Chapter 272: Did He Trick Us Twice?
Plan C centered on a tire offset strategy to gain a competitive edge. The Mexico Grand Prix's 71-lap distance made both one-stop and two-stop strategies viable:
- A one-stop would use soft tires from the start, switching to mediums before Lap 30 — demanding 30+ laps from the softs and 40+ from the mediums, putting immense stress on both sets.
- A two-stop typically followed yellow-white-white or yellow-white-yellow tire sequences, with stops around Laps 25 and 50 — widely considered the safer approach.
The race's biggest question mark was how teams would deploy these strategies. Wu Shi intended to leverage a tire offset, meaning a two-stop plan was inevitable — but he needed to conceal this intent first. He deliberately let his pace drop by 0.3–0.4 seconds per lap, creating the illusion of manageable speed and reassuring Mercedes that he posed no immediate threat.
As the race progressed, rubber deposits filled the gaps in the new asphalt, steadily improving track conditions. Lap times across the field fell from 1:25s early on to 1:24s, then dipped below 1:23s after Lap 20. This continuous improvement risked misleading teams about tire wear — but Wu Shi could feel the disconnect between lap time gains and actual tire degradation. He knew performance would hold steady until a critical threshold, after which it would drop sharply — a characteristic Pirelli designed into the tires, though teams lacked full clarity on where that limit lay.
He estimated the soft tires could run 30 laps without major speed loss, making the one-stop strategy feasible — but he couldn't afford to wait that long. On Lap 25, he pitted for mediums; Max Verstappen followed suit the same lap, while all other front-runners stayed out.
"Wu Shi pits early! Is this two-stop, or are his tires simply shot?" one commentator wondered.
"Early stops usually signal two-stop," another countered.
"Not necessarily — his aggressive opening laps could have forced an unscheduled stop."
Mercedes monitored the move closely. "Wu Shi's in the pits — how are your tires holding up?" Bono asked Hamilton over team radio.
"Are they going two-stop? Mine still have good pace," Hamilton replied.
"We'll match them — prepare to pit," Bono instructed.
Hamilton came in the next lap for mediums, which delivered immediate speed gains. Despite consecutive stops, Wu Shi couldn't erase his earlier deficit, and Hamilton retained his position ahead. Both set new fastest laps in the low 1:22s — nearly 0.7 seconds quicker than Rosberg, who was still on worn softs. Rosberg pitted shortly after, rejoining just ahead of Wu Shi. The front three's moves triggered a wave of stops through the field; Jenson Button held out until Lap 30, hinting at a one-stop attempt.
On Lap 40, Hamilton and Rosberg lapped Sebastian Vettel — but Wu Shi was held up by the Ferrari driver. "Blue flags!" Wu Shi called over radio. Vettel finally yielded on Lap 41, costing Wu Shi nearly 0.45 seconds. But once clear, Wu Shi's pace surged: he posted a 1:21.4s lap, while Hamilton and Rosberg — prompted by Mercedes — increased speed but struggled to maintain consistency in the 1:21s range.
For the first time, Wu Shi closed to within a second of Rosberg, who was now just 1.7 seconds behind Hamilton. The top three were tightly bunched. On Lap 45, Wu Shi launched his first attack on Rosberg.
"Wu Shi's pushing — looks like two-stop is confirmed," Mercedes concluded, preparing their response.
Sure enough, after two unsuccessful overtakes on Lap 47, Jonathan's voice crackled over radio: "BOX BOX BOX."
Mercedes acted instantly to avoid being undercut — but only called in Hamilton, keeping Rosberg out to maintain flexibility. "Box now," Bono told Hamilton.
"Why? These tires can go the distance!" Hamilton protested.
"Wu Shi's pitting — BOX BOX!"
Hamilton complied and turned into the pits at the end of Lap 47 — but Wu Shi did not. Instead, he activated DRS and tucked in behind Rosberg.
Mercedes realized the ruse but remained calm. "Nico, hold him up — target 1:22.5s laps."
Rosberg defended the mid-line into Turn 1, braking early to dictate pace — a tactic that would cost him tire and engine life if sustained, though he offered only perfunctory resistance. Seeing this, Wu Shi launched his real attack: while Rosberg defended mid-inside, Wu Shi went wide left, braking later to edge ahead at Turn 1. Rosberg regained ground on corner exit, but Wu Shi positioned perfectly behind his left-rear wheel, accelerating hard toward the Turn 2 apex. Unlike Hamilton, Rosberg did not force Wu Shi off track — allowing him to hit the apex cleanly.
After swapping positions through Turn 3, Rosberg led again — but the second DRS zone awaited. In overtake mode, the Williams was blisteringly fast, erasing the speed gap on the straight. Screech! Before Turn 4, Wu Shi dived to the inside; Rosberg braked hard to block, but Wu Shi emerged first from the apex. He then executed a bold closing maneuver, swinging right across the track — a move that triggered what seemed like PTSD in Rosberg, who also turned right, slowing dramatically. Screech, vroom! Wu Shi surged through the mid-line before Turn 5, accelerated on the short straight, and braked at the limit into Turn 6.
"Brilliant overtake! Wu Shi takes the lead!" David shouted excitedly.
Moments later, Rosberg's voice came over Mercedes radio: "He's just like Lewis." The resentment in his tone was unmistakable.
But the lead was short-lived — Rosberg used DRS in the next two zones to retake position with ease, highlighting the Williams' deficit when not in overtake mode. Wu Shi was unfazed; his medium tires were heavily worn, and the attack had been purely strategic. "Nico, well done — pull away, no need to block," Mercedes instructed.
On Lap 48, Hamilton set a blistering 1:20.853s lap on new soft tires. "Wu Shi's losing a second a lap! That pit stop trick backfired!" the commentators exclaimed.
"Why didn't they pit him? Didn't they calculate how fast new softs would be?!" Brother Bing raged.
"Maybe they're betting on longer medium tire life, planning to use softs later to challenge Hamilton," Brother Fei offered tentatively.
"Even then, Rosberg can just match the strategy!"
As criticism mounted, the Williams garage remained silent. When performance lagged behind, every glimmer of opportunity had to be seized. With both Mercedes drivers now on fast softs, they began pulling away — but Rodrigo was watching the data closely: Wu Shi could run 15 laps on new softs at 1:20.8–1:21.1s, matching Mercedes' raw speed with far greater consistency. Mercedes' laps fluctuated between 1:20.7s and 1:21.7s — those variations were Wu Shi's chance. Plus, pressure had a history of forcing Rosberg into mistakes.
On Lap 52, just as attention turned to Rosberg's pace, Vettel missed his braking point at the opening "S" bends. The Ferrari careened into the green run-off and hit the wall. Yellow flags flashed in Sector 2, followed by the safety car.
"BOX! BOX! BOX!" Jonathan yelled, his excitement palpable.
Wu Shi didn't question the order and headed for the pits. "Wow! The safety car changes everything — Wu Shi's in!"
The broadcast cut from Claire Williams' smiling face in the Williams garage to Toto Wolff's stoic expression and Niki Lauda's grimace.
"Did Wu Shi pit?" Hamilton asked over radio.
"No," Bono replied.
"He tricked us twice?" Hamilton fumed.
Bono had no answer — but the commentators were jubilant. "We were all fooled! This is genius!"
After pitting, Wu Shi retained track position. When the safety car allowed lapped cars to unlap themselves on Lap 56, the order was: Wu Shi, Hamilton, Rosberg, Kvyat, Ricciardo, Massa, Hülkenberg, Pérez, Verstappen.
"Lewis — his tires are five laps fresher than yours. 14 laps left," Bono said.
"So?" Hamilton's tone was sharp.
"If you can't overtake, we think Nico should try — his tires are close to Wu Shi's age."
"What's the point? If I don't win, the title's out of reach. I need to pass him."
"Agreed — five laps won't make a huge difference to these softs. You've got this."
Hamilton knew the theoretical advantage was his — the Williams had been no match for the W06 earlier. But fresh tires against older ones would tell in the end. As he lined up behind Wu Shi, one word crossed his mind: Cunning.