Chapter 269: Why Is He Throwing His Cap Again?
"BOX BOX BOX!"
Jonathan and Bono Horsch shouted these words simultaneously.
At the end of Lap 43, the two front-row cars entered the Pit Lane one after another.
Wu Shi was once again showcasing his extreme late-braking technique, decelerating to the speed limit at the very last moment before the braking zone.
Compared to Wu Shi's precise calculation, Lewis Hamilton did not dare to do the same when entering the Pit Lane; in fact, normal drivers wouldn't dare.
After all, speeding would result in a 5-second penalty, leading to heavy losses.
The time difference between the two slightly widened as they entered the Pit Lane.
In the Williams Racing Pit Box, Claire Williams and Jonathan stared outside.
Rodrigo on the command wall turned to look at the work area.
Almost everyone's gaze was drawn to the tyre changers.
The mechanic holding the air gun was salivating profusely, his palms sweating from nervousness.
And the mechanic holding the front jack felt a slight tremor.
Screech!
Wu Shi plunged into the parking bay, his position perfectly aligned on the line.
At that instant, the jack lifted the car.
Whirr!
Four air guns rotated simultaneously, and then the mechanics immediately removed the tyres.
The mechanics behind immediately replaced the tyres.
Whirr!
The lug nuts were tightened.
Thump!
Wu Shi landed, and with a stomp on the accelerator, he sped out of the work area with a slight tail flick.
2.8 seconds!
On the other side, Hamilton's race crew operated even faster.
2.6 seconds!
As the two numbers appeared, the Williams Racing team immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
After coming out, Wu Shi still led Hamilton.
However, the positions on the track had already changed.
Nico Rosberg, who had pitted for new tyres during the previous safety car period, returned to first place.
Wu Shi and Hamilton were second and third, respectively.
Sebastian Vettel and others pitted again, allowing Max Verstappen to inherit fourth place.
Jenson Button also dropped from fifth to eighth due to a tyre change.
"Oh, another reshuffle."
"I feel like the outcome will be decided with this restart," a commentator said.
"Wu Shi's tyres are five laps newer than Rosberg's; this is an opportunity," another commentator said.
"But Hamilton's tyres are just as new as his, so even if he gets second, it won't mean much for Wu Shi," the first commentator added.
This was the big problem Wu Shi was currently facing; Mercedes cars were too strong, and only he could contend with them.
This meant no one could help him.
"That's true. Hamilton didn't perform well in the wet conditions earlier, but on dry land, he'll be in his element," the second commentator said earnestly.
On Lap 46, the safety car was about to leave.
Rosberg did not weave his car from side to side but began to push the pace to the limit.
Clearly, he also wanted to make a sudden start to pull away.
Whirr!
The engine sound ahead suddenly intensified, and Wu Shi accelerated sharply, but he was caught off guard by Rosberg's braking.
He had to brake hard, almost overtaking Rosberg.
It was important to remember that Lap 46 had not yet ended; if he overtook Rosberg, Mercedes would surely seize on this minor infringement!
However, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, Rosberg ahead immediately increased his speed and began to charge down the main straight.
Wu Shi, rattled by this manoeuvre, inevitably lost time and was instantly pulled away by Rosberg.
He felt no resentment, as this was a common tactic used by leading drivers during a rolling start.
Just as he had outsmarted Rosberg in the previous two starts, now it was Rosberg's turn to be outsmarted, nothing more.
If Wu Shi couldn't escape this deception, Hamilton behind him was affected even more severely.
He didn't have Wu Shi's braking skills and locked up his wheels, which disrupted his rhythm even more than Wu Shi's!
From the start, Rosberg immediately opened up a 1-second gap, leaving Wu Shi very passive.
Hamilton was also very passive; he was 1.2 seconds behind Wu Shi.
And further back, Vettel effortlessly dealt with Verstappen, as the performance gap between their cars was evident.
Valtteri Bottas also regrouped, overtaking Carlos Sainz Jr.
At the end of Lap 47, Rosberg set the fastest lap after the restart with a time of 1 minute 41.334 seconds.
Wu Shi was slightly slower, only 1 minute 41.889 seconds.
Hamilton was faster, with 1 minute 41.853 seconds.
However, entering Lap 48, Wu Shi's speed in the first sector was incredibly fast, thanks to his unique approach to Turn 1.
Soon, Rosberg felt the pressure from Wu Shi.
He had just exited Turn 9 when he saw Wu Shi following very closely; at this rate, when DRS opened, he would face a fierce attack from Wu Shi.
Thinking this, after exiting the corner, he gave it a little more throttle.
This attempt actually succeeded; did this mean that track conditions had improved enough to support such an operation?
The subsequent Turn 10 was a corner that could be taken with heavy throttle.
He unhesitatingly continued to increase the output.
And at that moment, a section of the track in Turn 10 with some moisture caused his rear wheels to slip slightly.
Whoosh!
The instantaneous sway of the rear brought instability, and the entire car began to wobble.
Rosberg had no choice but to immediately make quick steering corrections to prevent the car from sliding into the runoff area on the left.
Swish!
And at that moment, Wu Shi flashed past.
"Ohhhh!!"
In the Williams Racing Pit Box, everyone instantly jumped up.
"Rosberg has made another mistake under pressure! He can't keep doing this!" a commentator couldn't help but exclaim in despair.
But even more tragic things were still to come for Rosberg; he had barely recovered his speed when Hamilton caught up from behind.
He immediately moved to the middle line and completely blocked Hamilton's overtaking space in Turn 11.
Toto Wolff frowned and exchanged a few words with Niki Lauda.
Wu Shi, however, maintained absolute calm in his driving; returning to first place did not make him lose his head.
Whoosh!
At the entrance of Turn 12, Wu Shi again perfectly aligned with the racing line to take the corner.
On a track where only the racing line was dry, his ultra-precise control brought him huge benefits.
Swish!
At the end of Lap 48, Wu Shi set the fastest lap, 1 minute 40.987 seconds.
Hamilton, however, was blocked by Rosberg and only managed a time of 1 minute 42.1 seconds.
But this was not the end; in Lap 49, Wu Shi set a time of 1 minute 40.321 seconds!
Rosberg maintained his speed, setting a time of 1 minute 40.666 seconds.
Hamilton, however, still faced the effects of dirty air, which disrupted his rhythm, and he only managed a time of 1 minute 40.738 seconds.
"Nico, we need to let Lewis through; we need him to attack Wu Shi," the Mercedes team radio sounded.
"Does he want a World Championship handed to him?" Rosberg suddenly said over the team radio.
This statement immediately silenced Mercedes.
"Oh, how can Rosberg talk like that? I bet he's in big trouble after the race," a commentator laughed.
"But Rosberg isn't a number 2 driver; does he really have to let him through? Hamilton isn't much faster than him."
Another commentator analysed rationally, actually hoping Rosberg wouldn't let him through.
When DRS reopened, Rosberg still tightly held off Hamilton.
Hamilton himself also made mistakes, several times hitting wet patches and being forced to slow down.
On Lap 50, Wu Shi led Rosberg by 2.3 seconds, Hamilton by 2.8 seconds, Vettel by 7.1 seconds, and Verstappen by 14.6 seconds.
Sergio Pérez overtook the powerless Fernando Alonso, moving into sixth place.
"Nico, do you know what you're doing?"
Mercedes had no choice but to once again use the team radio to convey the seriousness of the situation to Rosberg.
"Is he faster than me?" Rosberg asked.
"..."
For the next six laps, Rosberg defended fiercely.
He even went so far as to slide and force Hamilton off the track.
"Hiss! What exactly is Rosberg doing?" A commentator couldn't help but wonder, was he absolutely determined to block Hamilton?
"Rosberg is showcasing his driving skills, constantly blocking Lewis with older tyres! And Lewis's performance today has also been inconsistent."
"Oh! They've fought all the way to the end! Let's see, on screen now is Wu Shi!
"This young driver is leading the Grand Prix again, and he can already see the waving chequered flag! He is about to win again!
"Oh oh! He crosses the line! He crosses the line!
"Let's congratulate Wu Shi for winning the United States Grand Prix! Congratulations to him for taking another step towards his goal of becoming a World Champion, congratulations to him for taking another step towards making F1 history!"
David Croft's commentary was still passionate; he always praised Wu Shi like this.
On Lap 56, Wu Shi crossed the finish line first with a 5.1-second lead!
Following him was Rosberg, the German, who performed exceptionally today, holding off the Briton for an entire stint!
"P1! P1! Wu Shi, you did it again, congratulations! Congratulations!" Jonathan cheered loudly.
"YES! Yes! Thank you, team! Thank you for giving me a stable enough car! Thank you for everything you've done all weekend!"
Wu Shi cheered loudly.
Hamilton on team radio: "He drove really well today. It would have been even better if he had considered the team's interests more."
He was clearly referring to his teammate, Rosberg.
Bono on team radio: "Alright, bring the car back."
Rosberg finished second but received no congratulations from the team.
This only made him feel that his obstruction was the correct choice.
This is what you did to me in Turn 1, and now I have to be even more ruthless!
During this time, Rosberg's mind was in turmoil. He had wanted to disregard everything so he could sleep.
But as long as he was working, he was constantly under immense pressure from higher up.
Even if many people were just speaking casually and not intentionally targeting him, his sensitive mind could no longer differentiate.
He parked his car behind the number 2 board but was slow to get out.
Because after a lap of cooling down, the car had cooled, but he hadn't calmed down at all!
No matter how he thought about it, Hamilton was responsible for everything that happened today!
On the intermediate tyres, he had excellent lap times, and Hamilton was no match for him; otherwise, how could he have caught up from behind?
If Hamilton hadn't been so aggressive in Turn 1, he would have maintained the lead, and none of the subsequent events would have occurred!
Already enveloped in emotion, Rosberg stopped considering other matters.
He got out of the car and walked directly into the corridor.
Wu Shi was celebrating with the Williams Racing race crew, a hard-won victory in the storm.
He excitedly punched the air at the cameras that were practically in his face.
Only he knew how suppressed he had been during this period.
However, after venting his pent-up emotions, he immediately fell back into a headache-inducing, oppressive atmosphere.
As he entered the lounge, he still saw a familiar yet completely different scene.
Rosberg was adjusting his baseball cap, then threw the cap marked "3rd" to Hamilton.
Hamilton caught it but didn't throw it back. Instead, he stared blankly at the cap, then stood up.
He didn't even glance at Rosberg but said to Wu Shi: "Congratulations! You are one step closer to being World Champion."
"Thank you for your congratulations. I almost thought I would lose everything in this race," Wu Shi said.
"Haha, it was indeed that close," Lewis forced a smile.
Just then, Jonathan walked over and handed Wu Shi a towel.
"If Rosberg had let Lewis pass, you would have been in danger," Jonathan said.
"He seemed unable to overtake Rosberg today? I remember Rosberg's tyres were older," Wu Shi said.
"Yes, he was held up for a long time," Jonathan explained the subsequent situation.
Wu Shi nodded and said, "Then Lewis's speed today was indeed a bit slow."
"Well, there's no point in further assumptions. Things happened as they did. The Grand Prix is always like this; such things always occur, whether reasonable or not, that's just how it is."
Jonathan said with a smile:
"Finally, congratulations, you're one step closer to being World Champion."
"Thanks, we can't celebrate too early. Popping the champagne prematurely is not a wise move," Wu Shi said.
"Of course, but you still have to celebrate a victory!"
Jonathan knew Wu Shi's personality, so he patted the young driver.
He said this to help Wu Shi relax, as Wu Shi always liked to keep his nerves taut until a stable victory.
And a driver needs to be tense, but not too tense.
Like Rosberg, it's very possible for his driving to become distorted on the track.
Jonathan took a deep breath. As a Race Engineer, he felt he also had to do some of the things a psychological counsellor would do.
After all, almost no Race Engineer in a small team would encounter such a gifted driver, so he had to do everything in his power to help his driver win the World Championship!
Wu Shi took a sip of water. To be honest, after learning everything that happened during the race, he felt sympathy for Rosberg.
In Turn 1 on the first lap, Hamilton's aggressive move showed no regard for Rosberg.
He, of course, knew how much "road rage" drivers had.
If he had been forced off, he might have been even more ruthless towards Hamilton than Rosberg!
However, he usually wouldn't be forced off like that, so his "road rage" situations were rare.
As the announcer's voice sounded outside, he put on his cap.
He arrived on the podium after Rosberg, happily waving to the race crew cheering for him below.
The national anthem played in the United States.
Wu Shi savoured the victory at this moment, looking back at the national flag fluttering on the screen, feeling very satisfied.
When the music ended, he held the champion trophy, kissed it, then placed it at his feet and picked up the champagne.
However, the two "preoccupied" podium drivers were not in the mood to celebrate, plus Wu Shi wasn't very good at opening champagne.
So the champagne from the three people on the stage seemed a bit "feeble."
Hamilton sprayed it at the crowd below with a blank expression, then drank directly from the bottle.
Rosberg, after only spraying Wu Shi, also drank directly from the bottle.
Wu Shi, however, sprayed a few times with Jonathan, who was sent to the podium.
The interviewer walked onto the podium and began:
"I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a hurricane, almost suffocated."
After speaking, he first asked Wu Shi:
"The driver from China, you've won another crucial championship in your career. How did you win this race?"
"Well, I won, it's that simple," Wu Shi said simply.
"Oh, well, the three safety car periods had a huge impact on you, but you ultimately won. Congratulations."
He then turned to Rosberg and said:
"Nico Rosberg, you didn't yield your position to Lewis on the track, which cost him three points. Will this affect his title contention?"
"We are racing, we are competing, not playing house."
"Our team has our internal rules. I followed our rules earlier, but Lewis didn't. He overstepped the rules too much."
"So I'm thinking, I'm also an athlete, also a person. I have my emotions, and I also want to drive well and get a better position."
"I'm simply doing what a driver should do, nothing more."
The interviewer nodded and said, "Well, finally, congratulations on taking second place! Congratulations."
Finally, the interviewer pointed the microphone at Hamilton: "Lewis, today's result might be a bit unexpected. You had a chance to go for the championship."
Hamilton took the microphone, stared at it for a moment, and said:
"Yes, I had a chance to go for the championship, but my speed was too slow today. My speed in the wet was not as good as my teammate's, nor as good as Wu Shi's;"
"Everything I gained on the opening lap, I threw it all away myself. This is not the team's problem, nor my teammate's problem, it's my problem. I should have been faster."
The interviewer nodded and continued: "After this Grand Prix, the points gap between you and Wu Shi will widen to 25 points. What will you do next?"
"I will take all the victories," Hamilton said earnestly, nodding, his eyes bright and awe-inspiring.
The interviewer was somewhat surprised and said, "Really?"
Hamilton smiled and did not answer that meaningless question.
The outcome of the United States Grand Prix was unexpected, and the media, who had assumed Hamilton was a sure bet, began to speak vaguely.
All along, Wu Shi had not appeared dominant; every victory seemed to be a fortunate coincidence.
But can 'fortunate coincidence' explain everything?
Certainly not. Otherwise, Felipe Massa should also be in the top three of the standings, as both he and Wu Shi drive Williams Racing cars and should theoretically have the same opportunities.