F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 334 Five is greater than two
On April 16, at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix press conference, Wu Shi sat in the center position, even though he was not currently leading the points standings.

"This is a question from the Milan Sports Daily, asking about Wu Shi."

Is it possible that your ongoing rivalry with Lewis could mirror what happened at Mercedes in 2015?

The host read the question aloud.

Wu Shi adjusted the metal brace of his mask on his nose and spoke into the microphone:

“It’s impossible, because Lewis will lose to Nico, and Nico will lose to Lewis, but I won’t.”

His sudden display of sharp wit caught the reporters off guard.

Among all the F1 world champions, Wu Shi has always been one of the more mild-mannered ones.

Even though he occasionally displayed youthful arrogance, he was mostly reserved. I never expected him to say something so certain today.

A reporter immediately followed up with, "Do you think what happened in Bahrain will happen again?"

"Forehead."

Wu Shi paused for a moment, then said, "We have already resolved this issue through a commitment."

This answer did not satisfy the reporters, so some continued to ask:

"So, does that mean your internal meetings have already finalized a specific driver strategy? Like Red Bull did?"

Wu Shi looked at the male reporter who had asked the question. Judging from his identification, he seemed to be from Sky Sports UK. He nodded and said:
"No, we have our own solutions. We are not Red Bull."

Nodding for YES, shaking your head for NO—what does it mean when you nod for NO?

However, there was no point in asking any further questions, so the reporters turned their attention to Hamilton.

"Lewis, you've lost to your teammates for the past four years. Are you still considering the possibility of winning the world championship this year?" Sky Sports UK asked.

Hamilton did not remain silent and replied directly, "Of course."

"To be precise, I do this every year, not just this year, but it seems there is greater hope this year."

Upon hearing this, a reporter from the Gazzetta dello Sport immediately followed up with:
Why do you think you have a better chance this year? Is it because with Verstappen joining, you will have a better strategy to defeat Wu Shi?

Hamilton knew from the highly charged question that these Italians were, to some extent, on Wu Shi's side.

He frequented the fashion industry and online communities, and knew exactly what these Italians were thinking.

It's simply that Wu Shi made his fortune in Italy, and his girlfriend is also Italian, so more and more people regard him as a semi-Italian driver.

Just as the Italians had previously considered Massa as one of their own.

"Wu Shi's absolute speed is very fast, and he rarely makes mistakes. He is like a precise machine. I think it is very difficult to challenge him under these circumstances."

Hamilton said that he had clearly slipped up in his words, and the reporter caught him red-handed.

The reporter from the Milan Sports Daily was satisfied and could go back and find a smaller media outlet to come up with a headline like "Lewis: Wu Shi is invincible".

Many people consider Lewis's decision not to defend against Verstappen in the Bahrain leg, but instead to use Verstappen's attacks to wear down Wu Shi, to be shameful.

If Wu Shi hadn't defended against Verstappen, but instead focused on suppressing Hamilton, then Hamilton wouldn't have had to endure such pressure.

However, Wu Shi was desperately defending against Verstappen, which gave Hamilton an opportunity.

However, on the other hand, such a conclusion is meaningless.

By switching positions between Wu Shi and Hamilton, Wu Shi's choice will prove whether he is a team player or a selfish driver.

After the questions for the two Mercedes drivers were answered, everyone turned their attention to Verstappen.

This talented young man, who debuted at the same time as Wu Shi, also possesses remarkable driving skills.

However, due to the limitations of Red Bull's racing car performance, it has never been able to enter the championship contention.

Judging from the opening race this year, Red Bull and Mercedes are not much different in performance, which gives this young man the opportunity to challenge for the world championship title.

"Max, you won the opening round, and you're coming to Imola with a lead. Can this lead continue?"

Verstappen raised an eyebrow and said thoughtfully:

"I can't answer that question directly. We achieved good results in Bahrain because there were some different circumstances on the track."

"But here, everything will be unknown, and we cannot judge the subsequent trend based on one game."

"All I can say is that when I'm in the car, I will give it my all to fight for the championship and for the points."

As Pan Zi spoke, he rubbed his eyelids.

"Who do you think is your biggest rival among the two Mercedes drivers?" The host read out another reporter's question.

"Forehead."

Vestager craned his neck, looked at Wu Shi and Hamilton, and then said:
"Without a doubt, it is Wu Shi."

The entire stadium was completely silent. Is this Dutch guy really that frank?
Hamilton was tired of the constant attacks targeting him, and he lowered his head and rubbed his eyes.

Seeing the reaction on the field, Pan Zixian chuckled twice, then said:
"Haha, isn't this just a math problem?"
"If you ask me who is more difficult to deal with, a five-time world champion or a two-time world champion, I can't just say that two is greater than five."

"At least when my mother taught me arithmetic, she told me that five is greater than two."

As he spoke, Verstappen even gestured with his fingers.

His simple and honest appearance finally made everyone burst into laughter.

Wu Shi rubbed his forehead, suppressing the smirk that was rising in his eyes. As expected, Pan Zi was the best at handling interviews in Weichang.

"Haha." Seeing everyone laughing, Panzi also laughed along.

After the interviews with the three championship contenders, everyone's attention turned to the other drivers.

Mike's performance in Bahrain was poor, but everyone was forgiving of him, so the issues were handled mildly. Ma Zeping, on the other hand, was a different story. Not only were his driving skills terrible, but his personal life was also a mess, and he wasn't well-liked.

In addition, he himself is not a very good person, so naturally the media will make things difficult for him.

Leclerc finished sixth in the previous race, and reporters are more concerned about Ferrari's performance this year.

Lock & Lock took the microphone, finding it difficult to answer, but still gave the same old answer:

"We are struggling to find speed, and I think it's something that can be done, and that's what we're doing."

"Mercedes and Red Bull are both very fast this year, and we face many challenges, so we still have a lot of work to do."

By using the tactic of leaving things out here and there, Lock & Lock "successfully" fooled the reporters.

Norris finished fourth at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and his talent has led many to believe he could be another WDC-level newcomer.

Finally, the interview ended, and everyone left.

Wu Shi, Verstappen, Norris, and Leclerc went back together and discussed the reporters' antics.

Because of the tight schedule, we had to prepare for the practice match immediately after the press conference.

They didn't talk much before going home.

When Wu Shi arrived at the P room, he happened to run into Russell.

"The boss is looking for you?" Wu Shi asked.

“Yeah, we talked about some things,” Russell said with a smile.

"Oh, then I won't pry into your secrets." Wu Shi smiled.

Russell, on the other hand, was more casual, saying, "It's nothing, you know, I've been in Williams for too long."

“I’m not saying Westbrook is bad; it’s a legendary team you’ve played for. I just want to join a more competitive team where there’s more to be done.”

Wu Shi was surprised that Russell said so much directly, and he was a little puzzled:

Are they going to arrange for you to come to Mercedes?

“That’s not what I said.” Russell shook his head.

"Oh, Aston Martin is not bad either." Wu Shi looked towards the pit room.

"No, well, we'll see when the time comes." Russell sighed, patted Wu Shi on the shoulder, and walked towards the Westbrook's pit room.

Wu Shi had no idea what exactly happened, but the fact that Toto met Russell during a practice match meant that the boss definitely had something on his mind.

His intention might not have been about how to arrange things for Russell, but rather to let people see what he was talking about with Russell.

Having spent so much time with Toto, it would be an underestimation to simply think of him as a team leader who is prone to outbursts of anger and table-pounding.

His nickname in China, "Toilet Wolf," is a combination of a name reference and a bathroom product reference, but the word "wolf" still reveals some of Toto's personality traits.

He is a businessman with a ruthless and cunning nature, at least that's what Wu Shi's agency often tells him.

Wu Shi returned to his RV room, changed his clothes, and then went to the P room.

The crew had already prepared the vehicle.

“Get ready to get in the car, buddy,” Jonathan said.

Wu Shi nodded.

The Imola circuit has only one section of DRS, the track is narrow overall, and it has an old-fashioned high-speed layout with limited run-off areas, which requires extremely high precision from the drivers.

Because of these characteristics, the margin for error is low and overtaking opportunities are scarce, which increases the importance of qualifying.

In the main race, the drivers will face considerable challenges due to the bumpy road surface, the varying altitudes, and the counter-clockwise design.

In addition to the characteristics of the track itself, this track also carries historical weight.

In 1994, racing legend Ayrton Senna tragically died here, a loss that remains a permanent wound in his heart.

Wu Shi got into the racing car and began his practice session.

The improved W12 steering has become exceptionally sensitive, making the car extremely difficult to control and very prone to errors.

In the first few laps, he was getting used to this strange feeling.

However, after getting used to the steering feel, he found that sensitive steering did not result in tail-tracking.

Could it be a problem with the diffuser?
His analysis of airflow was certainly unprofessional, so he could only keep these questions to himself and discuss them with the engineers after returning to the P room.

After slightly adjusting the tire camber angle, Wu Shi felt much better.

He drove back onto the track and quickly set a new fastest lap time of 1 minute 16.513 seconds, which was enough for just one practice session.

At 2:15, the second practice session began. Wu Shi pushed the race car faster as planned and quickly completed the three timed sections of the test.

He then improved his lap time to around 1 minute and 16 seconds and ended the test.

Hamilton was 0.5 seconds slower than him.

However, practice sessions aren't for lap times, and Red Bull didn't demonstrate any speed at all.

However, after two practice races, Wu Shi has found a running style that suits this track.

I'll wait and see what happens during tomorrow's third practice session. If everything goes well, I should get a good result in the afternoon's qualifying match.

Wu Shi stayed in the pit room and watched some more of Verstappen's videos and telemetry data before leaving, wanting to know where Red Bull's limits lay.

(End of this chapter)