Chapter 205: Who are you calling old?
As of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Mercedes' performance was not just good, but overwhelmingly dominant.
In terms of Constructors' points, Mercedes led Williams by 53 points with 150 points, and their direct competitor Ferrari lagged even further behind by 59 points. In short, the Constructors' Championship this year was highly likely to be Mercedes again.
From the opening race until now, Mercedes' cars have demonstrated unrivaled speed; to defeat them, competitors would have to focus on areas other than pure pace. This was clearly evident with Williams and Ferrari.
From the Drivers' standings perspective, Hamilton led with 90 points – almost matching Ferrari's total Constructors' points, with just one point more. Wu Shi, in second place, was 21 points behind – a deficit that went beyond simple numbers. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that when Mercedes' drivers performed to their potential, Williams simply couldn't snatch a victory from them, and the gap between Hamilton and Wu Shi would only widen.
Rosberg, who had lagged in earlier races, had climbed to third place with 60 points – just 9 points adrift of Wu Shi. If he could maintain consistency like Hamilton, neither Ferrari nor Williams would likely be able to keep taking points from him.
To outsiders, Mercedes monopolizing the Drivers' Championship would make races boring, but for the team, this was their ultimate goal. Toto Wolff called this internal meeting precisely because they had encountered problems in pursuing that goal.
The two Mercedes drivers sat side by side in crisp team uniforms, both expressionless. Most of the engineering team was also present.
Toto laid out results tables from the first four races. "In these races, we've faced issues – car reliability has affected us and cost points." After speaking, Rosberg touched the corner of his eye with his index finger.
"Post-race data from Bahrain confirmed brake cooling was a major concern; both Nico and Lewis gave identical feedback. This means if we can't secure consistent front-row starts in qualifying, this flaw will be magnified and impact the entire race. Our engineering team is already evaluating upgrade packages to improve brake cooling."
Toto didn't assign blame, just stated facts. "We will fully commit to building a championship-winning car – the rest depends on your two teams' performance. I emphasize again: on track, we are fair to both of you. I will not tolerate situations where competition between our two cars damages the team's collective interests. Remember – you're not just driving for yourselves, but for the team. Every victory is the credit of the entire organization."
Toto spoke decisively, then looked at the drivers. Hamilton nodded attentively. "I understand – I've always acted this way, and I'll bring back as many points as possible." He pursed his lips afterward; his strong performance meant he felt the words weren't directed at him, and he didn't consider holding back Rosberg (without causing damage) to be against team interests.
Rosberg, noticing Toto's gaze, unclasped his hands and set them on the table. "In previous races, various factors kept me from performing at my best – I'll address this in upcoming events. I only ask that my strategy and Hamilton's are identical, with no bias."
Toto nodded and looked to the race engineers. Hamilton's engineer Bono spoke first: "We don't hide strategies internally – all follow pre-meeting decisions. Sometimes the strategy group needs to implement differentiated plans, but these are based on track position."
In the last race, Rosberg had saved an extra set of soft tyres, which limited his practice running. Everyone understood this without it being said. As Bono noted, with Bahrain's potential for three pit stops, a differentiated strategy was specifically to avoid repeating issues seen in Sepang.
Rosberg's race engineer leaned forward, gesturing as he spoke: "We'll be discussing this with the strategy group. It's about team benefit – sometimes someone has to take additional risks." This was clearly an explanation that Rosberg's earlier struggles stemmed from prioritizing the team over personal results.
Toto had anticipated this. Just a few races into 2015, the friendship between the two – who had raced together since karting – had fractured like overripe fruit. With 2014's tensions as precedent, both knew the 2015 season would be another battle.
As long as intense competition didn't lead to collisions or double retirements, Toto didn't want to intervene too heavily, as long as restraint was maintained. But this year, Ferrari had stepped up, and Williams had Wu Shi – who now sat second in the standings, with the Drivers' runner-up spot in someone else's hands. This left Toto dissatisfied at times.
Sometimes before bed, he wondered what results Wu Shi might achieve if he replaced either Mercedes driver. The thought made his heart race, but as team principal, he quickly calmed down. As some within the team – and Daimler – had pointed out, it made no difference to Mercedes whether Hamilton, Rosberg, or Wu Shi won the title. Why abandon stable, experienced drivers to gamble on a relatively new talent? Additionally, some insiders held prejudices regarding Wu Shi's nationality and ethnicity.
"Today, we're addressing this openly to confirm a new decision-making process – one that ensures fairness while maximizing efficiency." Toto stood up, pulled over a whiteboard, and began outlining his management plan.
The meeting lasted over two hours, essentially re-evaluating team issues. Like in 2014, when he forced the drivers to publicly pledge to avoid team-harming conflict, this meeting aimed to bring overt and covert struggles to light. This was very different from Ferrari, which lacked strong leadership, was riddled with internal factions, and couldn't resolve issues as quickly or clearly. Different management styles would shape the two powerhouses' futures.
After the meeting, Hamilton seemed relaxed. He extended his hand to Rosberg. "Fairness – I've stuck to that since 2014." Rosberg glanced at him, then shook it. "Yes – as long as it's fair, that's all that matters."
Mercedes released no public information about the meeting, but some Italian media somehow obtained details and began spreading rumors that the team would replace one driver next year. British media quickly published opposing reports, stating Mercedes would give both drivers full respect. While major outlets were relatively objective, smaller media began speculating wildly.
One British independent motorsport outlet claimed Mercedes was dissatisfied with Hamilton's "selfishness," saying he prioritized personal gain over team interests and would likely be replaced. It also claimed the team disliked Rosberg's poor emotional control – "worse than a rookie" – and that he would have been dismissed already if not for his German nationality. The article predicted Toto would promote his wife Susie from Williams to Mercedes as a test driver, and form a new lineup of Wu Shi and Massa for the following year. It claimed Wu Shi was considered not just for his performance, but because Toto and Susie viewed him as a godson.
This outlandish article was deleted shortly after publication, but Wu Shi saw a screenshot sent by Louise. He sighed – it was only 2015, and there were already such sensationalist claims. Still, paddock news often had some basis, and even seemingly random reports could contain useful clues. After reading most coverage, Wu Shi concluded something had definitely happened within Mercedes – but it didn't concern him much. The season unfolded race by race; whatever came next could be discussed later, and Sid would keep an eye on developments anyway.
Speaking of Sid, the agent was planning to have his 5-year-old son start karting training with Bianchi. He mentioned this to Wu Shi because Bianchi had offered to waive costs, but Sid insisted on paying – and felt he should let Wu Shi know.
Back in the paddock, the FIA held a debate on May 4th about increasing the number of engines allowed per season. Red Bull and Toro Rosso fully supported the change, but Ferrari, Williams, McLaren, and Force India opposed it – adding one engine would cost each team an additional €1.3 million.
Christian Horner expressed strong dissatisfaction after the meeting. In four races, the Red Bull teams had nearly used their full engine allocation, swapping units almost every race, and now had to rely on repairs.
At the pre-race press conference, teams outlined their upgrade plans for the upcoming Grand Prix. Mercedes had made aerodynamic changes – their performance would have to be evaluated in free practice. Niki Lauda publicly stated Mercedes was "still unstable when facing Ferrari and Williams' Wu Shi." Wu Shi covered his face in exasperation – the old man was drawing attention to him! Referring to him as "Wu Shi from Williams" could subtly create tension within the team if his relationship with Massa wasn't strong.
Sebastian Vettel said the gap between Ferrari and Mercedes had been clear during private testing in Barcelona three months earlier, and that no upgrades the team brought to this race would be "satisfactory." Teams performing well downplayed their form, while those struggling were even more pessimistic – the overall message was that everyone was facing challenges.
In contrast, Renault – which had faced frequent engine issues – updated its settings, and its director stated confidently: "This is a smoother, more reliable power unit." When asked about this, Red Bull (which used Renault engines) reiterated their view that the four-engine-per-season rule was unreasonable, and made clear they remained unconvinced of the upgrades.
McLaren unveiled a new livery, removing silver-grey and replacing it with black – giving the car a look reminiscent of Lotus. Lotus itself stated it had updated its aerodynamic package and hoped to compete with Red Bull. A reporter immediately asked why they weren't targeting Williams, which also used Mercedes engines; the team spokesperson shot the reporter a sharp look – clearly an awkward question.
Cash-strapped Force India pushed its upgrades to the next race in Monaco. Williams also brought no updates, for the same reason: limited funds made it impossible to effectively deploy resources. Even though Wu Shi worked hard to provide detailed data to the engineering team, he couldn't overcome the challenge of component changes – it was simply beyond his control.
"I heard Audi has started a project to join F1?" Massa asked as several drivers ate together after the press conference.
"I heard that too – our former sporting director Massimo Rivola was recruited by Audi. Could that be a hint?" Vettel said, sharing widely reported news.
Verstappen laughed immediately. "People have been talking about this for years! I remember rumors going around the year I won my first title (2015) – wait, no, back when Alonso won in 2005, they were already clamoring about it. That's ten years now, right?"
Wu Shi laughed along. "Maybe we'll have to wait another ten years for Audi to actually join."
Everyone smiled at the running joke – Audi was rumored to enter F1 every year, but never followed through for various reasons. In reality, drivers would be the first to know if Audi truly decided to enter; a new team meant new seats, and even if it was a "rebadged" operation, a brand like Audi would bring substantial funding and technology – far more than smaller teams.
The Volkswagen Group (which owns Audi) had no F1 program, but former chairman Ferdinand Piëch was opposed to entering the series. However, he had recently resigned – which delighted reporters, who saw it as a sign Audi might finally join. The drivers present, though, were certain no one had contacted them about seats, so this was most likely fake news.
"Mick is racing in F4 now," Massa changed the subject. Schumacher's press officer had recently stated his rehabilitation was making progress, but drivers close to the family knew the reality was different. Massa's mention of Mick's F4 campaign was likely why the update had been announced.
"Mick is only three or four months younger than you, isn't he?" Verstappen said, slinging an arm around Wu Shi's shoulder.
"I was born in December 1998 – I'm not sure exactly when Mick was born," Wu Shi replied honestly.
Vettel looked at Wu Shi's youthful face and said, "When we're on track, I don't feel like I'm racing an underage kid – I feel like I'm up against an old hand who's been in F1 for ten years."
"Hey – who are you calling old?" Verstappen joked.