Chapter 104 - 34: Telling a Story

Chapter 104: Chapter 34: Telling a Story

Why are cars so difficult to drive in the rain?

When water accumulates on the road surface, it creates a film of water between the tires and the road. This film prevents the tires from getting enough grip, which naturally causes the vehicle to become uncontrollable.

In layman’s terms, the road is just too slippery.

So, is that the only reason cars are hard to drive in the rain?

Not at all.

On a racetrack, the amount of standing water varies in different areas. Furthermore, the change in grip level also differs depending on the road surface material when it comes into contact with rain.

To drive a car stably in the rain, the most crucial things are to manage the tires’ grip limit and find the areas with the most grip.

Sensing the tires’ grip limit is something race car drivers do in dry weather as well. But in the rain, the margin between maintaining control and sliding becomes incredibly narrow. A little too much throttle or excessive steering can cause the tires to lose all grip completely.

Moreover, losing grip in the rain often means a complete loss of control, making it much harder to save the car than in dry conditions. That’s why accidents are more frequent in the rain, and when they happen, they tend to be major ones.

Even someone like Wu Shi would find it difficult to save the car after a complete loss of grip in the rain. After all, at that point, no matter what you do, the tires can’t regain their grip. You just slide helplessly toward the barrier.

Feeling the S14 sliding wildly on the wet track, Wu Shi understood what Verstappen meant about searching for grip.

When the rear wheels are drifting, they lose a significant amount of grip. At that moment, subtle control of the throttle or brakes is the only way to keep the car stable in such an unbalanced state.

Drifting isn’t hard. Making the car drift exactly how you want it to is the hard part.

After swinging into the corner, Wu Shi had to perform a "heel-and-toe"—using his right foot to control both the throttle and the brake—to match the rear wheel speed with the gear.

WHOOSH!

The car sped past, kicking up a massive spray of mist.

After running more than a dozen laps in a row, Wu Shi finally brought the car back to the pit lane.

"Awesome!" He took off his helmet and shook his head.

"Wu Shi, come to the conference room. We need to discuss a few things," said Sid, who had been waiting for a long time.

"Okay."

Without even changing out of his racing suit, Wu Shi took off his helmet and balaclava and went straight to the conference room.

"From May second to the fourth is the German Grand Prix. That schedule is set in stone." Sid took out his laptop, opened the calendar, and continued, "..."

"I’ve scheduled the exclusive interview with Reporter Zhi for the day after tomorrow. After the interview in the morning, we’ll discuss the sponsorship matter."

Wu Shi nodded. This had been agreed upon long ago; it was just a matter of when.

"Also, about Rafa. The conflict between Montezemolo and Marchionne is becoming harder to resolve. I have a feeling that when Montezemolo signed this contract with you, it wasn’t just because he valued your talent, but also to gain more leverage in their internal power struggle."

Sid sighed as he spoke about it. Rafa’s internal turmoil had been going on for a long time; they rarely had a few years of peace.

"There’s that angle to it?" Wu Shi asked, confused.

"Yes. Although you’re from Hua Country, you grew up in Italy. Plus, Martina has hinted to the public that you’re her stepson. So Montezemolo sees you as part of the ’local’ faction, using you to counter Marchionne, who wants to ’Americanize’ everything."

"Most importantly, ever since the hybrid era began, the Rafa F1 Team’s results haven’t been satisfactory. They’re always plagued by too many problems, and the resulting criticism undoubtedly puts pressure on Montezemolo."

Sid analyzed Rafa’s current internal situation. In short, even with a ten-million-euro buyout clause, if Rafa’s leadership changes, they might just pay it to get rid of you.

"So, even if I win twenty-one races, I might not get a seat?" Wu Shi asked, finding it somewhat amusing.

"Well, it’s hard to say. After your three consecutive wins, all the major teams have taken an interest in you. If you win twenty-one races, I think you could sign for a seat even if it’s not with Rafa. That’s the main reason I’ve been so busy lately."

Winning twenty-one out of thirty-three races in a single year... what an insane feat that would be in F3!

Only because Wu Shi’s performance had been so ridiculously dominant did it even seem possible.

Neither the brilliantly talented Verstappen or O’connor, nor any of the F3 veterans, could possibly achieve such a feat.

That’s why Sid couldn’t help but look at Wu Shi as if he were some kind of freak. This kid seemed to have been born knowing how to drive, born familiar with every single track.

"Jos has also been a help. After all, he’s a former F1 driver and still has connections with many teams. He’s more than happy to make introductions for us."

"Okay. Thanks for all your hard work on this," Wu Shi nodded. ’In the paddock, it’s always better to have connections than not.’

Once he threw himself into training, the days flew by even faster.

Before he knew it, the day of the exclusive interview arrived. Zhi Shiwei’s team had specifically rented a conference room in the building to conduct it.

"Is this a script?" Wu Shi asked, holding the booklet Zhi Shiwei had given him.

"Yes, you could call it that. You can change anything you want to say, but it would be best to give us a heads-up first." Zhi Shiwei nodded. This was a feature interview, not a live broadcast meant to stir up controversy, so the content requirements were different.

Wu Shi glanced through it. Most of the questions were about his upbringing, such as the setbacks and difficulties he faced while growing up.

They weren’t particularly difficult questions, and the sample answers Zhi Shiwei had provided were quite well-written.

"For this question, ’What was the biggest setback you faced on your journey to becoming a professional driver?’... can I just say it was a lack of money?" Wu Shi said with a laugh.

"Huh?" Zhi Shiwei was taken aback for a moment. She found the question; her prepared sample answers involved losing races, subsequent mental breakdowns, and overwhelming pressure.

"Even now, the biggest problem I face is still money."

Wu Shi said helplessly. Karting costs at least a million RMB a year.

It gets even more outrageous when you move up to formula racing. The one month I spent in America at the beginning of this year alone cost a million RMB.

"Of course, you can say that. But aren’t you going to mention some racing-related difficulties?" Zhi Shiwei asked.

Wu Shi thought about it. Since his debut, he really hadn’t faced any major headaches in the world of racing.

However, he remembered that in his past life, at this age, he had encountered problems far more difficult to solve than money.

And that was self-inflicted pressure.

He might seem relaxed now, but that was only because he already possessed exceptional skill, allowing him to handle any race.

In his past life, his development had been similar to Verstappen’s. He certainly had the glow of a prodigy along the way, but it was overshadowed by the anxiety and pressure of failure, which often kept him awake all night.

It was only after going through all that that he could be so calm now. If that anxiety and pressure were to reappear, it would surely only be after he reached the world of F1.

"In that case, I’ll share some racing-related difficulties. For example, how to face failure, and how to adjust your mentality and keep fighting when that failure leads to terrible consequences."

"Great! That’s exactly what we, the audience, want to hear about," Zhi Shiwei nodded.

Sid stood off-camera, listening as Wu Shi described a time after a certain failure when he faced the risk of losing his eligibility to continue racing, triggering a mental breakdown and a vicious cycle.

’Has this guy ever had such a major failure in his career?’

’I don’t think so?’

’So how can he describe it so vividly?’

’The mental state he’s talking about... someone who hasn’t been through it could never describe it so clearly!’