Chapter 213: Red Flag!
Entering Q3, Wu Shi felt a growing sense of unease as the sky darkened overhead. Jonathan was even more concerned – glancing at the weather radar, he immediately instructed the team to get the car out of the pits as quickly as possible.
The crew wasted no time, releasing the Williams once all safety checks were complete. Sainz, who had exited before him, reported over team radio as soon as he hit the track: "Track's still dry – no sign of rain yet."
All drivers confirmed the same once on course, and with everyone having gone out early, they formed an orderly queue, maintaining safe distances as directed by their teams. By the end of the warm-up lap, there was enough space between cars for each to start their flying laps unimpeded.
Sainz completed his first run quickly, posting a 1 minute 17.111 seconds – clearly a conservative lap to secure a baseline time.
"To avoid repeating earlier issues, you need to set a solid valid lap first," Jonathan reminded Wu Shi immediately.
Positioned in the middle of the pack, Wu Shi acknowledged the message and focused up. This lap needed to be fast but clean, meaning he couldn't push to the absolute edge in critical sections. With his error rate low in controlled conditions, he was confident in delivering a safe but competitive time.
The car offered minimal margin for error, so every steering input required precision. He carefully gauged front and rear tire grip as he modulated the throttle, and anticipated braking points well in advance of each corner.
10, 11, 15, 16, 19.
As he pushed through the lap, he mentally noted which corners still had untapped potential.
Whoosh!
Crossing the line at 1 minute 16.011 seconds, the time drew a nod of approval from Jonathan – but Wu Shi was already on the radio:
"I can go faster. Let me cool down, then do another flying lap."
"Copy that – we still have a brand new set of ultrasofts ready. You can run another lap now, then come in for a pit stop before a third attempt," Jonathan confirmed. With Monaco's race almost certain to be a one-stop strategy, the team only needed to conserve one set of new soft tires for Sunday.
Hamilton's first flying lap soon followed: 1 minute 15.704 seconds. Even with visible imperfections in his driving, the time set a daunting benchmark – Mercedes' dominance here was frighteningly clear. The gap between a customer team like Williams and a factory outfit was laid bare; raw engine power alone couldn't overcome deficiencies in other areas across all circuits.
During his warm-up lap for the second run, Wu Shi's right-front wheel brushed perilously close to the barrier at Turn 19 as he entered the main straight. For this attempt, he needed total focus to push the car to its limits.
Tire wear meant some planned maneuvers weren't possible, but he saw this as valuable experience – by the third flying lap, he was determined to challenge for the front two positions.
Adopting a "crash be damned" mindset, the barriers that loomed and receded around him became irrelevant. On the main straight, the FW37 pushed close to 295 km/h, though the straight's length wasn't enough to reach 8th gear.
Heavy braking before Turn 1 brought speed down sharply; he trailed the brakes slightly while turning right over the modest red-and-white curbs – one of the few sections where kerbs could be used aggressively. Timing was critical: he began applying throttle before the rear wheels were fully off the curb, then lifted momentarily as they rolled over it to avoid a spin.
Vroom!
This level of precise throttle and brake control left no clear data trail – it was pure feel, impossible to fully analyze with numbers alone.
Entering Turn 1 and the uphill climb, Wu Shi assessed tire grip before flooring the throttle, sending the car surging forward. Reaching 280 km/h in 7th gear near the hilltop, he began easing off to navigate Turns 2-4 – the final challenge before the first sector timing line.
At Turn 4, the car ran inches from the left barrier before diving into the first downhill corner of the lap. As weight shifted forward and front tire load spiked, Wu Shi adjusted brake balance mid-corner to keep the car stable, with apex speed dropping to nearly 120 km/h.
"Wu Shi's flying on this lap!"
"Hamilton's ahead in the mid-section – Wu Shi's closing in on the S1 finish."
"Wow! The Williams is carrying incredible exit speed – full-throttle sections are 5 km/h faster than Mercedes!"
"True – but he's nearly 7 km/h slower through Turn 4."
"Look out – slight understeer there!"
On track, Wu Shi exhaled heavily – a touch too much throttle had triggered the understeer that almost derailed the lap.
"Phew!"
Pressing on, he crossed the first sector line. Jonathan's voice crackled over the radio immediately: "You're 0.001 seconds ahead of Hamilton through here."
The update boosted his confidence, but the complex downhill sequence of Turns 5-8 lay ahead, raising the difficulty significantly. Constant gear changes and the engine's alternating howls and rumbles filled his ears as he finally rounded Turn 8 and entered the tunnel straight – another strong point for the FW37.
Exiting the tunnel, speed neared 300 km/h before he slammed on the brakes and downshifted hard. Turning left, his front wheel lightly grazed the Turn 10 barrier, leaving a red stripe on the Pirelli tire before he straightened and flicked right into Turn 11.
He rode the red-and-white apex curb, lightly touching the yellow high curb closer to the center to gain extra steering room. After navigating the double-apex right-hander, he immediately turned left – again brushing the barrier – then shifted the car to the far right to set up for Turn 12.
Hiss!!
Front tire grip faded here, slowing his cornering speed. He had to unwind the steering carefully on exit, using every inch of track on the right to maintain acceleration. He felt the right tire scrape against the barrier – a fraction more and he would have crashed; any less and understeer would have sent him into the wall.
Perfectly balanced, he weaved through Turns 13-14 and approached Turns 15-16, his mind fixed on the team's repeated warning: Do not touch the yellow curbs here.
Whoosh!
His blistering pace caught the broadcast team's attention. The screen split to show Wu Shi's Williams on track, with Hamilton's completed lap time – 1 minute 15.304 seconds – displayed alongside his ongoing timing.
Vroom!!
After Turn 16, the remaining three corners were less demanding, but as he threaded through Turn 19, cameras captured his right-front wheel deforming under the pressure of squeezing against the barrier. Spectators outside could see sparks and debris from the friction, and watched the barrier vibrate as the car passed.
Whoosh!
Crossing the line – 1 minute 15.419 seconds – a phenomenal lap!
"Excellent! Wu Shi! Outstanding! You're incredible!" Jonathan's excited voice burst through the radio.
"P1?"
Wu Shi grinned as he slowed down – the tires were spent, and the right-front was certainly damaged internally; any more pressure would risk a blowout.
"Uh..." Jonathan's voice cut off abruptly. After a pause, he said quietly, "Hamilton's time is 1 minute 15.304 seconds."
Wu Shi clicked his tongue, eyeing the flat spot on his right tire as it rotated. With new tires, could I have beaten him?
His heart rate – already holding steady at 180 bpm – spiked again. Sweat rolled down his cheeks, leaving an itchy trail.
"Is there time for another lap?"
"Yes – Hamilton's coming in for tires too. You both have one more shot."
"Great!"
Then Jonathan added, "You're faster than Rosberg – he's on 1 minute 15.440 seconds."
"He'll pit for new tires as well?"
"He will."
Vettel's time soon appeared: 1 minute 15.877 seconds – fast, but over four tenths behind Rosberg.
"Looks like pole position will be a dogfight!"
"How did Williams pull off that time?!"
"Didn't you see? Extreme straight-line setup – faster than Mercedes!"
"But way slower in the corners!"
As commentators debated, the broadcast rolled slow-motion replays captured by trackside cameras, showing the Williams's tires brushing barriers repeatedly. The footage from Turn 19 was particularly dramatic, highlighting the mutual deformation of tire and barrier under pressure.
"Absolutely thrilling! Wu Shi is driving right on the edge!"
"More than that – without pushing this hard, he'd never get the car through those corners at speed."
The commentator was spot-on – instability in the car's dynamics was visible through every challenging section.
In the pits, drivers who had been eliminated in earlier qualifying rounds watched the big screen intently. Alonso stroked his chin, shaking his head with a smile and muttering: "Unbelievable! How does he do it?!"
Massa and Grosjean beside him wore expressions of pure admiration – wide smiles and shining eyes. Only fellow drivers could truly appreciate the skill on display.
"I swear, at Turn 16 exit, even a tiny change to throttle, brakes, or steering would have ended in disaster," Button said.
Everyone agreed – the Williams had been pitched through the corner with barely a margin for error.
"Time for new red tires," someone said. Was the ultimate showdown about to begin?
Driving such a challenging car at Monaco, could Wu Shi find enough to surpass the dominant Mercedes? How much more potential did he have left to unlock?
After his warm-up lap, Hamilton was already on track, completing his first sector as Wu Shi began his flying lap. Vettel and Rosberg followed behind.
The fresh soft tires delivered stronger grip, giving Wu Shi more confidence and room to work – though the car's slip characteristics felt different from before. As he crossed the first sector line, Jonathan frowned slightly: "0.12 seconds behind Hamilton here."
The gap jolted him back to focus – Hamilton had pulled out more than a tenth in a single sector! Wu Shi knew he had to push even harder than before.
Thankfully, the new tires held up better through the demanding downhill Turns 5-8. Several heavy braking zones wore them rapidly – they would be destroyed by the end of this lap – but Wu Shi paid no mind, fixated solely on the clock.
Whoosh!
The car roared into the tunnel, then burst back into daylight.
Clack! Clack!
At Turn 10, his left wheel slammed the barrier; the right wheel immediately thudded over the Turn 11 curb. The nearly uncontrollable style clawed back precious time – Jonathan checked the data and saw the gap was now just 0.09 seconds at the same point. He was closing in – second sector was faster!
Roar! Roar!
Suddenly, the broadcast cut away from Wu Shi to focus on Hamilton, who had just crossed the line: 1 minute 15.098 seconds!
"Oh! GOD! Lewis has broken the track record with 1:15.098! He's absolutely unstoppable!"
The commentator had barely finished when he shouted even louder: "Rosberg has locked up at Turn 1! Will we see yellow flags?!"
Cameras switched to Rosberg – the mistake was clearly unintentional. With his time trailing both Hamilton and Wu Shi, he was pushing to make up ground, so there was no way he would risk a deliberate error. But it seemed mistakes here had become all too familiar for him.
Before the commentator could continue, the screen cut back to Wu Shi. The Williams carried more speed through the wide Turn 12 than Mercedes had managed, instantly gaining perhaps 0.05 seconds – but as it exited the corner, the car shuddered violently and bounced into the air. The right-rear suspension snapped cleanly, twisting the front wheels and sending the car dragging forward in a shower of sparks.
Collision!
Wu Shi had suffered his first serious crash on track!
Inertia carried the car sliding along the ground for dozens of meters.
"Oh! Fk! Fk! Dammit! So close! So close!"
Wu Shi's voice rang out in fury over the radio.
"Hey – are you okay? Stay calm first!" Jonathan responded quickly, his voice steady despite the shock.
Hearing his engineer's voice, Wu Shi felt his throat tighten and his head spin slightly. He hadn't seen the crash coming – and if he hadn't reacted to brace himself, the impact could have been far worse. But none of that mattered now – only the agonizing near-miss.
The suspension had failed under extreme compression. A fraction more outward and the car would have stayed within its limits.
Cameras zoomed in as red flags waved across the circuit. Marshals rushed to the scene, gesturing anxiously when Wu Shi didn't immediately exit the car. After a few deep breaths, he waved "OK," removed his headrest and tossed it aside, then carefully lifted out the steering wheel – setting it down gently despite his frustration.
Climbing out, he walked to the rear of the car and stood in silence for a long time, staring at the broken right-rear suspension.