Chapter 174 - 95: I Overtook a Mercedes-Benz, but There Are Still Two Mercedes-Benzes Ahead

Chapter 174: Chapter 95: I Overtook a Mercedes-Benz, but There Are Still Two Mercedes-Benzes Ahead

Sometimes, the more you focus on staring at something, the easier it is for your mind to wander. It’s when you’re watching out of the corner of your eye that you can stay constantly alert.

The instant the five red lights illuminated, Wu Shi’s hands landed on the steering wheel, a little hastily.

But the lights seemed to stay on forever, his heart inexplicably starting to race. The moment of the start... when would it come?

Lights out!

He released the clutch on pure instinct, his right foot lightly applying the throttle. The revs were right around the peak of the power curve for first gear.

VROOOOM!

CLUNK!

The engine howled once before settling into a deep thrum.

The car shot forward from a standstill, pinning him against his seat.

VRMM-CHUNK! ROAR!

He held first gear for just a moment before slamming into second. The acceleration surged, and the engine’s roar grew sharper and more powerful.

All of a sudden, Wu Shi noticed the light to his front-right dim. It was Rosberg’s No. 6 Silver Arrow, blocking his view.

’He got a slower start than me!’

The moment he processed this, Wu Shi knew exactly what his move into Turn 1 would be. He didn’t have a single extraneous thought.

Thanks to his lightning-fast start, the No. 59 Williams was actually a full front wing ahead of the No. 6 Mercedes-Benz.

But as they both accelerated, the power of the Mercedes-Benz became obvious. The No. 6 Silver Arrow was closing the gap at a visible rate.

’Too bad!’

Wu Shi wasn’t talking about himself, but Rosberg.

The starting straight at the Albert Park Circuit is very short; it’s less than 300 meters from the front row to Turn 1.

So, Rosberg was out of road to accelerate any further!

As Hamilton in the lead brazenly cut from the far-left outside line all the way to the apex of the right-hand Turn 1, the two cars running side-by-side behind him had no choice but to brake!

Wu Shi, of course, knew where the braking point was. He was on the outside and had no chance of hitting the apex, so he copied Hamilton’s move, turning right abruptly as if he hadn’t checked his mirrors at all.

The No. 6 Silver Arrow was caught completely off guard. Rosberg’s subconscious reaction was to steer right, toward the apex, to get out of the way.

But Rosberg was a veteran, after all. He knew that if he yielded, Wu Shi would gain a massive advantage into the left-hand Turn 2. So, after a brief twitch of the wheel, he held his line firmly.

Wu Shi was well aware of this, but he was a rookie! ’It’s perfectly normal for a rookie to be a little clumsy, a little reckless, right?’

He pressed his advantage, letting the two cars draw even closer.

By the time they reached the apex of Turn 1, the No. 59 Williams and the No. 6 Mercedes-Benz were practically glued together, occupying the track just right of center. At that point, the slightest turn of the wheel toward the other would result in a collision.

Both drivers had impeccable car control—neither dared to move an inch.

But the right-hand Turn 1 was followed by the left-hand Turn 2. To make the corner, they had to turn left.

And who was on the left? Wu Shi, of course.

Wu Shi didn’t turn left at all, instead aiming straight for the guardrail on the right side of the track.

Rosberg could have turned left and forced the issue, but he didn’t dare risk it. He couldn’t bet on Wu Shi being able to react in time. More importantly, he couldn’t bet his chances of fighting Hamilton for the championship on not retiring from the very first race!

So, he backed down.

This entire psychological battle took place in a matter of milliseconds, a series of instinctive thoughts flashing through the drivers’ minds.

WHOOSH!

Only after they were completely through Turn 1 did Wu Shi turn his wheel to the left, giving up the space.

He held the absolute advantage and had the opportunity to get on the throttle earlier. In an instant, he surged past the No. 6 Mercedes-Benz, his entire car pulling ahead.

"WOOOW!!!" The grandstands by Turn 1 erupted into cheers.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

The brilliant overtake off the line earned a round of applause in the garage. Claire, wearing sunglasses, broke into a smile and clapped lightly.

’It’s a shame Father isn’t feeling well today. If only he were here to see this!’

Commentator David saw it and shouted in disbelief, "He’s overtaken Rosberg! He’s overtaken Rosberg! He has overtaken Rosberg!"

He repeated himself three times before composing himself. He had no time for a detailed analysis, however, as the situation on track was still chaotic, with action everywhere!

The battle between the drivers in second and third naturally left a huge opening for the cars behind.

But the driver starting in fourth was Massa, who happened to be driving the other Williams.

Massa didn’t hesitate for a second. He took a defensive line down the middle, holding off the two Ferraris, which had also gotten good starts, before they reached the corner.

The first six cars made it through Turns 1 and 2 one after another, but a bottleneck in the midfield led to a collision. Grosjean of Lotus was clipped by Kvyat of Red Bull, lost control, and slammed head-first into the barrier on the right side of Turn 2.

Jonathan’s voice came over the radio, "Virtual Safety Car! Virtual Safety Car!"

This was a new rule introduced this year. Under the Virtual Safety Car, all cars had to adhere to a speed limit, regardless of their position on the track. This was different from the old local yellow flags, which only required drivers to slow down in the specific sector where the flag was waved.

Wu Shi dutifully slowed down. Behind him, Rosberg followed suit, all the fight seemingly gone out of him.

However, just ten seconds later, Race Control deployed the physical safety car.

With the pace controlled, the cars formed an orderly train.

Wu Shi glanced at the No. 44 Mercedes-Benz, then looked further ahead at the brand-new Mercedes-Benz GTS safety car. He joked to his team over the radio:

"I overtook one Mercedes-Benz, but there are still two of them in front of me."

"...Yes, that was a great overtake," Jonathan replied. He wasn’t much for humor.

With his joke falling flat, Wu Shi’s elation faded slightly.

The safety car would be out for at least three or four laps, which would undoubtedly help everyone save their tires.

Every team’s strategy group was re-evaluating their plans. A one-stop strategy was looking more and more likely.

At the end of the third lap, the safety car signaled that it would be coming into the pits.

Hamilton slowed down a little. Seeing an unfamiliar car in his rearview mirror instead of the other Mercedes-Benz actually made him a little happy. As he weaved from side to side to warm his tires, an idea began to form.

The safety car peeled off into the pit lane entrance, and the lead car was now free to control the pace.

As they rounded the final corner, the green flags waved. Once the lead car crossed the start-finish line, the race would be back on!

Hamilton’s reaction was incredibly quick; he accelerated without mercy.

Wu Shi, however, couldn’t care less when Hamilton decided to go. His goal was to hold off Rosberg. So, only after Hamilton had already been accelerating for a moment did he suddenly punch the throttle.

Rosberg, behind them, wasn’t paying attention to Hamilton either. He knew he just needed to keep his eyes glued to Wu Shi.

The two cars accelerated away, one after the other. Luckily for Wu Shi, the short straight didn’t give Rosberg an opportunity to attack.

After clearing the corner, Wu Shi glanced at Rosberg. His advantage was slim; the Mercedes-Benz was much faster through the corners!

’I can’t keep this up,’ he thought. ’I’ll be overtaken.’

On the straight after Turn 2, the Williams deployed its full electrical power. The immense downforce pressed the car lower, its floor scraping against the tarmac and kicking up a shower of sparks.

Rosberg, not to be outdone, was equally determined to reclaim his lost position.