Chapter 57 - 21: Alexander Albon

Chapter 57: Chapter 21: Alexander Albon

As the melodious national anthem concluded, Wu Shi looked back at the flag; the small stars were pointing in the right direction.

He raised his trophy high again, waving to the crowd.

"WOOO!!"

"Victory! Victory! Champion! Champion!"

The crowd below began to cheer, celebrating his victory. Aunt Martina and Louise were among them.

When the award ceremony ended and he stepped down from the podium, reporters swarmed him again. "Sorry, Wu Shi, we need to bother you for another moment. You showed dominating strength in this race. Does it make you feel that such races are very boring?"

"Well, rationally speaking, of course. Driving all by myself is quite boring. Aside from mechanical failures, nothing can stop me from winning the championship. But emotionally speaking, I love driving karts. I’m actually enjoying the process.

"I can understand the wonderful sensation of the tires rubbing against the ground at every corner entry. I can feel the impact of the suspension every time I cross a curb. I’m driving a kart, but it feels as if I’m running on the track myself."

"Oh, that’s great. Your experience with karts is quite unique. No wonder you have such terrifying driving skills. Next, will you win every WSK KF3 championship?" a reporter continued to ask.

"I will do my best," Wu Shi nodded.

"Are you participating in the World and Europe Karting Championships this September?"

"Of course."

"Wow, that’s quite good news. Then, do you have the confidence to win the championship? According to our understanding, Alexander Albon Ansusinha will also participate in this race. He has an age advantage over you and has already achieved remarkable results in the United Kingdom."

"Albon? Like my previous answer, I will do my best to win the championship. Any definitive words are meaningless before the race ends. I can only state one thing: I will do my best to win the championship."

After answering the reporters’ questions, Wu Shi walked to the locker room alone. He thought of Albon; this driver was also one of the victims of the Red Bull Racing Team.

He thought, "Wait!"

He suddenly froze, wondering if, with his performance, he would be valued by Marco and subsequently replace Verstappen to enter F1.

This was possible, but not very likely. Marco gave him an impression very similar to Raul from the Laya Team earlier. Unless he had no other choice, would he really choose a Hua Country person?

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Louise’s voice suddenly rang out.

"Hey, hey, I’m still changing clothes!" Wu Shi was speechless.

"Tch, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before," Louise shook her head. She dawdled for a moment before pulling out a necklace and said, "This is for you."

"Eh? Why the sudden gift?"

"Congratulations on your first victory in an international competition!" Louise smiled.

"Thanks."

"Mhm." Louise nodded.

"What’s wrong? You don’t look very happy. Is it because I drove too fast?" Wu Shi joked.

"No, it’s not you. I’m going to middle school soon, and I might not be able to come watch your races then," Louise lowered her head, feeling depressed.

Actually, the time Louise spent with him was already decreasing. He frequently left school early for races. By the time Louise finished school, he would already be in another province, or even another country.

"What’s there to be depressed about? Right now, you should study hard, just like I’m racing karts hard. The future is still very long; we have plenty of time," Wu Shi said as he put on his casual clothes.

"Mhm!" Louise nodded.

Since the start of the WSK Europa Series in early March, Wu Shi’s schedule had been tightly packed because the race calendar was equally intensive.

The race at La Conca ended on March 7th. On March 25th, they would head to the South Garda Track in Lonato, and on April 15th, they would be at the Suella Track. With races taking place almost every two weeks, the entire season would conclude on June 6th in Salerno.

Just a week after the race at La Conca ended, Wu Shi received a notice from the team that Albon would be participating in the Lonato stage as a member of the IDP Team. Since reporters had mentioned Albon earlier, the team naturally paid high attention to this driver.

"He was born in March 1996, two and a half years older than you. He has accumulated a wealth of karting experience and is a formidable opponent," Rosa said as she pulled up the data from Albon’s past few races in the United Kingdom.

Wu Shi glanced at it a few times. Aside from various championships and basic lap times, he didn’t see any useful data. It was impossible for the website to publish data worth analyzing anyway.

"Why didn’t he run the first stage?" Compared to the data, Wu Shi was more concerned about this.

"I’m not too sure. Maybe he didn’t have time? After all, the WSK series is mainly concentrated in Europe. Drivers in the United Kingdom usually race among themselves," Rosa shook her head.

"I understand."

Wu Shi wasn’t worried about Albon’s sudden addition. As long as he maintained an absolute lead from the practice sessions, this kind of standardized kart race would be nothing more than a continuous lap-setting game for him.

Besides, backed by the CRG Team located in Lonato, he couldn’t be any more familiar with the South Garda Track.

"Go down and practice for a few laps first. Max is already running," Rosa said.

"Okay."

Wu Shi started the vehicle, speeding off with a loud VROOM.

It wasn’t until a full forty laps later that he drove the kart back to the pit lane.

"How’s the data?"

"Quite good. Your lap times are consistently in the high 43-second range. Are the tires still okay?" Rosa asked. She found it a bit absurd just looking at the data, so she figured it was best to ask.

"Yeah, basically no problem. I have a knack for tire conservation," Wu Shi smiled. This was a technique that no one else but him could learn.

"Hey, Wu Shi," Verstappen walked over after wiping his sweat. He looked at the data on the computer and muttered, "I can basically only reach the low 44-second range. I have completely no idea where the gap is."

"You might as well ask our former F1 professional driver, Mr. Jos!" Wu Shi pointed at Jos, who was walking toward them.

"Kid, until you can beat me, I suggest you stop talking so arrogantly!" Jos clenched his fists.

"Hehe," Wu Shi scratched the back of his head.

"I feel like your current lead seems to be built on a special car setup. Max is already pushing the absolute limits, running much faster than his previous speeds," Jos said.

He thought, "He’s really sharp."

Wu Shi marveled, thinking to himself that he truly lived up to his title as a former F1 driver.

Without his absolute car feel, it would be difficult for him to achieve these lap times, let alone run steadily for dozens of laps. If he completely abandoned his absolute car feel now, his chances against Verstappen would probably be a sixty-forty split. His win rate was higher simply because he had more experience.

In that case, Verstappen’s skills were indeed improving faster because he was practicing alongside him.

If that were the case, wouldn’t he be able to outpace Albon in the World and Europe Karting Championships? Would he cause Albon, who originally could have won the championship, to reap one less honor during his karting era?

Wait, that didn’t seem right either. Even if Verstappen didn’t win, he would win it himself. The championship that originally belonged to Albon would vanish anyway.

He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, as if he had stolen something from someone else.

However, this feeling didn’t last long. After all, he didn’t know how many more people’s honors he would snatch away in future races.