Chapter 105 - 35: Good Road Conditions

Chapter 105: Chapter 35: Good Road Conditions

After the exclusive interview, Wu Shi returned to the team early for training, leaving Sid behind to continue discussions with Zhi Shiwei.

"We sponsored Wu Shi back in his karting days. It is truly worth celebrating that he has made it this far," Zhi Shiwei said.

"Of course. The talent he has displayed is unparalleled among his generation. No matter how formidable other drivers are, they pale in comparison to him," Sid replied.

Sid and Big Eye Sports Media reached a preliminary agreement. The sponsorship fee was substantial—so much so that it could fully fund Wu Shi’s entry into an F1 team. Of course, Zhi Shiwei didn’t have the final say over such a massive sum; she was merely relaying her superiors’ intentions. According to what she disclosed privately, this preliminary result was only possible because Sky Eye Group had expressed interest in providing sponsorship. However, since nothing was finalized yet, Wu Shi decided to put it out of his mind. Right now, his only priority was to perform well in every race.

By late April, the team flew to Germany and transported all their equipment and supplies to the Hockenheimring. Wu Zhenlin also fulfilled his promise, flying to Italy to share a meal with Wu Shi. It was a rare occasion for the family of four to gather together. A brief reunion was followed by a hasty parting. Wu Zhenlin flew back to the Asia-Pacific, while Wu Shi departed for Germany on May 1st.

Many rookies were unfamiliar with the Hockenheimring, having never raced on it before. As a fellow rookie, the outside world expected Wu Shi to be in the same boat.

On May 2nd, the drivers were granted access to the track. Two practice sessions were scheduled for 1:40 PM and 2:25 PM, followed by the first qualifying session at 6:35 PM. Before the practice sessions began, reporters arrived for interviews. Wu Shi and Verstappen intentionally avoided them, sitting in the grandstands with a can of Red Bull each.

"Did you watch the Bahrain Grand Prix this year?" Verstappen suddenly asked.

"Yeah, I did. The battle between Hamilton and Rosberg was spectacular." Wu Shi licked his lips. While others might not know, he was well aware that over the next two years, Hamilton and the Princess would engage in an all-out, bitter rivalry.

"They’ve been good friends since they were kids, ever since their karting days," Verstappen said.

Wu Shi paused slightly, pursing his lips before replying, "F1 is a crucible. No one can avoid being changed by it." Swirling the Red Bull can in his hand, he felt a wave of emotion. The racing circle was truly small; most F1 drivers of the same age had known each other since childhood. Just like Wu Shi, Verstappen, Albon, O’connor, Leclerc, and the rest—their connections traced all the way back to their karting days.

"I won’t. The track is the track. Once I’m out there, I only fight to win. I won’t yield to anyone," Verstappen declared in his usual low, raspy voice, sounding almost like a prophecy and a manifesto.

Wu Shi took a sip of his drink and nodded. "Of course. Yielding on the track is a matter of seniority. Schumacher can yield to Vettel, but between Hamilton and Rosberg, neither can afford to back down."

"Hahaha! That’s exactly what I think." Verstappen reached out and firmly grasped Wu Shi’s hand.

Wu Shi knew exactly why Verstappen had brought this up. Following the Bahrain Grand Prix, the conflict between Hamilton and his teammate, Rosberg, had become increasingly heated and public. Recently, news had leaked that Hamilton discovered the team had provided Rosberg with his research files. Furthermore, during their intense dogfight in the final few laps, the team had allowed Rosberg to engage a banned engine mode. This incident caused their relationship to deteriorate even further.

As a mere spectator, Wu Shi only recalled the iconic scene of the two throwing caps at each other. Thinking of this, he smiled. He and Verstappen wouldn’t end up like that. Just as Verstappen had said, there were no friends on the track—only drivers chasing victory. Therefore, if things turned ugly down the line, it would be entirely normal. All is fair in love and war—especially when fighting for a championship. Among all the past World Champions, how many were truly clean and had never resorted to dirty tricks?

During the morning, the drivers walked the track, feeling and measuring every inch of it with their own feet.

At 1:40 PM, the first practice session began right on time.

Wu Shi didn’t set a competitive time. Even though he had an impression of the track, the differences in year and weather created huge variations in the track conditions. During the first practice session, he focused entirely on feeling the grip levels at various sections of the track and assessing how the car responded to the surface. After completing 22 laps, he managed a time of only 1:34.400, placing him sixth. Verstappen hid his true pace even more, clocking in at just 1:34.807. As for their two other teammates, it was unclear whether they were holding back or if that was genuinely their best effort. The fastest time went to JAWC Team’s Antonio Giovinazzi with a 1:34.019, followed closely by O’connor in second place.

"Pick up the pace a bit in the second session. This year’s pole position time should be around the 1-minute 32-second mark," Alan said, handing Wu Shi the analyzed data.

At 2:25 PM, the second practice session commenced. The lap times across all teams started to drop, and some impressive results gradually emerged. In the end, Antonio Giovinazzi once again claimed the fastest lap with a 1:33.135. Wu Shi followed closely, only ten thousandths of a second off the pace.

When he returned to the pit lane, Alan immediately asked, "How much margin do you still have?"

"Hitting 32 seconds definitely won’t be a problem," Wu Shi stated.

"Good. Keep an eye on the situation during qualifying," Alan nodded.

At 6:45 PM, the first qualifying session began. Wu Shi naturally rolled out onto the track. After two warm-up laps, he successfully posted a time of 1:32.416 on his third lap.

"Not bad. You’re now in P1," Alan said over the TR.

Wu Shi didn’t respond. He licked his lips. He felt like he was almost touching the car’s absolute limits, and he wondered how the other teams were faring. Soon, Alan updated him over the TR, "Lucas Oil is at 1:32.387, and Antonio Giovinazzi is at 1:32.505. You’re currently sandwiched between them."

"Copy. I’ll go for another lap."

In F3, pole positions were incredibly crucial. Historically, race winners almost exclusively started from pole, so every team’s primary strategy revolved around securing as many pole positions as possible.

"Wu just informed the team that he’s going for another lap. It seems he’s absolutely determined to take pole!" the commentator announced.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Shi had already completed the first sector, clocking in 0.107 seconds faster than his previous best.

"Wu has improved his own time in the first sector! It looks like he’s going to squeeze every last drop of speed out of the car! Let’s wait and see if he can deliver another phenomenal lap!"

On high-speed tracks, Wu Shi’s concentration was invariably heightened, as even the slightest mistake here would result in a significant loss of time. He didn’t bother glancing at his sector times, keeping his head down and pushing forward.

WHOOSH!

On his seventh lap, he blazed across the line with a 1:32.007, vaulting back into first place.

"Wow! Incredible! With Verstappen only managing a 1:32.586, Wu has somehow found a way to improve his lap time to this level!" the commentator exclaimed. "Two Carlin Team drivers are utilizing the slipstream now! Their times might be able to surpass... Ah! What a shame! It seems even the boost from a slipstream is no match for Wu’s terrifying driving skills!"

During the first qualifying session, not many teams opted for the slipstream strategy. The primary reason was the poor track conditions. Moreover, the second qualifying session was far more important than the first, as it determined the starting grids for the two main races.

At noon the following day, the second qualifying session began. Team orders explicitly instructed their two teammates to provide slipstreams for Wu Shi and Verstappen, aiming to secure better lap times for the leading duo. To synchronize their positions, they had to cruise around the track for a few laps.

On the third lap, Jules started providing a tow for Verstappen. Verstappen clocked a 1:32.223—a vast improvement over his previous times. However, since nearly everyone was utilizing the slipstream, this time couldn’t even break into the top ten. Therefore, they had to keep trying over the next three laps.

On Wu Shi’s end, Gustavo had also aligned his position perfectly. Rounding the hairpin, they entered the Great Straight.

"GO, come on!" the American shouted before slamming the throttle down, sending his car speeding ahead.

Wu Shi had just completed the turn. As long as he tucked in behind Gustavo, he would catch the tow, passing through the Great Straight with significantly lower drag and shaving off those crucial fractions of a second. Just as he straightened his car out, he saw Gustavo’s right tire take a massive bite out of the curb, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Wu Shi immediately shouted over the TR, "Watch out!"

But just as the words left his mouth, the reckless fool’s rear tires lost traction. The entire car went into a violent spin, careening straight into the gravel trap. Forget catching a slipstream—if Wu Shi hadn’t reacted quickly, he would have taken a critical hit from flying debris.

"Are you okay?" he asked over the TR.

"Okay. Sorry," Gustavo replied, his voice heavy with dejection. He hadn’t just ruined his own qualifying session; he had ruined his teammate’s as well.

Wu Shi didn’t scold him. Instead, he simply continued on to finish his fifth lap. "I need to set a fast lap on the sixth. The tires will only get worse from here," he stated.

"Copy."

Faced with such an unexpected incident, he had no choice but to rely on himself. Verstappen and Jules had just improved their times; Verstappen certainly wouldn’t come out to provide a tow, and Jules had to focus on his own flying lap, leaving him no time to help.

After analyzing the situation, Alan immediately said over the TR, "You need to set two valid times. Don’t bet everything on a single lap!

"Currently, the fastest lap belongs to Bromquist with a 1:31.655, followed by Verstappen at 1:32.014. Their second fastest laps are 1:32.169 and 1:32.198, respectively, placing them first and second in the second fastest lap standings as well.

"If you want to secure pole position for the third race, your second fastest lap must beat 1:32.169. Can you maintain a pace that yields two more laps faster than 1:32.169?"

Alan’s voice echoed in Wu Shi’s ears. It seemed the team had tacitly given up on his chances of beating Bromquist’s fastest lap and wanted him to fight for pole in the third main race instead. Having already made up his mind, he asked over the TR, "What’s the track like ahead of me for lap six?"

Alan TR: "The track is clear."