Chapter 276: Overtaking
Sunday, November 15th
The sky over Interlagos is overcast, with clouds hanging low – a worry for drivers and fans alike. Rain could turn the race into chaos; while Wu Shi might thrive in wet conditions, he knows a stray collision could cost him everything. Thankfully, no rain falls before the start, though rising humidity and blocked sunlight slowly cool the track.
All drivers wear black armbands in tribute to the victims of the November 13th Paris terrorist attacks. Jean Todt leads a minute of silence before the Brazilian national anthem plays.
Back at his car, Jonathan points to his laptop: "Track temp will keep dropping – tires might struggle to hold heat later." Wu Shi squats to touch the asphalt – still 50°C. "It'll fall to the 40s soon, then low 30s by race end," Jonathan adds.
Wu Shi nods, eyeing the grid. Qualified fourth, a ten-place penalty for his engine change drops him to 14th. Ricciardo faces a 20-place hit, starting last; Alonso is penalized 25 positions, joining him at the back. Nasr drops three spots for impeding Massa in Q1.
The formation lap begins. Sainz's Toro Rosso stalls on the grid with an electrical fault, later pushed to the pits to start from there – moving Wu Shi up to effective 13th. All drivers start on soft tires except Bottas and Sainz, who run mediums.
Vroom!
Hamilton leads the pack away. As Wu Shi launches, he spots a stationary car to his right – Sainz's – then focuses forward.
Beep! Beep!
The red lights flash, then go out.
Roar!
The Williams rockets forward. Wu Shi flicks the wheel to the middle of the track, his throttle and gear control turning raw power into blistering speed. In moments, he threads between Nasr and Bottas, then overtakes Ericsson in the Turn 1 braking zone with perfect exit pace.
Cars bunch into the Senna 'S' bends. Pérez blocks the inside line ahead; behind, Bottas and Grosjean – who passed Ericsson – run side-by-side, ready to pounce. Wu Shi stays glued to Pérez, switching from outside to inside through Turn 2, forcing a slight slowdown.
Emerging from the corner, Verstappen blocks his path. A clank echoes from behind – a collision. Wu Shi can't see details, but stays close to Verstappen, who exits the corner with typical aggression. Seizing the gap, Wu Shi floors the throttle, pulling clear into Turn 3 alone – though two cars still hound his rear.
On the main straight, the Williams' straight-line speed shines. After drafting Verstappen for half the lap, Wu Shi pulls out and passes cleanly. Verstappen retaliates immediately, using slipstream to draw alongside into Turn 4 – Wu Shi yields, then completes the overtake on the next short straight.
"P8 – good job!" Jonathan radios. Claire exhales; four points are secure. "Yellow flag in Sector 1," he adds.
The broadcast cuts to the start replay:
"Rosberg got a great launch, but Hamilton defended perfectly!"
"Top four – Mercedes and Ferrari – all clean off the line!"
Then the camera pans to the chaos: "Alonso collided with Ericsson! He locked up trying to make up ground from the back – both are caught out."
Next, Wu Shi's onboard footage plays:
"Wow – he's slicing through the field like butter!"
"14th to 8th on lap one – that's lightning fast!"
"Now he's behind Hülkenberg and Kvyat," the commentators note. "Stability is key – we can't afford a DNF now."
On track, Wu Shi closes in on Hülkenberg. By Turn 12, he's within striking distance, diving hard to the inside under braking. Hülkenberg is caught off guard, yielding the line. Through Turns 12-14, the Williams glues to the track, pulling away smoothly.
"Is the car that much faster?"
"Not really – Massa's struggling with Kvyat, lap times similar to Hülkenberg's. It's all about how Wu Shi drives it."
"P7!" The Williams garage erupts – two more points in hand. Toto Wolff's face tightens; every position Wu Shi gains narrows Hamilton's title hope.
Kvyat is next, just 0.6 seconds ahead. Wu Shi conserves tires on lap three, then activates DRS on lap four's straight. Kvyat has DRS too, but Wu Shi still closes enough to attack into the Senna bends – braking late on the outside, a move Kvyat doesn't see coming.
Wu Shi leads briefly at Turn 1's apex but loses ground on exit. Kvyat re-takes position and blocks hard – but Wu Shi adjusts instantly, swinging left from the right side, accelerating early. They run side-by-side through Turn 2; Kvyat holds the lead but can't defend freely.
Through the long, gentle Turn 3, Wu Shi slides to the inside. The shorter line lets him close the gap, and he hits full throttle first on exit.
Whoosh!
"P6," Jonathan says quietly.
Rodrigo considers telling Massa to let Wu Shi pass – but it's unnecessary. Wu Shi had deliberately held back to disrupt Kvyat, letting Massa open a 1-second gap. By lap five, he's reeled Massa in, using DRS to overtake from the inside into Turn 1. Massa barely defends, making only a token move.
"P5!" Jonathan's excitement builds – and Massa's cooperation eases any team tension.
The Ferraris ahead are 5 seconds clear, running consistent 1:16.78 laps. Wu Shi holds steady in the 1:17s, conserving tires rather than chasing recklessly.
Lap 10: Hülkenberg pits for mediums, starting the first round of stops.
Lap 11: Massa, Kvyat, and Pérez pit. Kvyat exits behind Hülkenberg but re-passes him at Turn 14.
Lap 12: Wu Shi, Grosjean, and Verstappen pit for mediums.
Lap 13: Räikkönen, Ericsson, Alonso, and Button pit.
Lap 14: Hamilton pits – a slow 4.4-second stop makes Toto frown. Vettel pits the same lap, emerging ahead of Räikkönen.
Lap 15: Rosberg pits in 3.8 seconds, slotting behind Hamilton.
By lap 16, the order is: Hamilton (1st), Rosberg (2nd, +1.1s), Vettel (3rd, +5.4s), Räikkönen (4th, +11.1s), Wu Shi (5th, +13.4s).
In the second stint, Wu Shi matches Räikkönen's pace but starts closing slowly – until lap 21, when Jonathan warns: "Tire wear is high – protect them." Wu Shi eases off, letting the gap stabilize.
A two-stop strategy is standard for the 71-lap race, meaning the second stint must last at least 30 laps. But on lap 33, Vettel pits unexpectedly for soft tires – switching to a three-stop plan.
Mercedes now faces a dilemma: Vettel is just 12 seconds behind Hamilton, and a three-stop strategy could let him undercut the leaders. For Williams, the move opens new questions – could there be a chance to gain more positions?