sped through a manhole cover, sucking it up and damaging the car.

Williams, who already lacked the funds to repair his car, suffered an even greater blow.

Fortunately, after coordination, Baku Circuit will fully compensate Williams for the losses incurred.

Russell was unlucky; during practice, he stared wide-eyed at the cars with no one around.

Mercedes-Benz is still moving very fast. Wu Shi felt that Mercedes-Benz's R&D efficiency and direction were very good, which is why this result was achieved.

With a fast enough car in his hands, pole position was naturally his.

Hamilton was getting closer to him, which made him realize that the old man must have put in a lot of effort recently.

Vettel finished third, while Leclerc only managed eighth in "I AM STUPID".

During the race, the two Mercedes drivers started at roughly the same pace, so even though Hamilton was on the inside, he still posed no threat to Hamilton at Turn 1.

However, the old man's actions were very dirty. When he braked late, the front wing hit the center line, leaving him only about one car's width of space to pass.

If you're not careful, you could either run over the old man's front wing or collide with the guardrail on the right.

Even though Wu Shi perfectly positioned himself at the right spot, he still lost time due to the bounce from the right side onto the shoulder.

However, Wu Shi was very tenacious and held on until the arrival of the right turn on the 4th, after which he was finally able to launch a counterattack against the old man.

He slammed the door shut without any mercy, leaving even less space.

The old man, seeing that the road was impassable, decided to brake and lock the brakes, then said in the TR: "Dangerous driving."

After turning corner 4, the old man no longer had the chance to run alongside Wu Shi, and naturally, he was no longer able to fight back.

This year's Baku wasn't as exciting as the previous two years, with the drivers who were known for their antics staying put.

So after getting rid of Hamilton, Wu Shi was left with only tire management.

During the race, Lock & Lock, which started 8th, briefly took the lead because it changed its tires late.

Fortunately, Lock & Lock learned from their mistakes in the rankings, otherwise they would have said "I am stupid" a couple more times.

After the match, Wu Shi achieved a four-game winning streak, while Hamilton remained the perennial runner-up.

Reporters asked Wu Shi, "You were very ruthless, while he (Lewis) was always giving way to you. Do you think your approach was inappropriate?"

Wu Shi touched his nose, his face full of impatience, and said:

"If you think he was letting me win, then you can take a closer look at what he was doing on the first three corners of the first lap."

"If you can't understand this, I suggest you stop being a reporter in the paddock."

"Because you can't even understand F1, the questions you ask here are all nonsense."

When Wu Shi said something was utterly nonsensical, he didn't use the word "nonsense," but rather a combination of several corresponding Chinese words.

This Chinese-style phrase left the reporters not fully understanding his meaning on the spot. What did he mean by "dog poop cannot pass through"?
Was Wu Shi calling Hamilton "dog shit"? After all, Hamilton had just failed to pass through the space he left behind.

When interviewed, Hamilton remained calm and waved his hand, saying:

“I gave him enough space, but he didn’t give me enough space. However, I understand his thinking; he’s fighting for his fourth world championship.”

Wu Shi ignored these words, but Rosberg spoke up instead.

The former F1 world champion turned on the big screen and presented the first four corners of the first lap from multiple perspectives.

"T1, Wu Xian turns first, his start is very good, but Lewis brakes very late, you can see white smoke coming out of the rubber."

He aimed his front wing at Wu's rear wheel.

“If Wu had followed the normal entry line at this point, he would have crashed into Lewis, so he had no choice but to go towards the run-off area, and was already very close to the right guardrail when he entered the track.”

As he spoke, he brought up Wu Shi's first-person perspective.

"Wu Shi's right tire was almost touching the wall, and it was because of the red and white road shoulder that Wu's race car bounced a little."

"The next few corners were all left-hand corners, and Hamilton kept putting pressure on him, but Wu Shi controlled the car almost perfectly."

"When the fourth turn came, Wu Shi chose to fight back."

Rosberg then switched the camera to Lewis's first-person perspective.

"Actually, the space left by Wu Shi was indeed smaller than the space left by Lewis, but the race car could still pass through."

"At such high speeds, drivers cannot immediately assess the situation. Rather than making a mistake and crashing, braking is perhaps the best option."

"This is normal competition. I don't know if Wu Shi can get through the space that's just big enough for one car, but obviously Lewis can't."

Hamilton naturally saw this on YTP, and he quoted Wu Shi's self-created phrase "DOG SHIT NO VIA".

Rosberg thoughtfully replied in Chinese characters below: "utter nonsense."

Another netizen kindly reminded, "The literal translation is 'dog shit cannot pass,' not 'utter nonsense.'"

Anyway, once they start arguing, scatological and profanity-laden language are always intertwined.

Of course, in the end, the question was still asked to Mercedes driver Tototo.

Toto looked out of the camera's view, thought for a moment, and then said:
"They were both very restrained in their competition, which is typical for two excellent drivers."

“At least we won’t tell Wu Shi, because Lewis is older than you and we think more highly of him. Let Lewis go over there quickly.”

"I also won't tell Lewis that Wu Shi is a three-time world champion and that you need to give up your position to him."

Ferrari's face darkened when they heard Toto's words.

Martina even texted Wu Shi saying, "Your boss really said some nasty things! Binotto's face turned black."

Wu Shi replied with four Chinese characters: “Yin Yang Guai Qi” (meaning: sarcastic and unpleasant).

“Accurate! (Thumbs up)” Martina replied.

Of course, Ferrari's situation wasn't much better either.

Vettel said, "The race got boring again, it was just two Mercedes running ahead, and we were just participating."

He then complained about the poor condition of the tires.

Leclerc, on the other hand, was optimistic. At this point, he hadn't yet learned to say "stupid," and he indicated that if he could finish qualifying smoothly, he would definitely get pole position.

The contrast in their statements suggests that Leclerc is dissatisfied with Vettel receiving more resources.

In short, at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Mercedes was embroiled in internal strife, while Ferrari was brewing its own.

Wait, where's Red Bull?

Oh, Panzi withdrew from the competition, and even praised Gasly's consistency after the match.

Why is it that only Red Bull isn't fighting amongst itself?

(End of this chapter)