F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 343 Will you be standing next to Michael Schumacher next year?

People's joys and sorrows are not shared, even between two people in the same car team.

Verstappen and Hamilton both suffered heavy losses because of this Grand Prix.

Verstappen, in particular, suffered an undeserved misfortune.

Both Red Bull and external commentators believe that the problem with the tire blowout lies not with the driver, but with Pirelli.

However, Pirelli's representatives still stated that it was too early to draw conclusions, believing that the debris had been crushed.

Hamilton's run off the track after the restart of the race also drew criticism from many people towards Massey.

Given that in previous races, when there were still several laps left after the red flag was raised, the organizers opted for a rolling start instead of restarting from the grid as they did today.

The two departure modes are very different, and the risk of rolling departures is far less than that of departure slots.

Moreover, it makes it less likely for drivers to make major mistakes.

That way, Hamilton certainly wouldn't have "gone astray" at Turn 1.

This is not an attempt to excuse Hamilton, but rather a demand from all parties for the tournament to restart the game after the red flag to ensure fairness and consistency.

All the public discussion that took place on Sunday night prompted the FIA, F1, and Pirelli to provide explanations and clarifications.

On June 16, Pirelli released preliminary investigation results, no longer stating that the tire blowout was caused by unidentified debris.

Instead, it emphasizes that a circumferential crack appeared on the inner sidewall of the tire, which is likely related to the tire's usage conditions.

Pirelli's statement did not explicitly accuse the team, but only implied that Red Bull and Martin themselves adjusted the tire pressure and temperature to be well below the minimum threshold.

The team does this so that the tires will have better grip in the race.

After all, low tire pressure helps the tires heat up, and preheating the tires significantly in advance can also improve tire grip.

Subsequently, FIA Technical Director Nicolas Tombazzis released a detailed explanation.

Teams are required to strictly adhere to the regulations regarding tire usage, and the race organizers will randomly select tires to check their pressure values.

He is also considering whether to limit the gas and humidity injected into the tires to prevent the team from manipulating this.

At the same time, the organizers will control the use of heated tire mats to prevent the temperature from exceeding Pirelli's limit.

This series of moves led to Red Bull and Martin being subjected to unwarranted attacks from the media.

It seems that Pirelli and the FIA ​​were reluctant to criticize the two teams that had punctured their tires, so they could only politely suggest that the tires not be tampered with.

Red Bull and Martin were naturally outraged, knowing that a tire blowout on such a long straight could potentially lead to a fatal accident!
Verstappen immediately spoke on behalf of the team:

"Before the race, we entrusted Pirelli with the responsibility of our tire pressure, and they were within the set limits."

"If these restrictions are not correct, there is nothing we can do; we can only follow what is possible within the rules."

"If the FIA ​​requires us to increase tire pressure in the future, we will do so."

Wu Shi was not involved in these matters, and Hamilton, who was originally going to offer a few words of evaluation, also did not say anything.

After all, Hamilton was still troubled by his own operational mistakes.

He stated publicly that he accidentally pressed the Brake Magic button on the back of the steering wheel after the start of the race, which caused the brake parameters to be incorrect, resulting in him going off the track.

The old man always liked to hold the steering wheel with his right hand and rest his left hand on top of it when starting the car.

Therefore, when you take your left hand off the steering wheel, you may accidentally touch the button located on the back of the left side of the steering wheel.

However, many media outlets disagreed with Hamilton's statement and produced a short video.

In the video, Wu Shi and Hamilton's cars arrived at Turn 1 one after the other, and both braked very late.

After Wu Shi applied the brakes, Hamilton took several frames to decelerate accordingly.

This means Hamilton braked later!
However, Wu Shi's entry into the curve at that time already illustrated one point: that braking point was already the latest possible time; any later and he simply wouldn't have been able to enter the curve!

Therefore, this group believes that Hamilton's tires locked up, and after realizing he couldn't enter the corner, he naturally went off the track.

Because no one thought a driver in good form would make such a basic mistake.

They believe this is just Hamilton trying to make amends for his failed late-braking maneuver.

Regardless of the outside disturbances, Wu Shi remained undisturbed in the factory.

Although he took the lead in points after Azerbaijan, there was no chance for him to relax.

In Baku, Red Bull exhibited a terrifying phenomenon—their straight-line speed was no slower than Mercedes'.

This is the result of summarizing all the data after the match.

Judging from Verstappen's overtaking of Wu Shi, Red Bull has more downforce in slow corners than Mercedes, and their acceleration and top speed are better on straights than Mercedes.

This conclusion, from the inside out, points to one thing: Red Bull has become the most competitive car on the track!
"The only way we can improve our top speed and maintain our advantage on the straightaways now is to reduce the drag at the rear," Wu Shi said in a slightly somber tone.

Hamilton was also in the meeting. He nodded and said:
“We slowed down on the straights, and the French Grand Prix is ​​a high-speed track. If this problem isn’t solved, we won’t be able to compete with Red Bull.”

Wu Shi then picked up where Hamilton left off, saying, "But this will reduce the downforce at the rear, making tire management very difficult."

The two drivers explained all the solutions and difficulties they faced.

Toto remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

It was Alisen who spoke first, saying, "We will find ways to optimize the aerodynamic components."

“You need to control the budget,” Toto finally said.

These words silenced everyone.

The biggest difference between 2021 and previous years is the addition of a budget cap.

Mercedes can no longer afford to conduct intensive research and development throughout the year, and because the aerodynamic regulations are in their final year, the areas for improvement have become scarce, so any progress will require a huge cost.

This is a predicament; no one expected the situation to evolve into this state before the middle of the season.

After the meeting, Wu Shi knew that starting from the next game, his primary task was to manage the tires properly.

He is still honing his track skills on the simulator.

On Thursday, June 18th, while China was holding a major sales promotion, the F1 team arrived in France.

Friday was sunny and bright, with Mercedes and Red Bull each winning one of their two practice matches.

However, Verstappen's first-place finish in the second training session was 0.5 seconds ahead of Wu Shi.

This is not an optimistic situation.

The team also discussed that evening how to deal with Red Bull the next day.

“They were fast on all three straights,” Hamilton said, stating a sobering fact.

Mercedes got thrashed by Red Bull on the straight.

Then, Red Bull was more stable and faster in the corners!
Pessimism inevitably crept into the team, and Toto, as a key figure in the team, said at this moment:

"We have a day and a half left, which is enough time for us to resolve all the issues."

His words signaled that the grueling Friday would only get a respite after curfew.

If your overall racing performance is inferior to your opponent's, then the most important thing is to maintain a good balance.

A good balance is still enough to help them compete against Red Bull in the main race, combined with tactical strategies.

Saturday arrived, and Verstappen remained faster in the third training session.

However, the wind has picked up on the field, and this wind will inevitably affect the 3 o'clock qualifying round.

Indeed, this was the case; in Q1, Kakuta and Mick both triggered two red flags.

In Q2, the situation eased slightly, and Wu Shi took the opportunity to set the fastest lap of the entire event, at 1 minute 30.633 seconds.

这倒是比汉密尔顿的1分30秒788和维斯塔潘的1分31秒080更快了。

But the most crucial period is Q3.

A gust of wind occasionally blew along the track, and Wu Shi sat motionless in the stuffy cockpit.

"Get ready to leave the ring."

After Jonathan finished speaking, the jack was lowered, and the people in front began to back out of the garage to check the situation.

Once the fast lane was secure, he waved to Wu Shi, indicating that they could depart.

As with all previous Q3s, the car wasn't in its best condition during the first flying lap.

Because there is still so much oil left.

Under equal performance conditions, even slight differences in fuel quantity or weight will definitely affect the results.

But drivers aren't always at their best.

Therefore, this lap is both a warm-up before the final battle and a final, decisive lap for the driver.

Wu Shi took the stage, once again in front of Hamilton.

After the warm-up lap, the race started very quickly.

He pushed the car very fast from the start, but was slightly affected by the strong wind, and his final time was still only 1 minute 30.432 seconds.

Hamilton soon achieved similar results.

1 minutes 30 seconds 711.

However, Verstappen, with a strange sound, swished purple twice, directly improving his time to 1 minute 30.325 seconds!

"Wow, Verstappen is so fast!" the soldier clapped.

"This is Mercedes's strong track! How come Red Bull is so much faster!" Haoran exclaimed.

Meanwhile, on the official live stream, David also spoke up:
"Verstappen made some mistakes in some stages, but if he can make it in the next flying lap, he will push the qualifying results to a terrifying level!"

"Unbelievable! This driver, who entered the paddock in the same year as Wu Shi, actually managed to make Wu Shi look so bad this year!" a guest remarked.

"This is related to the characteristics of racing cars. As the current aerodynamic regulations are in their final year, each racing car is a precision instrument, and even the slightest fluctuation can cause huge differences."

David explained for a moment before continuing:

“We are now very focused on who will win on this track, because if Mercedes wins, it will show that Mercedes still has an advantage on traditional high-speed tracks.”

"If Red Bull wins, it will show that Mercedes' car performance differs at this stage."

"Can we directly compare the performance of racing cars like this?" the guest asked.

“Of course we can’t be so arbitrary, but Wu Shi and Verstappen are both top drivers. They can bring their cars to their limits, and they represent the highest level of that car,” David said.

"Don't you have a high opinion of Wu Shi?"

“Yeah, I think he’s a good driver, but he’s won too many times. But people always like to see another talented driver beat him, don’t they?” David laughed.

That's what makes F1 racing so interesting—it's the clash between the best that's exciting. If you could just win a championship because you have a good car, the races would be so boring.

"Lewis has arrived! Based on past experience, Wu Shi will follow behind him."

"Oh? Wu Shi didn't move today! What is he waiting for? Is he waiting for Max?"
"Yes, both Red Bull and Mercedes drivers are waiting. Are they going to waste time? That's not allowed!"

While David was still giving his enthusiastic commentary, timers had already started appearing on the track ahead.

However, these results do not affect the competition between the two teams.

Because even now, the fastest Ferrari hasn't broken 1 minute 30.5 seconds for a lap time, so how can you even compare?
"Vestapan went out first!"

Red Bull No. 33 drives onto the track.

Sure enough, Wu Shi followed him onto the track, and both cars were stuck at the last minute.

Inside the tire warmer, Jonathan kept communicating with Wu Shi about wind speed, wind direction, and the expected parameter adjustments.

“OK, you’ve done all the work, now it’s my turn,” Wu Shi said.

"Copy".

Jonathan responded that he is a very meticulous person, so he does this every time he goes to the track.

Upon reaching Turn 10, Wu Shi slowed down, waiting for Verstappen to create a gap and avoid being affected by the turbulence in the corner.

He only accelerated suddenly when the time difference between the two reached 10 seconds.

The roar of the race car filled the air as he charged towards the track ahead.

"Oh! Lewis crossed the finish line, his time broke Max Verstappen's fastest lap, and he's in first place!"
"He's almost 0.1 seconds faster than Max Verstappen! But Max is now doing his second flying lap, and we'll have to see his time!"

As the commentator's voice rang out, Wu Shi crossed the finish line just 3 seconds before the Q3 stopped, beginning his final racing lap.

At this point, the race car was in its lightest condition, allowing it to perform flying laps, and the tires had been replaced with newly opened red tires.

The car shot off like an arrow, heading straight for Turn 1 after exiting Turn 15.

The right outer line turns left and then connects to turn 2.

The curves that were originally very easy to navigate suddenly appeared extremely tense in the two different shots!
This is natural. In order to get through here as quickly as possible, the lateral load of the race car is maximized. Any more than that would cause an irreversible spin!

Susu!

After entering the short straight after turn 2, Wu Shi adjusted the brake balance and differential. The subsequent turns 3-7 were unpredictable, and he would have to constantly adjust the vehicle in the turns.

Buzz! ! !

Wu Shi's intricate maneuvers made him feel less like he was driving and more like he was playing a rhythm game on a constantly twisting plane. His signature move of keeping his right hand firmly on the steering wheel while his left hand was constantly moving was astonishing from a first-person perspective.

“No matter how many times we’ve seen Wu Shi do that in the corners, we still find it incredible. Is that why the other drivers can’t compete with him?” David said.

“I think Wu Shi is more like an academic, much like Rosberg, but different from drivers like Verstappen and Hamilton who drive by feel,” the guest said.

David didn't pay much attention to whether the guest was talking nonsense, but instead began to explain the situation on the track;
"Max got purple again in Season 2. He's incredibly fast, much faster than Hamilton!"

"Wu Shi also got a purple lap time in S1! He's faster than Max, let's see, he's almost through turn 9!"
"Oh! S2 Wu Shi only got green, Max's speed is much faster!"
"Their records are tied now, so we'll see how they perform in Season 3!"

David said excitedly, and the guests stopped analyzing because the last timed section was evenly split between the straightaways and curves. Wasn't this Red Bull's advantageous section?
No, Red Bull is even faster on long straights like S2 ​​now!
Was Red Bull the dominant force throughout Season 3?
Will Mercedes also lose pole position on this track?

Toto's expression was serious, as if frozen in ice, and the entire pit room at the Mercedes-Benz Arena was eerily quiet.

Can Wu Shi surpass Verstappen?
They are waiting.

On the track, Verstappen's car navigated Turn 14 with incredible precision and quickly arrived at Turn 15.

On the final bend, Verstappen's gaze remained incredibly resolute.

This lap was great; he had a fantastic feel for the car, and the whole vehicle moved as if it were his own arm.

Buzz!

As soon as the car passed the apex of the corner and the front of the car straightened, Verstappen stepped on the gas and gave it full throttle!

He always exits corners with such boldness because the angle is just right, and the rear of the car will automatically straighten out!

This confidence comes from his driving experience and skills.

Rustling sound!
The Honda engine screeched as it propelled the RB16B toward the finish line.

Swish!

1 minutes 29 seconds 990!

"My God! Almost 0.3 seconds faster than Lewis! Max moves up to pole position! Does Wu Shi still have a chance?!" David shouted.

Verstappen didn't hear the GP sound in the TR, so he knew that Wu Shi was still speeding behind him.

He slowed down on the long straight and aimed at the huge display screen at the pit lane exit.

As Verstappen crossed the line, the camera returned to Wu Shi.

He hadn't blinked for over a minute, and all he could see was the racetrack.

He completely ignored the situation on both sides of the track; his mind was only focused on when and where the car should be.

The wind is weak, which is good.

For bend 13, the entire line must be free of any deviation, as this will affect the entry and exit rhythm of bend 14.

His approach to the No. 14 "U" turn was even more unique. He wanted to make full use of the Mercedes' acceleration performance, so he appropriately sacrificed the speed and angle of entry into the turn.

As soon as he exited the bend, he immediately floored the accelerator.

But after only a slight lurch, it braked precisely again.

At the same time, he began to turn, then aimed at the apex of turn 15 and drove straight through it.

The throttle was already at 40% at this point, and the front wheels were subjected to a steering torque that they shouldn't have had to bear.

The intense friction causes the tire sidewalls to be stretched mercilessly; if the force were any greater, the tire would slip!

But Wu Shi was fearless.

He grasped these points precisely, and once he passed the apex of the bend, he floored the accelerator, propelling the entire car toward the main straight.

Clang, clang, clang!

The race car crossed the shoulder and sped towards the finish line.

Swish!

The Mercedes-Benz sped by in a flash.

Only the lingering image of the yellow T-shirt remained in everyone's memory.

beep.

1 minutes 29 seconds 986!

"Four-thousandths of a second! My God! Wu Shi has secured pole position again!"

"Yesss!!!"

The commentators exclaimed in shock, while the crew members in the pit lane jumped up in surprise.

Even Toto, who is usually serious, smiled and clapped.

“P2,” GP said in Verstappen’s TR.

“Yeah, I saw it, I knew it was Wu Shi.”

Verstappen's tone was flat, as if he had said nothing, yet as if he had said everything.

Verstappen came in second, Hamilton third, and Perez fourth.

The front row was completely dominated by Mercedes and Red Bull.

Following them are Sainz, Gasly, Leclerc, Norris, Alonso, and Ricciardo.

Wu Shi got out of the race car, patted the number 1 sign, weighed himself, and then came to the interview area.

"Hey, Wu Shi, you've taken pole position again, only four-thousandths of a second ahead of Max. That's incredible!" the reporter exclaimed in astonishment.

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it to be even faster. Actually, the race car was already at its limit, and I think that was the fastest speed it could reach at that time.” Wu Shi nodded.

"How do you do all this?"

The reporter continued to ask questions, seemingly suggesting that Wu Shi's unparalleled skill could only be truly demonstrated when his opponents' cars were faster.

"Of course, it takes practice and courage. I'm still a little shaky now."

Wu Shi then demonstrated by deliberately shaking his legs, eliciting laughter, and said:

“I’ve been running simulators, which has given me a lot of ideas. I’m able to validate these ideas during practice matches and then use them in ranked matches.”

"I knew exactly which speed was faster in my mind, so I was able to achieve this result."

The reporter adjusted his mask and continued asking:
"We are very curious. How do you manage to make so few mistakes? Although you have the fastest lines, your ability to bring them to life is amazing!"

Wu Shi looked at Verstappen, who was walking from the other side, and said:
"Practice running more. When you run enough, you will subconsciously know what the consequences of your actions will be."

"So every move you make seems to be carefully considered."

“Actively turning the steering wheel might lead to mistakes, but turning it instinctively and subconsciously will prevent them.”

The reporter smiled and nodded, bewildered by this mystical explanation.

Verstappen came to the back, and Wu Shi came out to give him a fist bump.

"How did you do that? It's still unbelievable. I'm going to check your car's infotainment system when I get back."

Verstappen showed no sign of dejection and spoke directly.

"Oh, please don't say that." Wu Shi smiled.

See you in the main competition tomorrow.

Verstappen shrugged, looking like a fierce sloth.

“Yeah, I’m waiting,” Wu Shi said with a smile.

He returned to the warehouse, and after Hamilton came back, Mercedes immediately asked both drivers for their opinions on the qualifying situation.

Wu Shi said:

"Are we faster than Red Bull over long distances? No, we're not faster than them."

Toto and Allison looked at Wu Shi and said, "You got pole position, so you get to decide."

“Verstappen can be even faster. If he optimizes one corner and gives us a little more throttle, he can overtake us, and we can’t make any more optimizations.”

Wu Shi's words seemed arrogant, but everyone thought they were right, and everyone waited for him to continue.

"Similarly, we are not faster than Red Bull in the long distance, but we are not much slower either, so I can guarantee that I will not be overtaken if I lead the race."

Toto nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, as this was exactly the kind of guarantee Wu Shi wanted.

“But if Verstappen gets ahead of me, I will have to let him pull away and then I will never be able to catch up.”

Wu Shi fully expressed his thoughts:

"Therefore, we must prevent ourselves from being overtaken tactically, as this is the only possibility that our victory will be taken away."

After a moment of silence, Toto said, "What strategy do you think Red Bull will take?"

“I don’t know, they’re faster, they can do undercut or overcut if they want.” Wu Shi said, then looked at Hamilton.

The strategy for dealing with Verstappen must take Hamilton's presence into account.

After all, it will be a case of the snipe and the clam fighting and the fisherman benefiting, then there's nothing to say. Isn't this just Verstappen replicating 2015?
Moreover, Verstappen's Red Bull team was much stronger than Williams' team at the time.

"We've devised a strategy in advance; let's see what you think," the strategy team leader stated.

If you're in the lead, you definitely can't enter the station early to avoid being overcut.

So strategically, we should wait for Verstappen to score before Wu Shi scores, and then go all out.

This way, at least you have the initiative. If you get undercut, then you have nothing to say.

If Verstappen overtakes you at the start, then reverse the strategy.

"What about the second stop?" Wu Shi asked.

Hamilton nodded, feeling that stopping put too much stress on the tires, and said:
"We've used this method to deal with Red Bull before."

“No, we’ll definitely fall behind if we stop twice, which will amplify Red Bull’s advantage in overtaking.” The strategy team leader immediately shook his head.

For them, the commonly used strategies are all input into the computer, and only the most efficient strategy obtained after supercomputing is put on the table.

There are many ways to drive fast, but as for slow driving, sorry, slow driving usually means waiting for the fast driving to have problems.

Now, Mercedes has become the slower car.

Seeing that the two drivers were no longer asking questions, the strategy team leader continued to explain in detail the key points of each node of the strategy.

He emphasized the tire wear and lap time graphs, requiring the engineers to use them to assess the situation.

It also provided Red Bull's speed prediction and compared it with Mercedes-Benz to differentiate its strategies.

In reality, when there is only one stop in a game, no matter how complex the underlying strategy and decision-making are, it is a one-time event.

The meeting lasted for more than an hour. When Wu Shi walked out of the warehouse, he could already see the night sky.

Hamilton also came out beside him.

"Are you going to go to a bar again?" Wu Shi joked.

"You want to get completely drunk before you compete against me?" Hamilton asked with a smile.

"That would be best, then we wouldn't have to think about it too much."

Wu Shi said that his current complex station entry strategy is often influenced by Hamilton.

But losing to Hamilton occasionally isn't a big deal, because suppressing Verstappen's momentum is more important.

The problem is, it's like a gourd in water; you press down on one and another comes up, but you only have one hand.

“Yes, don’t overthink it.” Hamilton nodded in agreement.

Wu Shi noticed that his eyes looked even dimmer than they had in 2017, let alone 2007.

“I’m planning to leave the paddock next year,” Hamilton said suddenly.

"Ok?"

Wu Shi frowned, then relaxed. Not everyone is like Brother Tou, able to run around in the hunting grounds day after day.

The reason why Brother Tou stayed in the hunting grounds was mainly to provide his own company with a prestigious brand.

Once he leaves F1, Alan Tam's commercial value will definitely plummet, as his company still cannot do without him as a human advertisement.

And Hamilton, wait a minute! Didn't the old man himself run a lot of companies?
“I should have left in 2017, as I said in that interview,” Hamilton said.

“Fernando is still in the paddock,” Wu Shi said.

"Haha."

Hamilton seemed to understand Wu Shi's thoughts, and suddenly laughed, looking at Wu Shi and saying:

“I haven’t had a good relationship with many drivers in the paddock, but you are an exception. Maybe it’s because you’ve never lost to me. Winners are always more forgiving.”

"A six-time world champion! Will you be standing alongside Michael Schumacher next year?"

The old man gave a half-smile and left the meeting room.

Wu Shi watched his retreating figure, his emotions complex.

(End of this chapter)