F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 332 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
The day after qualifying, Sunday, during the daytime.

Toto and the strategy team explained the tactics and strategies for tonight's main game.

"Does that mean we can try to make the most of the space at Turn 4?" Wu Shi asked.

"Yes, if it is inappropriate, we will be alerted and you will be notified."

Wu Shi nodded. This was the team using the rules to find any way to gain an advantage in the race.

If you can get off at Turn 4 outside the white line, you'll improve your time by about 0.2 seconds per lap.

This is not allowed in qualifying, but it is not so strict in the main race.

Furthermore, driving along this route will slightly reduce tire wear.

Mercedes' overall strategy for the main race is quite complex.

First, if Wu Shi can take the lead at the start, then the strategy will be to follow the pattern of yellow-yellow-white and yellow-white-yellow.

Hamilton followed his strategy.

If Hamilton gets an opportunity at the start, the strategy is the same, except that the drivers who pit first will be different.

However, if neither player makes any overtakes, Mercedes will not use the yellow-yellow-white or yellow-white-yellow two-stop rule.

They will use yellow-white-white two-stop to try undercut.

After the meeting adjourned, Wu Shi returned to the garage, where the mechanics were checking the race car and preparing for the evening's race.

Wu Shi sat and chatted with Jonathan.
-
At 5:30 p.m., half an hour before the Grand Prix was to begin, all the teams were ready.

Soon the maintenance area access light turned green, and the survey area began.

As usual, Wu Shi tested the road surface's grip, and the sandstorm during the winter test in Bahrain left a deep impression on him.

If there is sand on the ground, normal driving will be significantly affected.

After one lap, Wu Shi parked the car in the starting grid and got out.

He looked to the other side, where Panzi's car had just been pushed over.

The two did not exchange words, but simply stood beside their respective race cars listening to the track engineer's final instructions.

At this time, some drivers will chat about other things to relax.

After completing the pre-race procedures, Wu Shi put on his racing suit and got into the race car.

He began the final procedural checks and stepped on the accelerator a few times in neutral to feel the engine's condition.

The engineers on one side were also observing whether the data curve was normal.

As six o'clock drew closer, everyone patiently awaited the final moment.

With 20 seconds left before the start of the race, the mechanics removed the tire warmers from the tires, and the jack technician lowered the car.

Apart from the 20 cars and 20 drivers remaining on the track, all personnel were evacuated off the track.

Shortly after the red light went out, the minute hand of the enormous clock, sponsored by Rolex, turned to 0.

At 6:00 AM sharp, the Grand Prix officially began, with two green lights illuminating the warm-up lap.

Wu Shi started the car immediately, while Verstappen was a moment later, but quickly stepped on the gas and caught up.

Wu Shi braked before Turn 1 to test the vehicle's grip and brake temperature.

Hamilton behind him had started swaying from side to side, bobbing back and forth in his rearview mirror.

After exiting Turn 13, Wu Shi began swaying from side to side, essentially warming up the tires for the entire straight.

Finally, as Verstappen emerged from turns 14 and 15 and accelerated toward the starting grid, Wu Shi and Hamilton simultaneously slowed down.

Both of them planned to cool down Verstappen's tires.

The two only started to accelerate when Panzi was about to reach the parking space.

"After being teammates for so many years, we still have this kind of tacit understanding, haha," the soldier laughed.

"Hey, what's going on?"

The camera suddenly focused on Perez, who had stopped the Red Bull just before Turn 13.

Wu Shi had already arrived at the starting grid, with the roar of racing car engines still echoing behind him.

However, as soon as the roaring sound ended, the indicator light turned yellow.

"After another warm-up lap, Perez's car encountered some problems, losing power and getting stuck at Turn 13."
"Yeah, he's completed the reboot and entered the maintenance area. He'll start from there."

Jonathan spoke at length, explaining the situation on the field to Wu Shi.

“Perez’s car is still drivable. He’s back in the pit lane and needs to start from there,” Fei Ge said.

"Although we don't know what the problem is, we hope that both Red Bull cars can be put into the race, and that Perez can also be put into the race."

After seeing Red Bull restart, the soldier made a comment.

"Yes, there must be two drivers."

"He starts a little later, which might be a good thing. At least he can avoid Ma Zeping, haha," Haoran added.

"Hahaha~"

This made them both laugh.

But the soldier reacted quickly, immediately offering a friendly reminder with a smile:

"As someone who's older, I don't like to presuppose a position without others having expressed it beforehand."

"well."

Haoran realized that his commentary was too biased and immediately responded in a low voice.

On the second warm-up lap, Panzi became much smarter, pressing down on the car when exiting Turn 15.

He knew the two Mercedes drivers behind him would continue to press down, so he started swaying wildly from side to side on the long straight, constantly raising the tire temperature.

Upon seeing Pan Zi like this, Wu Shi immediately followed him.

None of the three cars stopped straight in the starting grid; their front ends were all facing the inside line.

Clearly, from the very beginning, none of the three intended to coexist peacefully.

As Vettel parked his car in the starting grid, the safety car moved behind him, and staff waved green flags as they crossed the entire track from behind.

One by one, red lights lit up.

Its built-in light-up sound effect was drowned out by the sound of 20 engines revving up when the third light was lit.

After glancing at Pan Zi in front of him, Wu Shi's peripheral vision locked onto the indicator light.

All five red lights are on!

Snapped!
Suddenly, the lights came on very quickly.

This is when all drivers are at their most alert.

Buzz! Hiss!
All 20 race cars started moving at the same time.

Wu Shi released the clutch almost instantly and controlled the accelerator to propel the race car forward.

Verstappen's start was also very smooth; he started squeezing towards the center line almost the instant he got going.

When Wu Shi arrived at the center line, Verstappen had already blocked the route.

He then drove back to his own inside line to the right, but Verstappen's movement was synchronized and still blocked the inside line.

Wu Shi had no choice but to immediately turn left again, but by then he had lost any chance of overtaking.

Before Turn 1, Verstappen held his center line firmly as he entered the corner.

Although Wu Shi was on the outside line, he braked earlier and his car was already aligned with the apex of the bend, hoping to overtake Verstappen by taking a crossover line.

Verstappen failed to hold onto the apex, and Wu Shi charged in instantly.

However, Verstappen, taking advantage of his slight lead, veered off the outside and blocked Wu Shi's path.

There's no way to surpass it!
Wu Shi knew that he could only continue to follow Verstappen in search of opportunities.

Because after turns 2 and 3, there is a long straight ahead.

The wake effect here is excellent; you might be able to overtake.

The old man had the same idea as Wu Shi. In the middle of the straight section, the two used the wake to increase their speed and then simultaneously made a large turn.

Wu Shi drew the center line, while Hamilton went even further, drawing the center line slightly inside.

However, he was still not fast enough to catch up with Verstappen!
Just then, a car suddenly sped straight into the buffer zone from behind the straight road, kicking up a cloud of dust.

zizi~
One of the Haas duo has fallen.

"I am okay."

Shortly after, Ma Zeping's voice came through.

The double yellow flags then appeared, followed by the safety car.

“It’s Ma Zeping, it’s Ma Zeping,” Fei Ge said.

"Looks like it's really hard to say anything nice about him! Hahaha!" the soldier laughed.

Haoran made a few "uh" sounds, unsure of what to say to continue the conversation.

Ma Zeping's race car crashed very hard.

"Theoretically, it's unlikely that it flew out on its own; there must have been a collision," the soldier said.

The moment he finished speaking, the replay came on.

After entering the corner, Ma Zeping's car shook violently, and he kept correcting the direction to ensure the car remained stable.

When he came out of the bend, he didn't shift up and just kept pressing the accelerator. Then the rear of the car went out of control and skidded.

Bang!
An F1 driver, without any interference, spun out of the track and crashed into the guardrail after a series of operational errors.

This scene left many commentators speechless.

Back then, many people mocked Stormoll for relying on his father's influence, but Stormoll's driving skills, while not exceptional, were still quite stable.

Ma Zeping crashed his car before even finishing the first lap.

Obviously, F1 is not a sport that just anyone can drive well.

While cruising, Verstappen suddenly said, "I feel like there's something wrong with the throttle."

GP: "We are checking the situation."

On the third lap, the GP told Verstappen, "You don't need to make any adjustments."

And so, at the end of the third lap, the safety car's roof light went out.

Verstappen kept wearing down his tires and pressing down on the car, even after turning 15.

Wu Shi, however, did not bother with any grinding or polishing, and kept his eyes fixed on Verstappen.

Panzi wanted to wait until the tires were worn down before stepping on the gas and driving away.

He knew Pan Zi very well.

With the grid lines almost in sight, Verstappen finally stopped grinding his tires and had to consider starting.

If he continues like this after crossing the grid lines, then don't blame Wu Shi for stepping on the gas and eating him.

Verstappen's plan failed to achieve its intended effect, so he could only find an opportunity to accelerate his attack.

Wu Shi seized the opportunity instantly, stepping on the gas pedal only a moment later.

Upon noticing this, Verstappen immediately swerved to block Wu Shi.

Wu Shi then accompanied him as he changed lanes from the outside to the inside, and then suddenly pulled back to the outside.

After a series of maneuvers, Verstappen could no longer follow Wu Shi to the outside; he had to guard the center line!

With the help of Verstappen's wake, Wu Shi's speed disadvantage was leveled off.

Before the braking zone at Turn 1, his front wing finally reached the middle of Verstappen's car.

Both players simultaneously turned right towards the inside line.

No chance.

Wu Shi instantly realized that he was at a significant disadvantage on the outside.

Hamilton and Leclerc, who were behind them, also joined the fight.

After exiting Turn 3, the front row remained unchanged, while the rear row of cars remained tightly packed.

This year, the performance of the cars from different teams doesn't seem to be significantly different.

At every bend, these race cars are like springs compressed to their limit, then suddenly springing out on the straightaway.

However, before the lap was even finished, the virtual safety car reappeared.

“Gasley’s forewing is missing,” Jonathan said.

Verstappen also said in TR:
"I'm sure I've run into a problem, you'd better fix it quickly!"

On lap 5, the virtual safety car leaves, and DRS is activated.

However, Verstappen had already pulled away by one second, and Wu Shi had no way to get close.

“Verstappen’s differential has a problem, you have a chance.”

Jonathan then told Wu Shi about the situation.

“Yeah, really?” Wu Shi questioned.

He didn't sense any problem with Verstappen's speed.

So I had no intention of taking action, because Red Bull was too fast in the second time slot, and it would wipe out all three DRS.

At this point, Verstappen was in the lead, Wu Shi was in second, and Hamilton was in third.

Leclerc is fourth.

Norris is fifth and is constantly trying to attack Lecce.

On lap nine, Norris used DRS to overtake Leclerc.

Leclerc originally intended to overtake again, but McLaren's speed advantage was obvious.

If the battle continues, Lock's tire wear will exceed expectations, making it impossible to complete the team's pit stop strategy.

Therefore, Lock & Lock also gave up its fourth place and settled for fifth.

The front row finally settled down.

Perez, starting from the pit lane, is putting on an overtaking show.

The midstream convoys were very close together, attracting most of the camera's attention.

Wu Shi controlled his speed to within two seconds of Verstappen, and Hamilton behind him did the same.

The three were very close together, but none of them wanted to make a move.

Because anyone who takes action will only benefit a third party.

The stability of the triangle is still being maintained.

But the changes came very quickly.

On the 11th lap, Wu Shi suddenly increased his speed.

Verstappen, who was in the lead, had worn out a lot of tires because he had been trying to get Wu Shi out of the way.

Therefore, his speed at this time was not faster than Wu Shi's.

The race organizers immediately displayed the lap times of the two athletes.

第12圈，维斯塔潘1分36秒592，吴轼1分36秒001。

It caught up by 0.5 seconds in one lap!
Is Wu Shi about to try to overtake?

"Hamilton is still watching from behind!"

Just as everyone was speculating, Wu Shi, who had spun around three times, suddenly turned and plunged into the repair area.

Wu Shi entered the pit at the end of lap 13.

"Why are you arriving at the station so early?!"

"You want an undercut, right!"

"Norris, Leclerc, Storr, and Bottas, who followed him, all entered the station."

"But they all started with red tires! Wu Shi used yellow tires."

Wu Shi's sudden entry into the station did not surprise anyone, but everyone quickly realized that it was a tactical overtaking maneuver.

Obviously, overtaking on the track is too risky.

Wu Shi entered the station, changed into a white tire, and came out to stand behind Hamilton, in third place.

At the end of lap 14, Hamilton was also recalled to pit, and Wu Shi returned to second place.

"What exactly is Mercedes thinking?" the soldier wondered.

"Wu Shi's lap time is very fast. He was the first to get a clean lap, with a time of 1 minute 33.877 seconds," Haoran said.

"It's already been undercut!" the soldier exclaimed.

"Let's see what tires Verstappen will use after he stops. Wu Shi is still facing the opponent's attack," Fei Ge said.

“No, Hamilton is behind Wu Shi. If Verstappen comes any later, he’ll fall behind Hamilton,” Haoran said.

Sure enough, after witnessing the speed of the Mercedes white tires, Red Bull did not hesitate and immediately recalled Verstappen.

Verstappen pitted and switched to yellow medium tires. When he came out, he was right between Wu Shi and Hamilton!

“Hamilton has Verstappen’s DRS,” Haoran reminded him.

Sure enough, Hamilton immediately launched an attack on Verstappen.

However, Pan Zi's defense was always extremely ruthless, and the old man was somewhat hesitant to act rashly.

At the beginning of the season, no one was ready to completely break ties.

After several rounds of matches, the two players switched positions three times.

Verstappen held onto his position.

“I blocked three shots for him,” Hamilton suddenly said in TR.

"Haha, is he trying to take credit?" Haoran laughed immediately upon hearing this.

"Hey, I heard last year that Hamilton was going to Ferrari, but in the end he renewed his contract with Mercedes. Why is that?" the soldier wondered.

"Maybe it's because the salary is relatively high?" Fei Ge laughed.

"I don't think so. Hamilton should still be confident about Mercedes this year. He expressed his desire for the world championship in a pre-race interview. I guess he's still aiming for the world championship," Bing Ge said.

As the three discussed, Wu Shi's speed had gradually decreased to nearly 1 minute and 34 seconds.

Verstappen chased very fast on medium tires, closing the gap by 0.1-0.5 seconds almost every lap.

At the end of lap 27, Wu Shi, who had only run less than 15 laps, pitted!
Because he ran out of the entrance window, he maintained his third position after exiting.

"Still a blank tire, does that mean we're going to run into the end?"

Indeed, Wu Shi is determined to run to the very end.

Hamilton was also recalled to the pit for the next lap and followed behind Wu Shi.

Verstappen was pinned down at this point, and Mercedes had a certain advantage in long distances.

While these advantages aren't enough to allow them to easily overtake on the track, they are extremely effective when used in the undercut.

Red Bull did not change their strategy: the yellow tires had to be used to their fullest extent to create a difference between the new and old tires, even if it meant that both Mercedes cars would overtake each other.

"What is the second difference between me and Wu Shi?" the old man asked.

“3.9,” Bono said.

“I need more power,” the old man continued.

“You don’t need to do that. Stay where you are. We need to watch out for Red Bull,” Bono said.

“I am not his wingman.”

This is completely different from the tone when he said he helped Wu Shi block the way.

After Hamilton finished speaking, he began to accelerate.

Wu Shi noticed the situation after circling three times, because he could no longer see the old man in the rearview mirror.

"How could he be so fast?" Wu Shi asked immediately.

“He changed his approach,” Jonathan said.

“Our white tires are going to run 26 laps! He’s insane!” Wu Shi said immediately.

In order to protect the pregnancy, he kept his speed at around 1 minute and 34 seconds.

It is expected that he will still have this lap time even if the race ends in 56 laps.

“I know, I’ll keep track of your parity,” Jonathan said.

However, Wu Shi did not wait; he also began to speed up.

Susu!

Both Mercedes cars inexplicably started overtaking, reducing their lap time from 1 minute 34 seconds to 1 minute 33 seconds.

However, the two maintained this lap time for only 5 laps before it immediately dropped.

The speed not only returned to 1 minute and 34 seconds, but continued to drop towards the end of 1 minute and 34 seconds.

Wu Shi still maintains his leading position.

However, Toto's expression was already very grim. He pressed the voice button connecting Wu Shi and Hamilton and said:
"Watch your tires! Stop!"

No one responded to him, and his expression grew increasingly grim. On lap 39, Verstappen, who was in first place, pitted and switched to white tires.

As expected, he came out in third place, but was only 7 seconds behind Hamilton!

With a light fuel load, Verstappen's new tires were incredibly fast, constantly setting new lap records at 1 minute and 33 seconds.

He caught up with Hamilton in just 7 laps.

“Lewis, stop him!” Bono said in TR.

"Copy".

Hamilton responded, but after three DRS, Hamilton slightly blocked the line at the center of Turn 1, while Verstappen climbed from the outside and then took advantage of Turn 2 to overtake.

Toto slammed his fist on the table, clearly furious.

At that moment, Verstappen was less than 2 seconds away from Wu Shi.

“Vestapan is chasing you,” Jonathan said.

Wu Shi knew, of course, that when the time difference between the three of them was less than three seconds, he could already see what was happening behind him.

Did Hamilton defend?

Of course, we'll defend.

But that was a defensive tactic to protect the baby, not an extreme defensive tactic to fight for position.

Wu Shi kept his eyes fixed on the track ahead, when Jonathan spoke up again:

"You need to defend him, listen, you need to defend him properly!"

After more than an hour of intense exercise, Wu Shi's brain was instinctively fatigued, so he completely trusted Jonathan.

On lap 50, Verstappen was 0.7 seconds behind Wu Shi and began to try to close the gap using DRS.

On lap 51, the time difference between the two players narrowed to 0.349 seconds.

After this lap, Wu Shi's lap time became completely unstable and quickly dropped to 1 minute 34.939 seconds.

Verstappen's lap time can still be maintained at 1 minute and 34 seconds.

On lap 52, the two began to clash.

On the starting straight, Wu Shi naturally moved from the outside to the center line to defend.

Verstappen took advantage of the slipstream and then drove to the inside, but Wu Shi also moved!

"That's two lane changes!" Haoran exclaimed in surprise.

"No!" Fei Ge immediately shook his head and said.

Verstappen had no choice but to brake early and dribble towards the outside of the lane.

Wu Shi delayed until now before starting to brake, and the entire race car rushed through the apex of the corner and only completed the turn when it reached the edge of the track.

However, after Verstappen was forced into the middle and outside lines, he was able to enter Turn 1 and reach the apex, attempting to cross over to Wu Shi's right side.

However, after Wu Shi turned the corner, he immediately took the apex of Turn 2, completely blocking Verstappen.

In the subsequent cornering control, Wu Shi gained the upper hand, bringing the time difference between the two back to 0.6 seconds.

On the second section of DRS at Turn 3, Verstappen tried to close the gap again, but he couldn't overtake him.

"Hamilton chased him all the way to the Verstappen DRS area!"

"Here they come! All three are vying for the championship!"

"Is this year's competition going to be this exciting from the very first match?!"

While the six-star trio all hoped Wu Shi would win, as spectators, an exciting match was equally important.

Wu Shi's heart rate remained stable at around 180, and he was breathing heavily.

Once the second timing phase begins, Red Bull will have the advantage!
Wu Shi certainly wanted to temporarily relinquish his position and then rely on DRS and wake turbulence to overtake it.

However, this idea does not hold true here, because there are three more turns, 11, 12, and 13, after the DRS section at Turn 10.

Therefore, Verstappen, with his newer tires, will definitely be able to widen the gap.

Although there is a very long straight after Turn 13, there is no DRS, so he cannot overtake using only the slipstream!

Once Verstappen gets away from the lead, there's no going back!
His mind raced, a jumble of thoughts about circuits, brakes, steering, and everything else.

He felt a severe fever in his brain!
Turns 5-10 were already screeching and groaning in Wu Shi's tires, as if protesting against him.

A few slight slips and someone else would have rolled off the track.

“Watch out for Turn 4, don’t go over the white line, Massey warned us!” Jonathan said.

When it rains, it pours; this must be because Red Bull has filed a complaint!

Wu Shi didn't care about anything else and continued to focus on driving.

After Turn 10, Verstappen used DRS to close the gap further.

Red Bull dominated the next three corners, further narrowing the gap between the two.

On the super long straight after Turn 13, Verstappen seized the opportunity, using the slipstream to make a quick overtake from the center line.

After being overtaken, Wu Shi did not hesitate at all, turning behind Verstappen and using the wake to increase his speed.

Just as the front wing seemed to sense the airflow generated by Verstappen's rear wheels, he pulled the entire car to the right, trying to gain control of the inside.

Verstappen naturally moved to the right to block, and Wu Shi had anticipated this. After realizing that the bait had been successfully lured, he immediately moved to the left outside line.

Approaching Turn 14, Verstappen was too far inside and braked too late, failing to reach the apex of the corner and having to turn right some distance later.

Wu Shi, on the other hand, slowly cut in from the outside, then crossed the corner and accelerated earlier.

At this point, Verstappen's car turned its front towards the track.

Buzzing and hissing!

With engines roaring, the two cars sped forward.

Wu Shi just fell behind at the DRS checkpoint at Turn 14 and got the DRS for the starting straight.

Taking advantage of exiting the corner, he quickly increased his speed.

Verstappen could only return to Wu Shi's shadow and eat the tailwind.

But at that moment, Hamilton, who was behind him, activated DRS and kept getting closer.

"Hamilton is going to overtake Verstappen!" the soldier shouted.

But will Verstappen let them succeed so easily?

As Hamilton headed inside, he simultaneously headed inside to block Hamilton.

Hamilton was going very fast, and sparks were flying from the rear of the car.

He dragged the tail of the car and turned left, actually returning to the center line!

Is he trying to shut down Verstappen?!
So, one Mercedes was slightly ahead, another Mercedes was behind it, and Red Bull was alongside it.

Three cars entered Turn 1, just like at the start of the race!

Wu Shi turned through Turn 1, took the center line of Turn 2, and immediately accelerated.

He knew that the two cars behind him had DRS, so he was actually in the most danger!
Sure enough, as soon as he passed Turn 3, a car approached from both his left and right sides while he was walking in the middle lane.

They were both significantly faster!
Tsk tsk tsk! !

At high speeds, race cars vibrate due to fluctuations in downforce and wind.

As we sped along, we approached Turn 4.

Wu Shi turned right, but Verstappen blocked his way, so he had to go around to the outside.

At this moment, Hamilton braked very early and cut from the outside to the inside, a crossover that overtook both of them!
"Lewis seized the opportunity and single-handedly drove past both players from the inside!"
"Oh my god!"

David's excited voice stirred everyone's excitement as the race entered its final four laps.

Wu Shi and Verstappen, who had already fought tooth and nail to the death, certainly knew that leaving the paint wide open would inadvertently let Hamilton pass.

However, because they were both blocking each other, they were at a disadvantage when exiting the corner and had no time to pay attention to Hamilton!
Hamilton, who was in the lead, was sprinting very fast, but Verstappen was still chasing!
Soon, the three of them darted past turns 4-10.

Wu Shi, with the worst tires, had already fallen 0.6 seconds behind, and even after taking DRS at Turn 10, he only closed the gap slightly.

However, Verstappen's speed ahead was still good; Red Bull's aerodynamic design is indeed excellent.

After Turn 13, on the super long straight, Verstappen tightly gripped Hamilton's slipstream, constantly closing in.

However, he did not choose to pull away or overtake; he waited until he passed the DRS detection point at the end of the straight before launching his counterattack.

Three more cars arrived at the starting straight, this time Hamilton was the one without DRS.

Buzz! ! !
Under the Bahrain night sky, three cars sped along the straight road, the sparks they kicked up resembling falling heat.

Hamilton defended the center line, while Verstappen opted for the outside this time.

Wu Shi followed behind the two, barely making up for the second difference.

"Wu Shi's tires are terrible. Even with DRS and wake, he's almost 8 kilometers slower than Verstappen, and only slightly faster than Hamilton," Haoran said.

At Turn 1, Hamilton still blocked Verstappen with his line.

But Verstappen didn't care, because the next DRS zone was just around the corner.

After turning 3, he began to accelerate, and once again overtook from the outside.

By this time, Verstappen's tire grip was no longer as good as when he was fighting Wu Shi.

Hamilton was giving it his all for the championship, squeezing the car to the left, leaving less than a meter of space.

Verstappen was unable to control the vehicle precisely. After several intense laps, he almost drove off to the left outside the white line as if he were on edge.

By taking a larger circle, he was faster throughout the race and accelerated faster when exiting the corner!

He overtook Hamilton!

But before he could be happy, the GP's voice rang out:
"Return your position; your car is out of track limits."

"WHAT? Wu, Lewis, wow, they, they've all surpassed them!"

Verstappen was somewhat angry, glancing at the rearview mirror.

His tires are starting to deteriorate, which could cost him the championship!

However, failing to return the position and incurring a time penalty is even more unacceptable.

He slowed down a bit at Turn 6 and opened the gap.

Sure enough, Wu Shi came up when Hamilton was overtaking back.

However, he was not overtaken.

Wu Shi continued to follow behind him.

In the blink of an eye, Turn 10 arrived, Verstappen activated his DRS, and began closing in on Hamilton.

Wu Shi followed closely behind, but his gains were not high because the tires were the worst.

However, Red Bull is fast! Verstappen caught up with Hamilton just before Turn 11.

The following turns 11-13 are also Red Bull's strong points.

Even when Hamilton was on the perfect line, he still couldn't create a gap, and by Turn 13 he had to turn to the center line to defend.

Verstappen did not intend to overtake.

On the long straight after Turn 13, the three cars continued to speed along, one after the other!

Hamilton, lacking a wake, is the slowest.

However, the wind wasn't particularly strong here, so he was quite comfortable.

After reaching curves 14 and 15, you will enter the main straightaway.

The north wind is howling!

Hamilton has thrown out all his batteries; it's already the 55th lap!

Just hold on for two more laps!
Wu Shi followed closely behind Verstappen, relying on the wake and DRS to reduce drag to the extreme, and his speed even exceeded 310 against the headwind!

Hamilton was caught up by Verstappen, who blocked him at the center line to prevent him from overtaking on the inside.

“Watch the tires, there’s something unusual in the data we’re monitoring,” Bono told Hamilton.

But Hamilton had no interest in such things.

Even though the tires have worn down and the grip has dropped significantly, he still has to turn right at this moment to enter Turn 1!

Verstappen was just a hair's breadth away, but he didn't notice that Wu Shi had arrived behind him.

There is another section of DRS after turn 3.

During this DRS period, Hamilton finally lost control and resorted to his old trick, trying to squeeze Verstappen out as he exited Turn 4.

This time, however, Verstappen managed to control his car and aggressively closed in on him from the outside.

As the two pushed and shoved each other, Wu Shi was the first to turn, pressing his car's front end at the apex of the corner and cutting directly into their exit path.

Hamilton was caught in the middle and was in a very difficult situation. He had Verstappen driving onto the track on his left and Wu Shi rushing towards him on his right.

His route was incredibly difficult.

In the nick of time, he instinctively pressed Wu Shi to the right.

Verstappen exited the corner smoothly.

Wu Shi had already stepped on the accelerator when he turned right, and the torque output to the rear wheels was just controlled at the edge of the tires losing grip.

Now, it's him and Hamilton battling it out in the corner!
With full awareness, Wu Shi's exit speed from corners is terrifying, and every roar of the race car is perfectly timed.

Buzz! !

Two Mercedes cars entered the 5-7 combination bend side by side.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate, and for a time, no clear winner could be determined.

When Turn 8 arrived, Wu Shi, who was on the inside, had the advantage and accelerated out of the corner first, gradually leaving Hamilton behind!

"Wu Shi surpasses Lewis!!"

Even though both turns 9 and 10 are left-hand turns, Wu Shi had already gotten into the rhythm by relying on the brief straightaways to suppress the opponent.

As soon as they exited Turn 10, both of them activated DRS simultaneously.

Hamilton used most of his battery power on the starting straight, where his power was slightly inferior.

One step at a time, one step at a time.

As Wu Shi emerged from turn 11, he was already in complete control.

"After 55 laps, we're back to square one," the soldier said.

"Haha, yes, everyone's been working for nothing," Fei said.

"Wu Shi's performance was truly amazing. His tire condition was probably the worst. After being overtaken by two people, I thought he would be immediately left behind," Haoran said.

"We've known for a long time that he can always push the tires to their limits," the soldier said.

"Hamilton didn't play fair today. If he hadn't been chasing Wu Shi so relentlessly, neither of their tires would have worn out so badly," Fei Ge said.

"He wants the championship too," the soldier said, offering a fair assessment.

On the track, the top three were all exhausted, and none of them had any chance to catch up with the others.

Verstappen pulled away from the Mercedes at a very fast pace, but it wasn't until after turn 10 on lap 56 that he finally pulled away by a full second.

This allowed Wu Shi to receive the third DRS, thus avoiding being caught by the old man.

at last.

Verstappen turned through turns 14 and 15 and entered the long straight, with checkered flags waving ahead.

sieve!
"Yessss!!! Haha, I did it! Thank you everyone, wow!!"

Vestager shouted, and at the same time, fireworks exploded in the sky over Bahrain.

The dazzling fireworks were reflected on his goggles.

The race car's paint also reflected the light, but some rubber particles were visible sticking to the originally smooth surface.

sieve!
Wu Shi followed closely behind and crossed the finish line, 1.6 seconds behind.

“All that work for nothing,” he said in TR.

“No, it wasn’t a waste of time. You did everything you were supposed to do, and you didn’t do anything you shouldn’t have,” Jonathan said.

Haoran translated this sentence.

The soldier immediately laughed and said, "Are you saying that Hamilton did something he shouldn't have done?"

"I think Mercedes is in danger this year if they don't resolve the issue of who the team's leader is. Red Bull's pace isn't slow either," Fei said.

"Well, but can they solve it? I'm not optimistic, hahaha," the soldier said.

“Why can’t this be resolved? Wu Shi is a five-time world champion, so the team should side with him. If I were Toto, I would have directly criticized Hamilton,” Haoran said emotionally.

"So you're not the team manager for Mercedes."

The soldier immediately stopped and then said:
"Toto never completely favors any one driver; he usually acts as the referee among the drivers."

"Not necessarily." Fei shook his head.

The three of them were discussing when the return round ended.

Fireworks illuminated the sky over Bahrain.

Wu Shi parked the car behind the number 2 sign; the tires had deteriorated to the point of showing signs of tearing.

He got out of the car, took off his gloves, and without saying a word, went straight to the lounge after being weighed.

Verstappen soon followed, took a sip of water, and said:
"I couldn't have overtaken him without Lewis's interference."

“There are no ifs, that’s what you said.” Wu Shi wiped his sweat with a towel.

“You should go and study with my father for two days,” Vestager said.

Wu Shi looked at Pan Zi and couldn't help but laugh:
“I’m not that kind of person, but I’m aware of the situation this year.”

Verstappen grinned and said:
“If you had dealt with Lewis, I wouldn’t be in this situation today. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you this.”

At that moment, Lewis walked in.

The two Mercedes drivers inevitably ended up with no communication whatsoever.

But Hamilton still came over and patted Wu Shi on the shoulder, saying, "Your blocking was beautiful."

“Yes, because your defense is terrible,” Wu Shi said directly.

Hamilton was taken aback; clearly, he hadn't expected Wu Shi to blurt out such a thing.

Wu Shi has lost before during his four years as a teammate.

He smiled and shook his head, saying no more.

After the awards ceremony, the reporters, clearly aware of the huge controversy surrounding today's competition, couldn't wait to begin their interviews.

Hamilton maintained his calm expression on camera and said:
"No one says you can't surpass your teammates."

When Wu Shi was being interviewed, the press officer stood beside him.

He didn't seem to mind, smiled, and said:
"Lewis is a great team player, but it's hard for his teammates to get his cooperation. I think that's why."

After making a sarcastic remark, he returned to the P room with a hint of anger.

“You want me to block Max?” Wu Shi asked Jonathan.

"Yes, that's a must. You're number one, you can't back down without a fight, even if it means you're ahead of your teammates."

Jonathan's expression was natural, without anger or gloom, only calm:

"It's just the outcome of a game. You should calm down as soon as possible and then organize your speech for the meeting."

"Over the past four years, your strength and racing advantage have masked the problems within the team."

"Everyone was having a good time, but now it seems like things are going badly."

"You have to do something; humility won't get you anything."

Wu Shi calmed down somewhat after hearing Jonathan's advice, but his words were still impulsive:
"I should have advised the team to change their personnel last year."

Jonathan smiled and said:

"Calm down, calm down, the competition is still long. You've already walked a bumpy road, now you're just going to walk it again."

"Ah."

After embracing Jonathan, Wu Shi wiped away his sweat and slowly calmed down in the ice bath.

Wow!

He stretched out his hand, looked at his palm, and thought that this year would probably not be so easy.

But as Jonathan said, we've encountered difficulties and obstacles before, and we just have to get through them!

Moreover, he understood what Panzi said to him in the lounge, as well as Jonathan's instruction to block Panzi.

The struggle in the paddock is never just on the track, but also off the track.

He's had it too easy before and overlooked these things. Since the old man wants to fight for it, then let him fight for it!
Who has he ever been afraid of?!

Wu Shi stood up, dried himself off, changed his clothes, and prepared for the meeting.

In the conference room, Hamilton was already seated, looking completely indifferent, and was even talking to the engineer next to him.

Wu Shi went inside.

Toto said, "Everyone's here, let's have a short debriefing meeting."

(End of this chapter)