Chapter 246: Returning to Second Place
After the overtake, the downhill section arrived quickly, allowing Wu Shi to maintain his lead with ease. The narrow track behind left Hamilton with no opportunity to pass. By the midpoint of the first lap, positions finally stabilized:
1. Wu Shi | 2. Hamilton | 3. Pérez | 4. Ricciardo | 5. Bottas
Rosberg had dropped to sixth, with Vettel, Grosjean, Massa, and Ericsson behind him.
The chaotic start meant no one had noticed what unfolded further back, so the director rolled replays. From overhead, Rosberg's launch was extremely slow – he fell behind Wu Shi, Pérez, and Ricciardo before the straight ended. At Turn 1, Pérez and Ricciardo blocked left and right, forcing Rosberg even further back. Bottas, who initially struggled off the line, benefited from Grosjean being held up and managed to hold position, then slipped past Rosberg during the subsequent scramble to claim fifth.
Multi-angle shots made it clear: Rosberg and Bottas had made critical starting errors, while Hamilton's mistake was minor. Wu Shi and Ricciardo had excellent launches, with Pérez close behind. The new Belgian Grand Prix starting regulations had clearly amplified the gap between drivers' starting skills.
The Williams pit box erupted in cheers; Mercedes personnel clutched their heads in disbelief. Force India, rarely in the spotlight, finally earned some screen time.
When the replay ended, track action resumed. Rosberg had closed in on Bottas and attacked repeatedly. Bottas, still developing his defensive skills, locked up in a corner, allowing Rosberg to overtake cleanly through Turns 18-19 with a cross-line move. Vettel capitalized on the opportunity, using slipstream on the main straight to surge past Bottas into Turn 1.
"He's still young – his abilities will sharpen with time," the commentary noted of Bottas.
Ferrari praised Vettel over the radio, while Rosberg discussed his next moves with his team. Up front, Wu Shi faced mounting pressure – Hamilton was right on his tail, his experience handling understeer while following making him a relentless pursuer.
As the first lap concluded, Wu Shi radioed Jonathan: "What's the gap to Lewis?"
"0.4 seconds – shaking him off will be tough," Jonathan replied frankly.
Wu Shi knew leading the entire race was unlikely. Hamilton wasn't attacking yet to preserve his tires, waiting for DRS to activate on lap 4. Once available, the Mercedes' speed on the long full-throttle straight after Turn 1 would be overwhelming – Williams had no answer for it.
Wu Shi considered slowing to let Pérez and Ricciardo close up, creating pressure for Hamilton. But Spa was no street circuit – slowing would only invite an immediate overtake. He had to maintain high speed, even as he worried about tire life.
Just then, Bottas' urgent voice crackled over the radio: "My engine has stopped producing power!"
The #77 glided slowly along the track. "Another engine failure – another retirement!" the commentator remarked.
Moments later, Wu Shi set the fastest lap at 1:55.787 seconds. Bottas' car came to rest in a safe spot, so no extended yellow flags were triggered.
On lap 3, Kvyat overtook Ericsson. Lap 4 saw DRS activated, with Verstappen repeating the move – his late braking and clean line through the corner moving him into points territory.
"Max's overtake was clean and well-executed," the commentators agreed before cutting back to the front.
Wu Shi had pushed hard through the first three laps but couldn't shake Hamilton from the 1-second DRS zone – the gap was now just 0.3 seconds.
"Can you pull away? Mercedes will have huge top speed with DRS – defending will be hard," Jonathan warned.
"I can, but tire wear will be brutal. And I don't know how much pace Lewis is holding back," Wu Shi admitted. In qualifying, Hamilton had been half a second faster – a gap that reflected differences in tire management and engine performance. Accelerating would only prompt Hamilton to match him, draining Wu Shi's tires unnecessarily.
The strategy team analyzed the data, calculating that matching Hamilton's potential pace would force an early pit stop around lap 7 – possibly requiring three or four stops total. Blocking a faster car on Spa's open layout was impossible.
By lap 6, the optimal strategy was clear: save tires at all costs. Wu Shi, sensing the team's deliberation, knew there were no other options.
As predicted, on the long straight and DRS zone before Turn 5, the 0.3-second gap vanished instantly. Hamilton swept past with ease.
"Overtaken without a fight!" the commentator exclaimed. "He's already pulled 0.5 seconds clear in half a lap."
Wu Shi felt the frustration mounting – if Hamilton could pull away this quickly, Rosberg would soon be on his tail, his desperation for points making him even more aggressive.
"Protect your tires – implementing Plan B," Jonathan said as static crackled over the radio.
"Copy."
Plan B meant mirroring Hamilton's pit timing and tire choices exactly. While Williams had higher tire wear, Wu Shi's management skills kept him competitive.
Hamilton accelerated after taking the lead, setting a new fastest lap of 1:55.322 seconds on lap 7 – shaving 0.4 seconds off Wu Shi's mark and pulling more than a second clear.
The camera shifted to the midfield, where Ricciardo's momentary lapse allowed Rosberg and Vettel to pass.
"Rosberg up to fourth – he's just overtaken Pérez," Jonathan updated Wu Shi. "You hold a 6-second lead over him."
Wu Shi calculated that Hamilton was only 0.3 seconds faster per lap now that he'd built a gap. The 6-second buffer should hold for five or six laps, until the first pit window opened. He assumed Rosberg's tires were more worn – but Jonathan quickly corrected him.
"Watch your tires – our long-run wear is much higher than Mercedes'. His condition might be better than yours."
At the end of lap 8, Pérez pitted for used soft tires. On lap 9, Massa – struggling with long-run speed against Verstappen – called for his stop and was instructed to pit immediately.
"Rosberg closed 0.6 seconds last lap, but faded late," Jonathan said.
Wu Shi was preparing to ease off – his tires were heavily worn, and Hamilton's pit plans were unknown. Kvyat's heavy lock-up signaled severe understeer in his car; at the end of lap 9, Grosjean, Kvyat, Massa, Verstappen, and Ericsson all made their stops.
"Wu Shi's speed seems to be dropping – can he hold on?" the commentary wondered. "It depends on Rosberg's pace – if he chases hard, Wu Shi will need to pit soon."
By lap 10, Rosberg had closed the gap to under 4 seconds, while Hamilton held a 4-second lead over Wu Shi.
"BOX BOX BOX!" Jonathan called on lap 11.
"Copy."
Wu Shi's tires could no longer maintain pace. His 3.3-second stop was timed perfectly; he switched to medium tires to extend the stint, saving softs for the final laps. He exited behind Vettel, with Ricciardo two seconds back.
The front settled into a cruise, but Verstappen provided excitement in the midfield, battling Nasr for 11th place. He dived inside at Turn 14, matched Nasr's speed through the corner, and held his line even as Nasr squeezed him onto the buffer zone. When Nasr backed off to avoid a penalty, Verstappen used late braking into Turn 15 to seal the overtake, pulling away with strong exit speed.
"A brilliant move from the young rookie!"
Rosberg pitted at the end of lap 12 – 3.3 seconds to switch to medium tires, mirroring Williams' strategy. He'd closed more than a second in his out-lap, and the true test would come as their tires warmed up.
Hamilton pitted on lap 13 with a lightning-fast 2.4-second stop for mediums. Only Vettel remained on track, and Hamilton emerged just behind him – with Wu Shi right on his tail.
"Will they battle?" the commentators wondered.
Hamilton hit the throttle hard as he exited the pits, his rear tires sliding slightly. Wu Shi considered making a move, but knew the reality of the Mercedes' pace was insurmountable.