F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 325 Everything has its trade-offs
People are no longer quite clear about just how terrifyingly dominant the Mercedes-Benz and Wu Shi combination has been since 2017.

If it weren't for the struggle between the two Mercedes players during the opening race, which resulted in Hamilton's car being damaged and Verstappen reaping the rewards, Mercedes would have achieved four consecutive 1-2 finishes by now.

Even though Hamilton unexpectedly lost the runner-up position in the opening match, Mercedes has won three consecutive matches with a 1-2 finish, starting in Bahrain.

The title of the regional champion was firmly held by Wu Shi alone.

So when the race came to the fifth round of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix, people had absolutely no expectations.

Instead, the FIA, F1, F1 teams, and the F1 Grand Prix organizers are still arguing.

F1 plans to bring back the Dutch Grand Prix next year simply because Verstappen's fans are too enthusiastic and F1 needs a Dutch Grand Prix.

However, the teams disagreed with having more than 21 races a year, as that would overload the teams.

Therefore, F1 is considering removing some financially unsuccessful tracks from the calendar.

First is the Italian Grand Prix, but ACI and F1 had previously reached a five-year extension agreement, so when this news was announced, everyone thought that the Spanish Grand Prix was the most likely to be canceled.

The Barcelona city government suspended local track subsidies on suspicion of fraud, leaving the Circuit de Catalunya financially strained.

It is understood that the alleged fraud refers to the organizer misappropriating funds to pay their own salaries.

However, some journalists believe that the main reason is that the current mayor, Ida Klau, comes from a far-left party and is a supporter of environmental organizations, so she refuses to host F1, a motorsport that pollutes the environment.

Of course, another major reason why the Spanish authorities did not consider continuing the event was that Alonso left F1.

This caused a significant drop in F1's popularity in Spain, with fans following Alonso to the endurance racing circuit.

As for Sainz?
This Spaniard, who looked Indian, did not arouse the enthusiasm of the Spaniards.

In addition to the race schedule negotiations, Pirelli is also embroiled in disputes with the teams.

Everyone thinks the working window of the tire is too narrow.

Before each Grand Prix, there are always various problems. In fact, it is impossible to operate such a large event without these problems.

Whether it's the FIA, F1, or the F1 teams and drivers, they're all used to these things.

However, drivers often do not answer related questions when asked by reporters.

Because many media outlets are eager to stir up trouble by using the drivers' words.

Many teams brought upgrades to the Spanish Grand Prix.

But it was no use, because Mercedes was far ahead of the pack.

Practice, qualifying, and the main race all belonged to Wu Shi and Hamilton.

The two put on another spectacular wheel-to-wheel showdown on the first lap, but the final result remained unchanged.

On lap 12, Vettel suffered a tire blowout, allowing Leclerc to overtake him.

On lap 36, the team again had Leclerc let Vettel pass.

Vettel had his sights set on Verstappen, but unfortunately, he couldn't overtake him until lap 66.

Pan Zi successfully brought Red Bull back to the podium.

On the podium, Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche enjoyed a champagne toast, as he will step down as CEO of Daimler-Benz at the end of this month.

This mustachioed boss has always been a strong supporter of Mercedes' development in F1. Back then, he was the one who gave most of the authority to Toto, successfully enabling Toto to create this golden age of F1 for Mercedes.

The elderly people left one after another.

After the Spanish Grand Prix, Wu Shi and Hamilton did not celebrate because they received bad news from Lauda.

Lauda's health has been poor since last year, and he hasn't been seen in the Mercedes-Benz Arena for a long time.

In the past, when Toto was on camera, Lauda would always be on the side, but now, the camera only shows Toto.

On the evening of May 20, 2019, Nikki Lauda passed away at the age of 70.

Lauda has not fully recovered from last year’s lung transplant surgery; the effects of the major accident in 1976 still linger.

Some say he went to see old friends like Ronnie Peterson, Giles Villeneuve, and James Hunt.

His courage deserves to be remembered by F1.

Four-time world champion Alain Prost remarked on this:

"I was completely overwhelmed. It was an unbelievable and shocking thing."

“I’ve spent about forty years of my life with Nicky, and he’s a very important person to me, but now he’s about to leave us.”

"He was my idol when I started go-karting."

"Our time as teammates at McLaren was the most prosperous and glorious period I know of, because we had great success."

"He won the championship in 1984, and I won the championship in 1985."

"But most importantly, it was the very strong friendship that was established at that time."

The professor recalled many things about Lauda, ​​including her nickname "Computer".

He said a lot, but it's all just memories now; the person is gone.

Toto, of course, couldn't forget Lauda either, thanking her for her contributions and expressing his gratitude for her joining the team.

He said, "Nikki, you are irreplaceable."

"No one can match you. It is an honor to have you as the chairman, and an honor to have you as a friend."

Mercedes will always remember one of the architects of this dynasty.

At the Monaco Grand Prix on May 26, W10 dyed the entire Halo scarlet because it was Lauda's favorite color.

At the same time, among the many three-pointed stars on the Mercedes-Benz body, there will always be a red three-pointed star that belongs to him.

Hamilton, Vettel, and Wu Shi all wore red helmets in memory of Nicky Lauda.

In Monaco qualifying, Wu Shi, who performed perfectly last year, made the same mistake he did in 2015 on the second flying lap, which was a test of his limits, damaging his rear suspension and falling behind Hamilton at the start.

Despite taking the lead over Wu Shi at the start, Hamilton did not express joy, stating that he was still grieving Lauda's departure.

Starting from second in Monaco was already a disadvantage, and Wu Shi's luck was also quite bad, as Mercedes opted for a double pit stop on lap 11.

Hamilton went out after his substitution, and when Wu Shi arrived, they were still able to maintain the lead, but Verstappen's sudden release triggered a collision.

Wu Shi immediately told the team that the tires had hidden damage and they could not finish the race.

So on lap 12 he pitted again to change tires, and when he came out he was already behind Vettel.

After the game resumed, Monaco had no chance to overtake.

Hamilton, on medium tires, held off Verstappen on hard tires for 50 laps, which is enough to demonstrate the pathetic nature of this track in modern F1 racing.

Hamilton secured his first title of the season, thus ending Mercedes' run of the first two.

Verstappen was penalized 5 seconds for his unsafe release after the race, dropping him from second to fourth place.

So Wu Shi still managed to get a third place.

His lead was large enough that this loss was insignificant, but he still said in an interview that Red Bull should train its employees more, and that the key point of unsafe release is unsafety.

Shortly after the Monaco Grand Prix, on Wednesday, May 29, Niki Lauda's funeral was held at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.

There were a lot of people this time.

F1 and team management personnel, including Jean Todt, Chase Carey, Ross Brawn, Toto Wolff, Christian Horner, Mattia Binotto, Luca di Montezemolo, Stefano Domenicali, etc.

There are also many veteran drivers: Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet, Helmut Marko, David Coulthard, Kirk, and Nico Rosberg, among others.

However, among the active F1 drivers in 2019, only Wu Shi and Hamilton went to pay their respects.

At the funeral, eulogies were delivered by Alain Prost, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, and the deceased's friend, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After the funeral, Wu Shi was still somewhat saddened.

His relationship with Lauda dates back to 2014, when he was full of ambition but was rejected by Marko and did not have the opportunity to enter F1 like Verstappen.

Waiting was a waste of time for him, but Lauda gave him that opportunity.

It can be said that Lauda's success in 2015 was inseparable from her efforts.

As he walked out of the church, he looked back at the ancient building.

The changing of the guard is happening every moment.

Mercedes is heading towards its peak, but it is also tinged with sadness.

After the mourning period, the competition will continue in 2019.

The 7th race of the season, the Canadian Grand Prix.

Prior to the race, the decision to adopt a "budget cap of $1.75 million" starting in 2021 was officially announced by the FIA ​​and Liberty Media.

The salaries of the highest-paid drivers and three managers, marketing expenses, travel expenses, and the first $1500 million related to engine purchases will not be included in this figure.

This decision displeased everyone.

The small team believes that the limit is still too high and is not very useful.

Benfica, however, believes there are too many restrictions, given that the three teams burn through $2.5 million to $3 million annually.

However, this incident made Wu Shi realize that it might have some impact on the Westbrook team. Nevertheless, the Jazz still did not intend to sell the team, but continued to look for sponsors and investors.

Back to the race, Wu Shi discovered a problem with the gearbox during the morning practice session, but Mercedes still hadn't solved the problem by the time qualifying, resulting in him starting only in sixth place.

Fortunately, Hamilton also outran Vettel and started from second place, which prevented Wu Shi from suffering too great a loss.

When the race started, the world finally saw just how formidable Wu Shi was, starting from a slightly later position.

His starting response was noticeably faster than Gasly's, who was in fifth place, and his acceleration was also more efficient.

With an exceptional start, Wu Shi overtook Gasly and Ricciardo, and closed in on Leclerc at Turn 1.

Perhaps because they are not yet very good at this track, Lock & Lock cannot widen the gap with Wu Shi at all.

However, Locke still demonstrated quite good defensive capabilities in the extreme situation.

However, Wu Shi still managed to beat Lock & Lock in the second Stint.

However, after being worn down and blocked, it was difficult for him to catch up with the two drivers in front of him, and the 10-second difference was almost impossible to make up for.

Because this is a stop race, he needs to complete the remaining 40 laps, so it's impossible for him to push the tires to their limits.

Then Hamilton kept attacking Vettel in his quest for the championship.

His problem was clearly bigger than Wu Shi's; without Vettel making a mistake, there was simply no way for him to overtake.

Vettel and Hamilton were feeding each other, but Vettel's cooking skills were superior, and he fed Hamilton until Hamilton was caught up in the 1-second zone.

Hamilton then continued to pressure Vettel.

On lap 48, Vettel spun out at turn 4 and went onto the grass.

Hamilton immediately attempted to overtake, but Vettel cut through the corner and forcefully pushed Hamilton aside. Hamilton, not one to back down, immediately commented on the radio:
"He's cutting the corner; he's utilizing the space outside the track."

Mercedes immediately reported this to the tournament organizers.

In the ensuing long battle, Hamilton wore out his tires but was still unable to overtake Vettel.

At this moment, Wu Shi was 7 seconds behind them.

On lap 57, the race organizers announced that Vettel was penalized 5 seconds for dangerous behavior on lap 48!
On lap 69, Wu Shi, who was far from any village or shop, set the fastest lap time.

On lap 70, Vettel crossed the finish line, but Hamilton was just one second behind him.

After crossing the finish line, Vettel learned that the penalty would cost him the championship, and he shouted wildly in the radio:
"NONONO!"

Moreover, after completing the return lap, he parked the car directly on the side of the express lane, got out, pushed the car, and went straight back to the Ferrari pit lane.

After Hamilton and Wu Shi parked their cars at the first and third signs respectively, they could not see Vettel's car.

Vettel then suddenly walked over, moved the second sign to the front of Mercedes number 44, and moved the first sign back to its original position.

Upon seeing this, Wu Shi said to Hamilton, "Oh, so you only managed to bring me back by 3 points."

The old man chuckled, but considering that a bunch of cameras were pointed at him, he held back his laughter.

In a subsequent interview, he stated:

“I was the fastest. I tried to force Sebastian to make a mistake, and I did, and I seized the opportunity, but he…”

Hamilton appeared helpless.

However, he was still happy because he had recovered 9 points in one race, which was a truly commendable victory.

After seven rounds of competition, Wu Shi had 158 points and Hamilton had 137 points, a difference of only 21 points.

Compared to previous years, this score is indeed the closest.

When the race came to the French Grand Prix, Ferrari and Vettel were still arguing about the 5-second penalty from the previous race.

However, the tournament organizers confirmed that the final penalty would take effect, which angered Vettel, who exclaimed, "There are too many sections in the rules! They have to be burned!"

However, this did not affect Hamilton's performance at the French Grand Prix, where he and Wu Shi once again dominated the track, as expected.

Wu Shi secured his seventh win of the season, while Hamilton only managed two.

However, when Wu Shi won, the old man was generally able to maintain his second-place position, thus keeping the points close.

After the race, both Wu Shi and Hamilton were asked the same question: F1 viewership was declining when Mercedes dominated the race.

Hamilton acknowledged that the current race results have exacerbated fan fatigue, but he still refuted those claims:
"When people see our success, they don't realize all the work that's going on behind the scenes."

"So if you think the sport is boring, don't blame the riders."

Ultimately, he could only pin his hopes on the ongoing major overhaul of technical regulations.

Wu Shi and the old man share the same view: F1 races aren't always this exciting, and there's nothing that can be done about it.

In some seasons, some teams are just better suited to the track. The only solution is to establish fairer rules that make overtaking easier.

On June 30, with the arrival of summer, the ninth stop of the season came to Austria.

If there's anything interesting to see on the field, it's the stands filled with orange smoke.

Verstappen's fans packed the stands, which was astonishing.

Leclerc's pole position in qualifying was quite astonishing.

Wu Shi was 0.06 seconds behind, ranking second.

Hamilton was originally 0.259 seconds behind in third place, but due to a series of penalties during qualifying, he will start in sixth place.

On the day of the race, the track temperature was 60°C and the air temperature was 35°C, making it an extremely hot day.

Wu Shi launched an attack on Leclerc at the outset and successfully surpassed him.

However, after DRS was activated on the fourth lap, he was overtaken again.

Of course, the scariest thing isn't here, but rather with Verstappen.

Red Bull seems to have really drunk Red Bull since it returned to its home country. After a starting mistake that dropped it to seventh place, it went on a crazy overtaking spree.

Using the strategy provided by Red Bull, he overtook Wu Shi on lap 60.

He overtook Leclerc on lap 70.

On lap 71, Verstappen crossed the podium to claim victory.

After the race, order was disrupted at the track, and orange smoke released by Dutch fans obscured the entire area.

Red Bull was also very happy with the victory. They seemed to have found the direction for research and development, and even 76-year-old Marco was on the podium.

Seeing his shaky appearance, Wu Shi was really afraid that he would slip and fall.

Honda's vice president also attended the event and participated in Red Bull's post-race celebration.

They consider this a double victory for both the engine and aerodynamics!

Wu Shi acknowledged this, because Red Bull was so fast in the corners that it was practically flying close to the ground, making it very well-suited to the track.

Verstappen's ability to set the fastest lap after attacking his way up speaks volumes.

Perhaps Red Bull, like Ferrari, had been preparing for home wins since the beginning of the season.

Although he didn't win, finishing ahead of Hamilton already fulfilled his goal for this race.

He has now widened the gap with Hamilton to 33 points, steadily increasing his lead.

As the number of matches increases, every point in the lead becomes more valuable, since it becomes increasingly difficult to catch up when there aren't enough matches.

The Formula 1 Grand Prix has returned to the UK, and Wu Shi met with the knight again.

Sir Williams is not in good physical condition, but he will still appear at the Grand Prix.

Wu Shi noticed the embarrassment on Claire's face; the father and daughter might have had a rather unpleasant argument recently.

However, with the competition coming first, he didn't concern himself with these matters.

Hamilton does have something at Silverstone, well, he's a bit slow.

Wu Shi still took the lead and secured pole position.

During the main competition, Silverstone's mood was unpredictable.

Subsequently, the two Mercedes-Benz players brought them back one or two.

Hamilton's failure to win in his hometown has drawn considerable criticism.

When Wu Shi saw this, he found it laughable. Many people didn't care what the driver had done; they only cared whether the driver could do what they wanted.

After the competition, Claire invited Wu Shi to meet and directly expressed her thoughts:
"I've already considered selling the entire group."

Wu Shi accepted the news and said, "Sir, he..."

“I will try to persuade him, but the price is not low. We are willing to reach this agreement with you, but you need to meet our requirements,” Claire said.

"What is the name of the car team?" Wu Shi asked.

“Of course, this team will continue to race in F1 under the name ‘Williams,’ and if you don’t manage it well, you must consider passing the name down,” Claire said.

"Yes, I know."

Wu Shi nodded, told Xi De the news, and also spoke with Wu Zhenlin on the phone.

“We need to consider many things,” the father replied.

Wu Shi knew, of course, that this was no small matter. If the Wei team was willing to package the entire group, then there would inevitably be car companies that were interested.

There's still time to plan this out. Clearly, the conversation just now was Claire's idea, and the Jazz still want to keep the team firmly in their grasp.

Wu Shi sighed, feeling conflicted about the matter. He wanted a car team belonging to his own country, but he was also worried about whether it was the right thing to do.

He felt lost, his mind a jumbled mess.

Sure enough, he was better suited to driving than most businessmen.

At that moment, he thought of his current boss, Toto, whose dream was to become a race car driver.

He started by selling candles, then continuously invested in racing, giving his all to realize his racing dream.

Regardless of Toto's driving skills, his sheer size gives him a 0.3-second head start, whereas others have a 0.2-second disadvantage.

So in the end, he could only become the team owner.

Perhaps it was the rainy season in Europe in July, but when the Grand Prix moved from England to Germany, the rain still plagued the teams.

Toto, who rarely leads everyone on the racecourse, stood very close to Wu Shi and said:

"This might be the last German Grand Prix."

"Are we not going to sponsor this again next year?" Wu Shi asked, puzzled.

"I'm not going to prepare anymore. Liberty Media's offer is $2300 million, which is too high."

As Toto spoke, his expression showed no sign of melancholy, but he suddenly asked:

When do you plan to retire?

"Huh?" Wu Shi looked shocked, then said:

“I’m not even 20 yet, and you’re asking me when I’m going to retire.”

Toto laughed heartily, then asked in return...
"Haha, it seems you still want to stay in the paddock. So what about the Williams team?"

"Are you planning to run the entire team while racing on the track?"
"Or let everyone know that the world champion isn't driving in a team he's closely associated with?"

Wu Shi thought for a moment, then said with a slightly confused expression:
"I don't know, this matter hasn't been decided yet, has it?"
"And I want to have a team of our country's vehicles in the paddock."

"Besides, I shouldn't be involved in the team's operation; I should just facilitate the connection between the Wei team and the company that takes over."

Toto looked at the camera on the racetrack, where the forest was lush and green, and said:
"This is your own business if you really love this sport, but everything has its trade-offs, its advantages and disadvantages, and the relationships behind it are complicated."

Wu Shi also looked over. He knew what Toto meant when the convoy that had connections with him, Wu Shi, entered the hunting grounds.

So, when other teams hire Wu Shi, can they simply treat him as a driver?

Things turned out to be far more complicated than he had imagined.

"Ugh."

Wu Shi sighed deeply.

Toto patted the boy next to him.

(End of this chapter)