Chapter 214: A Destroyed Lap
The broadcast camera focused on Wu Shi as he stared silently at his car's broken right-rear suspension, and the commentator let out a heavy sigh:
"If he'd navigated Turn 12 cleanly, Wu Shi would have matched Lewis's pace almost exactly – pole position could have gone either way."
The commentator's sentiment echoed across the audience watching the session. Mercedes' dominance had only one potential chink in its armor – Wu Shi. Fans rarely root for the unbeatable favorite; they crave the drama of an underdog hero challenging the established giant. After dominating 2014, Mercedes was unquestionably that "dragon" now.
Jonathan shared the disappointment but prioritized Wu Shi's well-being, immediately contacting the team's medical staff. Wu Shi climbed onto Matthew's scooter and rode back to the pit lane as race control announced the remaining Q3 time would be insufficient to clear debris – the session was red-flagged and concluded early.
The final qualifying results were set:
- P1: Hamilton – 1 minute 15.098 seconds (pole position, track record)
- P2: Wu Shi – 1 minute 15.419 seconds
- P3: Rosberg – 1 minute 15.440 seconds
- Followed by Vettel, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Räikkönen, Bottas, Sainz, and Verstappen
As soon as Wu Shi returned, Massa clapped him on the back: "This is already fantastic – don't be too hard on yourself. How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay physically – the impact didn't hurt me," Wu Shi nodded. While his body was unharmed, his mind replayed the crash repeatedly. On a circuit like this, every corner offered no room for second chances – you either drove cautiously and slowly, or precisely and perfectly on the first attempt. It was the definition of pushing to the absolute limit.
After the mandatory weigh-in, Hamilton approached with a concerned look: "You still look a bit shaken up." He gave Wu Shi a pat down, checking him over visually.
"Thanks – it wasn't a serious impact," Wu Shi replied.
"You were incredible out there. Without the incident, you might have taken pole," Hamilton smiled warmly.
"But I did make a mistake, haha," Wu Shi shook his head. Truthfully, after seeing Hamilton's final time, he knew even a clean lap might not have been enough. Improving by 0.3 seconds on new tires, when his previous run was already at the edge of possibility, would have been nearly impossible.
Nearly all Q3 drivers stopped by to check on him. Verstappen looked dejected but brightened slightly when he saw Wu Shi was alright:
"These supersofts are way too hard, and the Renault engine just doesn't have enough grunt," he complained.
"Yeah, everyone's saying the same thing. They might be tough for qualifying, but they'll hold up better for the race," Wu Shi agreed. Monaco almost always favored a one-stop strategy, so durability would be key. He couldn't comment on the engine issue though – his Mercedes power unit was performing well.
"Your interviewer's coming over," Verstappen pointed out.
A female reporter with a SKY-branded microphone approached, flanked by photographers and fellow journalists:
"Wu Shi, congratulations on your front-row start. We saw your Q3 incident – the impact speed was significant. How are you feeling physically?"
"I'm fine, thank you. It was a side impact rather than head-on, so the forces weren't too severe," Wu Shi confirmed.
"Great to hear you're uninjured. As you know, overtaking is extremely difficult here, so a front-row start all but guarantees a podium – but with Lewis only 4 points behind you in the standings, and a 7-point gap between first and second in a race, winning would be ideal for your championship bid. What's your take?"
Wu Shi processed the question carefully: "You're right – winning carries huge points value, and I absolutely want to take the victory if I can. But the reality is we've made all the adjustments we can, and we're still lacking cornering speed compared to Mercedes. We'll have to see how things play out tomorrow – as a driver, I'll always push for the fastest possible pace."
Reporters scribbled notes or typed furiously on their phones – live interview insights often sparked the best news angles.
Afterward, Jonathan ushered Wu Shi for a full medical check-up. Even though he seemed fine, violent impacts could cause hidden injuries like concussions. The assessments were for both the driver's health and to confirm fitness to race – a compromised driver posed risks to everyone on track. If brain damage affected vision or reaction times, participation would be prohibited.
This wasn't absolute though – Verstappen had once raced just a week after a 51G impact left him with blurred vision from a concussion. That was 2021, a championship year, and no driver would willingly miss a race in such circumstances.
Meanwhile, major sports outlets had already posted headlines:
- "Monaco Qualifying: Wu Shi's Brilliant Lap Ends in Heartbreak!"
- "Wu Shi Survives First Major Crash – A Narrow Escape!"
- "Wu Shi Eyes WDC Lead, Ready to Battle Mercedes!"
- "Precision Like a Surgeon – The Rookie Who Defies Limits!"
"Tsk tsk – every race has headlines about Wu Shi. He's so popular," Ling Kang remarked.
"Have you seen his career so far? It's straight out of a movie," Zeng Tianyi sipped his milk tea.
"Hey – have you thought about it? Let's start a karting team together!" Ling Kang's eyes lit up. Since returning to China, he'd competed in local races while considering using his family's resources to launch a business. Like Wu Shi, he'd spent little time in school and planned to dedicate his life to racing.
"Are you serious? How old do you think we are?" Zeng Tianyi groaned.
"Eighteen!"
"Lunar age! I'm not even an adult yet – I still have to take my college entrance exams next year!"
"Don't change the subject – this is the perfect time! Wu Shi's inspiring so many kids to get into racing. Abroad it's the 'Kids' F1 Dream' – here it can be the 'Kids' Wu Shi Dream'!"
Ling Kang grew more animated as he spoke. Zeng Tianyi shook his head – he was focused on his studies for now.
"Go talk to Ye Zhaohui about this," he suggested.
"Him? I doubt he'd even look my way," Ling Kang laughed wryly. Ye Zhaohui's family background far outstripped his own – wealthy as he was, he couldn't compare.
Wu Shi's medical checks came back clear – the glancing impact had indeed caused minimal force. His family had seen the news and called one after another; he reassured each of them he was safe.
Sainz was later disqualified for failing to report for post-qualifying weigh-in and would start from the pit lane – a rookie mistake. Verstappen sent Wu Shi a message with a grin: "Already passed one opponent – what about you?"
Wu Shi smiled and replied: "Waiting for FIA to penalize Lewis, but he didn't do anything wrong. Annoying."
The next morning, Williams held their team meeting.
"What is our objective?" Claire opened with.
After a brief pause, Jonathan answered: "Drivers' Championship, Constructors' Runner-Up."
Claire nodded. Her role was primarily external operations, essentially serving as Deputy Team Principal, but Wu Shi's outstanding performances had elevated her influence within the team. From the moment he first showed his potential, she'd backed him fully – a decision that had paid unexpected dividends. While her control over Williams had been weak when temporarily taking over from her father, she'd consolidated power around Wu Shi's success and now felt confident managing the team independently if needed. A top driver's impact on a team was equal to that of a leading engineer or principal.
"Exactly – all strategies must support this goal. Now let's discuss our approach for Monaco."
The unspoken focus was clear: how to secure the drivers' championship today. With overtaking nearly impossible on track, pressure fell squarely on the strategy group.
"We've modeled multiple scenarios:
1. Start incident: If yellow/red flags are triggered, we'll mirror or counter Lewis's pit strategy.
2. Mid-race incident (Laps 2-26): We'll adjust based on timing and positions.
3. Key consideration: Whether Lewis will use traffic to his advantage to hold us up."
The strategy team outlined their plans – the core approach was to capitalize on yellow flags, safety cars, or red flags. In Monaco, front-runners were all elite drivers, and beating them through pure pace alone was extremely difficult. Car performance differences were minimized here, as most drivers couldn't fully exploit their machinery on a track with no run-off areas – few dared to push as aggressively as Wu Shi.
No major objections were raised to the strategy. After the main meeting, Wu Shi's race crew held a smaller session.
"As always, we need your feedback on these," Jonathan handed him a data sheet covering tire wear assessments, handling stability notes, and lap time projections – designed to capture his subjective feel for the car. Only after completing this did Saturday's work finally end.
Back at his hotel, Wu Shi lay on his bed, unable to deny his nerves. Being in the thick of the championship battle meant every race carried immense weight. While he'd driven with relative ease in previous rounds, the pressure now felt overwhelming.
Points leader.
He closed his eyes. Every driver dreamed of this moment, and now it was his. How long could he hold on? Could he keep it until season's end?
Race day dawned bright and sunny, dispelling qualifying's gloom – Monaco's weather truly changed by the hour. Drivers arrived one after another; while locals were accustomed to F1 stars, waves of cheers still greeted them as they waved to the crowds.
Wu Shi and Verstappen walked into the circuit together. Their cheers were quieter than the established stars', but for rookies in Monaco, any support was welcome.
Drivers who'd arrived earlier were gathered chatting.
"Mind if we join you?" Wu Shi asked.
"Of course not – the more the merrier!" Alonso beamed.
"Yeah, was just thinking we're too young for the 'uncles' club here, haha," Verstappen deadpanned, then burst out laughing himself. After several races together, the grid had grown close – and as someone from a racing family, he'd known most of the field since childhood, making his "uncle" jokes perfectly acceptable.
"Hey – yesterday you said you'd overtake me on track. Care to share your plan?" Hamilton asked, wearing oversized sunglasses and holding a large white cup.
"Easy – when the race starts, I floor it, and you decide to let the young guys have a shot, so you lift off and let me pass!" Wu Shi gestured dramatically, setting off a round of laughter. Off the track, the mood among drivers was always relaxed.
On the open-top parade bus, reporters conducted their usual light-hearted interviews – though surprises sometimes arose. An unfamiliar reporter approached Rosberg:
"Nico, you've won from pole here the past two years, but this year you're starting third. Do you think luck will be on your side today?"
Rosberg was already under significant pressure after qualifying mistakes, and his mood showed it: "We faced some unexpected issues in qualifying. Overtaking here is tough, and Williams is very competitive – we'll see how things unfold once the race starts."
The reporter pressed on: "You currently have 60 points, 30 behind your teammate, and while Mercedes leads the constructors', Williams is only 16 points back. How will you approach this race?"
Rosberg frowned at the blunt question. After a brief pause, he looked toward spectators on building windowsills and replied: "I'll be pushing for every point I can get. It's only the sixth race – the season is far from over."