Chaos. Noise.
Hamilton was on the radio, trying to get a grip on the situation. He saw the car behind him dive into the pits and needed confirmation.
Toto Wolff frowned, his mind racing. He knew Horner was a gambler, always ready to roll the dice. But what about Ferrari? Since when did Arrivabene have the decisiveness to seize a three-second window?
The key point was: earlier in the race, Ferrari had missed window after window due to hesitation. Yet now, they showed such ruthlessness?
It wasn't normal.
They had to investigate what happened on the Ferrari pit wall.
But for now, "Lewis, manage the tires. It's all about defense," Wolff said, regaining his cool.
The Safety Car was leading the pack. Mercedes had missed the pit window. If Hamilton pitted now, he'd drop outside the top 15. Attacking from there might be futile. better to stay out and wrestle with the youngsters.
Wolff showed his strategic steadiness again.
Not just Mercedes, the Red Bull pit wall was equally chaotic.
Horner crossed his arms, briefly glancing at Kai before refocusing on his own cars. He made a decision immediately.
The opportunity was created. Now it was up to Verstappen and Ricciardo to seize it.
Although Ricciardo was nominally the number one driver, Horner had to give Verstappen a chance due to internal politics.
As for that Baby Driver eyeing Ricciardo... let's see how much he weighs. Not in GP3, but in F1.
The opponents were busy; Kai was the same.
The order had shuffled again. Bottas, Vettel, and Hamilton were top three, all on Mediums. Verstappen, Ricciardo, and Kai followed, all on Softs.
Behind Kai were Magnussen and Hulkenberg on Mediums.
In other words, based on tire advantage, Kai's main rivals were the Red Bull duo. To reach the podium, he had to clear them before attacking the leaders. But Red Bull was also on Softs, so his advantage was limited. He had to be patient.
Conversely, the Red Bulls wouldn't sit still. They would attack, potentially disrupting the order.
So, when should Kai attack? How should he manage his tires? It was a science.
25 laps to go. Softs lasted about 20 laps. To avoid zero grip at the end, he had to calculate carefully.
Red Bull would be doing the same.
Now, it was down to the drivers. This was the essence of sport.
Lap 35. "Safety Car in this lap."
Lap 36. Racing resumed.
Cars were nose-to-tail. Someone pulled the trigger immediately.
Vettel attacked Bottas. Verstappen attacked Hamilton. Alonso attacked Hulkenberg. Grosjean attacked Sainz. Ocon attacked Vandoorne. Fires everywhere.
Smoke signals rose; the broadcast director couldn't keep up!
Ricciardo was tense, eyes darting everywhere. He watched Verstappen ahead for a chance while guarding against Kai behind.
Wolf ahead, tiger behind. Ricciardo was fully engaged.
However, no movement behind.
100% unexpected. Kai held station? Magnussen behind him was no threat, meaning Kai could focus fully on attacking Ricciardo. Yet, after the restart, Kai did nothing?
Chilling!
Ricciardo didn't relax; his hair stood on end. In Melbourne, Kai had shown his ability to stalk Hamilton. He didn't believe Kai on fresh Softs would stay put obediently. What was he planning?
Ricciardo didn't bother thinking. He followed the rhythm. Attack is the best defense!
If he passed Verstappen, Kai wouldn't be his problem.
Spirited, Ricciardo put Kai out of his mind and closed in on Verstappen, trying to get within one second.
Obviously, Verstappen thought the same. He glued himself to Hamilton immediately, baring his fangs.
However, the time wasn't right!
Verstappen's Softs were just warming up; grip wasn't optimal. Hamilton's Mediums, after 15 laps, were in their prime window. Maybe performance would drop later, but not now. He blocked the line perfectly.
As a four-time champion, Hamilton's offense and defense were balanced. In peak form, he was arguably the best on the grid.
So, Hamilton showed no weakness. He blocked the line and position firmly. Although Verstappen was only 0.6 seconds behind, in DRS range, he couldn't find an opening.
Actually, this was why Kai didn't rush.
The tire advantage gained from the pit stop hadn't materialized yet. Rushing would waste it.
Sure enough!
One lap, two laps, three laps... fully four laps!
Hamilton, relying on his peak-window Mediums, held off Verstappen for four laps. The gap hovered at 0.6-0.7 seconds, like a high-wire act, but he gave Verstappen nothing.
Finally!
Lap 39. Verstappen lost patience. After the first compound corner, he tried to force the issue on the outside of Turn 5. But Hamilton held the line firmly. After the Turn 6 hairpin, Verstappen launched a second wave.
Inside this time!
However, Hamilton anticipated it. His defensive line left little room. In the high-speed corner, Verstappen lost control. He pierced straight through Turn 7, ran off track into the gravel, kicking up dust.
The commentary box gasped!
The Red Bull garage groaned.
Ricciardo seized the chance without hesitation, passing Verstappen and following Hamilton. Verstappen rejoined immediately, blocking Kai.
After losing one position, stop the bleeding.
However, Kai refused to let Verstappen have his way. Without hesitation, he thrust his sword.
"Verstappen vs. Kai 2.0"
After the first lap skirmish, on Lap 39, the two high-profile young drivers clashed again.
Kai remained calm. He saw the dust at Turn 7. Verstappen returned quickly, but Ricciardo had already passed on the inside of Turn 8. Dizzy and shaken, Verstappen cut back to Turn 8 and entered Turn 9 without hesitation.
However, due to leaving the racing line, Verstappen's defensive posture was full of holes.
Decisively, Kai cut inside, hugging the apex of Turn 9, trying to pass on the inside.
Verstappen also showed top-tier adaptability in chaos.
Although his line deviated slightly, relatively outside, his braking and steering quickly brought the car back. His adjustment and control in the nick of time were top-notch. Before entering Turn 10, he grabbed the inside line first.
Turn 9 is a right angle; Turn 10 is also a right angle. Similar to Les Combes at Spa, it's a chicane with different line combinations.
Verstappen lost the advantage in Turn 9 but immediately grabbed the line and position in Turn 10, biting the apex half a car length ahead of Kai.
If Kai forced his way to the apex now, it would be an offensive foul. Even if he grabbed the line, he might face a penalty.
So, did Verstappen hold off Kai?
Of course not.
Kai uncharacteristically didn't fight for the apex, or rather, he yielded position according to the rules, piercing straight toward the peak of Turn 10 from behind Verstappen's rear wing.
In the stunned gazes of the audience, the two cars ran a crossover line!
Car 22 utilized the track to the limit. The right wheels even left the white line, like standing on a cliff edge. A bit more and he would derail completely.
Dancing on the blade tip in the storm, yet with precise trail braking and steering, he drew a wonderful arc speeding along the outside limit.
Speed did not decrease!
Visibly, Car 22 relied on mid-corner rhythm to unbelievably pass Car 33 from the outside. Before one could think, the red blur had won better exit speed. Leaving Turn 10, he shook off the blue blur, throttle to the floor, piercing the straight.
Winner decided!
"Brilliant!"
"Beautiful!"
"It happened too fast! From opportunity to realization, Kai used just three corners to pass Verstappen."
"Unbelievable! Such calmness and composure, such ability to seize opportunity!"
"Obviously, Verstappen just went off track, tire state fluctuated, grip poor. Facing the test of consecutive right-angle turns 9 and 10, Kai used the inside attack to grab Verstappen's attention, actually feinting east to strike west, relying on grip advantage to eat Verstappen alive from the outside."
"From timing to tactics to execution, perfect."
"Kai sounds the counterattack horn! Don't forget, in GP3 sprint races, Kai carved a bloody path with unparalleled offensive ability."
In a blink, dust settled. Verstappen, lacking grip, couldn't match the exit speed. Facing the longest straight, he watched helplessly as Kai pulled away. No chance to counter.
Verstappen cursed.
Given one more corner to breathe, he could have organized a more effective defense, not surrendering so weakly.
He was very, very dissatisfied.
"Kai vs. Verstappen 2.0" ended in just three corners. The duel of geniuses wasn't as spectacular as imagined due to that small accident.
But Kai's attention wasn't on Verstappen. He aimed forward.
Although Kai passed Verstappen quickly, almost simultaneously with Ricciardo, Ricciardo spent no effort, while Kai tangled for three corners. In this short time difference, Ricciardo had opened the gap slightly.
About one second now.
Of course, not completely pulled away, but it meant Kai needed time to chase.
Ricciardo seemed to realize this. He didn't want to face Kai's pressure. Both on Softs, the Red Bull setup had basically no advantage over Ferrari, maybe even a disadvantage. So Ricciardo attacked Hamilton non-stop on the next lap.
Just now, Hamilton tenaciously held off Verstappen for four laps; facing Ricciardo again, Hamilton seemed unable to breathe.
On the 1.2km super-long straight connecting Turns 13 and 14, Ricciardo opened DRS, caught the slipstream, pulled out, and completed the pass cleanly. Then, with extreme late braking in Turn 14, he consolidated the advantage, leaving no trouble behind, shaking off Hamilton directly.
Red Bull garage and Mercedes garage, flanking Ferrari, one heaven, one hell.
Ferrari garage experienced ice and fire simultaneously. Happy Kai passed Verstappen, worried Ricciardo's next target was Vettel.
For Kai, his eyes were only on Hamilton.
In Melbourne, Kai experienced Hamilton's pace control and defense. He always wanted to challenge it on track.
Now, the chance came,
15 laps to go. Kai's Softs were in the working window; Hamilton's Mediums showed signs of decay.
Although not obvious yet, Kai knew if Hamilton didn't pit again, he had to control the pace, impossible to fully squeeze the tires.
In the past lap, Kai was 0.6 seconds faster than Hamilton. The 1.5-second gap vanished. He entered DRS range. Pressure poured onto Hamilton like a landslide.
Of course, Kai could be patient like Ricciardo, waiting for the straight DRS chance, relying on late braking.
But based on Kai's limited understanding of Hamilton from two races, Hamilton relied heavily on intuition. His anticipation was often accurate. When confident and comfortable, he always found the simplest way.
This meant if Kai didn't want to be blocked like Verstappen just now, he had to break the routine.
Out of Turn 4, not waiting for the DRS zone, before entering Turn 5, Kai swung the steering gently, making a probing motion,
Hamilton felt the killing intent immediately.
Killing intent!
That cold, sharp edge pierced the engine roar and heat waves, stabbing Hamilton's neck. The four-time champion was instantly alert.
Reflexively, Hamilton went on full alert.
He knew Mediums were hard to resist Softs, but surrender was impossible. He had his pride.
Glancing in the mirror, he noticed Kai trying to break through on his right.
However, Hamilton didn't miss the slight shake of Kai's nose. This meant,
A feint.
True and false, false and true. It seemed Kai intended to break through from the left, the outside dirty side, just like breaking through Verstappen, relying on grip to eat him raw; the slight shake to the right was a smoke bomb.
Just an instant!
Hamilton and Kai reacted almost simultaneously. The offensive and defensive changes in the blink of an eye left no breathing room.
Hamilton moved slightly to the left. Not much, not leaving the racing line, but if Kai planned to pass on the outside, the line arc needed to expand. This meant in the upcoming Turn 6 hairpin, Hamilton could block the inside and grab the apex, occupying the advantage.
Kai's steering paused imperceptibly, but didn't go left. Instead, he continued right, resolutely leaving Turn 5 and stabbing directly into the inside line. Although Hamilton didn't move left much, the inside space expanded. Kai squeezed in without hesitation.
Shocking change!
In a non-DRS zone, just as the gap closed, leaving the spiral compound corner, Kai launched an attack unexpectedly.
Playing cards against common sense! Overturning the balance in one fell swoop!
Hamilton: Fooled!
Kai cleverly used Hamilton's reliance on intuition to set a trap. A feint, but honestly and resolutely cutting inside!
In the flash of lightning, Hamilton guarded his line firmly, no softness, entering Turn 6 first with absolute toughness.
Wheel to wheel! Shoulder to shoulder!
The gap between Car 22 and Car 44 could barely fit a sheet of paper. Any deviation could lead to collision.
Tires rubbing! Air roaring! Rolling heat waves pouring down!
At this time, Kai had hugged the apex. His front wheel had passed Hamilton's rear wheel, almost touching Hamilton's front wheel.
Two cars engaged in close combat without giving an inch. In front of the camera, Jiang Mo clenched her fists, sweating, forgetting to breathe.
Kai was toughing it out, Hamilton too,
Neither braked. Playing with fire on the cliff edge. Although neither gave way, Kai relied on line advantage to gradually eat away Hamilton's racing line.
In the fierce wind, both drivers turned their heads. Through helmets, gazes seemed to touch briefly. Gunpowder smoke filled the air.
Then, Hamilton braked.
If he didn't brake, he would understeer. The loss wouldn't be just this duel; once off track, he might lose more positions.
The moment Hamilton braked, Kai followed. But his steering control was smooth, drawing an arc around the apex seamlessly.
Not only no embarrassment, but the car gripped the ground firmly. The dynamic balance in the hairpin was silky smooth. Surpassing Hamilton at a visible speed, completely suppressing Car 44, making everyone dumbfounded,
Wasn't it said Ferrari's rhythm in medium-low speed corners couldn't compare to Mercedes?
Before eyes, Kai completed the overtake in the hairpin relying on his Softs, exceeding half a car length visibly. At the moment of exit, coordinating with throttle, showing grip advantage, squeezing Hamilton slightly outward abruptly, finishing quickly, exiting at high speed, releasing speed immediately.
Immediately after!
Turns 7 and 8 high-speed corners. Ferrari's advantage fully released. One car length, one and a half. Car 22 left no chance.
One hit kill! Crisp and clean!
Wailing in the Mercedes garage. Wolff almost threw his headset.
Correspondingly, cheering in the Ferrari garage. Everyone stood up raising arms and shouting.
"1.7 seconds. Ricciardo 1.7 seconds ahead." Greenwood's voice came on the radio. "Seb needs your help. Please pressure Ricciardo."
Before Kai could see the situation ahead, he could feel the huge pressure Vettel faced from the radio.
Obviously, Red Bull realized this too,
Ricciardo gave Ferrari no chance for a pincer attack. Shortly after Kai passed Hamilton, in the same lap, Sector 3, before Kai could surround him, Ricciardo used the same method he used on Hamilton to pass Vettel cleanly.
Vettel was helpless.
Then, what lay across Kai's front became Ferrari Car 5.
The situation cleared up instantly, but also became thorny.
"Do I need to continue chasing Ricciardo?" Kai asked on the radio.
The real subtext was: if needed, then Car 22 and Car 5 should swap positions now. To protect Kai's Softs, Vettel should yield actively, avoiding Kai consuming tires, so Kai could chase Ricciardo wholeheartedly.
Actually, the situation was very clear. Mediums couldn't withstand Softs' attack. Hamilton and Vettel failed to hold. Ricciardo passing Bottas was just a matter of time. Red Bull becoming the race leader should have no suspense.
Currently, the only drivers who could challenge Ricciardo were Kai and Red Bull's other driver, Verstappen.
But the key was, their Softs had run 14 laps. Not much optimal window left. If Ferrari still wanted Kai to challenge Ricciardo, no time to waste. Kai must keep up with Ricciardo's pace as soon as possible, otherwise the attack window would gradually close.
After all, there was still the variable of Bottas ahead.
Kai really couldn't waste time on Vettel.
Sure enough, the Ferrari pit wall hesitated again.
"Wait." Greenwood replied. One look knew he was consulting Arrivabene,
Arrivabene was stunned. Vettel was the number one driver; Kai was number two. This was settled before the season started.
In the race, only number two yielded to number one. How could there be a situation where number one yielded to number two?
But the fact before eyes was this: Kai's Softs were Ferrari's only hope for the championship. Continuing behind Vettel's Mediums was just wasting time, watching the opportunity slip away.
How should Arrivabene choose?
Even if he chose Kai, how should he speak to Vettel?
One lap!
Arrivabene hesitated for a full lap. Seeing Ricciardo closing on Bottas ready to attack, and the menacing Verstappen actually making a comeback passing Hamilton strongly, if he continued to hesitate, Verstappen would start attacking Kai. Not much time left for Ferrari.
"Seb, swap positions with Kai." Arrivabene finally showed his "Iron Maurizio" side. Between team and driver, he still chose the team, issuing the order.
However, silence on the radio. No response.
Vettel: ...
Silence. Vettel had no response. His race engineer Adami frowned, looking at Arrivabene helplessly.
Arrivabene looked severe, stomach burning.
Difficult!
If possible, Arrivabene didn't want to order Vettel to swap with Kai. Vettel was not only the number one driver but also the object he relied on, the chip for him to maintain a voice in front of Marchionne. He hoped to see Vettel lead Ferrari to the world championship.
However, the situation was like this.
Forward, Kai still had hope of chasing Ricciardo and even the championship.
Backward, Verstappen was menacing. Next he would attack Kai, then Ferrari's strategic advantage might all vanish.
In front of team interests, swapping positions was the most reasonable and wise choice.
Arms crossed, back muscles tense against the chair, Arrivabene lifted his chin slightly to signal Adami.
Adami opened the radio. "Seb, swap positions with Kai. This is a team order."
The other end was still silent. No response. One might suspect radio failure, but Adami knew Vettel.
The German must be using all his strength to control the urge to curse, refusing to respond.
Adami was right. Vettel refused.
Refused to respond, refused to yield. It was that simple.
How could he yield to that baby? How could he hand over the position? Being behind in the standings was embarrassing enough. He refused to lose to his teammate for the second time in the season, and voluntarily handing over the initiative at that. Fantasy. Not possible in another hundred years.
Absolutely impossible!
The atmosphere deadlocked here. Time passed second by second. However, the pit wall was helpless.
Adami had a headache. They really didn't have time to delay further. "Seb..."
"If he wants the position, come take it himself." Vettel finally spoke, retorting stiffly.
Adami glanced at Arrivabene quickly, mouth bitter. "Seb, we are a team..."
Vettel retorted directly with one sentence. "Don't treat me like Rubens Barrichello."
Air, instantly tense.
Adami had to look at Arrivabene again, seeing if Arrivabene was willing to signal Kai to attack through Greenwood.
Arrivabene... no response.
However, at this moment, the wind changed suddenly,
"Kai! Launching an attack!"
"Two Ferraris engaging in frontal duel!"
In the broadcast, Car 22 was launching an attack. The Ferrari pit wall sucked in a cold breath collectively. Greenwood clenched his fists directly, staring at the small screen dumbfounded.
At this moment, Kai was calm and rational. He knew what he was doing.
No response from the pit wall for a long time. Hesitation when decisiveness was needed; opportunity was slipping away. Moreover, Vettel's Mediums were indeed decaying. Kai's pace was obviously much stronger than Vettel's. Just while the pit wall hesitated, the gap shortened to 0.6 seconds.
For Kai, things were very simple. If he continued following Vettel, not only wasting time but also getting into dirty air, tire wear would be severe. Behind, he still needed to face Verstappen's pursuit. The choice before him was clear.
Pit strategy, he must cooperate with the team; but track strategy, isn't there a saying,
When the general is abroad, the sovereign's orders are not accepted.
So!
Kai attacked.
Turn 11, the spiral compound corner in Shanghai's third sector. Slightly different from the first compound corner, here is narrow entry and wide exit. Spiral slowly unfolds, right turn connecting left turn then completing a 360-degree spiral arc along the curve leaving Turn 13. A classic corner.
Although no DRS help, here, one could show the driver's control of racing line, grip, and vehicle dynamic balance even more.
Kai bit the slipstream tightly on the straight ahead, pulled out, cut to the left, lifted off, braked. The whole action was one step ahead of Vettel, grabbing the apex first.
Vettel, whose car was already in the corner, noticed the bright red light squeezing in from the left mirror immediately. Annoyed and angry, mixed with some shame and depression,
How dare he!
But no time to distinguish carefully. Hands tightened, knuckles gripping the steering wheel turning white. Vettel entered the state instantly. Without risking squeezing or collision, he stuck to the racing line firmly, entering Turn 12 first. This was a right turn; he grabbed the inside effortlessly, hugging the apex.
Instantly, Kai was squeezed to the outside dirty side.
Vettel glanced at the mirror. Obviously, this rookie was still too green. That attack was truly reckless.
Everything was as Vettel expected. Although Kai grabbed the apex of Turn 11 left, he was squeezed out immediately facing Turn 12 right.
However, Kai was unhurried. Relying on throttle and steering coordination, sticking to Vettel's rear wheel and rear wing, speeding along the outer arc.
The compound corner unfolded bit by bit like a blooming flower.
Vettel passed Turn 12 one step ahead of Kai, gradually sticking to the outside of the track along the curve. Because his Mediums' grip was unstable, he avoided large steering adjustments in the corner as much as possible, sticking to the curve instead, guaranteeing mid-corner rhythm as much as possible.
In the corner, he couldn't see Car 22 in the left mirror suddenly. Vettel glanced at the right mirror immediately.
Sure enough, successfully found that touch of red. But Vettel's heart curled up immediately.
Kai fully utilized the gradually widening space of the corner and the characteristics of the compound corner. From behind Car 5's rear wing, a right turn cutting from outside to inside.
Silky smooth, flowing clouds and water,
He even considered the grip difference between the two cars!
Then, Car 5 and Car 22 inconceivably swapped a position in the corner. Kai pushed Vettel to the outside again.
Immediately after, Kai stuck to the extension curve of Turn 13, hugging the apex firmly, actually winning better mid-corner rhythm relying on grip.
Bit by bit, Vettel watched helplessly as Car 22 approached, followed, paralleled, overtook.
At this time, the exit of Turn 13 was already in sight. Direction correction, cutting from the inside of the corner to the outside of the straight. Kai relied on exquisite control of the racing line coupled with the full support of grip to occupy the position advantage firmly. Unparalleled operation and control were one step ahead of Vettel everywhere.
Moreover, Kai was further squeezing Vettel's driving adjustment space. Was this forcing Vettel off track?
Vettel couldn't control it anymore. "Fuck!"
Unfortunately, the curse was half a beat slow. Kai squeezed out of the corner abruptly, blocking the position instantly, entering the straight one step ahead of Vettel.
Visibly, the two cars were almost nose to tail, a hair's breadth, perilous, seeming to touch at any time.
The audience's hearts stuck in their throats instantly!
But Kai, pulling chestnuts from the fire, appeared steady and calm, grasping timing accurately. Throttle to floor. The slightly shaking rear wing quickly stuck to the ground, grabbing the track steadily. Car 22 had turned into a residual shadow.
Vettel in a similar situation tried to correct quickly, biting Kai tightly, opening DRS at the end of the straight to counterattack and grab the position back. But the Mediums' grip didn't help. Rear wing shook gently. Vettel adjusted quickly, but exit speed was still a whole chunk slower.
Gap, pulled open instantly.
Boom! Boom boom boom!
Engine roar whistled past the starting straight. The main grandstand scalps went numb instantly. Collectively standing up and shouting, turning into a tsunami,
Kai, overtake successful.
~~----------------------
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