Chapter 159 - 80: There Is No Injustice

Chapter 159: Chapter 80: There Is No Injustice

After changing into a Mercedes-Benz T-shirt in the back area, Wu Shi returned to the pit lane. The mechanics were currently dismantling the No. 6 W05. If the gearbox issue wasn’t resolved, it would likely affect the official race. If it couldn’t be fixed now, it might even delay the second practice session scheduled for nine o’clock tonight.

"You did great out there. Have you really never driven an F1 car before? Not even on a simulator?" Niki Lauda asked as he approached.

Wu Shi caught the underlying meaning in his words. He smiled and replied, "I’ve definitely never touched a real F1 car. But if the game *F1 2013* counts as a simulator, then maybe I have."

"Hahaha! Once the Singapore Grand Prix is over, we’ll have a proper chat with you." Niki Lauda patted him on the shoulder.

Wu Shi nodded. The dust wouldn’t truly settle until after tomorrow’s qualifying session.

Truth be told, his lap time wasn’t slow. The Mercedes Team was only acting so serious right now because that brief limitation in engine power had exposed internal issues within the team. He felt that his time might not necessarily suppress Hamilton or Rosberg, but beating Red Bull and Ferrari should be a walk in the park.

Toto also came over to ask how he felt. Wu Shi expressed that it was a very comfortable drive and the car was excellent; he really wanted to take one home right away.

"Since you love Mercedes-Benz so much, we’ll gift you one when you come of age." Toto chuckled and pointed at the reporters being held back by the barriers. "There are some journalists over there who can’t wait to talk to you. Take this break to go meet them."

The moment Wu Shi walked over, the Sky Sports reporter quickly thrust a microphone forward. On the other side, a reporter from the Italian Post aggressively shoved their way to the front. However, Wu Shi looked toward the CCTV reporter, signaling for him to ask the first question.

The reporter offered a smile and said, "Before the interview begins, please allow me to express my feelings."

Wu Shi smiled and nodded.

"Wu Shi! You are awesome!" the reporter shouted.

"COUGH COUGH!" Wu Shi nearly choked.

"Hahaha." The reporter laughed happily, then continued in a passionate tone, "Hello, Wu Shi. I’m a reporter from the CCTV Sports Channel. I’m truly, incredibly excited right now. I think when you set that lap time of 1 minute and 45.879 seconds, the entire Hua Country racing community must have been shaken!

"This is truly an outstanding lap time. According to predictions, it has a massive chance of ranking in the top three during qualifying. As a driver experiencing F1 for the very first time, what are your thoughts on your own performance?"

The CCTV reporter’s emotion far outweighed the actual content of his question. However, when the Chinese interview began, the rest of the journalists were completely bewildered. They would have to hire someone to translate it for them later!

"Thank you, thank you. I can feel your excitement, and honestly, I’m extremely thrilled myself. This isn’t just because I get to drive an F1 car, but because I get to directly pilot this year’s championship-winning car. I don’t think any rookie driver is as lucky as I am.

"As for today’s lap time, I believe I gave it my absolute all. I didn’t have much time to familiarize myself with this car, and I felt that I didn’t take many of the racing lines well enough. So, in order to achieve a faster lap time, I had to push it to the absolute limit.

"Overall, it’s a lap that I’m satisfied with."

Wu Shi didn’t mention the "no power" incident, and the CCTV reporter naturally wouldn’t put him in a difficult position, smoothly moving on to the next question.

"We all saw that you were driving at the extreme limit. There were several times where it looked like you had already crashed, but unexpectedly, you just narrowly scraped by. You utilized every single bit of available track space. Your skills are on par with many veteran drivers, and we are so proud that Hua Country has produced such an outstanding driver like you.

"So, could you please look at the camera and say hello to your fans back home?"

Wu Shi nodded, looked at the CCTV cameraman behind the reporter, and said, "Hello to all the racing fans out there. I’m Wu Shi, an active F3 driver. I’m very glad you could take the time to watch my race, and thank you all for your support." He waved at the camera.

This scene was broadcast back to the domestic sports channels. Those who went out of their way to tune into the race tonight were all fans who closely followed Wu Shi. Seeing his slightly messy hair as he greeted them, many couldn’t help but roar in excitement. The ecstatic screams even drew complaints from some neighbors.

Meanwhile, on Six-Star Sports, they were using the official F1 broadcast feed, so viewers only saw a side profile of the scene.

"A Chinese interview! I never expected... I never thought we’d live to see such a sight," Brother Bing sighed emotionally.

"Yeah! Wu Shi really showed CCTV a lot of respect by accepting their interview first."

"COUGH COUGH!" Brother Bing coughed twice as a reminder. What did he mean by "showing CCTV respect"? He quickly added, "The right to speak in a global event like F1 has always been in the hands of the West. Being able to conduct an interview in Chinese is truly no easy feat. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t even dare to imagine it."

Brother Fei caught on and followed up on his words. "That’s right. For all we know, foreign media might start criticizing Wu Shi tomorrow. However, the talent and speed Wu Shi has displayed, along with the massive sponsorships backing him, mean he doesn’t have to worry about being influenced by these outlets."

"That’s exactly what I’m saying. If this were any other driver from Hua Country, it would be absolutely unthinkable!" Brother Bing said.

After the CCTV reporter’s interview concluded, the Sky Sports reporter finally got the chance to ask questions. They weren’t here for some mutual praise, playing-house style interview; they were here to hunt for sensational headlines!

"Wu Shi, you just achieved an excellent result, and we are witnessing the rise of a remarkably gifted driver. I imagine your lap time has likely fulfilled your agreement with Mercedes-Benz. Does this mean you might become an official driver for the Mercedes Team next year? How are you feeling right now?"

Hearing this, Wu Shi instantly caught the trap hidden within the words. Good heavens, they were directly operating on the premise that he was already set to become a Mercedes-Benz driver. He thought for a moment before replying, "I’m very grateful that the Mercedes Team provided me with the opportunity to participate in a practice session today. This is a privilege I enjoy as a member of the Mercedes-Benz driver development program, and I consider it to be an incredibly precious experience in itself."

"Then do you believe your time will be enough to rank in the top three during tomorrow’s qualifying?" Seeing that Wu Shi didn’t take the bait, the Sky Sports reporter tried a different angle.

"During the first practice session, no one really showed their true pace. I’m not sure how much potential everyone else is still hiding. Furthermore, my experience in F1 racing is severely lacking. This simply isn’t something I can judge," Wu Shi replied, remaining completely watertight.

The Sky Sports reporter stubbornly refused to give up, continuing to press him. "Right at the end, we heard you say ’no power.’ What was that about?"

"I’m not an engineer for the team, so I’m not clear on what happened."

"But it affected your final time. If you miss out on the top three in qualifying because of this slight margin, would you feel that it’s unfair?"

Wu Shi stared into the reporter’s brown eyes. They really weren’t going to let this go until they dragged something out of him, were they? He replied, "There’s nothing unfair about it. Ever since I raced go-karts, I’ve understood that encountering mechanical issues on the track is something every driver faces. It’s just part of racing, isn’t it?"

The Sky Sports reporter smiled and nodded. This boy from Hua Country was so meticulously guarded that he hardly seemed like a sixteen-year-old. He had completely deflected every question, so the reporter didn’t press any further.

Next up was the Italian media. Their initial request was identical to CCTV’s—asking Wu Shi to say hello to his fans in Italian. Wu Shi put on a bright smile and greeted his Italian fans. Ironically enough, he actually had more fans in Italy right now than he did back home!

After the interviews wrapped up, Wu Shi could finally take a breather. During the subsequent second practice session, he held his water bottle, put on his headphones, and leisurely watched the other drivers battle it out on the track.

During the second practice, most drivers tested the degradation performance of the supersoft tires. Due to his gearbox issue, Rosberg didn’t go for a flying lap. He completed thirty laps at race pace, clocking a fastest time of 1 minute and 49.075 seconds. It seemed the gearbox issue was indeed severely impacting him, preventing him from attempting a fastest lap.

Hamilton, Alonso, and Ricciardo, representing the Mercedes Team, Ferrari, and Red Bull respectively, all clocked times in the 1-minute 46-second range. This speed indicated that these guys were already secretly competing against one another.

As he watched Hamilton’s fastest lap, Wu Shi pondered it repeatedly. Hamilton didn’t drive particularly fast on this lap, but he also hadn’t pushed it to the limit. If he had been slightly more aggressive—not even to the point of brushing against the barriers—he could have easily slipped into the high 1-minute 45-second range. It appeared that Hamilton’s understanding of the track was profoundly deep. Wu Shi silently replayed the race in his mind.

By the time the second practice session ended, it was already ten-thirty at night.

The night track was brilliantly illuminated by the floodlights. The engineers began inspecting and maintaining the cars that had returned to the pit lane.