F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 274 Every year there are drivers like this.

One race car after another sped along the starting straight, and they all saw the Williams parked by the guardrail.

The fire at the rear of the vehicle had been extinguished, and a thick layer of white ash covered it.

“Wu Shi? What happened to him? Is he alright?” Verstappen asked in TR.

"YES, he's great, he won the championship, an incredible championship."

“Haha, he’s always like this. Looks like Mercedes is going to have a headache,” Verstappen laughed in TR.

Wu Shi walked through the maintenance area passage, where everyone in Williams' P room was eagerly waiting.

They actually really wanted to run over, but Claire stopped them.

Anyone who spends a lot of time in the paddock knows that when the odds of winning on the track decrease, off-field tactics become more and more common.

“Oh! Congratulations! You’ve achieved another great victory!” Claire said.

"Thank you! This is another great victory for us." Wu Shi's excited tone couldn't hide his exhaustion.

The engineers behind immediately started cheering and shouting in celebration.

Jonathan walked over, patted Wu Shi on the shoulder, looked him up and down, and then smiled and said:

"Good job. You should go to the podium now."

Hamilton parked his car behind the second sign and sat inside for a long time before getting out.

By this time, Rosberg had finished greeting his crew by the fence, and he turned to Hamilton and said:
"What a pity."

Hamilton ignored Rosberg and continued taking off his helmet as he walked down the corridor.

Rosberg smiled; he was still quite pleased to see Hamilton get the short end of the stick.

The television in the lounge was playing a slow-motion replay of the final sprint across the finish line.

Wu Shi's race car started emitting smoke from its rear end just before crossing the finish line, but it only burst into flames just before it crossed the finish line.

If the engine can't hold up at Turn 17, then victory will undoubtedly belong to Hamilton.

It's a pity no.

Rosberg savored the weight repeatedly, while Hamilton, after weighing himself, sat in a chair and repeatedly wiped his face with a towel.

At this moment, Wu Shi walked in.

"Hey! Wu, you're really lucky, congratulations!" Rosberg said with a smile as he stepped forward to shake hands.

Wu Shi rarely saw Rosberg congratulate him so enthusiastically, but he didn't think much of it and shook hands with him, saying:

"Is luck also a part of ability?"

He smiled and raised an eyebrow. If his intuition was wrong, then he might be completely finished at this station.

No one knows how nervous he was during the last lap.

“Of course, I don’t deny that,” Rosberg laughed.

Just then, the host's voice came from outside, and Rosberg waved and said:

"We should go out now."

The event staff also gestured for the group to come out.

Wu Shi was supposed to walk ahead, but Rosberg went out with his distinctive black peaked hat.

Wu Shi looked at the hat with some curiosity. The hat was enormous, probably half a meter in diameter.

The corridor leading to the podium was filled with Mexican women, and they only stopped when they were close to stepping onto the stage.

Hamilton then said, "Congratulations, that was a great game."

Wu Shi turned around and said, "Thank you!"

The three then took turns going up to the podium.

The awards ceremony was held in the center of the stadium.

When Wu Shi walked onto the field and waved to the audience, a huge roar erupted from where the Williams crew was.

Surprisingly, the audience seats behind were still packed with people, with few leaving and everyone still cheering enthusiastically.

Then the national anthem was played and the red flag was raised.

After the performance, Wu Shi put on a peaked cap, and the Mexican Foreign Minister went on stage to present him with the championship trophy.

He held the not-so-heavy trophy, yet it felt as if he were lifting a thousand pounds, lifting it with immense power.

Cheers erupted as he moved.

Snapped!
The flower ball burst open, and red, white, and green paper flowers fluttered out.

Three-colored smoke was also sprayed out around the stadium to celebrate the winning drivers!
Twenty-three years later, the Formula One Grand Prix has returned to this country, and the country is welcoming the Grand Prix with the warmest welcome.

The cheers and applause filled the entire Grand Prix with an extraordinary atmosphere.

The three of them sprayed each other with champagne, and the interviewer went up to the podium to accept the award.

Wu Shi looked over and was slightly taken aback. The big shot being interviewed was Nigel Mansell!

He was shocked because this big shot was not only the F1 world champion, but also Williams' 1992 drivers' championship!
This makes it seem like the two have quite a history.

Nigel Mansell, who doesn't speak Mexican Spanish, responded to the still packed stands with "Viva Mekiko" (Long live Mexico).

Although the pronunciation is problematic, the locals can still understand it.

Then he looked at Wu Shi and said with a smile:

"Wu Shi! Congratulations on winning the Grand Prix! This race was extremely tough! It seems like your car's engine blew up after crossing the finish line? But you still won the Grand Prix!"

Wu Shi greeted the crowd in Spanish, waved, and then said:
"Yes, it was a very tough match."

“We saw the gap between us and Mercedes during qualifying.”

"Our best plan before the main competition was to get second place, and we were only working towards that goal."

“We originally planned to use our last set of tires to try and catch up with the Mercedes driver who was in second place, so I needed to make the second stint as long as possible.”

Upon hearing this, Mansell added:

"Then this unusual decision led you to the safety car. What were you feeling when you were behind the safety car?"

Wu Shi wiped the beads of sweat that had rolled down his face and said:

"Yes, I was definitely very, very excited at the time. Even though the race car was going very slowly, my heart was pounding even harder than when it was racing."

"At that time, I realized that a victory was in front of me, and whether I could win it would depend entirely on me and my car."

"Of course, this victory is not the end. Our engine is severely damaged, and we will face a penalty at the next stop."

"Thank you to the team for their hard work this week, thank you for everything they did for me, and thank you to the enthusiastic fans at the track!"

After Wu Shi finished speaking, he waved to the entire audience.

"Ooooooooo!!!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd; the strong are always welcomed, no matter where they are.

"This is a legendary victory. Williams has not won a championship for 17 years, and you will be the closest one to win in the last 18 years!"
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the final result. Williams is also a great team that I used to drive for!”
"I won my only world championship there!"
"Finally, let me congratulate you again! Congratulations, Wu Shi!"

After Mansell finished speaking, he went to Hamilton's side, who was expressionless, and said:
"Lewis, you had a pretty good rhythm throughout the game today, but you ran into the safety car at the end."

“We heard you arguing with the team during your last tire change.”

Hamilton, holding the microphone, swayed slightly to the side before speaking:

"Yes, I thought that set of medium tires was enough to finish all the races, but in fact the team's judgment at the time was correct."

"If it weren't for what happened next, I would have missed a tire change opportunity, and the deteriorating neutral tire would not have allowed me to maintain my leading position."

"We played well enough throughout the weekend, but we encountered some unexpected problems at the last moment."

Mansell nodded and did not ask any further questions.

These podium interviews are simply a routine post-race reflection press conference, not a real journalistic digging for details.

He approached Rosberg, his smile returning, and said:
"Nico! You performed quite well throughout the weekend. Although you only got third place today, we know that you have much more potential than that."

Rosberg took the microphone, and without saying anything else, he first uttered a single word:

"YES!"

After a while, he smiled and said:

"The upcoming races will be increasingly difficult for us, and I will use my abilities to contribute to the team."

This answer cleverly addressed Mansell's implicit question about whether he had yielded to the car.

The Mexican spectators only began to leave the stands after the interviews with the three drivers were completed.

Such a heartwarming scene moved both the FIA ​​and F1 staff.

Who says F1 is declining? There are still people who like it, aren't there?

The Mexican Grand Prix has come to a close. While the enthusiasm of the crowds at the Mexican Grand Prix still leaves a deep impression, discussions about the final battles are heating up.

When Wu Shi secured another Grand Prix victory, the scales of victory had tipped in favor of the youngest driver in F1 history.

The gap between the two top drivers in the standings has reached 32 points.

Even the media that least favors Wu Shi cannot make baseless claims that Hamilton will definitely defend his title.

Even if Wu Shi is penalized with a drop of at least ten places in the next leg, he only needs to gain one point.

So in the final game, you only need to get second place to win the annual championship.

This situation already illustrates one point: the outcome of the annual championship is now in Wu Shi's own hands.

Critics are more focused on the fact that Wu Shi's performance throughout the season can be described as outstanding.

This exceptional ability stems not only from his technical skill but also from his unparalleled consistency.

Apart from the Monaco qualifying session, this rookie driver has not made any major mistakes this season.

This is also why many media outlets no longer dare to claim that Hamilton will definitely win the world championship.

Simply put, such a stable driver, given a sufficiently stable vehicle, will be able to take the race car to its rightful place.

In numerous post-match interviews, many reporters tried to uncover some big news stories.

Many people went to Vettel to ask about the four-time champion:
"Sebastian, you had an accident at the last moment? Can you tell me what happened?"

Vettel frowned at the question, then said:
"There are many things to pay attention to on the Mexican circuit, and it's easy to make a mistake if you're not careful."

"If you ask an F1 driver who is pushing the limits why the accident happened so coincidentally, the answer you will always be that there were some problems at the time."

"These problems could be loss of grip, or braking too late; there are many reasons."

The reporters' provocative attitude naturally drew condemnation from many people in the paddock, but Mercedes was not among them.

There have been many interviews with Wu Shi, and many people want to know why he arrived at the station so late.

Wu Shi, however, didn't care. He believed in integrity and had nothing to fear, and directly told the reporters:
"As I said before, we are prepared to fight to the death with the last of the soft tires."

“We might think there’s no chance, but it’s only a possibility. I’ll try any opportunity I have.”

"After all, when the world championship is right in front of you, are you going to tell me: Hey! Man, the odds are too slim, let's give up?"
"If you become a driver with this mindset, then all the honors will slip away from you."

This firm response stopped many people from asking further questions, and they turned to Mercedes to ask Toto.

"Wolf, if you hadn't switched Rosberg and Hamilton's positions in the first place, would the outcome of the game have been different?"

This problem left Toto looking constipated.

Honestly, if Hamilton's last stint had the same brand-new tires as Wu Shi, the outcome would have been uncertain.

He held it in for a long time before finally speaking:

"The deed is done, and I don't think there was anything wrong with our strategy."

"If it weren't for the unexpected safety car at the end, I think we would still have helped Lewis win the championship."

"You know, there are always all sorts of unexpected things happening in F1. We don't need to discuss that further; we just need to focus on the race itself."

The reporter nodded, then asked:
"Before the 2015 season, we heard that Wu Shi was going to join Mercedes, but in the end he did not join you."

Toto raised his eyebrows a few times. As the team leader and the public image of Mercedes, he couldn't afford to lose his temper here.

But he really wanted to kick the reporter out.

After all, they have Rosberg (German) and Hamilton (world champion) in their hands, why would they need a young upstart?
The board of directors does not believe that Wu Shi is comparable to the two current drivers.

No, to be more precise, no one in the paddock at the time would have thought that Wu Shi possessed the skill level of those two drivers.

Which rookie has that speed and consistency?
Anyone who didn't know better would think that Wu Shi was some F1 champion driver who had reversed his aging process!
Toto pondered for a moment, then spoke in as gentle a tone as possible:

"In fact, we still have a very good relationship with Wu Shi, which was one of the main reasons he joined Williams at the time."

"As I said before, there's not much point in discussing this now; we're focused on the last two Grand Prix races."

Despite the constant stream of interviews, the Mexican Grand Prix remained a hot topic.

Many highlights of Wu Shi have appeared on the YTP video website, some of which were originally uploaded from China.

Another part consists of edits from European and American car enthusiasts.

These videos basically cover all the Grand Prix events this year.

A series of overtaking stunts, incredibly tough offensive and defensive battles, an extreme driving maneuver around the stars, and multiple unexpected victories.
There are so many moments to cut out.

Of course, the most eye-catching part was the editing of the Mexican Grand Prix.

A difficult defensive exchange, and thick flames erupting from the rear of the car as it crossed the finish line!
The comments section was also very lively:
"This is simply legendary!"

"Is the race car he drives better?"

"Oh! How dare he put the wheels so close! Just looking at him is enough to give me a heart attack!"

"He drove so smoothly!"

"A reckless driver, a driver without manners."

"Wow, he's so handsome! Are all the boys in CHN this good-looking?"

"Have the church people arrived?"

"Oh! Let's get back to the point! He's not even 17 years old! He's a minor!"

"The flames when he crossed the finish line were so cool! Was it a nitro boost?!"

"Are we about to witness the youngest world champion in F1 history?! Go WU!!!"

The videos circulating online have brought Wu Shi to the attention of more and more people, both inside and outside the entertainment industry.

His popularity once surpassed that of all other drivers in the paddock.

Some people who started watching F1 races this year even regard him as an idol, which motivates them to continue watching F1.

Bianchi, who was far away in France, also saw these comments. Having already established a collaboration with Wu Shi, he could speak directly to the children at the racetrack:
"This is Wu Shi's racetrack."

This excited many children, who went home and told their parents they wanted to see Wu Shi's video.

Few families who come here to practice driving are unfamiliar with the world of motorsports.

The parents were certainly aware of Wu Shi's upbringing, and some even told their child directly:
"You should be like him."

Some refused the child's request, saying:
You can't look at him.

The child would always ask in confusion, "Why?"

The parents said with difficulty, "This will be a blow to you, and I'm afraid you'll never recover."

Of course, there are also groups who are dissatisfied with Wu Shi and continue to belittle him.

Regardless, after this stop, Wu Shi has already stepped halfway into the threshold of WDC.

Legendary breakout players always bring tremendous buzz to events in this way.

Searches for F1 surged, and Wu Shi's Instagram account gained a large following from strangers.

This sudden surge in popularity surprised even Bernie, who posted:

"F1 is such a fascinating competition. Every year, drivers like these flock to the paddock, and we always witness the birth of new legends together."

This statement, posted on social media, immediately drew rebuttals from veteran car enthusiasts.

"fart!"

"I remember 2014 was pretty boring, but also charming, because everyone left."

“Every year? Bernie, you’re too old to talk anymore. Let go of F1 and let someone with a better vision run the sport.”

Fortunately, Bernie usually posts but doesn't read, otherwise Gao Di would be annoyed by these comments.

However, he knew without even looking that many people were dissatisfied.

Why was this year's strategy team established?

It's all about changing the boring nature of F1. If Williams hadn't performed so well this year, the races wouldn't have been interesting. It's just Mercedes' two drivers fighting each other.

In fact, Bernie and others had already foreseen that Williams, who had overdrawn his funds in advance, would face a very serious decline in 2016.

After all, how much did the other teams invest in R&D in 2016, and what about Williams?

They're robbing Peter to pay Paul, constantly developing this year's race car.

A drivers' championship is certainly a worthwhile risky investment.

However, this does not change the fact that Williams will be out of the front row next year.

Then next year, the competition will probably be just like in 2014, with the overall champion already known to the audience after only a few Grand Prix races.

What's so interesting about that?

(End of this chapter)