Chapter 258: 5.0 Second Tyre Change
The Singapore Grand Prix qualifying session has concluded.
For the entire season, this was a pole position battle that could not be ignored.
Was the extreme competitiveness shown by Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull Racing a flash in the pan, or could it be sustained?
This question was of great concern both inside and outside the paddock.
When Vettel returned and parked his car in the pole position spot, a crowd immediately cheered for him.
Reporters then stepped forward for interviews, with five or six microphones from different media outlets thrust in front of him.
Vettel ran his hand through his hair, a smile he couldn't suppress on his face.
"Wow! Sebastian Vettel, you look very happy; you really achieved a great result tonight."
Vettel nodded: "Yes, thank you!"
After speaking, he waved to the cheering crowd outside.
"This is the second non-Mercedes driver to take pole position this season, and with such a significant lead. How did you manage it?"
Vettel rubbed his nose and said with a smile:
"From Friday, the car's performance was excellent, and our overall feeling was also excellent."
"During practice, we heard that Mercedes seemed to have some issues with tyre management."
"But we weren't sure if this affected their qualifying session."
"However, the final results showed that Mercedes didn't display enough qualifying speed."
"Their speed was too far behind, which is incredible."
"I believe Mercedes is still hiding some speed; tonight's performance is definitely not their normal speed."
"Pole position is only the beginning of the race; we hope to maintain this leading advantage in tomorrow's race as well."
"Because we saw that Wu Shi also once took pole position, but it wasn't long before Mercedes reclaimed the spot."
"Speaking of Wu Shi, he should have also achieved a good qualifying result, right?"
Finally, Vettel changed the subject.
"Yes, Wu Shi finished his qualifying in P3," the reporter responded.
"Oh! Really? Then I'm even more convinced that Mercedes hasn't truly unleashed its full potential."
Vettel was somewhat surprised by Wu Shi's performance.
"He's making little gestures behind you right now. Do you want to call him over?"
The interview camera immediately turned to Wu Shi, who was passing by and flashing a peace sign (＾－＾)V.
Vettel turned around, immediately pulled Wu Shi over, and said:
"My interview is over; it's your turn now."
Then, Vettel also flashed a peace sign and ran off, laughing.
Coming in front of the camera, Wu Shi had no choice but to feign seriousness, his smile instantly vanishing.
But he really couldn't stop himself from wanting to laugh.
Because just now, Jonathan had reconfirmed that Hamilton was P6 and Rosberg was P7.
How could anyone not laugh at that?
"Wu Shi, during Q1 just now, we even saw David Croft worrying whether you would be able to achieve a good result."
"His concerns indeed made us feel that you seemed to have encountered some problems in Singapore."
"However, just like in previous races, your team ultimately overcame all of this and helped you achieve a good result."
"Do you have anything you'd like to share with us?"
Wu Shi rubbed his nose. This Vettel uncle was not kind enough, dragging him out as a target.
Clearly, he wasn't the one most worth extensively interviewing tonight.
"Uh, we indeed encountered quite a few problems because our tyre temperatures were always a bit difficult to control, mainly because this set of ultrasoft tyres is very sensitive."
"To solve this problem, we spent a lot of effort, but in the end, we still didn't solve it very well."
"We just found a way to cope with the race, and to achieve such a result in the end, I feel it has already greatly exceeded my expectations."
The reporters nodded, and some wanted to continue pressing for detailed technical questions.
But at this moment, Gianfranco, who rushed over, interrupted their questions.
The reporters also knew that when the press officer arrived, it was unlikely they would get anything out of the young driver.
"I didn't say anything wrong just now, did I?" Wu Shi looked at Gianfranco.
"Hmm, I felt like you were about to say something wrong," Gianfranco said with a smile.
"Well, luckily you arrived in time."
After Wu Shi finished speaking, he saw Verstappen also getting out of his car in the distance.
He achieved an excellent eighth-place finish.
"Hey! Max!"
"Oh, your performance was so surprising; I never would have imagined your ranking would be so high," Verstappen said.
"Actually, I was too at first. I thought I'd be lucky to get 1 minute 45 seconds," Wu Shi nodded.
"Hahahaha, I saw a Williams behind me, but unfortunately, it wasn't you," Verstappen said with a laugh.
Massa: Are you being polite?
On the night the qualifying session ended, the media and community were still abuzz.
Especially by the next day, the discussions became even more heated.
On one hand, the shift among the Mercedes-Ferrari-Red Bull three teams was remarkable.
Mercedes rarely showed such a weak performance.
However, this is also uncertain, as Vettel himself believed in his interview that Mercedes might be hiding its strength.
On the other hand, Wu Shi once again placing in the top three was also noteworthy.
Even the BBC this time seemed to have said something objective:
"Wu Shi is completely unaffected by the track or the car; it's just that he seems to only care about second or third place."
Wu Shi was furious when he saw that!
Does he only care about second or third place?
With this Williams Martini Racing car, even if you let God drive it without violating the laws of physics, this is still the level!
If the Williams Martini Racing Team's aerodynamics were better, would it be this difficult?
When others drive, their hands might just get a little tired.
When he drives, the reason he doesn't get tenosynovitis is because he's young!
Reading the news gave him a headache, so Wu Shi invited Verstappen and a few other drivers to stroll around the nearby commercial district.
The Marina Bay Street Circuit is conveniently located next to Singapore's famous commercial district.
By evening, the area near the track was already bustling.
Wu Shi saw many Chinese faces, and many people came to him for autographs.
He responded politely, always feeling a strong sense of déjà vu when people with Chinese faces communicated with him in English.
Fortunately, quite a few people also communicated with him in Chinese.
It's just that some accents were rather peculiar.
The night temperature in Singapore was not low either, reaching 30 degrees Celsius.
The track temperature, however, was not high, only 37 degrees, which was one reason why tyre temperatures were difficult to maintain.
The team's discussion about race strategy had to consider the fact that the Singapore Grand Prix has a 100% safety car deployment rate in its history.
Therefore, although Pirelli offered a three-stop optimal strategy,
everyone probably didn't consider making three stops, otherwise, encountering a safety car would be a 100% disadvantage.
By 7:30 PM, all the drivers were in position.
The pit lane green light illuminated, and drivers from each team would perform a reconnaissance lap to verify their cars could participate normally.
Wu Shi took a lap; the track conditions were similar to yesterday's qualifying session.
He parked his car in the third starting grid spot, and then the race crew immediately surrounded him.
Because there are pre-race events like national anthems, drivers generally need to get out of their cars.
This is also the drivers' last moment of relaxation before the race.
During the national anthem, the drivers stood in a row, paying their respects.
It was a rare sight; the drivers' expressions were serious.
It was a rare scene; with the race at this point, the points standings were still tight, and no one could smile.
After the national anthem, Wu Shi returned to his race car. He communicated with a mechanic, asking him to help blow air into his gloves with an air gun.
After one reconnaissance lap, they were incredibly damp inside.
Wearing them again later would feel very strange.
Jonathan, meanwhile, stood by with a laptop, telling him what else to pay attention to.
Wu Shi listened, glancing at the track.
Race queens, dressed in clothes with traditional Malay cultural styles, held up signs.
Whenever it came to the crunch of the race, drivers rarely showed any smiles on their faces and seldom interacted.
No matter how many Grand Prix races they experienced, the pre-race tension always lingered.
If one wanted to be less nervous, one would need an absolutely dominant car.
As he watched, he saw Scuderia Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost and McLaren Racing Team Principal Ron Dennis whispering about something, he didn't know what.
They were even talking and laughing.
The broadcast camera caught this, even capturing Ron Dennis laughing.
A commentator immediately chuckled: "Could Scuderia Toro Rosso be discussing whether to try the Honda engine?"
"What would Ron Dennis say then? He'd say: 'Brother, listen to me, you really need to think carefully, this engine's stability isn't good either.'"
"Hahahaha!"
As the 17-minute bell rang, the drivers began to put on their protective gear.
Wu Shi also put on his protective gear and got into the car.
Mechanics used air guns to blow air on him, cooling him down.
This familiar heat made him feel as if he were spending summer vacation in Pengcheng.
Soon, a few more bells rang throughout the venue.
The staff moved to the sides.
As soon as the time came, Vettel immediately started, beginning the formation lap.
Wu Shi followed behind, and whenever on the main straight, he had to weave left and right to warm up the tyres, quickly raising their temperature.
In Singapore, although overtaking is less difficult than on other street circuits,
the best overtaking opportunity is still at the start.
After one lap, as the last-placed American driver parked his car in the starting grid, the safety car came out.
The red lights at the front suddenly lit up.
Engines revved in unison, the sound filling the entire starting straight.
The five red lights lit up very quickly. Wu Shi squinted, but he didn't stare intently; instead, he watched with his peripheral vision.
This was his method of maintaining focus.
Swish!
"It's lights out and away we go!"
Vettel and Ricciardo in front reacted very quickly, so fast that Wu Shi felt he was slow.
After only about 100 meters, Ricciardo's car began to spark at the rear.
Wu Shi quickly glanced at his rearview mirrors; his position was very safe.
Räikkönen behind him was a bit slower, so he faced an attack from Kvyat.
Arriving at Turn 1, Vettel was in the lead.
Ricciardo was blocking in front, leaving Wu Shi no space, so he had to go around the outside.
But there was no overtaking opportunity here.
After Turn 2, the first three cars lined up.
In the next few corners, the field also stretched out.
"First sector, oh, yellow flag in the first and third sectors."
Jonathan said in the team radio.
"WHAT?"
Did someone crash at the start?
"Someone's car didn't start at the beginning, it seems to be Max."
"Oh, is he going to retire? That's really bad news."
"They are preparing to start from the pit lane."
At this moment, the broadcast camera finally showed the starting straight.
Workers were already on the straight, pushing Verstappen's car.
When the first lap ended and Wu Shi came to the starting straight again, Verstappen's car had been pushed back to the pit lane.
There were no obstructions on the track.
"Mercedes' speed isn't fast," Jonathan said at this point.
"Clearly, this tells Wu Shi that the threat from behind has decreased," David added.
However, Vettel pulled away very quickly, opening up a three-second gap to Ricciardo by the end of the first lap!
Wu Shi was also pulled over 1 second away by Ricciardo.
Räikkönen, following Wu Shi, also struggled, falling 0.9 seconds behind.
In the second lap, Verstappen successfully restarted and returned to the track.
In the third lap, Vettel was even more dominant, leaving Ricciardo more than five seconds behind!
At this moment, Räikkönen targeted Wu Shi, preparing to close in further, as DRS would be activated in the next lap.
"Vettel's last lap time was 1 minute 51 seconds 623, 1.3 seconds faster than Ricciardo."
One second per lap?
The rocket car in this race is Scuderia Ferrari!
Wu Shi glanced nervously at his rearview mirror and said:
"How is Kimi's speed? He seems to be able to attack me?!"
It wasn't that Wu Shi was timid; it was just that Vettel was too terrifying, and seeing Scuderia Ferrari also made him feel scared.
However, Jonathan's voice remained steady as he reminded him:
"You need to defend well in the corners. We won't be too slow on the straights. Kimi is quite a bit slower than Vettel here, so don't worry too much."
Indeed, even after DRS was activated, as long as he defended well in the corners, Räikkönen couldn't close the gap.
Sometimes, Räikkönen's cornering wasn't clean enough, and Wu Shi, who was running the optimal line every lap, would even pull away further.
At this point, the situation on the track stabilised, and the director showed a replay of the start from a helicopter perspective.
The first three drivers had incredibly fast starts, almost indistinguishable in their timing.
Räikkönen, in 4th place, reacted slightly slower, which allowed Kvyat, in 5th, to immediately seize an attacking opportunity.
However, Räikkönen noticed the situation and immediately squeezed towards the centre line.
Due to the narrow track of a street circuit and Räikkönen's not-so-bad start, this squeeze completely locked the racing line, leaving Kvyat no chance to overtake him.
"Kimi's turn was very cunning!" Brother Bing said.
"Yes, by blocking like that, Kvyat had almost no room to overtake. By the time they reached Turn 1, he just needed to stick close to Wu Shi." Brother Fei nodded.
Then the view returned to the track.
Currently, the drivers were all cruising normally.
In the fifth lap, Red Bull Racing became a little worried and asked Ricciardo: "How are your tyres?"
"No problem."
He said there was no problem, but his actual performance showed Vettel pulling away by one second per lap.
Wu Shi also couldn't stick very close to Ricciardo, trailing about a second behind him.
Räikkönen, Kvyat, and Hamilton behind him were all the same, none of them showing any signs of being able to overtake.
However, entering lap 6, Button immediately reported to his team that his tyres were overheating.
Jonathan, seeing the situation on the track, couldn't help but ask Wu Shi about his status.
Wu Shi replied in the team radio: "I can control it, although I'm a bit tired."
"Okay, Vettel's lap time has decreased; it's now 52.2 seconds," Jonathan added.
This information wasn't really necessary for Wu Shi, as he wasn't in 2nd place.
However, in the first 5 laps of the start, Vettel's sprint pace was simply too fast; he was the only driver on the track who could consistently run under 1 minute 52 seconds.
Pulling away from Ricciardo by a second per lap, he was truly far ahead.
"Currently, the main battle on track is among the Alonso group; the other cars are generally stable."
Brother Bing said, not wanting to directly say the race was boring.
"Haha, that's right. It's a street circuit, so later on, it's just a matter of waiting for the safety car."
"Do you think a safety car will come out today?"
"That's hard to say." Brother Bing shook his head.
"Singapore has had a 100% safety car record so far!"
"Precisely because it's 100%, there's a chance something unexpected could happen!" Brother Bing laughed.
"You have a point there." Brother Fei also chuckled.
The two chatted like this, as there really wasn't much excitement on the track.
It wasn't until lap 9 that Grosjean was the first to pit for new tyres.
He had run 5 laps on this set of supersofts in Q2, meaning he pitted after only 14 laps of use.
This was a benchmark for the top 10 drivers.
After all, a large number of drivers had run 6 laps in Q2.
However, pitting now would be a disadvantage, so no front-running driver was willing to pit unless their position was clearly threatened.
Grosjean pitted because he had dropped from 10th to 13th at the start.
Grosjean's tyre change wasn't fast, taking over 4 seconds, and he rejoined in 17th place.
'Lotus F1 Team is considering an undercut, but how can they gain speed when stuck in traffic?'
Jonathan was unsure of Grosjean's reasoning for pitting so early, but he constantly monitored everyone's data.
Tyre wear on the Marina Bay Street Circuit is not low, and with the low durability DEBUFF of the supersoft tyres, everyone's lap times were decreasing at this point.
"How many laps will these front-runners last?" Brother Fei asked.
"Uh-huh." Brother Bing hesitated, then tentatively said:
"I don't think it's a question of how many laps they're going to last; they're waiting for a safety car."
"Didn't you just say the safety car wouldn't come?!" Brother Fei immediately retorted with a laugh.
"Saying is one thing, but you never know." Brother Bing chuckled, trying to smooth things over.
"If that's the case, then Williams Martini Racing Team will be at a disadvantage," Brother Fei said.
This was because Williams Martini Racing Team's pit stop speed had always been relatively slow in the paddock, especially compared to Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.
"The time difference between Wu Shi and Räikkönen isn't large enough, so pitting is indeed a bit risky." Brother Bing nodded in agreement.
"Because of tyre wear, wouldn't an undercut be very easy in this race?" Brother Fei suddenly had an idea.
"No."
Brother Bing shook his head firmly and said: "They're following too closely; they'll get stuck in traffic after coming out."
In fact, that was exactly the case. After a few strong laps, Vettel slowed down, and Ricciardo had now closed the gap back to 4.5 seconds.
It was unclear whether Vettel was slowing down to save his tyres or if he genuinely couldn't go any faster.
The time difference between Wu Shi and Ricciardo remained relatively constant, always around 1.2 seconds.
Räikkönen, on the other hand, had been pulled away by Wu Shi, with the gap maintaining at 1.4 seconds.
This continued down the order until Nasr in 11th place, where Vettel was a full 30 seconds ahead.
And a pit stop in Singapore takes exactly around 29 seconds.
Therefore, no matter who in the front group pitted, they would inevitably rejoin the race in traffic.
Getting stuck in traffic on a street circuit means a slower pace.
Thus, the strategy for the front-running drivers was to wait until the drivers behind them had completed their pit stops before pitting themselves.
Clearly, most of the top ten had this idea.
However, the drivers outside the points zone did not share this thought.
Alonso, Sainz, Ericsson, and Bottas all pitted.
Everyone started on supersoft tyres.
Except for Ericsson and Sainz, who did not make it into Q2 and therefore had fresh starting tyres, the other drivers had actually run nearly 13 laps.
Sainz's insufficient tyre management capabilities were already evident in his rookie season.
The results came quickly, with Scuderia Toro Rosso and McLaren each putting on a circus show.
Alonso's tyres took 7.6 seconds to change, while Sainz's tyres took 8.6 seconds.
Both of them lost a lot of time coming out.
At the end of lap 12, Kvyat and Massa chose to pit.
Kvyat's tyre change took only 2.5 seconds.
"Although the car has many problems this year, Red Bull Racing's pit stops are still on point!" Brother Bing commented.
The Massa, who was following behind, immediately encountered a major problem.
It took a full 4.5 seconds to complete the tyre change!
"Oh no! It seems Williams Martini Racing Team's pit stops really do have issues.
"Is it really because the weather is too hot?"
Brother Bing couldn't help but shake his head, as if he could already see Wu Shi's pit stop situation later.
"This isn't good news for Wu Shi."
Brother Fei was also unhappy.
At this moment, Wu Shi received a team radio from Jonathan:
"You need to continue to stay on the track. How are the tyres doing now?"
"Of course." Wu Shi replied.
Just as this team radio finished, in the director's broadcast view, Massa emerged from the pit lane, with the entire pit stop taking 31.380 seconds.
At the same time, Hülkenberg surged from behind.
Massa was clearly a bit slower, but Hülkenberg closed the door too aggressively, leaving no gap at all.
During the merge, his left rear wheel instantly collided with Massa!
Hülkenberg was knocked straight off the track and ultimately crashed into the wall.
Jonathan had just released the team radio, and now he immediately pressed it again and shouted:
"Hülkenberg into the wall! Hülkenberg into the wall! Massa and Hülkenberg collided at the pit lane exit!"
Repeating a few phrases, Wu Shi immediately realised that it was time for a pit stop.
Crashing into the wall would at least bring out a Virtual Safety Car!
At the same time, the team radios of all the teams were very busy.
Sure enough, the Virtual Safety Car arrived immediately.
"Singapore, as always." Brother Fei clapped his hands.
"A Virtual Safety Car doesn't count as a physical safety car!" Brother Bing stubbornly argued.
Immediately, a large number of front-running drivers were called back, and F1 cars entered the pit lane one after another.
"Let's see, Vettel's tyre change, pit stop time 2.6 seconds! Very good!"
"Next is Ricciardo, Ricciardo is coming in, how long will Ricciardo's tyre change take? Wait! Ricciardo is still changing tyres!"
"Wu Shi is here! Wu Shi's pit stop is very fast this time!"
Brother Bing and Brother Fei both cheered up.
"Oh! Wu Shi's pit stop is 2.4 seconds! What about Ricciardo? Ricciardo 5 seconds! Ricciardo is incredibly slow!" ①
"OH MY GOD! God is pitying this young man! God is pitying this young man!"
At the same time, the live commentator David also shouted.
Williams Pit Box was one spot ahead of Red Bull Racing's Pit Box.
Ricciardo watched helplessly as Wu Shi, who had entered later, finished his tyre change and started his car, while his own car had just been lowered.
"WHAT?! What are you doing?! F***!!!"
Ricciardo's emotions almost exploded.
By the time he got onto the track, he could only follow behind Wu Shi.
The sudden change in the pit lane happened very abruptly!
Even if there was a 1-second gap on the track, if the pit stop difference didn't exceed 2 seconds, it would generally not result in an overtake.
However, Red Bull Racing was incredibly slow this time!
And Williams Martini Racing Team was uncharacteristically fast this time!
Additionally, Wu Shi entered the pit lane right on the white line, hitting the speed limit precisely, so the time difference between the two was already less than one second upon entering the pit lane!
The director belatedly began to replay the footage.