F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 350: Hengronin Without Missiles is a Bit Boring

Although he recovered from COVID-19, Wu Shi still found that his stamina had been affected to some extent.

This was discovered during aerobic training. In the past, he could easily run 10 kilometers at a pace of about three minutes per kilometer.

However, in the last few attempts, when his heart rate went up, he couldn't maintain it for long before experiencing dizziness and vomiting.

The hospital believes that the body's functions are still affected by the virus and have not fully returned to their optimal state.

This really worried Toto, as this is a crucial moment in the title race.

Hamilton empathizes with this, saying that after his unfortunate infection last year, he still hasn't recovered to his best condition, especially in terms of stamina.

Wu Shi could only accept this and let the trainer arrange a scientific rehabilitation plan, hoping to restore his physical condition as much as possible.

At the same time, the FIA ​​has slightly relaxed the previously issued limits on tire changing speeds, allowing a minimum reaction time of 0.1 seconds for each action and a time of 0.1 seconds between removing the jack and the green light turning on.

This is a significant reduction compared to the original 0.15 seconds and 0.2 seconds.

In reality, the main issue here is whether there is a violation of regulations, rather than whether the crew members are capable of doing so.

After all, even the Red Bull team doesn't always change tires in under 2 seconds.

At the end of July, the F1 teams arrived in Hungary.

Because of the lifting of pandemic control measures, the Grand Prix venue was packed with people, with many Verstappen fans traveling directly from the Netherlands.

Wu Shi always wore a high-strength mask and avoided contact with others along the way, fearing that he might be caught off guard by the epidemic again.

The probability of reinfection is not only not low, but is even as high as that of a cold.

His reclusive lifestyle has left many car enthusiasts feeling regretful, as they haven't been able to find an opportunity to take a photo with him or get his autograph.

Some fans even started spreading rumors online that he hadn't recovered from the Silverstone crash.

After arriving in Hungary, the old man and the two men with the crooked head began to criticize the policies of other countries.

Hungary recently passed a law banning the promotion of homosexuality to minors.

Wu Shi considered this to be a perfectly correct law, but these two actually claimed that the law was discriminatory.

Wu Shi couldn't understand the value system in Europe, so he just ignored it.

Louise followed him to Hungary, just as she had said.

The two lived together, but it was impossible for them to play a game before the competition, as that could definitely affect their performance.

Besides, he hadn't fully recovered his energy yet, and the aftereffects of COVID-19 were still evident.

Louise was quite free in the paddock, running back and forth between the Mercedes and Ferrari pit lanes without being affected at all.

"Are there many homosexuals in your country?" Louise asked after the press conference.

Wu Shi was about to shake his head when he thought of a now-popular meme—the prejudice people hold against Chengdu.

“Our country is still relatively conservative, but some places have been influenced by these ideas,” he said.

"Oh, this feels so weird."

Louise shook her head violently, her hair brushing against Wu Shi's face.

Wu Shi chuckled and cupped her face in his hands, then kissed her forehead.

The comments made by the old man and the man with the crooked head continue to generate controversy, and the leaders of the Hungarian authorities have expressed their anger, believing that the driver should not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Of course, the topic most discussed online is what will happen when the two go to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the end of the year.

It's important to know that in Saudi Arabian law, homosexuality can be punishable by death.

Due to the severe impact of the previous crash, Wu Shi's race car engine was seriously damaged. After evaluation by the Mercedes-AMG factory, it was determined that the engine was no longer suitable for racing, so a new engine had to be installed.

Fortunately, this is only the second new engine and will not trigger any penalty or demotion mechanism.

However, the extensive changes to the car's components required Wu Shi to relearn the feel of racing, which led him to run a lot of laps during Friday's practice session.

Just as Jonathan had told him, the car had found its sweet spot in terms of tuning, making it very smooth to drive and quite fast.

Red Bull, on the other hand, experienced prolonged understeer in the long corners, which significantly slowed down their lap times.

The phenomenon of inconsistent car tuning has been observed in Mercedes and Red Bull.

In reality, this is simply because comparing two race cars with similar performance, Mercedes and Red Bull, creates a very obvious feeling.

Without competitors, whether it's Mercedes or Red Bull, the slight negative impact of the tuning won't be reflected in the race.

After all, a 1-second lead is a clean sweep, and a 0.5-second lead is still a clean sweep.

During Saturday morning's third practice session, Wu Shi and Hamilton completely outpaced Verstappen, although the two Mercedes cars were often greeted with boos as they sped past the orange stands.

This greatly displeased Wu Shi; Pan Zi's group of brainless fans were truly something else.

In the latter half of Practice 3, Mick set a red flag on the wall at Turn 11 and had to change gears, resulting in a five-position penalty.

On Saturday afternoon, under the scorching sun, the qualifying race was far less exciting than the previous Grand Prix events.

Due to physical limitations, Wu Shi only ran one lap in each qualifying session, resulting in a smaller fuel allowance for him.

In Q1, he won by 16 milliseconds, ahead of Verstappen by 1 minute 212 seconds.

Q2他以1分15秒404领先维斯塔潘将近0.3秒拿下胜利。

Q3，同样是一圈，他以1分15秒233领先汉密尔顿0.2秒拿下胜利。

All three qualifying sessions were decided in a single lap, which surprised even Rosberg, who was providing commentary.

“I’ve only ever seen this kind of running style with Sebastian before. Although Wu Shi is very fast, he rarely shows the ability to reach top speed so quickly,” Rosberg said.

"What are your thoughts on tomorrow's game?" the host asked.

“The Hungaroring circuit is very difficult to overtake; we call it the Monaco Grand Prix without a house. Once Wu Shi got pole position, the outcome was basically decided.” Rosberg had great confidence in Wu Shi’s leading ability.

"Max Verstappen will start third tomorrow. Will he pose a threat, strategically speaking?" the host continued.

“This track is very easy and suitable for undercuts, and if Red Bull’s tactics are right, I think they have a chance,” Rosberg nodded.

"Oh, so that means there will still be fierce competition tomorrow?"

"Of course, with the two players' scores so close, Max Verstappen won't easily let Wu Shiyi surpass 10 points in one stop."

“But I think Lewis Hamilton will also play a significant role. The defensive benefits on this track are huge, so he could very well completely shut down Max Verstappen,” Rosberg said.

With the current points difference, Hamilton has essentially dropped out of contention for the championship, and therefore his ambition for the race win is not as strong as it was at the beginning of the season.

"OK, let's find out together at tomorrow's Grand Prix which way the race will go!"

Wu Shi parked the car, retrieved the small tire for the pole position, and returned to the warehouse.

“Quite good!” Jonathan said happily, though he was very worried about Wu Shi’s condition.

However, it seems that neither the accident nor COVID-19 has affected this driver.

"(＾－＾)V"

Wu Shi smiled and made a gesture. After finishing the interview, he changed his clothes and strolled around the stadium with Louise.

However, he didn't stay out for long before taking Louise back to the hotel.

Damn it, can't Panzi do something about his car fans?!
The accident at Eunseok Station wasn't caused by him, so stop provoking him every day!

I'm so annoyed.

“It seems that being too famous isn’t a good thing,” Louise said.

"Well, but it's not because of fame, it's because of Max!" Wu Shi complained.

As for Verstappen himself, he seemed a bit socially awkward as he left the paddock, signing hats for fans before heading straight back to his hotel.

“I spent some time at Ferrari today, and they seemed to work very leisurely,” Louise said with a smile.

"Are you really going to work at Ferrari?" Wu Shi asked.

“I haven’t decided yet. My mom can give me a letter of introduction, but the position might not be in the F1 program,” Louise said.

“Your major isn’t meant for doing manual labor in the hunting grounds, and the jobs there aren’t good either. Most people are just running around all year round for a meager salary,” Wu Shi said.

The people who really make money in F1 are the management and drivers; those below them don't get much.

Moreover, traveling all over the world all year round is equivalent to being on business trips all year round, which is a test for one's physical and mental health.

“Yes, I plan to try it out as Mommy suggested first,” Louise nodded.

Time flies! In the blink of an eye, Louise will be going back to work and becoming a poor corporate slave.

However, Louise wanted to support herself, which is why she insisted on going to work.

Moreover, Louise's thinking was influenced by Martine to be more traditional.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, a thunderstorm fell on Hengrolin.

Although the track dried up quickly, it rained again at 2 p.m.

The Grand Prix was scheduled to start at 3 p.m., and the rain completely disrupted the plans of all the teams.

Yesterday's training was all done on dry ground, but today it might be a rainy day.

Fortunately, the track temperature was still relatively high, so the strategists were still considering using semi-wet tires.

As soon as the green light for the pit lane opened, Wu Shi drove straight off the track to check the track conditions.

The team members quickly moved onto the starting straight and set up tents on the starting grid to keep it as dry as possible.

There's no doubt that all the drivers used semi-wet tires; no one wanted to take the risk at the start.

After the reconnaissance lap, as the teams began their final preparations for the start of the race, the raindrop density increased slightly.

Massi also issued a weather forecast, informing all teams that the rain might gradually intensify and suggesting that they start with at least semi-weather tires.

In reality, no team would risk starting on slick tires in the rain at this point, as the increasingly heavy rain would make the track too slippery to drive.

A rider on slick tires might crash before the track even dries.

At 3:00 PM sharp, the competition began, with Wu Shi leading the entire field in formation circles.

“I feel like the rain is getting heavier,” Wu Shi said in TR.

The person sitting on the command wall immediately reached out to feel it, but the sensation was not obvious.

The formation circle is finished, and the competition is about to begin.

After the five red lights came on and then went out, Wu Shi, Hamilton, and Verstappen got off to a quick start.

Perez was too slow and Norris quickly caught up, but the two of them were quite restrained.

Before Turn 1, the first five drivers passed through it without any problems!

Bottas, sitting in Arroli, didn't feel much pressure and didn't compete with Kimi for a seat, letting his senior pass him.

However, shortly after Turn 1, Stroll's car suddenly shook and crashed into the unfortunate Leclerc, crossing the track.

Leclerc's car swayed and crashed into Ricciardo with a "bang." All three cars drifted off the track, with Stroll and Leclerc's cars sustaining more severe impacts, sliding up the wall in the run-off area and ultimately becoming unable to move.

Ricciardo escaped the impact, but unfortunately left behind a lot of debris on the track.

The collision between the three people caused a chain reaction that led to traffic congestion behind them, but fortunately no bigger accident occurred.

Masi immediately deployed Red Flag.

Since the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, when a crane is deployed to clear a car that has lost power in the rain, the race organizers will always display a red flag.

At the end of the second lap, all cars were required to return to the pit area.

McLaren's mechanics looked at Ricciardo's wing and pulled out some high-tech F1 equipment—tape—to begin repairing it.

The match was temporarily suspended, and Wu Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

“The rain is getting lighter,” Jonathan said, reaching out to touch the ground.

"Hmm, should we switch to dry tires?" Wu Shi suggested.

I think it's possible.

Jonathan paused halfway through his sentence, waited a moment, and then said:
"Massie just gave the order that we must use semi-wet tires to drive out of the repair area."

"This request is unreasonable."

“Yes, they’re asking if Massey can switch to bald tires to start. We’ll just wait for their reply,” Jonathan said.

At 3:30, the match resumed after a 25-minute interruption.

Led by the safety car, all race cars drove out of the pit lane.

Now that Hongqi has restarted, they are using static starts. However, as soon as Wu Shi drove onto the track, he immediately realized one thing: judging from the current situation, the track will dry very quickly.

Most importantly, when he and Jonathan were analyzing the weather forecast, they said there was a high probability that there would be no rain afterwards.

Therefore, starting with dry tires is the correct approach.

He pressed the Box button directly, and Jonathan responded immediately: "OK".

In the Mercedes warehouse, based on the movements of TR and other team mechanics, they deduced that most of the drivers were probably going in to change to dry tires.

Hamilton also inquired in TR at this time.

But instead of the familiar voice of Bono, he was answered by a stranger who rattled off a bunch of Plan A and Plan B.

As Wu Shi entered the pit lane at the end of the formation, Hamilton paused, completely taken aback, and asked again:

"Is he sure he wants to go into the station?"

“Yeah, he asked to come to the pit to change to a dry tire,” Bono’s voice came through.

"NO."

Hamilton shouted; he had missed the pit lane entrance.

Immediately afterwards, one race car after another entered the pit area and began changing to medium tires.

Hamilton sat alone in his starting grid.

"Ah! Is he the only one not going into the station?!" the soldier exclaimed.

"This is unprecedented in F1 history!" Haoran said with a smile.

As the five red lights went out, Hamilton started alone, perfectly holding his position and entering Turn 1 without any hindrance.

Wu Shi finally emerged from the pit lane, but the track was now a fraction faster than it had been during the formation lap.

He quickly chased after Hamilton.

But following behind him was not Verstappen, but Williams Russell.

Is Russell really going to become emperor?
Oh, it turns out it wasn't Russell who was faster, but because Williams' pit stop was at the exit of the pit area. When Russell came out to change his tire, there was already a long line at the exit.

So he rushed out without hesitation when the green light came on.

If Wu Shi hadn't reacted quickly, he might have been ambushed by the emperor.

Pan Zi, on the other hand, was indeed ambushed.

However, Williams quickly reminded Russell that he would pay the price for this behavior.

It's important to know that the FIA ​​is extremely sensitive to any inappropriate behavior in the pit area!

Sure enough, Russell had to ease off the accelerator, allowing Verstappen and others to overtake him.

Thus, the late emperor passed away before completing his great undertaking.

At the end of lap 4, Hamilton went into the pits to change tires, dropping from the front row to the back of the pack.

"Mercedes-Benz's strategy is really..." The soldier was speechless.

"Luckily, it wasn't used on Wu Shi," Haoran said.

"All the teams are coming in to change to dry tires, so why is Mercedes telling Hamilton not to come in?" Fei Ge was puzzled.

“Yeah, even if the two drivers are using a differentiated strategy, they can’t be this ridiculously different!” Bing Ge waved his hand and said.

Since everyone else started on dry tires, it wasn't seen as a differentiation strategy, but rather Mercedes deliberately sabotaging the old man.

"Am I at the back of the line now?" Hamilton asked.

“That’s right, you reacted very quickly,” Bono said.

After Haoran translated the TR segment, everyone in the studio burst into laughter, filling the studio with a joyful atmosphere.

"Oh, it seems like Ferrari and Mercedes' TR stations were mixed up just now," Haoran said.

"Is that why Hamilton didn't stop?" the soldier asked.

"It shouldn't be, because Mercedes didn't recall Hamilton. Wu Shi volunteered to go in, which means that Mercedes' strategy was indeed like that," Haoran said.

What happened next was uneventful. With the car having the advantage, Wu Shi maintained a stable lead, and Verstappen was unable to threaten him.

Because of the sufficient distance, Verstappen's undercut attempts all failed.

On lap 70, Wu Shi crossed the finish line first, completing a flawless PTW.

When Verstappen crossed the finish line in second place, a huge cheer erupted from the stands, and orange smoke billowed into the air.

"Verstappen seems to have these smokers wherever he goes," the soldier chuckled.

"Verstappen's fans' behavior has always been criticized," Haoran said.

Perez finished third, followed by Norris, Hamilton, Ocon, Vettel, Sainz, Alonso, and Gasly.

"Although the race was boring, I think this is the best demonstration of Wu Shi's dominance. As long as he leads and his car is not weaker than others, he can consistently bring the car back!" Bing Ge summarized.

“However, Hamilton’s losses are too great,” Haoran said.

The old man started chasing from the back of the pack again. After stopping to change tires, he came out again, only to be defended by the leader who was using old yellow tires for a full ten laps!

The grudges of the older generation continue.

If Alonso hadn't made that crucial mistake at the end, Hamilton probably wouldn't have been able to get past him by the end of the match.

"Alonso's performance today was simply phenomenal."

“Yeah, when he was defending Hamilton, all his lines weren’t for entering or exiting corners, they were all to block Hamilton’s overtaking lines,” Fei said.

"Alonso still has the ability to win the world championship." Bing Ge strongly agreed.

On the track, Wu Shi parked his car at sign number one and stood holding onto the race car for quite a while afterward.

The media naturally noticed this and shoved their cameras right up to him.

However, because of the helmet, no one could see Wu Shi's pale face.

He held it in for a while, then swallowed what he was about to vomit.

After lap 30, this would happen to him about every five or six laps.

My mouth was already filled with the bitter taste of gall.

The Mercedes staff who came to celebrate clearly noticed Wu Shi's unusual behavior, but the area was fenced off, and they could not get close.

Instead, Verstappen parked the car, came over, bent down, looked up at Wu Shi who had his head down, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Wu Shi waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired and nauseous."

After Verstappen pulled off his gloves, he patted Wu Shi on the back and said:

"The impact of COVID-19? I heard you just recovered last week."

"Hmm." Wu Shi nodded.

Verstappen went to weigh himself first.

After a while, Wu Shi managed to suppress the nausea temporarily.

If someone who doesn't exercise regularly suddenly engages in a lot of exercise that exceeds their physical capacity, they will be able to empathize with how Wu Shi feels now.

Wu Shi walked over to the staff who had come to watch at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Louise was also standing there, with plenty of space around her, and everyone made room for her.

"Are you alright?" Louise asked as soon as Wu Shi approached, reaching into his helmet.

"It's nothing, I'm just too tired. I'll be fine after a rest," Wu Shi said, patting Louise's head.

He then high-fived the others to thank them for their congratulations, and only returned to the lounge after weighing himself.

Vestager handed him the water and said, "Can I have some water?"

I'll just take a sip.

Wu Shi's mouth tasted bitter, so he rinsed it before drinking some water.

He was afraid that drinking too much would cause him to vomit.

"This looks so uncomfortable."

Verstappen shook his head, and Perez walked in at that moment to ask Verstappen about the situation.

Finally, Wu Shi's nausea subsided, and it was time to present the award.

He seemed to come back to life, and his expression finally relaxed.

However, when it came to lifting the trophy, Verstappen still had to help him lift it high.

During the champagne-spraying segment, the two Red Bull members didn't spray randomly at him; they simply touched the bottles together and each took a sip.

After taking photos on the podium, Wu Shi dragged his still weak body down.

He changed his clothes first before coming to the interview area.

(End of this chapter)