Chapter 101 - 31: Mama Ru and Papa Dan

Chapter 101: Chapter 31: Mama Ru and Papa Dan

After the national anthem concluded, former F1 driver and President of the FIA Single-Seater Commission, Gard Bell, stepped onto the podium. He handed the trophy to Wu Shi and pulled him into a warm embrace.

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

Applause erupted from the crowd below.

The Europe Motorsport Director then presented the team trophy to the Van Amersfoort Team Principal. Incredibly, with Wu Shi and Verstappen securing first and third places respectively, the team had clinched the championship with an overwhelming points advantage.

The Team Principal raised the trophy in sheer joy, prompting another round of applause across the venue.

Seeing the Team Principal grinning from ear to ear, Wu Shi couldn’t help but share in his happiness. Looking down at the crowd, he noticed that only the members of the Van Amersfoort Racing Team and the Prema Team had stayed for the podium ceremony. A few interested members from other teams lingered to take photos, but most had left as soon as the race ended. In competitive sports, there would always be those who rejoiced and those who sorrowed.

Gard Bell stepped up again to present Focca with his trophy, accompanied by cheers from the audience. The Europe Motorsport Director then stepped onto the stage to present Verstappen with his. Verstappen took the trophy and hoisted it beside his head.

Before stepping down, the Europe Motorsport Director walked over to Wu Shi and extended a hand. Standing on the elevated top step of the podium, Wu Shi bent down to shake it, both out of respect and for convenience.

"A brilliant drive. Congratulations on securing three consecutive victories," the Europe Motorsport Director said with a hearty chuckle.

"Thank you!"

After the Director stepped down, a staff member signaled for all four men on the podium to gather on the highest step and raise their trophies for a group photo.

"WOOOO!!!"

Below, the members of the Van Amersfoort Racing Team cheered jubilantly. For a team that wasn’t considered a powerhouse, such a spectacular start to the season was nothing short of a dream.

Once the photos were done, the four shook their champagne bottles and sprayed each other. Verstappen showed Wu Shi no mercy, aiming straight for his head; with that kind of accuracy, Verstappen’s FPS skills were probably quite formidable. Only when all the bubbles had been released and the champagne stopped flowing did Verstappen finally bring the bottle to his lips for a long gulp. Wiping the liquid from his face, Wu Shi also took a swig of his own champagne.

During the previous two podium ceremonies, the drivers had not been allowed to drink the champagne because they still had races to run. Now, however, he could finally savor the taste of victory. The Team Principal walked over and patted them both on the shoulders, the grin never leaving his face.

Next, there was one more award ceremony to hold. According to the rules of the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, drivers participating in the F3 Level for the first time were considered rookies. The FIA placed great importance on rookies in F3 and would specifically award the top three newcomers.

Thus, after the stage was tidied up, Wu Shi, Focca, and Verstappen stepped onto the podium once more. This ceremony involved fewer formalities than the last, mainly focusing on presenting a trophy as a token of encouragement. Following a final round of applause, the podium ceremony officially concluded.

With his racing suit reeking of sweet champagne, Wu Shi had no choice but to head back and change his clothes first. By the time he reemerged, the reporters had already begun their post-race interviews. Verstappen was currently being exclusively interviewed by the Holland media.

"Hey, Max, we saw you execute some brilliant overtakes in this race and demonstrate tremendous improvement. May I ask how you managed to achieve this?"

Verstappen adjusted his baseball cap. Leaning forward with both hands resting on the back of a chair and his eyes cast downward, he said, "Uh, our team conducted a strategy analysis last night. You know, we have an incredibly capable driver on our team. His insights helped me quickly grasp the techniques and secure a spot on the podium."

"Oh! Is this incredibly capable driver Wu Shi?"

"What do you think?" Verstappen looked up, staring at the reporter in utter bewilderment. His expression clearly asked whether the reporter was an idiot who couldn’t understand plain language or if he himself had been speaking gibberish.

Watching from the sidelines, Wu Shi burst into laughter; Verstappen’s interviews always had a uniquely entertaining flavor to them.

"Haha! Well, congratulations on reaching the podium. Do you have enough preparation and confidence for the upcoming races? After all, by skipping the Renault Formula, your experience in open-wheel racing is much scarcer."

"I have plenty of confidence. I think that’s something every driver must possess. As for preparation, I can’t say I’m entirely prepared. You know, in this kind of racing, you can’t claim to be ready for every single moment. We can only do our utmost to get the job done." Verstappen deflected the reporter’s probe with rehearsed platitudes.

After wrapping up their interview with Verstappen, the reporters noticed Wu Shi walking over and immediately thrust their microphones in his direction.

"Hey! Wu, you just achieved three consecutive victories. How does it feel?"

"Fantastic, of course."

"We saw that, like Verstappen, you skipped the Renault Formula and came straight to the F3 races. You’ve achieved such outstanding results right at the very first stop. We’re wondering how you managed to pull this off?"

Reporters always loved asking this kind of question, and Wu Shi had never been particularly keen on answering it. It was like people constantly badgering a top scholar about their study methods. It wasn’t that the secret couldn’t be shared, but rather that it couldn’t be explained in just a sentence or two.

"I’m just like everyone else—I practice, and then I practice some more. I don’t think there’s any other way to achieve this besides relentless hard work," he replied.

"Yeah, every driver works very hard, but it’s not hard to see that everyone is talking about your talent. They say your control over the car is incredibly precise and refined, and that the steering inputs you deliver are as accurate as a pre-written computer program. If you didn’t have such talent, could you still achieve this level of success through hard work alone?"

This reporter from the United Kingdom was deliberately making things difficult for Wu Shi by asking a rather pointless question.

But before Wu Shi could even open his mouth, Verstappen voiced his displeasure from the side. "There aren’t that many ’ifs’ in the world. If my mother had BALLS, she’d be my father."

"Pfft!" Wu Shi instantly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

The surrounding reporters joined in the laughter, and a cheerful atmosphere filled the pit garage.

"I still have a few questions! Could I borrow a moment of your time?" A reporter from Italy squeezed through the crowd.

"Of course!" Wu Shi looked at the familiar face.

"Wu Shi, as you know, you have a massive fanbase in Italy. We saw that some of them even came to the circuit today to support you. Do you have anything you’d like to say to them?"

The Italy reporter’s question was excellent. To differentiate his news report from the others, he naturally needed a different angle. It was widely known that Wu Shi had grown up in Italy, so the Italian media could always use that connection to pull him closer.

"I know there have always been many racing fans from Italy supporting me. Many of them have even been watching my races since my karting days. I consider it a great honor, and I’m incredibly grateful for everyone’s support! Thank you so much!"

Wu Shi spoke with a bright smile. He remembered a time when he was visiting Salerno and stopped at a pizzeria; the owner claimed to be a huge fan and stubbornly refused to let him pay for his meal. Because of moments like that, he held a great deal of affection for his fans.

"Great. We’d also like to know if your daily training is particularly hectic. Currently, we haven’t seen you create any official social media accounts, and many people have been impersonating you, which has caused quite a bit of confusion. Have you considered setting up your own personal social media accounts?"

"Hmm..."

Wu Shi fell silent for a moment. He had never liked leaving a digital footprint on the internet, which was why none of his personal accounts on those platforms were verified. Sid had reminded him before about the need to manage his online presence, but he had found it too troublesome and planned to have Sid find someone else to run it. However, the matter had been delayed until now.

But looking at the situation, as his fame continued to grow, he really did need to start managing his own personal accounts.

"I will look into setting up a personal account," Wu Shi said thoughtfully.