F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 93 2nd RACE (Third Update)
After lunch, without much rest, the drivers needed to prepare for the second race in the afternoon.

"I heard you were planning to change your strategy, but the team leader rejected it?" Before the race started, the four drivers of the Van Amersford team sat together, and Wu Shi asked Pan Zi.

"Yeah, I want to put up a fight in this game," Verstappen said. He didn't score a single point in the first game, and after all, he's just a seventeen-year-old boy. No matter how strong the pressure is, he can't help but lose his composure sometimes.

"Stay rational. You have a better starting position in the third race. Don't take risks for the sake of temporary gains or losses," Wu Shi said.

“Yeah, that’s what my dad said too.” Panzi laughed.

"Hahaha." Wu Shi laughed along, not making the "I'm your dad" joke. He respected Joss, the former F1 driver who had helped him a lot in his career.

This assistance isn't about technical guidance, but rather things outside the competition.

He didn't know if Pan Zi knew that Joss and Sid, along with Pan Zi's agent Raymond Vermeer, were busy seeking sponsorships and contacting F2 and F1 teams in hopes of securing a definite contract for next year.

"Guys! Get ready to start!" a technician shouted.

After exchanging fist bumps, the group returned to their respective pit rooms.

Because it was right after the morning's competition, the preparations weren't as complicated as they were in the morning.

Once the track conditions were confirmed, the pit lane was opened, and after the reconnaissance circle ended, the vehicles were parked in an orderly manner.

The commentators continued to introduce the drivers' situations and qualifying results in the order shown on camera.

While the content may seem somewhat repetitive, the audience for each race is different, and chatting about the drivers during breaks can make the waiting time less tedious.

The procedure was exactly the same. Shortly after the women in yellow bodysuits left, the sign on the platform showed that there was one minute left before it started.

The camera pans to O'Connor, and the narrator continues:

"There have been many changes in F3 cars this year, including electronic systems and paddle shifters, and Ocon is used to using paddle shifters in Formula Renault cars, which may be more advantageous for him than others in the race."

"Because the 2014 F3 car is very different from last year's, even if you participated in the championship last year and learned something in the team, you may not be able to apply it this year."

"Racing engines will no longer be mass-produced."

Halfway through the speech, the athlete on the platform waved a green flag, and the commentator immediately changed his tune:
"26 race cars are in position at the starting line, the green flag is waving, and we're ready for the warm-up lap!"

"This will be the second match, with a maximum duration of thirty-five minutes."

"Wu Shi started from pole position. He scored all 25 points in the first race, which means he will be in this race as the leader in the early stages of the championship."

"Bromqvist and Ocon are ranked second and third in the standings respectively."

"Chinese driver Wu's team is Van Amersford, powered by Volkswagen engines. His qualifying time was 1 minute 51.001 seconds. In yesterday afternoon's later qualifying session, he was 0.321 seconds ahead of French driver Ocon."

During the warm-up period, the commentators explained the qualifying results in order, and when they introduced Verstappen, they emphasized the achievements of his father, Jos Verstappen.

In the audience seats, you can't hear the commentary; you can only hear the buzzing of engines.

Entering the final straight, starting with Wu Shi, all vehicles began to slide left and right to try to raise the tire temperature as much as possible, because they would need to wait at the start, and warmer tires could better retain heat until the start of the race.

All cars were in position, and the race officer held up the five-second sign to signal the drivers to prepare to start.

The red light turns off.

With engines roaring, the second round of the championship has officially begun!
Wu Shi's reaction was perfectly timed at 0.141, which was extremely fast.

Aokang, positioned behind him, was also doing well, getting off to a very smooth start. However, Wu Shi, taking advantage of his extra starting position, quickly squeezed to the right after starting, firmly blocking the inside line and Aokang's racing line.

As he approached Turn 1, Wu Shi glanced in his rearview mirror. The drivers behind him were all moving toward the left sideline, which meant they wouldn't be trying to take the inside line, so he didn't need to stay on the right sideline.

Therefore, he quickly moved to the left lane, and when he reached the center line, he had already entered turn one.

The drivers behind him were in hot pursuit, but his acceleration after the start was very smooth. With his subtle maneuvering advantage, he opened up a 0.1-meter gap right before Turn 2.

"Wu had a great start and maintained his position. We saw Blomqvist, who started third, overtaken by Foco! Yes, Foco has advanced and is now in third place!"

"Oh! Apart from Wu in first place, the three from the Prema team have firmly occupied second, third and fourth place, keeping the number 31 yellow car tightly behind them."

"Foucault tried to get back to the perimeter, where he had to ease off the throttle, but he failed! He was attacked! Attacked by Jordan King, and he was forced back to the paint!"

"At the end of Wellington Straight is a left turn, oh! Foucault locks up here!"

The Prema car, which was in fourth place at the end of the race, locked its tires, and the left wheel emitted a long plume of white smoke.

King did not launch an effective attack at the time, so Foucault ultimately secured his position.

"The wind speeds on the track have been quite high recently, so drivers need to take the wind cut into account."

"Wu Shi is now 1.3 seconds ahead of Aokang, maintaining a very strong lead."

The first lap and a half is often the most exciting time on the track, as drivers in the pack are making off-track maneuvers to either improve or maintain their position.

Many race cars even went beyond the limit line, kicking up clouds of dust and ash.

By the third lap, the front seats were stable again, so the camera turned its attention to the vehicles behind.

Wu Shi knew that he would likely win the second match as well, which was one of the benefits of the ranking matches.

During the race, as long as you get off to a good start, you can basically get a PTW (Push-War) position. The clean airflow allows him to better maintain the tires and keep the engine stable. If the driver behind wants to overtake, he will inevitably get caught in the hot exhaust of the car in front.

On the fourth lap, the commentator's previously calm voice suddenly became passionate, and he shouted:
"Stoll is trying to overtake! He wants to get to the outside! The grip there is terrible, and sure enough! He didn't succeed; he just went in a bigger circle."

"On the other side, oh! Goddard is trying to overtake! He's already pulled away! Maintaining the lead in the corner, he's squeezing, oh no! A collision has occurred!"

Goddard's ThreeBond with T-Sport car's left rear wheel was thrown high into the air, slid two laps, and came to a stop on the gravel beach.

"Oh no, this is Goddard's second time facing difficulties, and this time it's even worse than this morning."

Alan TR: "An accident has occurred, and a yellow flag has not yet been issued."

"receive."

Wu Shi glanced at the screen and realized that he was already two car lengths ahead of Aokang, just like he had been ahead of Bromqvist that morning.

The yellow flag was only deployed on the fifth lap, but it did not have a significant impact on the race schedule.

The race resumed after just one lap.

As Wu Shi drove by, he saw the neon car being lifted off the track.

He then thought of Bianchi with unease.

(End of this chapter)