Chapter 118 - 44: Did You Go to School?

Chapter 118: Chapter 44: Did You Go to School?

As the two walked out of the Mercedes-Benz Headquarters, they were treated to a rare clear sky over the United Kingdom. A bright moon hung in the air, and below the heavens, the lights on the buildings twinkled like stars. The chirping of insects echoed in their ears.

Sid’s face was stiff from smiling, but he still couldn’t bring the corners of his mouth down. He held the briefcase he usually carried firmly against his chest.

"I really didn’t expect the seat to be finalized just like that!" His hoarse voice was full of excitement.

In the contract, Mercedes-Benz promised to conduct a practice session test at the Japanese Grand Prix. Based on Wu Shi’s performance, they would arrange the subsequent steps. As for how many complex struggles and negotiations would follow to securely land the seat, that wasn’t worth considering right now.

Of course, there was a penalty clause in this contract. If Wu Shi did not choose them, the breach of contract penalty was a staggering ten million euros! This was clearly meant to make it impossible for Wu Shi to back out. Correspondingly, the penalty for Mercedes-Benz breaching the contract was up to fifteen million euros. This was the sincerity Niki Lauda had promised to offer.

Wu Shi couldn’t be more grateful to the old man. Originally, he was just aiming for a third-driver position. Now, he had cut through the competition to secure the Bob Williams seat, and even reached the point of competing for a Mercedes-Benz seat.

"It looks like we need to find a way to terminate the contract with Rafa," Sid said.

"Yeah."

Because the penalty clauses in the contract had to be mutual, Sid had fought hard during the negotiations to prevent Rafa from backing out. He hadn’t expected it to actually restrict them now.

"Can’t we just not win?" Wu Shi asked after thinking for a moment.

"What? That’s a championship! How can you give it up over something like this?" Sid was baffled. Every championship was a tremendous honor. How could this guy just drop it like it was nothing? Moreover, wasn’t giving up like this a bit contrary to the spirit of competition?

"We already have six at home, plus a whole pile of karting trophies. Aunt Martina has even complained that there are too many and we need to prepare a dedicated storage room for them."

Wu Shi seemed indifferent. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about honor, but he was human too, and he could be lazy. He really didn’t want to experience another pursuit race like the one at the Hockenheimring!

The feeling of having his physical and mental strength completely drained was not pleasant. If the Ibuprofen hadn’t been effective, the accompanying headache that night would have left him exhausted yet unable to sleep. It was sheer torture. Therefore, thinking back to the Hockenheimring, his mind vehemently resisted.

"Although you’ve grown accustomed to these honors, I still hope you treat them seriously," Sid suddenly spoke up. Catching Wu Shi’s gaze, he added, "I’m not criticizing you; I’m merely passing on the values I believe to be correct."

"Yeah, I know." Wu Shi didn’t say anything else. When facing a senior’s moral teachings, arguing was not a wise choice.

Wu Shi and Sid took a red-eye flight straight to France, as preparations for the practice and qualifying sessions were to begin on Friday.

The Pau Circuit was the ultimate street circuit. The track was so narrow and cramped that even the qualifying sessions had to be split into two groups to prevent congestion.

"The Pyrenees Mountains. I’ve only ever seen them in geography textbooks before," Wu Shi remarked.

"Huh?" Sid looked confused. "What’s wrong?"

"Have you even been to school? You say you’ve seen them in textbooks."

Damn it, he actually had no way to refute that.

"I haven’t read much. I’m just an ignoramus," Wu Shi said in Chinese.

"What do you mean?"

"We call uneducated people illiterate. The proper Chinese characters for that are written like this," Wu Shi wrote on a paper bag. "Now look, the internet slang I just used is written like this."

Wu Shi wrote two more characters.

"Whoa, aren’t they exactly the same?"

"Right, they are! So you’re illiterate too, HAHAHAHA!" Wu Shi laughed out loud.

"Wait, they aren’t the same characters?" Sid looked completely bewildered.

"Of course not. Look at these minor strokes here," Wu Shi explained.

"Oh, I see. It’s actually like English words spelled with similar-looking letters. That’s really quite interesting," Sid said.

"Alright, enough joking around. I need to go prepare for the race," Wu Shi said.

"Yeah, good luck. After finalizing your seat on Thursday, I finally have some free time to watch you race."

There were two practice sessions on Friday morning, scheduled at 11:10 AM and 11:55 AM respectively.

"Wu, pay attention. This track is incredibly narrow and winding. Even if you’ve tried it in the simulator, you must be very careful with your speed control," Alan reminded him.

"Understood."

The Boucle de Pau Track had a total of sixteen corners. Its narrowest sections were like a two-lane road, and the latter half was so twisty that a moment’s inattention would send the car straight into the wall. It was truly similar to Monaco in that regard! Or rather, all street circuits were a pain like this. There were no run-off areas; if you crashed, you might as well wait to retire from the race.

What left the deepest impression on Wu Shi, however, was the track’s inconsequential overall shape. Viewed from above, it looked like a floating ghost. On this track, it was impossible not to have an accident, even during practice sessions.

As Wu Shi drove his car onto the track, he was exceptionally cautious, not daring to be the slightest bit careless. He had never driven on this track before. The little practice time he had in the simulator was nowhere near enough to familiarize himself with it, not to mention that the data in a small team’s simulator differed too obviously from reality. He couldn’t rely on its braking data.

To learn how to conquer this track, he had to depend entirely on these two practice sessions.

For the first few laps, Wu Shi drove very slowly. He was gradually getting used to the environment, and the car’s data needed corresponding adjustments. He communicated with the team as he drove, having them record the conditions.

After the two practice sessions concluded, the fastest lap in the first session went to Verstappen, and the second went to O’connor. Wu Shi’s speed advantage was very inconspicuous.

Therefore, the moment the practice sessions ended and Wu Shi took off his helmet, all he wanted was to go sample some French cuisine as soon as possible. Instead, he was completely surrounded by reporters.

"Hey! Wu, you seemed to be struggling out there. Is it because you aren’t used to this kind of street circuit?"

"I’ve never raced on this track before, so I’m not too familiar with it, but I don’t feel like I was struggling," Wu Shi answered honestly.

"Oh! Well, we hope you achieve good results in the qualifiers! Your outstanding performance last weekend has already shocked everyone. We were wondering what your plans are for next year?"

The reporters were eager to know any information regarding Wu Shi and the F1 teams. After all, a journalist had taken photos of him and his agent entering and exiting the Mercedes-Benz Headquarters yesterday.

Wu Shi had no idea his itinerary had been exposed. He was very busy lately and didn’t have much time to browse his phone.

"It’s only May. It’s a bit too early to be talking about next year, isn’t it?" Wu Shi shrugged, declining any further interviews.

After changing his clothes, he called Verstappen, Focca, and the others, and they headed straight for the restaurant.