Chapter 159: Pretty Much the Limit
Wu Shi was the first to roll out of the pit lane.
Only the two Mercedes cars were ahead of him.
Judging by their pace, those two looked ready to fight each other to the death the moment they reached the circuit.
Wu Shi shut everything else out.
Soft tyres.
Instantly, the difference was obvious.
Compared to the medium compound, the grip level was on another tier—especially for a Williams car that favored straight-line speed. The additional traction gave him far more confidence on corner entry and exit.
His heart rate climbed steadily.
He wanted to secure a Q3-worthy lap in one attempt.
According to the regulations, any driver who reached Q3 had to start the race on the tyres used for their fastest lap in Q2. That meant this set of softs would be his race-start tyres.
The fresher they were, the better.
As the car circulated, Wu Shi replayed the lap in his mind like a looping slideshow.
Turns 1 and 2: third gear, gearbox adjustment mid-exit—maximize traction, avoid rear instability.
Turns 6 and 7: reset differential, shift brake bias rearward.
Turns 9 and 10: engine mode up—use straight-line speed to recover time lost elsewhere.
Despite the complexity, his thoughts were calm and structured.
When the mental replay reached Turn 16, the FW37 arrived there in perfect sync.
---
Qualifying mode.
The engine roared.
Wu Shi clipped the apex at Turn 16 and launched onto the main straight.
DRS detection—passed.
DRS open.
The power unit unleashed everything it had.
With the soft tyres biting hard into the asphalt, acceleration was immediate and violent.
Crossing the start–finish line:
307 km/h.
Four kilometers per hour faster than Q1.
Maximum speed down the straight:
325 km/h.
Six kilometers per hour gained.
This straight alone was worth at least two tenths.
Into Turns 1 and 2.
Perfect.
Wu Shi aimed directly at the Turn 1 apex, held steering lock longer than instinct suggested, and only began unwinding once the car pointed three degrees past the Turn 2 apex.
Experience told him that if he corrected earlier, he'd need an extra steering input over the slippery kerb.
He didn't.
No correction.
No hesitation.
The car rotated as if on rails.
Mid-exit, his right thumb flicked the gearbox setting. His hands flowed smoothly into the next steering input.
Throttle down.
Acceleration clean.
"Much smoother than Q1," Jonathan murmured on the pit wall.
What impressed him most wasn't raw speed—it was Wu Shi's terrifying learning rate.
---
Ahead, Nico Rosberg had already reached Sector 2.
27.986 seconds.
Fastest first sector.
But only moments later, Lewis Hamilton went quicker.
27.916 seconds.
Even faster.
Once again, Mercedes made it painfully clear: the front row would likely be an internal affair.
Wu Shi sliced through Turn 5 and powered down the short straight.
Sector 1 flashed up.
28.109 seconds.
Still a gap to Mercedes—but Jonathan was satisfied. Wu Shi had been aggressive exiting Turn 5, but the time loss was minimal.
Rosberg stormed through Sector 2:
28.101 seconds.
Twenty seconds later, Hamilton answered.
28.012 seconds.
The duel was relentless.
Nearly everyone was watching the silver cars.
Almost no one noticed the Williams.
Twenty seconds later, Wu Shi crossed Sector 2.
28.122 seconds.
An improvement—clean, controlled, but not enough to disturb the Mercedes fight ahead.
By then, Rosberg had already finished his lap.
1:27.097.
A terrifying number.
Almost into the 1:26s.
Rosberg (radio): "Woohoo, that felt pretty good."
Engineer: "Yes. Very good."
Rosberg: "How do I compare to Lewis?"
Engineer: "He was faster in Sectors 1 and 2."
Rosberg: "…"
Silence.
Then Hamilton crossed the line.
Final sector: 30.966 seconds.
Final lap time:
1:26.894.
David Croft's voice erupted.
"That was absolutely sensational! Lewis Hamilton still has that phenomenal one-lap ability—even with a small slide at Turn 15, he's into the one-minute twenty-sixes! That leaves us plenty to look forward to in Q3!"
Applause broke out in the Mercedes garage.
But it barely had time to fade.
Because moments later, another car crossed the line.
Car number 59.
---
1:27.341.
The Williams pit box erupted.
David Croft raised his voice again.
"Wu Shi has delivered a one-minute twenty-seven point three four one! Only two hundred and forty-four thousandths off Nico Rosberg! What an extraordinary lap from the young Chinese driver!"
"Before qualifying, people asked whether I was biased toward Wu Shi—whether he could really reach Q3. Even I hesitated, considering his age and experience."
"But now—there is no room left for doubt."
"He doesn't just know how to drive a Formula 1 car."
"He knows how to drive it well."
The broadcast cut to Wu Shi's onboard as his radio played.
Wu Shi: "These tyres should be in the optimal window for the race start."
Jonathan: "Confirmed. Congratulations—you're into Q3 on your debut."
Wu Shi: "This is everyone's effort. Without the car, I couldn't do this."
David analyzed immediately.
"It sounds like Wu Shi already has the race in mind. Williams, running Mercedes power, may once again be the only team capable of applying pressure—just as they did last season."
Martin Brundle added quietly, "They can match Mercedes over a single lap—but over race distance, based on winter testing, Mercedes still has the edge."
"Absolutely," David agreed. "It's not just the power unit—it's the whole aerodynamic philosophy."
---
Like the Mercedes drivers, Wu Shi completed only one flying lap.
Back in the garage, Jonathan leaned in.
"Is there anything left?"
Wu Shi shook his head.
"That felt like the limit."
Jonathan checked the data.
The car was already on the edge.
Wu Shi sat calmly in the cockpit.
Williams wasn't supposed to beat Mercedes.
He estimated the true race gap would be around 1.4 seconds.
Mercedes hadn't even shown their full hand yet.
Q3 would only get faster.
He had carefully preserved a set of soft tyres with just three laps on them—for the start.
Not to fight Mercedes.
But to fight for the podium.
---
Vettel's lap came shortly after.
Two warm-up laps, clean air, flawless execution.
1:27.742.
Massa followed.
1:27.807.
Williams fifth—close.
Sainz took eighth with 1:28.601, forcing Ricciardo down to ninth.
Verstappen ended Q2 twelfth with 1:28.868, pushing Kvyat to thirteenth.
The camera cut to Helmut Marko.
His sharp, mismatched gaze made the air feel heavy.
Q2 eliminations:
Nasr
Verstappen
Kvyat
Hülkenberg
Pérez
Five drivers out.
Q3 awaited.