Chapter 275: Regrets
With two Grands Prix remaining, the 2015 season is far from settled.
For drivers beyond the title fight, battles rage on: Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa duel for fifth in the standings; Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat fight for their seats. Red Bull's internal model leaves no room for complacency – especially with Max Verstappen rising through Toro Rosso.
Verstappen, who entered the paddock alongside Carlos Sainz Jr., is a second-generation racer, but his father's influence wasn't why Red Bull signed him. Helmut Marko saw championship potential in the only driver to ever challenge Wu Shi in karting and junior formulas – their wet-weather duel at Norris Lin remains legendary. Though Wu Shi slipped away to Williams, Marko isn't disappointed: Verstappen has shone despite Toro Rosso's pace deficit, and a top-ten points finish is within reach.
Ricciardo and Kvyat see Marko consulting with Verstappen often, knowing his promotion to Red Bull in 2016 is inevitable. The question is who will make way – neither wants to be the one moved aside. Even with Verstappen still young, Wu Shi's success has proven age isn't a barrier to top-tier performance.
Sainz, also in the Red Bull system, is driven by ambition rather than insecurity – his father's influence keeps his seat safe, but he refuses to be a second fiddle to Verstappen. Currently 15th in points, he's determined to climb higher; excluding Manor and struggling McLaren, he'd be last among the rest.
In the Constructors' standings, positions are all but locked: Mercedes leads Williams by 71 points, securing their crown. Ferrari, plagued by reliability issues and internal reshuffles, sits third – an improvement from fourth last year, which team leadership frames as progress. For now, consolidating power takes priority over results.
McLaren has written off the season, focusing on fixing their troubled engine rather than chasing Sauber for 8th place. Jenson Button's "GP2 engine" jabs won't stop until the issues are resolved.
Red Bull's long-running engine saga finally ends before Brazil: with Ferrari, Mercedes, and Honda declining to supply, they're forced back to Renault – the same supplier they spent half the season criticizing. The paddock laughs at the reversal, but business prevails. Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz negotiated with Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, with Bernie Ecclestone mediating to secure a 2016 deal at an inflated cost. In return, Ghosn hopes for better profit terms once Renault returns to F1 full-time. As a gesture, Renault will debut their final 2015 engine upgrade at Brazil – Ricciardo will take the new unit, accepting a ten-place grid penalty.
Elsewhere, Stoffel Vandoorne re-signs as McLaren's test driver, while Kevin Magnussen searches for a race seat – a tall order with most positions already filled. Manor Racing remains mired in restructuring and personnel changes.
On track, Mercedes and Williams prepare for Brazil. Mercedes tests a new "S-duct" on the cockpit hump, though visibility concerns are still being assessed. Williams keeps a low profile, but the team's mood has shifted: after Mexico's win came brief relief, then intense pressure. Claire Williams juggles external affairs while the team's elderly founder – often sidelined by health issues – returns to the factory to oversee preparations. Everyone knows this is Williams' best shot at a Drivers' title since 1997.
The weight of responsibility is matched only by excitement – every team member dreams of saying: "I helped win Williams' 2015 Drivers' Championship." Wu Shi feels the shift too, with engineers checking in on his rest and wellbeing. "I'm doing fine," he tells them – chasing points is far less stressful than fighting for podiums.
When talk turns to Brazil, all eyes turn to Massa. The veteran knows Interlagos better than most; the 2008 season finale there haunts him still. Back then, driving for Ferrari, he crossed the line as race winner – and briefly as world champion – only for Lewis Hamilton to pass Timo Glock in the final corner to take fifth, snatching the title by a single point. It was Massa's only shot at the crown, a scar he carries quietly.
No one mentions the past; discussions focus on the track's challenges: 41 meters of elevation change, bumpy surfaces, and a counter-clockwise layout that puts unique strain on drivers' bodies. Wu Shi studies the circuit closely, knowing he must adapt to reversed G-force directions.
After a lengthy meeting, Claire claps her hands: "We head to São Paulo tomorrow – rest up." As engineers pack up, gossip spreads: "Heard Lewis might miss the race?" "Nonsense – he just crashed his Pagani fooling around!"
Wu Shi pauses – he remembers the custom Zonda LH, bought for £1.6 million and sold for £8.5 million in 2021 after less than 1,000 km. The new owner later crashed it in a tunnel, racking up £2 million in repairs. "He'll be here – just a day late," Claire cuts in, quashing speculation.
Friday, November 13th
Hamilton is present for FP3. Wu Shi, running a new power unit, logs 85 laps across two sessions – more than anyone else – to adapt. Mercedes dominates from the start: Hamilton sets a 1:13.543 in FP1 (the only sub-1:14 lap), with Rosberg 0.519s behind. Wu Shi places 6th with 1:14.711.
FP2 sees Mercedes pull further ahead, both drivers breaking 1:12. Vettel is closest at 1:13.345; Wu Shi improves to 5th with 1:13.539. Brake issues plague several drivers: Massa understeers into the runoff, while Räikkönen slides onto grass, ruining his tires. High altitude hinders heat dissipation, and repeated high-speed decelerations push brakes to their limit.
Saturday Morning – FP3
Wu Shi fully adapts to the new power unit, setting 1:12.875 for 4th. Hamilton leads with 1:12.070, hinting at sub-1:11 pace. "Front-end sensitivity is perfect for this track," Wu Shi tells Jonathan. "Good – Massa complained of understeer, so we tweaked the front wing," Jonathan laughs.
Qualifying – 2 PM
Air temp hits 29°C, track temp 46°C – muggy, but no rain forecast (though Brazil's weather is unpredictable).
Q1: Mercedes blitzes into the 1:11s. Wu Shi places 5th with 1:12.593. "I can get into 1:11s, but just barely," he tells Jonathan.
Q2: Hamilton leads with 1:11.665, while Vettel surprises with 1:11.928 for 2nd. Rosberg clocks 1:12.213; Wu Shi improves to 1:12.311 (5th). Most drivers need two flying laps to set their best times.
Q3: Hamilton goes out first, setting 1:11.549. Rosberg responds with 1:11.461. Wu Shi sets 1:11.935 and returns to the pits – 3rd is safe, and pushing harder risks a repeat of his Monaco crash.
Rosberg later posts 1:11.282, but Hamilton answers with 1:11.201 to claim pole. Vettel's late lap of 1:11.804 drops Wu Shi to 4th. Mercedes breathes easy – a pole for Hamilton keeps pressure on Wu Shi.
Back in the Williams meeting room, Claire outlines strategy: "We're 32 points up. A single point here means even if Lewis wins both remaining races, we only need 2nd in the finale. The more points we score now, the easier it gets." The strategy team jokes: "Finally back to 'just score points' mode – chasing podiums every week was exhausting!"
On the way to the hotel, Massa pulls Wu Shi aside: "We had a scare, but it's handled."
"What happened?"
"Off-track stuff – don't worry. The old man used his influence to sort it out." Massa pauses, then adds: "Mercedes filed a complaint – they said your blocking of Hamilton in Mexico violated some obscure rule, and a five-second penalty was coming."
Wu Shi falls silent.
"All fixed. It wasn't a real violation, and Williams carries more weight in the UK than Mercedes. Everyone wants to see a British team win the title – proof that we're still strong, right?"
Massa's voice is thick with emotion. "I really hope you can end it here tomorrow – put all the uncertainty to rest."
He pats Wu Shi's shoulder and heads to his room. Wu Shi watches the veteran's retreating figure, a heavy sigh escaping him.
In F1, how many regrets walk alone like that?