Chapter 162 - 83: All for Nothing

Chapter 162: Chapter 83: All for Nothing

The moment Ricciardo’s time was posted, Sid could no longer sit still. If the gap had been 0.3 or 0.4 seconds, he could have accepted it.

But the difference was a mere twenty-five thousandths of a second!

Had Wu Shi not given him a heads-up beforehand, there was no way he would have remained this restrained.

Even with the prior warning, his expression was incredibly dark, as if he might explode at the first person he bumped into.

In reality, once he forced his emotions to stabilize, his mind began racing.

As Wu Shi’s manager, his job after an incident wasn’t to uselessly complain about what had happened, but to figure out how to recoup their losses.

He mentally drafted his plans. In their upcoming negotiations with the Mercedes Team, securing a seat with them still had to be the top priority. Whether a chance remained or not, he had to fight for it.

Standing behind Peter, Wu Shi knew the reporters would soon swarm him, creating an impenetrable blockade. Anticipating this, he went to the back area early, changed his clothes, put on a face mask and sunglasses, and quietly slipped out of the paddock.

Walking down the streets of Singapore, the abundance of Chinese faces made him feel as though he were strolling through a city back home.

"When gratitude and grudges are split in half, how do I..."

His ringtone chimed. Sure enough, it was a call from Louise.

"Hello," he answered.

"Um, Wu Shi, Mom and I... we’re packing to fly out to Singapore right now..."

Louise stammered, as if she had forgotten how to speak.

"Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I’ll leave the fallout for Sid and the team to handle," Wu Shi replied, his tone steady.

The other end of the line clearly hadn’t expected him to be so emotionally stable. After a brief silence, Martina’s voice came through:

"It’s good to hear you’re alright. You should come back to the country and visit when you have the time."

"I will."

Hanging up the phone, Wu Shi let out a sigh. He had always felt that driving a race car was a remarkably simple thing.

It was nothing like the paddock. The chaotic interpersonal relationships and the hidden agendas of the people involved turned the whole sport into a giant, murky melting pot. If someone steeped in it for long enough, how could they possibly remain untainted?

If he were still just a hot-blooded teenager, he probably would have flown into a rage.

But having weathered so much already, he understood that his greatest advantage at the negotiating table right now was simply the overwhelming potential he had displayed.

Yet potential, at the end of the day, was nothing but unfulfilled talent. It could never serve as a true trump card.

As for the sponsors backing him, the major teams weren’t desperate for their money, and he felt it would be inappropriate to settle for a minor team.

Because Williams had adopted the Mercedes-Benz engine system over the past two years, they had also become regulars on the podium.

Perhaps lying low with them for a couple of years wouldn’t be a bad idea.

As for Ferrari, it was better to leave that burden to the world champions.

Aunt Martina was absolutely right. Ferrari’s internal structure was a chaotic mess; if he went there, he would only become a casualty of their factional infighting.

Why was Schumacher able to carry the banner for Ferrari back in the day?

It wasn’t just because of his unparalleled skill, but also because he was able to bring his own dedicated team with him.

A driver like Wu Shi, who lacked his own team of engineers, would inevitably have to rely entirely on the team’s existing engineering system once he joined.

And Ferrari’s current lineup of almost exclusively native Italy engineers would hardly be an easy crowd to work with.

"Two years..."

He wondered if Rosberg would still announce his sudden retirement in 2016.

He didn’t know the answer, but he was certain of one thing: he would absolutely not make things easy for those two drivers.

In some ways, his personality was very much like Verstappen’s. Out on the track, if there was a chance to fight, he would fight. And if there wasn’t, he would forge the conditions to fight anyway.

...

The Singapore Grand Prix proceeded as scheduled. As the reconnaissance lap concluded, Rosberg brought his car to a halt on the starting grid.

Mercedes Team Radio: "Nico, try restarting the engine. If that doesn’t work, try starting it in gear."

Rosberg followed the instructions, but even after pressing the ignition several times, the car flatly refused to start.

Rosberg over Team Radio: "I can’t get it into gear. The engine has no power."

He jerked the steering wheel left and right from a standstill, clearly growing agitated.

However, the start sequence would not be delayed for his unexpected misfortune. Soon, the green lights flashed on, signaling the start of the formation lap.

One by one, the other race cars roared past him. Rosberg frantically continued his attempts to start the vehicle, but even as the starting Great Straight emptied out completely, his car remained dead on the track.

Helpless, he finally gave up. Looking up at the marshals waving yellow flags ahead of him, he rested his hands on the steering wheel, his gaze turning hollow and distant.

A moment later, the Mercedes Team pit crew rushed onto the track and hastily pushed Rosberg’s car into the pit lane.

From within the pit lane, Rosberg attempted to restart the engine once more. Following some rapid repairs by the mechanics, it finally roared to life.

But his relief was short-lived. A warning indicator immediately flared up on his steering wheel, pointing to a suspected electronic system failure.

This was undeniably bad news. Fortunately, since the engine had successfully started, he could at least still participate in the race.

As the number six car emerged from the pit lane dead last, miles behind the pack, there was no telling what was going through Rosberg’s mind.

Relying on the sheer performance advantage of the Mercedes-Benz car, he might still be able to claw his way back into the points and mitigate the damage.

But by lap thirteen, the car’s steering wheel control system failed completely. The vehicle was completely undrivable, forcing him into a devastating retirement.

His hard-fought battles on Saturday and his desperate efforts just moments ago had all been a complete exercise in futility.

Yet, what was an absolute nightmare for Rosberg proved to be a stroke of extraordinary luck for Hamilton.

With his teammate out of the race, there was no longer a single driver on the track capable of threatening Hamilton. He coasted to an easy victory, and in doing so, leapfrogged his teammate by three points in the overall championship standings.

Watching from the sidelines, Wu Shi looked over at Rosberg, who had long since returned to the pit lane to watch the remainder of the race. The man’s mental state looked far more agonized than his own had been.

Perhaps sensing a sort of kindred misery, Rosberg met his gaze and said, "We’ve both lost incredibly important things because of this car."

Looking into his bloodshot eyes, Wu Shi completely understood the crushing pressure weighing on the man’s heart.

Rosberg and Hamilton had known each other since they were children. Evenly matched in skill, the two had been fierce rivals who deeply respected one another, naturally blossoming into close friends.

They had fought tooth and nail on the track and pushed each other to improve off it.

They had forged a profound friendship from a young age, one that lasted until they finally reunited at Mercedes-Benz, fulfilling the promise they had made as boys: "To fight side by side as teammates in Formula 1!"

At first, both had been utterly thrilled. They made a second pact to be just like they were during their karting days—promising never to let their on-track competition sour their relationship.

But when the ultimate temptation—the World Championship title that no driver could ever refuse—was dangled right in front of them, their close friendship hadn’t even survived half a season.

Rosberg had no one to confide in about his inner pain and struggles. The emotions brewing in his chest were agonizingly complex. They were a tangled web of the raw greed that came with yearning for the championship, the profound agony of destroying a lifelong friendship, the bitter grievance of encountering unfair misfortune, the sheer terror of trying to prove his own worth, and the crippling fear of how the rest of the world might judge him.

"But we have also gained incredibly precious things because of this car," Wu Shi replied softly.

Unlike Rosberg, Wu Shi’s emotions weren’t running nearly as high. He had already vented his frustrations while wandering the streets of Singapore the night before.

Rosberg froze, staring at him in stunned silence for a long time.