F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 326 The Chaos of Hockenheim

This year may be the last year of the German Grand Prix, which also coincides with Mercedes' 125th anniversary in motorsport and Mercedes' 200th F1 Grand Prix.

So the entire team was preparing to celebrate this anniversary.

Toto dressed everyone in retro outfits, and he himself wore overalls.

The two Mercedes-Benz cars were painted in a retro style, with the front axles painted white to imitate the national color used in Germany before 1930.

The track was also entirely sponsored by Mercedes, with signs everywhere proclaiming the 120th anniversary of Mercedes motorsport.

Wu Shi had a bad feeling when he saw this scene.

Because he had watched many highlights, it seemed that as long as Toto wore some commemorative clothing, Mercedes would immediately be in big trouble.

But these kinds of mystical things, like the "six-star sports betting" predictions, are fine to talk about, but anyone who takes them seriously is a fool.

Wu Shi could only try to be as cautious as possible during the competition.

In order to secure a final victory at their fading home ground, Mercedes spared no effort in enhancing their race cars, introducing a brand-new aerodynamic kit.

To address the cooling issue, the size and location of the heatsink were redesigned, ultimately giving the rear of the W10 a flared shape.

With meticulous preparation, Mercedes-Benz racing cars naturally demonstrated considerable strength.

Despite the high temperatures during practice and qualifying sessions, Wu Shi and Hamilton still managed to dominate the race together.

The front row of the main race still featured two "White-Silver Arrows".

However, by Saturday evening, the temperature had plummeted, and there were signs of rain during the main race.

The reporters then asked Wu Shi and Hamilton if they were worried about the rain tomorrow.

Both of them gave the same reply: "I'm not worried about the rain; rainy days and sunny days are the same."

Clearly, both players are very confident in their ability to win in the rain.

The race was about to begin on Sunday, but half an hour before the start, a torrential downpour began, soaking the entire track.

The predicted rainfall, which was expected during the race, fell prematurely, directly disrupting the plans of all the teams.

Because of the heavy rain, everyone opted for full-weather tires to start, which was quite a rare sight.

However, for safety reasons, race director Michael Massey decided to let the safety car lead the way for a few laps to dry out the track.

Before they had even run for a short while, Hamilton was already urging them on in the TR (Traffic Tracker):
"The safety car should be allowed in; the track is wide enough for a normal race."

However, Massi was not so decisive in starting the race. He ran three full laps before deciding to start.

The 20 race cars returned to the starting grid.

Tire temperature drops very quickly on wet surfaces.

Wu Shi looked at Hamilton to his side; Mercedes, number 44, was facing him diagonally, and the old man clearly wanted to launch an attack.

All he can do is hold onto his position.

Sure enough, the moment the red light went out and the game started, Hamilton rushed to the center line.

Wu Shi immediately took countermeasures, pressing to the right and towards the center line in an attempt to block Hamilton's position.

The two remained at peace for the time being, until they reached Turn 1, when Wu Shi returned to the left outer line to prepare for a normal turn.

Hamilton, still at the center line, drove straight into the paint.

The fierce attack far exceeded the braking force of the race car and the grip provided by the rain, and the old man locked the tires almost instantly.

Wu Shi's attention was half on the old man, and when he noticed the old man's late braking, he knew what was coming.

After all, people know their own cars well. Hamilton definitely couldn't stop braking so late on this route!
Tch!

The rubber rubbed against the wet curb, making a scraping sound.

Wu Shi reacted very quickly, driving the car directly into the huge outer buffer zone and making a large detour, perfectly avoiding the torpedo-like attack.

Hamilton followed him around the track for a long time and returned to second place.

"If he can't drive in the rain, he shouldn't have said it didn't matter yesterday!"

Wu Shi immediately shouted in TR.

The two Mercedes players clashed violently at Turn 1, but fortunately it did not affect the normal course of the race.

Toto, dressed in a retro halter top, looked perfectly normal.

Now, in every race, if these two drivers are in close proximity, they will inevitably play a race together.

Anyway, he felt that he had gotten used to it, and Wu Shi was always able to deal with such fierce attacks in a better way.

The situation at the back of the pack was also turbulent. Verstappen, who was in third place, slipped at the start and was overtaken by a group of people.

But as they entered Turn 1, Verstappen overtook almost all of those who had passed him.

It's like everyone is running on a different track.

Before everyone could figure out what was going on, the race had just entered the second lap when Master Pei appeared on the wall!
This is the battle in the rain; an unexpected event occurs, and the gears of fate begin to turn.

"Be aware of yellow flags and potential safety vehicles."

Jonathan immediately notified Wu Shi, and then he received a message from the strategy team, and then spoke to Wu Shi:
"Box, Box!"

Wu Shi arrived at the entrance to the maintenance area just in time, and crossed the solid line to enter.

When the rear wheel crossed the slippery white line, the grip on both sides was momentarily inconsistent, causing the vehicle to wobble rapidly.

Wu Shi countered and saved the car almost the instant the rear wheels spun in the air.

Heh!

Mercedes No. 59 made a dramatic turn and returned to the pit lane entrance.

"Wow! That was close!"

"That was a brilliant rescue!"

Both the soldier and the flying brother applauded.

Haoran remarked from the side, "It's rare to see Wu Shi save the day!"

"Yes, he's been too steady before, almost never making mistakes. Today's mistake makes him seem like a normal driver, not a robot."

The soldier said a lot.

Fei Ge also said:
"This may be his only mistake today. Wu Shi's ability to fight in the rain has always been remarkable."

After pulling the vehicle back, Wu Shi's heart also raced slightly.

Because making a mistake now could result in losing a lot of seats, as the trains behind us are preparing to enter the station.

After switching off his full wet tires and putting on partial wet tires, he returned to the track and maintained his leading position.

At this point, the director began replaying the situation just after the train departed.

Verstappen's poor start was extremely noticeable from an overhead view.

However, he still managed to hold on for 4th place at Turn 1 with an unusual line.

He then overtook Kimi and took back third place.

This led Horner in the repair area to put on a master of disguise.

The only one who benefited was Kimi, who moved from 5th to 4th place.

With the safety car removed on lap 5, the race restarted after Wu Shi crossed the checkered line.

With the ground still wet, even Hamilton didn't have a good way to launch an attack.

After all, his torpedo-like attack in the first lap could be explained by his misjudgment of the ground's grip.

But if he does the same thing after the restart, then he has no right to do it, and the team will have objections to him.

Of course, the main reason is that by doing things this way, Wu Shi was on guard and could not benefit at all.

As the cars cruised around the track, the track gradually dried, and Wu Shi continued to break his own lap record.

The weather forecast predicted rain in 10 minutes, so the team was still under tremendous pressure to make a decision.

On lap 14, Wu Shi extended his lead over Hamilton to three seconds.

Meanwhile, the race officials fined Ferrari $5000 for unsafely releasing Leclerc in the pit lane.

I thought the competition had returned to normal.

As a result, on lap 15, Renault's engine blew up again.

Ricciardo's car emitted thick smoke from its rear, lost power, and was brought to a stop on the side of the road, whereupon the virtual safety car was triggered.

Only Leclerc and Hulkenberg pitted for tires this time, while the rest of the cars continued to drive on the track.

The track returned to calm, and on lap 21, Magnussen pitted to change to slick tires.

His behavior naturally attracted everyone's attention, and Jonathan asked Wu Shi:

What do you think of the track conditions?

"Uh, there's not much difference in speed between wet and dry tires, but I feel there's a lot of moisture in the air. Will it rain?"

Wu Shi replied in TR.

“Yeah, it’s possible it will continue to rain, but we can’t be sure,” Jonathan said.

"Haha, what's wrong with Wu Shi? He can even sense how much moisture is in the air?"

The soldier laughed when he heard this TR.

"Maybe too much water got on the goggles," Haoran offered as an excuse.

At this point, Mercedes' strategy team was frequently communicating with headquarters, trying to calculate the optimal strategy on the field.

Now, with two Mercedes leading the pack, if they need to stop for a dry tire change, they have to wait an entire tire-changing period.

Because if we don't do this, the risks of changing to dry tires will be enormous.

After all, once you've gone in, you'll be behind other riders who haven't changed to dry tires, making it difficult to overtake them.

If the weather does get clearer, it's fine; dry tires will make you go faster and faster, and the drivers who haven't changed to dry tires will inevitably have to pit for a change.

But if it starts raining again, Mercedes going to the pits to change to dry tires is just asking for trouble.

On this track, it's clearly impossible for the two leading players to maintain a 20-second pit stop time.

So all Mercedes can do is wait for drivers like Wu Shi and Hamilton, who are within 20 seconds of each other, to pit for tires before they do.

However, track conditions must be taken into account, because pitting too late could result in being undercut by riders who were behind in the pit lane but had already pitted and changed to slick tires.

This is the problem and difficulty of a game with both rain and sunshine; no one has a perfect strategy, and everyone is gambling on the weather.

Ferrari was the first to respond, informing Vettel to change tires when Magnussen failed to set the fastest lap.

After all, Vettel has nothing left to lose in his position, so taking a gamble is worthwhile.

On lap 23, Vettel switched to red tires.

The slick tires were obviously too slippery; when Vettel came out, the car felt like it was driving on ice.

This is normal; no vehicles are driving around the maintenance area's fast lane repeatedly, so there's a lot of rainwater left on it.

Vettel returned to the track in 11th place.

Now everyone's attention was on Vettel.

Compared to Magnussen, the results of Ferrari's four world championships are clearly more relevant.

The director also provided a reference, stating that Magnussen would be 0.9 seconds faster than Wu Shi, the fastest, in the second timing segment.

However, in the other two time intervals, Wu Shi will make up for the entire second difference and will even have a slight lead of 0.3 seconds.

The entire track is in a state of dynamic equilibrium.

Wu Shi, Hamilton, and Verstappen are currently enjoying a comfortable cruise.

Leclerc, who has unknowingly risen to fourth place, is also in good form.

After a long chase, Verstappen realized he couldn't catch up with the two ahead, and the Red Bull team began to think of new strategies.

On lap 25, they decided to recall Verstappen to dry tires and gamble on the weather.

Wu Shi and Hamilton are still on the track, and Mercedes' strategy team is quite conflicted.

But any decision requires courage, and they are still patiently waiting.

Verstappen pitted on yellow medium tires and, like Vettel, experienced severe slippage after emerging from the pits.

Especially in areas with deep water at the exit, slick tires cannot drain water at all, and there is no grip on the water film.

Fortunately, Pan Zi quickly stabilized the car, preventing it from crashing into the wall after leaving the pits.

Although both Red Bull and Ferrari switched to dry tires, the former used yellow tires while the latter used red tires.

It's likely that the two teams had different predictions about the weather afterwards.

Ferrari believed that there might only be about 10 laps in dry conditions, so they switched to soft tires.

Red Bull anticipated a prolonged dry season, so they switched to neutral tires.

However, regardless of the method, using slick tires still presents the problem of tires failing to heat up.

As the track environment becomes semi-dry and semi-wet, each driver will face more complex track conditions.

Wu Shi could clearly feel this difference.

In areas with a lot of standing water, even with semi-weather tires, the grip is still insufficient.

To get around corners, he has to slow down and increase the braking ratio as much as possible.

Otherwise, the rear wheels can easily lose traction and skid due to sudden braking, causing the wheels to fishtail.

However, in drier areas, semi-wet tires are not as fast as dry tires.

Only in areas with suitable water accumulation can semi-rain tires fully demonstrate their capabilities.

However, if this difference is properly understood, the speed of a semi-wet tire can still exceed that of a dry tire.

He keeps breaking his own fastest lap record, which is proof of that.

Hamilton, who was feeling unwell, was already struggling to keep up behind him.

However, the old man knew that he had to follow Wu Shi; only by following him could he have any hope of victory.

At this moment, a sudden situation occurred on the track.

At Turn 17, Leclerc entered the corner too fast, ran over the water on the outside, and instantly lost traction, heading straight off the track.

Fortunately, the run-off area at Hogheimlin Circuit was large enough that Lock & Lock managed to turn the car back.

"When Leclerc joined Ferrari this year, we were saying that rain performance is crucial for becoming the number one driver," Bing Ge commented.

Leclerc is capable in both dry and rain-soaked warfare.

But this semi-dry, semi-wet environment made it very difficult for him to handle.

As Magnussen, Vettel, and Verstappen achieved faster and faster results on dry tires, more and more vehicles pulled into the pits to switch to dry tires.

This undoubtedly puts a lot of pressure on Mercedes' strategy team again, as the speed of dry tires can be terrifying if the weather gets drier.

The difference of ten or twenty seconds can be recovered by five or six seconds in one lap.

Because of the large number of trains entering the station, the broadcast cameras focused entirely on the fast lane of the maintenance area.

When Norris came out of the garage, the car slid out, drifting and coming to a stop on the expressway.

The repair area is still flooded.

"Box, Box."

On lap 26, Mercedes finally couldn't hold back any longer and recalled Hamilton, while Wu Shi continued on the track.

Meanwhile, a yellow flag appeared in the third time slot, and the replay showed Verstappen.

When he turned left, the rear wheels of the car began to skid.

The car then started spinning, and he quickly countered, spinning like a top on the entire curb before returning to the track.

He immediately applied the accelerator to restore tire grip and stabilize the race car.

A truly brilliant car rescue!

But Panzi immediately shouted in TR:
"The neutral tires are completely unable to move! There's absolutely no grip!"

This shows that using dry tires is still a very risky move.

Wu Shi was unaware of the chaos on the track; he only knew that his semi-wet tires were still able to maintain the fastest lap time of the entire race.

Mercedes is not going to let him waste his advantage.

Because Leclerc, who had moved up to second place after the old man and Panzi entered the pits, still hadn't switched to a dry tire.

If Wu Shi were to enter the station, he would easily have to give up his spot.

Suddenly, Norris pulled the McLaren over to the gravel side of the road.

Shortly after, he yelled in the TR, "NO POWER, my gearbox is stuck in sixth gear."

"BOX BOX BOX!"

Upon seeing this, Ferrari immediately recalled Leclerc.

"Isn't Wu Shi going to the station yet?" the soldier shouted.

“We should go on the next lap, since the virtual safety car has just come out. Wu Shi will make more money going on the next lap,” Fei Ge said.

"No, no, Wu Shi just missed the entrance to the repair station, so he can only go on the next lap." Haoran understood the situation.

Sure enough, Wu Shi was able to enter the pits at the end of lap 28.

In the same circle, the virtual safety car has been deactivated!
"Hey! Wu Shi, you'd better hurry up with this tire change! Otherwise you'll suffer a big loss!" the soldier said.

However, after Wu Shi parked the car, the front left side remained stuck and he couldn't put it on.

It took a full 6 seconds to complete the tire change.

So when the vehicle landed on the ground, Wu Shi immediately stepped on the gas and drove off.

Heh!

The car slid and rushed into the expressway, almost hitting the white line next to the guardrail on the right.

Wu Shi is in a hurry!

"Can you not be in a hurry?"

"Well, he doesn't need to be in such a hurry, because before entering the pit, Hamilton was still 33 seconds behind him, and Leclerc probably wouldn't dare to go up either, as his entry lap is very slow," Haoran summarized.

"Let's see where Wu Shi is when we come out," the soldier said.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the third time counter turned yellow.

The camera pans to Leclerc, who has just changed to red tires on the previous lap, and he's now on the wall!

The accident happened at Turn 17, where he had previously skidded, but this time he wasn't so lucky!
Ferrari #16 skidded over the run-off area and sank straight into the outermost gravel!

Double yellow flags were raised, and the safety vehicle immediately came out.

Leclerc TR: "NOOO!!!" Locke's roar rang out.

The camera showed him clutching his helmet, filled with grief and resentment.

Meanwhile, Vettel prepared to enter the pit again.

At that moment, at the same bend, Leclerc got out of the car and walked forward sadly when he suddenly heard a noise behind him.

He turned around and saw a Mercedes rushing in.

*Smack!*

The old man slid across the buffer zone and crashed into the gravel, hitting the guardrail right in front of Lock & Lock's Ferrari, his front wing shattering in half.

"Wow!!!"

"This is what rain driving is like! Can you even drive on dry tires?!"

With two people involved in serious accidents in quick succession, everyone knows that the situation is now dangerous.

Wu Shi slowed down his car again and again, and then said in TR:
"I need rain tires, there's no grip, absolutely no grip!"

Verstappen (TR): "Too slippery."

At this point, the camera continued to focus on Hamilton.

He was lucky; he got stuck in the gravel but still managed to use his momentum to bring the car back to the paved road, eventually crossing the track and running across the grass to return to the safety zone.

Leclerc watched, but it was unclear whether he had learned anything at all.

Mercedes immediately prepared to replace Hamilton's front wing and tires.

However, Mercedes' pit stop was the first one in the entrance area, and Hamilton came in very quickly, leaving the team completely unprepared.

After the old man's front wing was replaced, two of the four tires were missing. The mechanic who was changing the tires looked up and waved his hand.

Where are the tires I need to change?!

Immediately, chaos erupted in the pit lane. Bono personally came out to check the situation and directed people to change the tires.

Two mechanics even ran to Wu Shi's garage in a daze, wanting to move tires from there.

"Oh no! Hamilton's game is ruined, Mercedes' 125th anniversary!" Bingge said.

Finally, Hamilton completed the tire change in 50.3 seconds.

"When can I get into the station?!"

Wu Shi's TR was reported again. He originally wanted to pit and switch back to semi-weather tires, but Hamilton was blocking the way, so he couldn't get in at all.

The camera then focused on the front, where Verstappen, who was in second place, had already changed his tires.

"Lewis has exited the pit lane and can enter in the next lap."

“OK, my spot is gone,” Wu Shi said directly.

Sure enough, when he pitted for tires at the end of lap 30, he came out in third place.

Ahead are Verstappen and Hulkenberg.

“P3, 0.9 seconds, but overtaking is not allowed. The safety car has come out again,” Jonathan told Wu Shi.

Wu Shi took a deep breath and remained silent.

I knew it! Whenever Mercedes changes their uniforms, it's never a good thing!

“Lewis is under investigation because he had just cut the lawn into the maintenance area,” Jonathan added.

"Haha, why are you telling Wu Shi this?" the soldier laughed.

"You need to find out more about your teammates," Fei said.

"Hmm, maybe he's telling Wu Shi that you haven't lost too much, trying to keep him calm," Haoran also offered a guess.

Wu Shi felt somewhat relieved upon hearing the news, but he was still quite angry about the losses caused by the team's mistake.

All I can say is that it's impossible to be calm and collected when sitting in the cockpit of an F1 car.

After all, no one can remain calm when their heart rate is above 170.

Verstappen had now taken the lead, so when he drove across the starting straight, the Dutch fans, dressed in orange, cheered wildly.

"Is there any other damage to the race car?"

Hamilton asked the team after running two laps.

“We are checking, checking very carefully,” Bono replied.

On lap 32, the safety car exited, and the slower cars began to break free.

Verstappen is in the lead, Hulkenberg is second, Wu Shi is third, Albon is fourth, and Hamilton is fifth.

Sainz is sixth, Kimi is seventh, Vettel is eighth, Gasly is ninth, and Giovinazzi is tenth.

On lap 33, the safety car prepared to exit, and its overhead lights went out.

Wu Shi followed closely behind Hulkenberg, while Verstappen pressed down very hard.

As Verstappen approached hairpin turn 13, he suddenly accelerated again, and Hulkenberg behind him also accelerated, after which Verstappen braked again.

Watching from behind, Wu Shi knew that Pan Zi was the one who made the most of the tricks by restarting the car!

However, after entering the hairpin bend, the overall speed slowed down.

Verstappen accelerated again as he passed Turn 13, speeding away and leaving everyone else in the dust.

Hulkenberg was a beat too slow, and his obstruction caused Wu Shi to be a beat too slow.

When the cars arrived at the starting straight, Verstappen was already 1.5 seconds ahead of Hulkenberg!
Wu Shi fared slightly better, trailing Hulkenberg by only 0.6 seconds.

Wu Shi knew he had to find an opportunity to attack Hulkenberg as soon as possible.

On the long straight after Turn 1, he directly avoided Hulkenberg's slipstream and sped along the center line.

Approaching Turn 2, he cut in from the center line, only to realize that his braking distance was insufficient, and he made a wide turn back onto the track.

"Too hasty! Wu Shi is too hasty!" The soldier also became anxious.

Toto was clutching his cheeks when a notification suddenly came through his earpiece.

"Lewis Hamilton has 5 seconds left in the penalty period."

Toto was furious, but there was nothing he could do. The old man not only crossed the track but also drove onto the grass and into the pit lane, treating the track like his own living room.

However, going in at that time was the best option, as it would save the most time.

Back on the track, Wu Shi made a mistake on his first attempt, then quietly prepared for his second attack.

The curves after Turn 2 at the Hockenheim circuit are more like arcs than true bends.

He could only approach Hulkenberg by taking the route with the best grip.

But the rain narrowed the performance gap between the race cars.

However, he kept his eyes on Turn 6, and then, just like Turn 2, he entered from the center line and braked very late.

When you turn the steering wheel, the huge torque that comes back, the fact that the front of the race car is almost impossible to turn, and the constant twisting of the rear all tell you that the speed is too fast!
However, he still drove in like that; anyone else would have definitely lost control and gone off the track.

Top drivers do what others cannot.

As he exited the corner, the time difference between him and Hulkenberg narrowed slightly.

However, as the timer entered the 0.5-second range, turbulence began to have a significant impact on the race car.

There was no room to overtake until turn 11.

However, Hulkenberg slowed down at the hairpin turn 13 after turn 12.

Wu Shi approached at high speed, almost shoving the front wing into Hulkenberg's chassis on this slow bend.

However, once he exits the corner, Hulkenberg can still accelerate hard to create distance.

Wu Shi waited patiently as he plunged into the rain and mist, relying entirely on his sense of the track to determine his location.

Swish!
Hulkenberg was the first to enter Turn 16, followed closely by Wu Shi.

The two race cars kicked up a spray of water, like dragons locked in combat.

Hulkenberg immediately moved to the center line after the corner, both to block Wu Shi and because of the special nature of Turn 17.

The outside of Turn 17 is slippery; Leclerc and Hamilton both slid out from there!

Hulkenberg lived a very conservative life here!
Wu Shi knew he would do this, so he pressed the accelerator hard in the area slightly outside the line.

Hulkenberg began to enter the corner, and then felt movement behind him.

Buzzing sound!

The sound of the engine and the sound of the water being drained rang out at the same time. He glanced in the rearview mirror and felt a sudden sense of panic.

The Mercedes-Benz on the left rear had somehow appeared in front of us, and the whole car was shaking from time to time, as if it was about to go out of control at any moment.

Buzz! !
Wu Shi is getting closer and closer to surpassing Hulkenberg.

The rear wheels were on the water, but they did not completely drain the rainwater. Moreover, the water on the ground was constantly changing as the wheels rotated and the water intruded.

The rear wheels are extremely sensitive at this time. If the fluctuating torque output curve is not aligned, it will cause the entire race car to lose control!

However, Wu Shi, who was already accustomed to using his right foot for the most precise control, accomplished this.

Whoosh!

As they exited the bend, the two cars drove out side by side, and Wu Shi floored the accelerator even earlier than Hulkenberg!
Hulkenberg himself couldn't believe it.

However, as the race entered the main straight, the left outer line became the advantageous line.

Wu Shi was driving right there when Hulkenberg, who was a step behind, floored the accelerator, instantly losing all his remaining advantage.

Wu Shi sped past, completing the overtaking maneuver!
"Awesome!!!" the soldier shouted, clenching his fist.

"I was reminded of the 2016 Brazil rain race, where Wu Shi and Verstappen were both on racing lines that others dared not take," Haoran said.

"Can this be the same?" Fei asked back.

"It might be the same for Wu Shi," the soldier said.

After getting past Hulkenberg, Wu Shi set his sights on Verstappen, and Jonathan promptly reported the situation.

"Verstappen, the gap is 2.3."

Rain can indeed narrow the performance gap between vehicles, but it doesn't mean there is no performance gap.

Mercedes' overall dry-ground speed still has a 0.2-second lead over Red Bull.

On rainy ground, this advantage is reduced to about 0.1 seconds.

However, Wu Shi found it very difficult to catch up and could only proceed slowly.

On lap 36, Hamilton overtook Albon to return to fourth place.

He was initially quite far behind Hulkenberg, but on lap 40, Hulkenberg ran into trouble!

It was Turn 17 again. Hulkenberg spun out and went into the gravel, triggering the safety car.

Hamilton got a free spot, while Hulkenberg missed his chance to stand on the podium.

After withdrawing from the match, Hulkenberg sat crouching in the aisle with his head in his hands, seemingly lost in thought.

However, no one cared about those who had already withdrawn from the race; the final battle continued on the track.

After the safety car was triggered, another unexpected event occurred.

“Follow Verstappen into the station,” Jonathan said.

"Copy".

When Wu Shi saw Pan Zi enter the station, he followed him into the maintenance area.

However, the two were still wearing partial rain tires, and their positions remained unchanged after they came out, while the safety car had already run over them.

Verstappen saw two Mercedes-Benz cars in the rearview mirror and knew that Wu Shi and Hamilton were behind him.

The safety car kept swaying until the end of lap 45, when the race restarted.

Verstappen pressed down very hard this time, and didn't accelerate after Turn 17.

But the power to start the game again rests with Verstappen; he can do whatever he wants.

To prevent Pan Zi from deliberately braking, Wu Shi chose not to follow behind him to avoid a rear-end collision.

He quietly sensed the movement ahead of the race car.

hum!
The moment the car in front sped up its accelerator, Wu Shi immediately accelerated as well.

Susu!

A Red Bull and a Mercedes quickly sped toward Turn 1.

However, no matter how perceptive Wu Shi was, he still couldn't compete with Pan Zi, who had the advantage of being the first to act.

At Turn 1, Wu Shi did not choose to be forceful, but instead returned to Pan Zi's side.

Hamilton, standing behind, appeared slow to react compared to the two younger players, and by this point, there was a difference of nearly 1.3 seconds.

Meanwhile, the young Sainz behind him also set his sights on him, wanting to overtake him.

Before lap 46 was even over, Wu Shi and Verstappen had already pulled ahead of the others by 4.1 seconds.

"Those two guys are really fast!"

As soon as the soldier finished speaking, Verstappen turned into the pit lane.

Wu Shi followed him into the repair area again.

During the last lap, the two leaders both agreed that dry tires would be much faster than wet tires!

Of course, the main reason is that the team believes there is a very high probability that it will not rain in the near future.

So the earlier you get into the station, the better!
Heh!

The tire-changing gun went off, and Verstappen took only 1.8 seconds to pit and change tires!
Wu Shi's time slowed down again, dropping to 3.9 seconds!
The round trip took nearly 2 seconds.

Toto took a deep breath; now it was up to Wu Shi and Verstappen to see who could go faster on red tires.

However, more bad news came.

Verstappenka exited the station ahead of Kvyat, while Wu Shi was blocked by Kvyat, who had already bet on a dry tire!
Wu Shi knew that Kvyat was slower than him, and if he continued to block him, there would be problems!

He once again took a risky tactic, attempting to launch an attack in a damp place.

However, he was not a god, and his efforts were in vain. He even almost lost control. A dry tire just can't run on water!
At the end of lap 47, Hamilton pitted for tires and incurred a 5-second penalty.

Vettel, who hadn't changed his tires yet, moved up to third and attacked his former teammate Kimi, but was forcefully blocked by the Iceman driving an Alfa Romeo.

Vettel then turned and went to the pits, while a large number of drivers also went to the pits to change to dry tires.

As the drivers changed tires, Verstappen regained the lead on lap 48, with Kvyat in second and Wu Shi in third.

Little Red Bull, they actually made the right bet!

On a semi-dry track, it is most difficult to overtake on dry tires because the dry track has limited lines, while dry tires cannot handle wet conditions.

After several attempts, Wu Shi was about to take down Koviat.

As a result, on lap 57, Williams' Bottas crashed into the wall at turn 17.

Turn 17 again!

The reappearance of the safety car allowed Kvyat to catch his breath.

The race restarted on lap 60, with only five laps remaining.

Wu Shi was thinking about how the track would change on each lap.

At this point, apart from the optimal racing line being dry, many other areas were also quite dry.

So after the train restarted, he immediately launched an attack.

Kvyat was outmaneuvered by Verstappen, but Wu Shi was watching Verstappen's movements, so he immediately kept pace with Kvyat at the start.

At the next turn, Wu Shi positioned himself on the inside line towards the middle, blocking Kvyat's entry into the corner.

However, this torpedo, which Vettel called a torpedo, charged forward recklessly.

Wu Shi immediately slammed on the brakes to let him pass, otherwise he would have been lifted up by the forewing and taken off!
"What is he doing? Is he trying to run me over?"

Wu Shi shouted on TR.

They then had to start the pursuit again.

Faced with an opponent like Kvyat, and with such inconvenient track conditions, Wu Shi could only keep pushing him until he made a mistake.

Fortunately, he found an opportunity at turn 17 just two laps later.

Kvyat entered the corner too quickly, immediately lost grip, and went wide.

Wu Shi went over smoothly, but Verstappen had already taken a full 3.3 seconds.

He lost the chance to catch up.

On lap 62, DRS was activated, and Vettel used DRS to overtake Kvyat.

The chaotic match is finally coming to an end.

Finally, on lap 64, Verstappen crossed the finish line first, Wu Shi second, and Vettel third.

The crowd erupted in terrifying cheers, and the orange smoke from the Dutch fans disrupted the event.

After parking his car in position 2, Wu Shi was exhausted and his mind was in turmoil from the chaotic competition.

He had no idea what he had gone through.

On the other side, Verstappen got out of the car but did not rush to celebrate with the team. Instead, he walked over to shake hands and hug Wu Shi.

“That’s the charm of rainy days,” Vestager said with a smile.

"Yes, you caught all the surprises."

Wu Shi shook his head, his damp hair swaying, his increasingly mature face more charming than a few years ago.

"Haha, you know, I just kept driving, and before I knew it, I was in first place," Verstappen said cheerfully.

Vettel started from the back and was quite happy to reach the podium, finally shaking off his previous frustration.

But standing on the podium again, Wu Shi felt that Vettel was very different from the previous two years, and had really slowly turned into a German old farmer.

All three players delivered exceptional performances in today's chaotic match.

Vettel started at the end of the race and finished on the podium.

Verstappen started third and, through a series of well-timed judgments, successfully secured the final victory.

Despite his bad luck, Wu Shi displayed the prowess of a treble winner, whether it was resisting Hamilton's attack earlier or surpassing Hulkenberg and Kvyat later.

Reporters still wanted to know how he saw Hamilton's attack at the first corner.

Wu Shi smiled and said, "He wasn't feeling well, so it's normal for him to make a mistake in judgment."

(End of this chapter)