Chapter 204: How Can This Be Tolerated?
The Bahrain Grand Prix concluded amid the lamentations of the Tifosi.
At the post-race press conference, Hamilton, Rosberg, and Wu Shi sat on the stage.
In the previous Grand Prix, it had also been these three, but that time Wu Shi had been sitting in the third-place seat, looking slightly dazed while Rosberg openly complained about Hamilton.
This time, however, everyone was talking about different things.
Hamilton still emphasized that Ferrari and Williams were closing the gap, and that it was far too early to talk about a third world championship.
Wu Shi said that the FW37 still had untapped potential, and that the team had been working on upgrades, but progress so far had not been very optimistic.
Rosberg, meanwhile, said that brake issues had affected his race, that the clutch didn't feel smooth on launches, and that the overall race had been quite demanding.
In short, all three podium finishers at the Bahrain Grand Prix complained that their cars were not good enough, which made people wonder what the drivers who hadn't even reached the podium were supposed to think.
Vettel also apologized for his mistake, which he admitted was a driving error caused by pressure.
However, when a reporter asked how he viewed Wu Shi's second place, he smiled somewhat shyly and said:
"Wu Shi is truly the most talented F1 driver I've ever seen.
Many people might only think he's fast."
"But only those of us who actually drive these cars know how frightening his abilities really are."
"I dare say that if he were in a more competitive car, no one would be able to challenge him for the championship just like in junior formulas and karting back then."
Vettel's high praise immediately stirred up a storm around Wu Shi.
Many people felt it was an exaggeration, and a large number of netizens began criticizing the statement on social media.
But on the internet, truth is often not the most important thing.
People mainly want to vent emotions and express attitudes, rarely caring about logic or reason.
Soon after, Alonso also spoke up for Wu Shi on X:
"Wu Shi is the king of the new generation. Four races are enough to convince all of us."
Hamilton also posted a photo of himself and Wu Shi off track at a fashion event, with the caption:
"Anyone can question his talent because they've never really been in F1."
Facing praise from so many veterans, Wu Shi thanked them one by one and said that he was still only a rookie in his first season, with many shortcomings, and that he needed time to keep improving.
Because there was nearly a twenty-day gap between the Bahrain Grand Prix and the next round in Spain, team operations were not as rushed as they had been the week before.
In addition, the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona was one of the main F1 testing venues, and many teams sent personnel ahead to conduct private testing using old cars.
The purpose of private testing was mainly to evaluate aerodynamic updates, usually handled by reserve drivers or junior academy drivers.
Williams was somewhat unfortunate. Their aerodynamics department was relatively weak, and it was unlikely that they would be able to bring meaningful upgrades to Spain.
During those two days of private testing, Wu Shi was given a rare short break and stayed at home in Italy.
Louise would be graduating from high school next year, and her academic pressure had been increasing. But when she heard that Wu Shi was back, she also took time off to return home.
Wu Shi didn't say much about it.
When someone is willing to take leave just to be with you, it's pointless to lecture them about what's "good for them." Since it was already done, the best thing was simply to spend time together.
"Tell me, what do you want to do? Or where do you want to go?" Wu Shi asked.
He stretched lazily. Being away from the constant roar of engines made his mind feel unusually clear.
"It's only two days, and there's not much to do outside…" Louise thought for a moment, then suddenly brightened up.
"How about you teach me how to drive!"
She happily opened F1 2014 and began adjusting the settings with the controller in her hand.
So much for getting away from racing.
The graphics of the 2014 game were already quite good the track environments looked decent, though the car paint still appeared a bit too shiny and plastic-like.
"Which track are we racing?" Louise turned to ask.
"Any track you like," Wu Shi replied. "I'm fine with anything."
"Then Monaco!"
Louise selected Monaco and started the session.
She chose Mercedes car number 6 and said, "You've driven this car too."
Wu Shi nodded. "Yeah. In Singapore."
Without realizing it, that memory no longer felt as sharp as it once had.
"I haven't played in a long time, so I might be a bit rusty," Louise warned in advance.
"Then let's just practice together. I don't really use controllers much either."
Qualifying began. The screen showed the car exiting Turn 17, driving automatically in cockpit view.
Control was handed to the player only after passing Turn 19 and entering the main straight.
Louise squeezed the right trigger, flooring the throttle. Only when approaching Turn 1, when the racing line turned yellow, did she panic and slam the brakes, then mash the downshift button repeatedly.
In real life, that kind of operation would destroy the gearbox long before the wall did.
Fortunately, the game's assists synchronized gear changes with speed.
She braked slightly too late, entered the corner with excessive speed, then turned sharply while still braking hard. The front tyres lost grip, the car understeered straight on, and slammed into the barrier.
"Ugh! I messed up!"
Louise muttered and immediately restarted.
Once again, the car appeared on the long straight after Turn 17.
This time she braked very early too early. She slowed down too much at corner entry, and a ghost car flashed past from behind.
She instinctively hit the throttle to recover speed, but the brutal acceleration of an F1 car pushed her straight on again, and the car plowed into the wall.
"Ah, this is so hard!"
She complained and restarted again.
Her childhood love of karting meant she actually had some competitive spirit, though Wu Shi had crushed that spirit in real life within a single lap.
But now, inside the game, it immediately reignited.
Wu Shi didn't play the role of instructor at first. He just sat beside her, one arm casually around her shoulders, idly playing with her hair.
Louise kept making all the classic beginner mistakes:
Braking hard while turning, causing front-end lockup and understeer.
Braking far too late when trying to overtake, missing the braking point and running straight into the run-off.
Braking too early, then compensating with throttle and destroying her rhythm.
Steering without coordinating brake and throttle to balance the car.
Poor trail braking, leading to constant understeer and wall contact.
At a glance, it was obvious how difficult racing with a controller could be.
An hour later, Louise finally managed to win the 14-lap race.
"Yeah!!!"
She cheered, squeezed up against Wu Shi, and said, "Your turn. Drive a lap, let me see."
Wu Shi took the controller and tried.
The biggest difference between a controller and a steering wheel was steering precision fine adjustments with a joystick were always imprecise.
Still, Wu Shi knew exactly where to brake and how much speed the car could carry into each corner, so he avoided all the mistakes Louise had been making.
"Why does it look so easy when you drive?" Louise pouted.
"Racing is like that. Watching replays, everyone thinks it's simple. But when you actually drive, you realize how hard it is to control the car precisely."
Then he added, "I'll teach you."
"(^o^)/~ Okay!"
Louise happily pried open his hands holding the controller and slid straight into his arms, leaning against him like he was a sofa.
Wu Shi was much taller, and his chin rested naturally on top of her head. A faint scent of her shampoo drifted up.
"Louise…" Wu Shi felt he was about to encounter a serious problem.
"What's wrong?" Louise looked up at him.
"Uh… nothing. Let's drive first."
He placed his hands over hers on the controller and guided her movements.
"When playing, don't rely completely on the racing line. Sometimes it can be misleading. Use trackside markers to judge your braking points."
This was a very common beginner mistake waiting for the line to turn yellow. In reality, sometimes you had to brake earlier, and sometimes much later.
Without long experience, it was almost impossible to judge properly.
Of course, there were also naturally gifted drivers who could find decent lines almost immediately.
Wu Shi focused on driving for three laps, guiding Louise's hands.
"Okay, now you try by yourself."
Louise was full of confidence.
But as soon as she took over, problems appeared again. Her steering inputs were too large, and when she tried to correct, she overcorrected, making the car sway left and right.
Whenever the wall rushed toward her, she instinctively yanked the stick the other way, then immediately had to correct again. Fortunately, all the assists were on, or she would have been spinning constantly.
Louise was lively when gaming, just like when she was younger.
After watching for half a lap, Wu Shi realized something was seriously wrong.
The soft shifting movements and constant friction were pushing him rapidly toward losing control.
Louise, fully immersed in battling the AI, was completely unaware.
Wu Shi wanted to reach down to adjust the steering input but they were sitting far too close, and doing that would definitely cross the line.
He hadn't expected a racing game to make him feel this helpless.
After all, he was a healthy teenage boy who trained daily it would be strange if nothing happened.
"Yeah! New record!"
Louise raised the controller and leaned back.
"Hiss!"
Louise immediately sensed something wrong, stiffened, and straightened up, clutching the controller awkwardly in front of her.
An extremely awkward silence filled the room.
"Cough."
"That…"
They spoke at the same time.
"Sorry," Wu Shi said.
"No… don't apologize," Louise replied softly.
Once it was acknowledged, the awkwardness eased slightly, and Wu Shi tried to pull away.
But Louise, who had been sitting stiffly, suddenly leaned back again.
Seriously, Louise, you're playing with fire.
"Can you… hold me?"
She leaned against his chest, lowering her head so her hair hid her flushed face.
Wu Shi didn't refuse and wrapped his arms around her.
Soft, warm, and carrying her familiar scent.
Their pounding heartbeats pressed against each other.
Louise suddenly twisted around and looked up at him.
"Kiss."
Her tiny voice was full of temptation, and Wu Shi swallowed hard.
How could this possibly be tolerated?
Two days passed quickly.
Before returning to England, Wu Shi learned from Martina that she had recovered well after Mont's departure and, thanks to her strong business abilities, had been transferred into an F1-related department.
Wu Shi could only sigh inwardly. Ferrari was muddy water no one ever knew how many open and hidden struggles were happening inside.
Ferrari's performance had improved this year, and in 2017 and 2018 they would even have championship-level pace.
But why that momentum never turned into titles was hardly the fault of a peak-form Vettel it was the team's internal chaos that kept spilling onto the track.
Wu Shi wasn't too concerned with that. His priority was still getting through this season properly.
Meanwhile, Sid had become even busier, as more and more companies became involved through sponsorship and commercial cooperation.
Bianchi, after returning home, was recovering well, but permanent head injuries meant he could no longer race in F1.
Just as he had mentioned before, he had started running a karting circuit and invited Wu Shi several times to discuss their previous plans.
But the F1 season was simply too busy. Wu Shi planned to visit during the summer break.
When he returned to the Williams factory, he immediately felt the intense working atmosphere.
Engineers were working overtime almost every day on development.
Wu Shi's arrival replaced Paul and Lynn in testing duties, and he began participating directly in car evaluation.
The hardest part of development was finding the right direction and ensuring that new parts actually produced useful results.
Wu Shi's engineering knowledge was far from poor in fact, every top F1 driver needed to understand car behavior deeply.
Many drivers might not hold degrees, but with their experience, they could easily teach at university engineering departments.
With Wu Shi involved, test data became more reliable, and the engineers began placing greater weight on his feedback.
Williams' core problems remained:
Persistent understeer
Insufficient downforce in medium- and high-speed corners
Poor tyre management
Loss of front-end grip when following other cars in turbulent airflow
Cooling limitations
In short, the car still had many weaknesses.
Its only real strength was top speed with low fuel loads.
While Williams pushed to build a faster car, Mercedes was holding an internal meeting of its own.