Chapter 83 Car Tuning
It wasn't yet April, and the temperature in London was still pleasant, but the weather was uncooperative; under the heavy gray clouds, the air was damp and almost sticky.
When Wu Shi was in geography class, he always had a biased view of temperate oceanic climates as "warm in winter and cool in summer with small annual temperature differences." However, if he had spent some time here, he would have realized that the actual climate was not as wonderful as described in the textbook.
After settling into the hotel for the night, Wu Shi arrived at the racetrack early the next morning.
On the way, I saw the container trucks rented by the team, and I actually felt a little tempted to drive one. After all, I had spent a lot of time on Euro Truck Simulator, and it was a good way for me to relax off the track.
The FIA had actually organized a one-day test race before, but Wu Shi was in America, which caused a delay.
The team showed him the various parameters of the test, and engineer Airan also explained some points of attention that the test drivers had mentioned before.
After explaining it once, I took him hiking on the Silverstone Circuit.
Hiking along the trail is always the way to understand the trail. Walking in this very familiar place, Wu Shi began to recall various fragments of memories.
Without exception, all of these clips feature the howling wind and roaring engines.
"The track is very fast, with only a few corners that require a lot of slowing down," Alan said, frowning as he noticed the young driver wasn't paying attention.
Wu Shi noticed the pause in his speech, came to his senses, and said, "Understood. The ones that need to be slowed down the most are turns three and four, followed by turns six and sixteen. The other turns can be passed quite quickly, but you need to keep the vehicle under control."
Alan found it strange and couldn't help but ask, "Are you familiar with this track?"
"Yes, I've watched a lot of Formula racing here." Wu Shi nodded, adding in his mind, 'I've also raced quite a few Formula races here.'
"All right."
Ai Lan had heard about Wu Shi's childhood interview, where the reporter asked him why he was so skilled, and his answer was that he had just watched others run by.
At first glance, no one paid attention to this statement, thinking it was just the ignorant arrogance of a child. If you can know how to run just by looking, then what's the point of having data analysts and engineers?
A truly top-notch driver not only needs to be able to drive himself, but also needs a team to help him understand the track.
Now, hearing those words again, he felt uneasy. Could this Chinese man really just be going to run away after a quick glance?
He couldn't believe it and could only continue explaining the track.
The hike took nearly an hour, even if we walked quite fast.
Back in the garage, Wu Shi reviewed the data again and said, "Let's give it a try first."
"This private test was arranged for you because you missed the official test matches. We also applied for two more, but they haven't been approved yet, so you'll need to complete quite a bit of work for today's test," Alan said.
"Yes, I understand."
Wu Shi returned to his changing room and changed into the racing suit required by the FIA.
When he arrived at the repair area, his car was already ready and parked there.
The F3 is much smaller than the F1, and its overall appearance is short and compact.
Wu Shi's F3 was covered with various logos, the most eye-catching of which was the Red Bull logo, followed by the engine supplier, Volkswagen logo, located on the nose cone.
Pengcheng Airlines cannot be printed on the vehicle body because it failed the F3 review.
Most of the sponsors on this car actually had nothing to do with him; he either benefited from the team's sponsorship or from Pan Zi's.
"Take a few laps to get used to it and find your rhythm. Don't rush it," Alan said.
"clear."
"We've prepared a 'Mark' button for you. Remember to press it if anything happens."
The so-called "Mark" button is designed to allow drivers to immediately mark situations they encounter while driving. After the test is completed, engineers will discuss these issues.
"OK".
Wu Shi didn't say much and got into the race car.
Buzz!
The race car was released.
Alan sat in front of a bunch of screens, looking the data up and down; everything seemed normal.
After two warm-up laps, he said in the TR, "Try to speed up."
Wu Shi TR: "Buzz~! Should I fly or cruise speed?"
Alan TR: "Just cruising speed, after all, it's your first time racing on this track, and you're not familiar with it."
Wu Shi (TR): "Actually, I'm already quite familiar with it."
The crew members were somewhat taken aback by the reply. What was this guy bragging about? He was already familiar with it after only two laps?
Alan TR: "OK, I understand, but please use cruising speed and be careful."
Wu Shi TR: "copy."
Wu Shi, who was just approaching Turn 15, was excited, but he still followed the team's instructions and drove at the cruising speed.
After passing turn 15, the vehicle began to accelerate. When it came to the last three turns, it braked hard and easily passed them, then entered the main straight.
Swish!
The sound of racing cars speeding by filled the air.
Alan turned his head to look at the track and said to his colleague, "Pay attention to the data."
"Yes, the monitors are all working properly."
"Everything is normal on my end too."
While the group was talking, Wu Shi had already arrived at Turn 1, which was a relatively fast turn. There was no need to slow down much; in fact, one could even apply the foot brake and then release the accelerator to glide through.
Because it was a cruise control run, and he had only tested the car for two laps, his perception of the car was very low, so he didn't try any fancy tricks and just took the corners normally.
Even under normal circumstances, his experience as an F1 driver still guided him through at a considerable speed.
Rustling sound!
The high-speed bends pass by in the blink of an eye, and the next three, four, and five bends are also adjacent combination bends, with different entry angles depending on different strategy preferences.
Wu Shi used his favorite method: slow in and fast out, slamming on the brakes to reduce his speed to the speed required to enter the curve, and then suddenly plunging in.
Just past the apex of the bend, the accelerator roared, but before it could accelerate much, it released the accelerator again and glided through Turn 4.
"He's only driven this car for two laps, right? How come he's already found the braking point so well?" one mechanic wondered.
"He said he was very familiar with the track, that's probably why," said the crew member on the other side.
Alan rubbed his temples, thinking that this guy had said twice before that he was very familiar with this track. Could he really be that familiar?
But he's never driven here before, has he?
Does he really have the ability to learn by watching others run?
Alan thought it was a bit outrageous, but let's look at the data first.
Whew!
After one lap, the results were announced.
1:56.246.
Alan TR: "Nice speed."
Wu Shi TR: "I felt I was going a bit too slow, and I marked the places where I felt there were problems entering the corners."
Alan TR: "Received, but I still have to correct you. This speed is not slow. According to previous tests, the fastest lap is generally around 1 minute and 52 seconds, and you have only been in this car for less than half an hour."
Wu Shi did not reply; what he said as slow was indeed slow.
The reason is simple, just as Alan said, he had only been driving this car for a short time.
In many places, they dared not open up at all, because damaging the car was a minor issue, but delaying the test was a major one!
Over the next five laps, Wu Shi made slight adjustments to his driving technique with each lap, gradually adapting to the car.
On lap six, he yelled in the radio, "BOXBOX!"
"Received, preparing to enter the station."
The vehicle then pulled into the repair area and parked precisely in its designated pit lane.
"What's going on?" Alan asked as he approached.
Wu Shi climbed out of the car, took off his helmet, and said, "We need to adjust the race car; I feel the steering is very unfriendly to me."
"clear."
Then, Wu Shi removed his hood and moved closer to the engineers and mechanics.
"The damping feels too soft," Wu Shi said, pointing to the front suspension.
"Okay, we'll adjust it for you, but you'll need to do a few laps," Alan said.
Normal car tuning is very complicated. Every little change needs to be tested, otherwise you have no idea what the impact of the change will be.
In particular, some changes may make drivers perform better in certain corners, and the drivers feel very good about themselves. However, when they go back to the pit and check the data, they find that although they are indeed faster in those corners, they lose more time in the rest of the corners as a whole.
"There are a few more issues that I hope we can work together to resolve," Wu Shi said.
"No, child, believe us, you need to be tested before you can say these things," Alan said sternly.
Generally speaking, the car engineers can decide the direction of the car's setup, while the driver's setup can only be considered as an opinion.
"Mr. Ailan, I hope you can let me try this once, just this once, okay?" Wu Shi said sincerely.
Alan paused for a moment and said, "This is your first time trying to drive an F3, and also your first time seriously tuning an F3. I think we experienced people have more experience."
Wu Shi was somewhat helpless, but then Ai Lan continued:
"But we know your amazing skills in karting and Formula Renault testing, so I'm willing to give you this opportunity."
"But you must remember that I'm only allowing you to act so recklessly because of your past performance. If the results are not good, I expect that you will respect the crew's decisions in the upcoming tests and races."
Wu Shi's eyes lit up, and he said, "Of course! Thank you for giving me this opportunity."
"Hmm, tell me about it."
Alan said calmly that, as he said, he was willing to give Wu Shi this opportunity because Wu Shi's previous achievements were so outstanding that he did not dare to completely deny Wu Shi's suggestion.
Secondly, if this exchange proves that Wu Shi's understanding of tuning is flawed, it could put this genius in check and allow the team to communicate better with him in the future.
After all, the more talented someone is, the more arrogant they are, and the more difficult they are to communicate with.
"I like vehicles with oversteer, especially those that have a very sensitive response when entering corners, so I first adjust the negative camber angle. If that's still not enough, I may also need to change the negative toe angle," Wu Shi said.
"Increasing the negative toe angle may cause understeer after the load transfer is completed. Are you sure you need to make this change?" Alan asked rhetorically.
"I know, but the load transfer of the F3 is already very low, so I should be able to control it well," Wu Shi said.
"Alright, since I've agreed, we'll do it your way. Now, tell me, what else do you think needs to be changed?"
"The spring preload may also need to be changed, and the braking force distributed to the rear wheels needs to be increased."
Wu Shi said a great deal, and even Ai Lan frowned in dismay towards the end.
"Wu Shi, I have to remind you again, this is not a simulator, and you can't accurately change the parameters by dragging the data bar. Your actions may cause unknown changes with uncertain results."
"Of course, of course, I know all that, but Alan, didn't you say you'd trust me this once? I need to try out my ideas."
Wu Shi smiled. These adjustments and modifications were based on his experience from his previous life and the conclusions he had drawn from driving the car. After all, he had driven the F3 before. Although the difference between the two F3s was quite large, some experiences were still common.
"Alright then." Alan shook his head helplessly. Anyway, he had a whole day, so he would do it in the morning.
The technicians spent a considerable amount of time completing the preset adjustments.
"Test the water twice first, and remember not to mess around!"
"clear!"
Wu Shi nodded, got into the vehicle, and drove out of the repair area.
After the tuning was changed, the overall feel of the vehicle has changed significantly, both in terms of the perception transmitted from the tires and the feedback from the steering.
As with the previous laps, Wu Shi's speed at Turn 1 did not change much, but because he tended to oversteer, the car was able to steer more sensitively in this high-speed corner.
With a slight turn of the steering wheel, the front of the car steadily points towards the apex of the curve, while the rear wheels lose a little traction. Simply release the accelerator slightly to allow them to regain traction.
The car's speed increased by about 20% just on this one bend.
"Could he have modified it just for this bend?" a technician muttered after seeing the data.
Compared to before, Wu Shi reduced the degree and duration of his braking here, which means he entered the corner at a faster speed.
The data shows that the tire temperature did not rise faster than before, meaning that this second point was achieved without any damage.
"I don't know, let's keep watching." Alan didn't rush to conclusions, even though his opinion was similar to that of his colleagues.
The next turn, number two, is also a high-speed turn. You don't even need to brake; just ease off the accelerator and the car will pass through easily.
As we approached Turn 3, the brake pedal was opened sharply and then gradually lowered.
"The braking point was way too late."
"The tracking is good, though; the braking curve is too linear!"
When Alan heard what his colleagues said, he paid special attention to these parameters, which were indeed shocking.
At this point, Wu Shi had entered the short straight between turns three and four. Here, the car needed to quickly move from the left lane to the right lane and then pass through at the lowest speed of the entire lap.
Just like before, Wu Shi got greedy with the accelerator in the middle. Although the speed only changed by a dozen miles, the time gained was negligible. But after ten laps, it became a visible difference.
After exiting Turn 4, the vehicle accelerated and entered Turn 5.
After DRS appeared, the instructor here used DRS straight track, but unfortunately, it's not available now, so when you step on it, you don't feel that explosive speed that breaks the limit.
Rustling sound!
Wu Shi increased his speed even more on the next few curves.
"He seems to be very comfortable with oversteering!" the technician exclaimed.
"Yes, I noticed that. He really likes to brake late, and in order to enter the corner, he has to oversteer, otherwise he can't get into the corner."
Alan nodded. He was increasingly unable to understand this Chinese prodigy. Was he all self-taught? Otherwise, how could he have tuned a vehicle to suit him so quickly?
It's important to understand that many top drivers, even those who have driven for ten years, only have a vague understanding of the tuning process when asked to provide feedback.
After all, there's a gap between being able to drive a car well and knowing why you can drive a car well.
"How is he able to control himself from fishtailing?" someone asked.
The moment the words were spoken, the race car on the track wagged its tail.
"It seems he doesn't have complete control of the vehicle. This driving style is too dangerous. If he turns the steering wheel even slightly more, the race car will fishtail and go out of control."
Alan shook his head, feeling that this driving style was too dangerous.