Chapter 247: Three Yellow and One White
"After the corner, it's a straight. Wu Shi can't keep up."
"Wu Shi can't keep up, but Rosberg can."
The lap times of the front three drivers were running neck and neck – Hamilton leading the pack, Wu Shi 1.5 seconds behind in second, and Rosberg a further 3.4 seconds back in third. This meant the gap between Rosberg and Wu Shi was just 1.9 seconds, putting the Williams driver firmly in the Mercedes driver's sights.
"No need to worry about that; Wu Shi's lap times are still quite fast," one commentator noted – and as if to prove the point, Wu Shi immediately set a new fastest lap of 1 minute 54.377 seconds, even quicker than his pace on the old soft tires.
"It seems he's ready to push the tires to their limit," his co-commentator observed.
"He's probably preparing for a two-stop strategy, so these medium tires only need to last about fifteen laps."
"And the last set of soft tires will last another fifteen laps? That doesn't seem very reasonable."
"It should be reasonable. In practice, the lifespan difference between medium and soft tires isn't that significant. If soft tires establish an early advantage in the final stint, this strategy can absolutely work out."
While the commentators debated the tire strategy at the front, race control made an announcement that sent shockwaves through the paddock – Felipe Massa had been issued a penalty.
"What's going on? Penalized for mixing tires?"
"Hey, hey, hey, no way! What is the Williams Team doing?!"
Brother Bing and Brother Fei were left speechless, followed quickly by a sense of deep unease. Even when Jonathan relayed the news to Wu Shi over the radio, the Chinese driver was visibly stunned. What kind of mistake is this?!
The director cut to a replay of Massa's earlier pit stop, revealing the critical error: while three of his tires were yellow-marked medium compounds, the right-rear was white – a soft tire. The footage showed Dave, the tire coordinator, personally carrying a yellow medium tire to the pit box, only to find the mechanics had already fitted a different one. His face was a picture of confusion, as if asking Did I grab the wrong tire?
Massa was now circulating with three yellow and one white tire – a clear violation of regulations.
"Massa has been penalized with a drive-through the pit lane and no tire change allowed during the penalty lap, which will cost him at least 17 seconds!"
"Yes, that's effectively a free 17-second penalty. What on earth is the team thinking?"
The commentators were bewildered.
"Perhaps it's due to mixed-up strategy execution for the two drivers – maybe Wu Shi was supposed to switch to white soft tires, and Massa to yellow mediums, so they got the tires confused?"
"In that case, I can only say we're fortunate this didn't happen to Wu Shi. Otherwise, after this race, the Williams Team would probably be facing a storm of criticism from fans and media alike."
On track, even without the distraction of his teammate's penalty, Wu Shi's position was growing increasingly precarious. While cruising and qualifying driving styles are fundamentally different, they share one crucial trait: achieving competitive speed inevitably takes its toll on tires. To keep pace with Hamilton, Wu Shi had been forced to brake later, carry more speed through corners, and accelerate harder out of them – all actions that transferred immense force to his tires.
By the end of Lap 15, he could physically feel the medium tires wearing down rapidly beneath him. The feedback through the steering wheel was clear – grip was fading, and turn-in was becoming less precise. Behind him, Rosberg had closed the gap to just 1.5 seconds, his Mercedes gliding smoothly through the corners with better aerodynamic efficiency.
"What is Wu Shi going to do now?" Brother Bing asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.
"He didn't put up much of a defense against Hamilton just now, and he probably won't defend too aggressively against Rosberg either – the performance gap between their cars is simply too great."
At the end of Lap 15, Sebastian Vettel entered the pit lane, becoming the last of the front-runners to make his first stop. The time advantage he had built by staying out longer had been largely eroded in the preceding laps, leaving many wondering what calculations had led Ferrari to choose this one-stop strategy for the race.
"Vettel has switched to medium tires," Jonathan informed Wu Shi.
"How many laps are left in the race?" Wu Shi asked.
"28 laps remaining."
"Oh, is he trying to finish the entire race on this single set?" Wu Shi immediately grasped Ferrari's intention.
"Very possible. Do you think the tires can hold up?"
"Of course they can," Wu Shi affirmed without hesitation.
"Then—"
"Phew!"
Wu Shi exhaled deeply as he rounded the final corner of the lap before continuing:
"But it will require absolutely extreme tire management – it's going to be incredibly difficult because the tires will become very unstable in the final stages. The slightest mistake could send the car sliding off track, or even cause a puncture."
He paused for a moment, considering the challenge Vettel would face, then added:
"That's a level of tire control I don't think even I could maintain consistently – the risk is just too high."
"Copy that," Jonathan nodded, even though Wu Shi couldn't see him through the radio.
Vettel's unconventional strategy naturally caught Mercedes' attention, and their engineers were quick to analyze its potential impact. Meanwhile, the Williams team was also monitoring Mercedes' radio communications – just as Mercedes was listening in on theirs. When Hamilton was asked for his thoughts on Vettel's one-stop plan, he responded casually as he streaked down the long Kemmel Straight:
"We can easily make up time on track with our pace. A one-stop strategy will never be faster than our two-stop approach – the tire degradation will slow him down too much in the final laps."
Rosberg, however, took longer to respond, his voice focused and measured:
"I'm driving with full concentration right now – every corner requires my complete attention. These strategy discussions..."
"You guys can handle those issues without me."
Rosberg's straightforward response made Brother Fei laugh out loud:
"Rosberg is always like this! He can't process complex information when he's in the middle of a critical phase of the race."
Brother Bing nodded in agreement:
"Driving styles vary so much between drivers. Some need to be completely focused on every single detail – their minds can't handle distractions while they're pushing at the limit."
"If you need to relay complex information to a driver like that, you have to do it on a straight section, and you absolutely can't disturb them right before a braking zone. Otherwise, it's far too easy to cause a mistake – missing a braking point, locking up, running wide, losing time..."
Both commentators were spot on – Rosberg was not a driver who could split his attention on track. Once his focus wavered, he became prone to errors that had cost him dearly in the past. In 2014, when he was regularly leading races, many of his mistakes could be traced back to moments where he'd been distracted or had overcomplicated his approach – like suddenly remembering he needed to brake only when he was already halfway to the corner, leading to heavy braking and lost momentum.
In contrast, naturally talented drivers like Wu Shi and Max Verstappen operate differently – after countless laps of practice, many corners have become instinctive actions. Their hands and feet move almost automatically, following lines etched into their muscle memory. They might not even be consciously thinking about how to drive through a corner; their body just reacts. This allows them to hold complex conversations even while navigating challenging sections of track – after all, their limbs are driving the car independently of their conscious thoughts.
With both teams listening to each other's communications, Jonathan quickly processed Rosberg's words and formulated a plan. He radioed Wu Shi:
"Nico needs to maintain absolute focus on his driving – he can't afford to be distracted at all. Even though he's catching up to you quickly, I think it will be very difficult for him to make a clean overtake. We need you to defend your position with everything you've got – use his need for concentration against him."
As expected, Mercedes immediately informed Rosberg of Williams' plan:
"The Williams Team has told Wu Shi to defend against you with maximum effort. You need to find a way to get past him as quickly as possible – his pace is already starting to drop off, and Lewis is gradually pulling away at the front."
After a brief pause, Rosberg's voice came through, tight with effort:
"I'm trying – I'm doing everything I can to stay with him!"
As the radio conversation ended, the two cars roared past the main grandstand in close formation. Wu Shi's reduction in speed was not a sign of weakness – it was a calculated sacrifice. The Williams FW37's aerodynamic package was less advanced than Mercedes', meaning it relied far more heavily on mechanical grip from the tires to carry speed through corners. To keep up with Hamilton's blistering pace earlier in the stint, he had burned through tire life faster than ideal. Now, to stick to the team's planned two-stop strategy, he had no choice but to manage his pace carefully.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
By Lap 18, the gaps had shifted slightly – Hamilton led by 2.1 seconds over Wu Shi, with Rosberg 3.4 seconds behind the leader and 1.3 seconds from Wu Shi. Further back in the field, Sergio Pérez held firm in fourth position, his Force India maintaining consistent pace despite the pressure from behind. Romain Grosjean had just completed a clean overtake on Daniel Ricciardo to move into fifth, now just 2.5 seconds behind Pérez.
Lotus's performance in this race was turning heads – their car was showing impressive speed on Spa's high-speed corners, proving they had made significant improvements over the summer break. Notably, the top five drivers were all using Mercedes-powered engines, a clear demonstration of the power unit's dominance on fast tracks like Spa-Francorchamps. It seemed only a matter of time before Grosjean would catch up to Pérez and challenge for fourth place.
Red Bull, meanwhile, was struggling with their Renault engine's lack of straight-line speed – Ricciardo was dropping back steadily after being overtaken, unable to match the pace of the Mercedes-powered cars around him. Ferrari's situation was more complicated; Kimi Räikkönen was running further back in the field, his race compromised by an early incident, while Vettel was in seventh place, 3 seconds behind Ricciardo.
The current rankings were misleading for Vettel, however – as the only front-runner on a one-stop strategy, he carried a theoretical time advantage of approximately 22 seconds if he could make his tires last to the end. Behind him were Daniil Kvyat, Räikkönen, and Verstappen, who was continuing to impress with his aggressive but controlled driving style.
Massa had fallen to eleventh place as a result of the team's tire mix-up penalty. The team had instructed him to just maintain a steady pace for the remainder of the race, conserving his tires and avoiding any unnecessary risks – a frustrating situation for the experienced Brazilian driver who had been running well before the mistake.
On Lap 19, Rosberg finally entered Wu Shi's 1-second DRS activation zone. It had taken him five laps to close the remaining 0.9-second gap, a clear indication that while he was faster than Wu Shi, he wasn't matching Hamilton's pace on this particular track – though part of the difference was also due to Wu Shi running on newer tires.
Rosberg missed out on activating DRS in the first zone of the lap, but successfully triggered it in the second zone after Turn 1. Both cars threaded through Turns 2-4 at full throttle, the tires screaming as they clung to the asphalt. In his rearview mirror, Wu Shi could see Rosberg's car moving slightly from side to side – the Mercedes driver was testing the limits of slipstream and looking for a way past.
In this DRS zone alone, Rosberg was able to pull back 0.3 seconds, but still didn't have a clear overtaking opportunity. Wu Shi remained calm, not taking any unnecessary defensive actions that would upset his car's balance.
But racing is rarely predictable, and Rosberg had other plans. As Wu Shi braked for Turn 5, Rosberg suddenly changed his line dramatically, moving to the inside of the track. Wu Shi immediately recognized the move for what it was – a forceful late-braking overtake attempt.
But he didn't panic or make the mistake of changing lines mid-braking to block. He knew from experience that altering his trajectory while braking at the end of a long straight would almost certainly cause understeer, sending the car sliding wide and handing position to Rosberg without a fight. Instead, he stuck to his planned braking point and line, slowing the car smoothly for the corner.
Sure enough, Rosberg's late braking on the inside saw him dive ahead momentarily, but his speed was still far too high for the turn. White smoke billowed from his front tires as he locked up slightly, and he overshot the ideal apex by several meters. By the time he had slowed sufficiently to turn into the corner, Wu Shi was already passing him on the outside, carrying better speed and maintaining perfect control.
Second place was back in Wu Shi's hands. Rosberg, forced to turn in extremely late, fought severe understeer as he bounced heavily over the kerbs, the car thudding and jolting its way through Turn 6. The short straight between Turns 5 and 6 was effectively useless to him in this compromised state, and he entered Turn 6 in a terrible position – while Wu Shi had already exited the corner and was accelerating away.
The director quickly cut to Mercedes' pit box, where Toto Wolff's face was impassive, though his jaw was tight with concentration. The team's principal shareholder shook his head slightly, clearly disappointed with the failed overtake attempt. However, regardless of their thoughts on Rosberg's recent performance, his German nationality carried significant weight within the team, helping to offset any criticism of his on-track errors.
The race continued, with Rosberg now more determined than ever but also more patient. His impatient attack had cost him valuable time, and while Wu Shi pulled slightly out of the 1-second zone, it took only half a lap for the Mercedes to close back up again. This time, Rosberg wouldn't be so reckless – he knew he needed at least one more lap to position himself for a genuine overtaking opportunity.
While the front two battled, Grosjean launched his attack on Pérez for fourth place. He had closed the gap to just 0.4 seconds, a distance that allowed for aggressive moves but also required careful judgment to avoid contact. In tight sections of track, any sudden braking from the car ahead demanded an immediate response from behind to prevent a rear-end collision.
As they passed through Turns 2-4 and onto the main straight, Grosjean pulled out from behind Pérez's Force India. The Lotus's DRS opened immediately, giving him a decisive top-speed advantage. Pérez, running on the middle line, had no way to defend – Grosjean swept past cleanly on the left, establishing a full car length lead before they reached the braking zone for Turn 5. Even there, Pérez couldn't find an opportunity to counterattack, forced to concede position.
The scene was eerily similar to how Hamilton had overtaken Wu Shi earlier in the race – on a high-speed track like Spa, a faster car simply held all the cards.
"You are now in P4 – keep pushing! Keep pushing!" the Lotus team radio blared excitedly. The team's unexpected pace had given them genuine ambitions of challenging for a podium spot, a prospect that hadn't seemed possible since Kimi Räikkönen had left the team years earlier.
At the end of Lap 20, the gap between Wu Shi and Rosberg had narrowed to just 0.67 seconds. It was clear that as soon as Lap 21 began, Rosberg would be launching another attack. Wu Shi remembered Jonathan's instructions clearly – he needed to block Rosberg at every opportunity, using the Mercedes driver's need for perfect focus against him.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
On the short starting straight to begin Lap 21, Rosberg used DRS to close the gap by another 0.26 seconds, bringing the distance down to just 0.41 seconds. The two cars were now running wheel-to-wheel, the battle for second place reaching its climax – but then, Jonathan's urgent voice cut through the radio:
"Turn 19, Turn 19 – Ricciardo's car has a problem! He's lost power and stopped on track!"
The description of the incident was secondary to what came next:
"Race Control, Race Control – DRS DISABLED! DRS DISABLED!"
All DRS zones on the track were immediately deactivated. At the same time, yellow flags were displayed around the section where Ricciardo had stopped – his car was positioned in a dangerous location on the exit of Turn 19, and it was only a matter of time before race control deployed a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) to manage the situation.
This sudden intervention temporarily halted Rosberg's attack, much to his frustration.
"WHY? WHY?! Is everyone helping him?!" Rosberg shouted angrily over his radio, slamming his fist lightly on the steering wheel in frustration.
But no one had an answer for him – racing incidents like this were simply part of the sport, and safety always came first.
Sure enough, moments after Rosberg's outburst, the VSC was deployed, requiring all drivers to maintain strict speed limits around the track. The front-running drivers had all passed the section where Ricciardo had stopped before the VSC was activated, meaning they couldn't immediately dive into the pit lane even if they wanted to.
The strategy teams up and down the pit lane were now working frantically to decide whether to make a pit stop at the end of the lap. The consensus among the front-runners was clear: no tire change. They had only been running on their current medium tires for around ten laps, not long enough to get full value from them, and pitting now would force them into an unwanted three-stop strategy.
All drivers followed this logic except for Grosjean, who had compelling reasons to stop. He had originally pitted on Lap 9, meaning his soft compound tires were now eleven or twelve laps old – well past their optimal lifespan. By changing to fresh tires during the VSC, he would gain a significant advantage over his rivals in the second half of the race.
Pérez also received instructions to pit, with Force India deciding to switch him to a one-stop strategy and run to the finish on his new set of tires.
The VSC period continued until the end of Lap 22. As soon as the speed limits were lifted and racing resumed, Wu Shi reacted instantly, accelerating hard, tucking in right behind Hamilton.
"You're within Lewis's 1-second zone – use his DRS to help hold Rosberg back," Jonathan advised.
The VSC had not only protected Wu Shi for two laps but also compressed the gaps between the top three.
"Copy."
The front three formed a temporary DRS train – Wu Shi using Hamilton's slipstream to stay in touch, while Rosberg was stuck behind the Williams.
"Lewis – you need to pull away. Wu Shi is using your DRS to block Rosberg," Bono instructed Hamilton over Mercedes radio