Chapter 110 - 39: 3 Seconds, 10 Laps, Is There a Chance?

Chapter 110: Chapter 39: 3 Seconds, 10 Laps, Is There a Chance?

Thanks to Verstappen’s swift reaction, he had already pulled 0.4 seconds ahead of O’connor by the time he crossed the starting grid, while Rosenqvist was another 0.5 seconds behind O’connor.

Wu Shi’s gap management was even better; he was just 0.2 seconds behind Rosenqvist on the corner exit.

Just past the halfway point of the straight, he gave a slight feint. The driver ahead, Rosenqvist, immediately pulled to the middle line, while Wu Shi’s car remained on the outside.

Realizing he’d been duped, Rosenqvist immediately moved back to the outside line. But it was as if Wu Shi knew he would. The car that had only feinted a moment ago now turned decisively, cutting across the middle and diving straight for the inside.

Since Rosenqvist had already changed his line once, he couldn’t do it again. That would be considered weaving and could earn him a time penalty, so he dutifully held his line.

SWISH!

Wu Shi dove for the apex. With a single, brilliant feint, he not only stole the inside line but also forced Rosenqvist to make two major steering adjustments, causing him to lose a bit of speed.

But Rosenqvist was sharp, too. If he couldn’t block on corner entry, he would make his move on the exit. He positioned himself firmly on Wu Shi’s left, looking to pin him against the apex.

"Oh! Rosenqvist isn’t giving any ground! Wu Shi can’t track out from the apex to the outside—he can’t accelerate! He’s squeezing toward Rosenqvist! Is Rosenqvist going to yield?

"No! He’s not yielding!"

The commentator roared, his widened eyes catching an astonishing sight. "They’ve touched! Their tires are completely interlocked!"

The instant Rosenqvist felt the slight vibration through the chassis, he knew. ’This guy is actually trying to ram me!’

He had fought so hard for a front-row spot; he couldn’t afford to lose this chance to score points!

"Maniac! Maniac! Maniac!"

He screamed into his team radio while quickly veering toward the outside line.

But he found Wu Shi’s car was seemingly glued to his. Their tires remained locked together, grinding, and he could almost hear the rubber screaming in protest!

’Is he trying to take us both out?!!!!’

Rosenqvist didn’t dare to play chicken any longer and immediately yanked his car to the outside as fast as he could.

SKRRRT!

He crossed into the run-off area, driving completely outside the white lines of the track.

And Wu Shi, now with the entire width of the track to himself, coolly piloted his No. 32 car into Rosenqvist’s former position, rocketing past on the outside.

In the pit garage, several mechanics clutched their heads, mouths agape, utterly speechless.

From their point of view, Wu Shi had simply forced the issue, pressuring Rosenqvist aggressively. After a momentary stalemate, Rosenqvist’s car suddenly shot away as if repelled, flying right off the track.

"Let’s take a look at the replay!!!" ℴℴ𝘮

The commentator clearly felt his eyes had deceived him. Why had Rosenqvist, who initially seemed ready to fight back, suddenly gotten spooked and veered away?

Then, the slow-motion replay made it all clear.

The wheels of the two cars were pressed tightly together, so much so that you could see the tires slightly deforming under the immense pressure.

It was a heart-stopping sight!

Clearly, Rosenqvist had been terrified. The slow-motion replay showed a slight turn of his helmet, immediately followed by a small correction of the steering wheel away from Wu Shi.

But Wu Shi’s car reacted with almost no delay, instantly closing the tiny gap that had opened.

Without the slow-motion replay, no one would have been able to see such incredible detail!

But even with the slow-motion revealing everything, the commentator remained incredulous. He still believed it was just a coincidence that Wu Shi was continuing to push outward at the exact same time Rosenqvist was trying to move away.

He couldn’t help but cry out, "It’s a marvelous coincidence! Wu’s driving is so aggressive!"

On screen, it was clear that if Wu Shi had pushed outward with even slightly more force or speed, both cars would have certainly been forced to retire. And then, you see Rosenqvist, terrified of a crash, quickly pulling away to create distance.

"What incredible wheel-to-wheel action! I can’t believe these two drivers gave us such a breathtaking battle!" the commentator exclaimed, still buzzing with excitement.

But Wu Shi, now in third place, was in no position to say he wanted more. His heart rate had skyrocketed to a staggering 200 beats per minute.

He was, of course, well aware of how dangerous that maneuver had been. A single delayed reaction, and his race would have been over!

He wasn’t just pushing the limits of his own perception and control; he was also gambling that Rosenqvist wouldn’t panic and wrench the steering wheel!

The incredibly delicate series of moves left him feeling like his brain was on fire. His ears were ringing with a loud buzz, like the head rush an anemic person gets after standing up too quickly.

But regardless, he was now in third place, and his next target was the man they called "the Lion": O’connor!

But just one lap later, before he was even in attacking range, another collision occurred. A damaged car came to a stop directly in the run-off area.

Fortunately, the main pack had just passed. Matthew immediately came onto the scene, pushing the two disabled cars toward the barrier.

This simple procedure didn’t trigger a yellow flag, and the race continued.

Alan’s voice came over the team radio: "Rosenqvist made an error. He’s retired from the race."

Thirty seconds later, Wu Shi heard the message from his team. He wondered if he was the reason that a decent driver like Rosenqvist had failed to finish the race.

But professional sports were that cruel. When you made a mistake, you had to be the one to swallow the bitter pill.

By lap nine, the gap between him and O’connor had shrunk to 0.2 seconds. He was now in range to attack.

And that’s when he began to experience O’connor’s defensive prowess. This guy wasn’t easily fooled.

If you only feinted slightly toward the inside, he would only shift slightly, never fully committing to a change of line. He would only make a major move once you did.