Chapter 215: Strategy & Accident
After the driver parade, the racers returned to the pit lane. Jonathan showed Wu Shi the day's weather data immediately:
"Air temp 18℃, track temp 37℃, wind speed 1.1 m/s, humidity 61%."
The cool conditions were perfect for spectators, but for drivers, lower temperatures meant tire grip could be tricky on the opening lap.
Jonathan patted Wu Shi's shoulder: "Just bring it home safely. For a rookie season, what you've achieved is already incredible. Safety comes first – there will be plenty more chances."
"Mm," Wu Shi nodded, but his mind was set: Precisely because this is my rookie year, I want the WDC even more! When will I get another chance like this? He couldn't afford to hold back.
Once Wu Shi was in the car, an engineer asked Jonathan: "Why dampen his spirits like that?"
"Whether I say it or not, he'll push hard – that's who he is," Jonathan replied. "That's exactly why I need to remind him. He's young; his career is just getting started."
Amid the paddock buzz, the reconnaissance lap began. Track conditions were far better than yesterday – humidity was lower, and grip felt noticeably improved. The new asphalt still had variable grip across sections, but Wu Shi had already mapped these differences during practice. Data from the reconnaissance lap confirmed they hadn't changed significantly.
Back on the grid, mechanics quickly wrapped tire blankets around the wheels and held an umbrella over Wu Shi in the cockpit. Monaco is one of the few circuits without a pre-race ceremony, so drivers stayed in their cars.
When the bell rang, all personnel cleared the track in preparation for the formation lap.
"Wu Shi – Rosberg has a visible flat spot on his left tire, likely from yesterday's lock-up," Jonathan reported over team radio. "Top ten are all on supersofts."
As the formation lap bell chimed, Hamilton pulled away quickly, while Wu Shi was slightly slower. The broadcast cut to the standings board as cars warmed up their tires.
"Look at these points!" commentator Bing exclaimed. "Wu Shi's leading with 94 points – this has never happened before!"
"Too bad it's not in Chinese – would look even more impressive," co-commentator Fei laughed.
"Rosberg's 30 points behind. Closing that gap is easier said than done," Bing noted.
"His form's off this year. Last season he could match Hamilton, but so far it's been tough going," Fei analyzed.
"Remember that awkward question during the parade? His face was pretty grim."
"That reporter was out of line – fans don't want tension like that before a race."
"Mercedes still has the fastest car, but their standings lead isn't huge," Bing shifted gears.
"Williams is only 16 points back – close, but they won't overtake today," Fei added.
"Massa's starting 15th – whether he scores depends on how the race plays out."
"What would Toto do if Mercedes lost the lead to Williams or Ferrari?"
"Stay neutral, what else?"
"Hahaha – so you think he can't bring himself to be ruthless?"
As they chatted, drivers completed the formation lap and took their positions.
"Grip is great – drier, warmer than yesterday. The asphalt feels much better," Wu Shi told Jonathan.
"Good news," his engineer replied.
Wu Shi settled into the left-side front-row slot, stretching his arms briefly. He wanted to roll his neck but couldn't move freely with the head support in place. Drivers behind deliberately took their time getting positioned to let the front runners' tires cool slightly.
"Final countdown – get ready to start," Jonathan warned.
Wu Shi fixed his eyes on the starting lights. The red LEDs lit up one by one, and when all five glowed bright, every driver's pulse quickened. The lights stayed on far longer than usual – a delay that often causes slow starts. Whenever his focus wavered, Wu Shi bit his tongue – a reminder of a past mistake caused by losing concentration during a long wait. He wouldn't let history repeat itself.
Whoosh!
The lights snapped off – the race was on!
Hamilton reacted quickly, but Wu Shi's clutch work and gear changes were flawless. He maximized engine speed at every stage, maintaining perfect torque output.
Vroom roar!
Wu Shi stayed right on Hamilton's tail. His lightning start had him poised to place his front wing at the veteran's rear wheel – but the braking point for Turn 1 arrived too soon. Hamilton held the inside line from his right-side grid slot, giving him first access to the corner. Worse still, Rosberg was closing in fast from the inside, narrowing Wu Shi's space.
The chance to attack Hamilton was gone. Wu Shi focused on staying close, compressing Rosberg's line and forcing him to slow through the turn. Further back, the two Red Bulls battled fiercely – Ricciardo locked up halfway through, nearly triggering a pile-up before regaining control.
Whoosh whoosh!!
Through Turn 1, the top six positions remained unchanged.
"Wow – Wu Shi was so close!"
"Rosberg's pushing hard behind him too!"
Whoosh whoosh!
Cars streamed through the corner. Without an overtake at the start, passing would be nearly impossible on the winding, narrow track.
As they approached Turn 8, Jonathan's voice crackled over the radio: "Hülkenberg went off at Turn 5 and hit the wall. Front wing's detached – unclear if he can move. Be careful."
Every team received the same alert. Drivers knew yellow flags or a safety car could trigger pit stops – risky for front runners who'd lose positions, but an opportunity for those further back.
Massa's voice came through: "Front wing damaged – almost undrivable. I have to pit for a replacement." He'd been caught up in the incident.
Alonso followed: "I made contact with him – suspension seems damaged." His collision had sent Hülkenberg off track.
Jonathan updated Wu Shi: "Yellow flag in Sector 2. Hülkenberg's car is mobile; marshals have cleared the front wing debris from Turn 5."
As racing resumed, gaps between cars widened. Following too closely on a street circuit was dangerous – a sudden brake could cause a rear-end crash.
Hülkenberg and Massa both pitted to replace front wings; the former switched from softs to supersofts, the latter from supersofts to softs. With 77 laps remaining, their chances of finishing were uncertain.
On Lap 2, with no more yellow flags, Hamilton set a 1:20.852 lap time. Wu Shi was slightly slower, and the gap stretched to over a second. Rosberg trailed Wu Shi by nearly another second. Front runners had no interest in drafting – dirty air, tire wear, and engine strain offered no benefit with no overtaking opportunities in sight.
Attention shifted to Bottas, whose team radio revealed car troubles. Toro Rosso alerted Verstappen immediately: "Bottas is slowing down – this is your chance to overtake."
Cameras focused on Verstappen as he closed in dangerously close, his front wing nearly touching Bottas's rear tires multiple times. It was his first Monaco race on such a complex circuit.
Lap 6 brought news of Alonso's 5-second penalty for the collision. On the same lap, Verstappen narrowly passed Bottas at Turn 1. By Lap 8, Bottas retired with brake failure – hydraulic issues left him with no choice.
Lap 10: "Lewis reports his right-front tire temp isn't rising," Jonathan said.
"Is he slowing down a lot?" Wu Shi asked.
"No – just letting you know he might be having issues."
"I don't believe anything Lewis says on TR," Wu Shi stated bluntly.
The broadcast picked up the exchange, sending commentators into fits of laughter.
"Wu Shi doesn't trust Lewis's radio messages! Has he been tricked before?"
"Not this year – but he watches old races to learn. Did he study too many mind games?"
"Hahaha! That must be it!"
The lighthearted moment broke up the race's monotony. Lap 12 brought first-person camera views to keep fans engaged, while Sainz's pit stop at the back went unnoticed.
- End of Lap 14: Ericsson pitted (supersoft → soft)
- End of Lap 17: Grosjean pitted (supersoft → soft)
- End of Lap 18: Nasr pitted (supersoft → soft)
A brief pit stop wave fizzled out quickly. Hamilton's 1:20.036 lap time on Lap 18 signaled front runners still had strong tire life.
"See? No problems at all," Wu Shi said after hearing the update, maintaining a steady 2-second gap to Hamilton.
Blue flags began waving as front runners lapped slower cars. The first driver Wu Shi passed was Massa – the director made sure to highlight the moment.
Lap 22 saw Hamilton set a new fastest lap of 1:19.835, seemingly trying to pull away.
"Don't follow too closely," Jonathan warned.
"Copy," Wu Shi replied. He could match the pace but knew it would burn through tires and risk suspension damage. Rosberg wasn't a threat anyway.
By Lap 25, Hamilton was aggressively lapping cars. Teams abandoned hopes for an early safety car and began planning their pit stops.
- End of Lap 28: Kvyat pitted (supersoft → soft)
- Lap 29: Verstappen pitted – exited to find Hamilton about to lap him
- Lap 36: Vettel pitted
With fourth place in the pits, the front order was about to shift. Rosberg pitted on Lap 37 to avoid being undercut by Vettel; Räikkönen followed suit. All three retained their positions after exiting.
"BOX, BOX."
Wu Shi pitted at the end of Lap 38. Only after he entered the pits did Hamilton make his stop on Lap 39. The front positions remained unchanged.
"Looks like this is how it'll end," Bing sighed. With the first stint over 30 laps, the new soft tires were meant to last the distance.
"Hey – what's the highlight of Monaco every year?" Fei asked.
"I don't dare say!" Bing chuckled, shaking his head. Domestic commentators had been cautious since 2007, when a remark about a driver caused controversy.
Front runners settled into 1:20 lap times on new tires.
"Seems like no safety car today."
"Probably not – everyone's keeping safe distances. Accidents are unlikely."
"Only one retirement so far – Bottas!"
"He's had bad luck this year," Bing noted.
Lap 42 brought more drama as Alonso crashed at Turn 1, triggering a brief Sector 1 yellow flag.
"What happened?!"
"Gearbox issues – same problem as qualifying. He's only finished two races all season – really unlucky."
By Lap 45, Hamilton led by 8 seconds. Lap 54 stretched the gap to 10 seconds; by Lap 63, it was 14 seconds. Rosberg stayed 1.5 seconds behind Wu Shi but couldn't find a way past.
"The race is wrapping up," Bing said, shifting to gossip with Fei. Without a front-runner accident, positions were locked in.
Cameras focused on Verstappen, who'd fallen out of the points after a second stop but was closing in on Grosjean with newer supersoft tires.
"Verstappen's responsible for both overtakes in this race!" Bing observed.
"Young drivers have fire – they won't stop until they pass."
"But you can't follow too closely here."
As if on cue, Lap 64 began with Verstappen activating DRS on the main straight, closing rapidly on Grosjean. Grosjean braked early; Verstappen couldn't react in time, turning right but clipping Grosjean's rear wheel with his front-left.
Bang! Crunch! Screech!!!
Red Bull #33 slid into the Turn 1 barrier, its front-left wheel torn off completely.
"Oh no – crash!"
"I warned them not to follow so close! Youngsters!" Fei shook his head.
Wu Shi immediately asked over radio: "Is Verstappen okay?"
"Yes – he's fine," Jonathan confirmed.
"Good," Wu Shi exhaled in relief.
"Virtual safety car – maintain speed limits."
"Copy."
A VSC this late felt meaningless, but it switched to a full safety car on Lap 65.
"Only 13 laps left – will front runners make a move?" Bing wondered.
"If they pit, it becomes a sprint race."
"Unlikely – Hamilton's pace is down, but he'll wait for others to act first."
Wu Shi's voice came through: "My tires are still good – maybe I can attack." The safety car would close the gap to Hamilton, who'd been stretching it with faster laps and older tires.
"Yes – you can catch up quickly and have three laps to push," Jonathan agreed.
The radio exchange was broadcast, drawing cheers from commentators: "This is happening! We thought it was over, but now there's a chance!"
Back markers pitted for fresh tires, but front runners held firm – until Mercedes called Hamilton in.
"BOX, BOX."
"Copy," Hamilton replied.
"Oh! Hamilton's pitting!"
"Will Wu Shi follow?"
The screen showed Wu Shi drive straight past the pit lane entrance.
"He's not going in!"
Strategy diverged dramatically. Mercedes encountered issues during the stop, taking 6.1 seconds – far slower than usual.
"Push, push! Lewis's stop was slow – really slow!" Jonathan urged.
Wu Shi pushed to the limit just short of penalties as Verstappen's car was lifted from Turn 1. Exiting the pits, Hamilton had to stay inside the yellow line until clear – emerging almost alongside Vettel but behind, unable to pass.
Vettel squeezed ahead, weaving slightly on the downhill straight in celebration.
"Hahaha! Vettel's loving this!" Bing laughed.
"Why did Mercedes call him in?!" Fei exclaimed.
"Must be tire-related – but this is a mess! He has to overtake three cars in 10 laps!"
"Mercedes made a huge mistake."
Cameras cut to Niki Lauda in the garage, his face grim.
The safety car led until Lap 68, then began releasing cars. Nine vehicles – #8, #9, #12, #19, #27, #28, #55, #77, #98 – passed the safety car one by one.
"Debris still at Turn 1 – safety car will stay out while barriers are repaired," Jonathan said.
"I'll keep an eye out next lap," Wu Shi replied.
Bono apologized over Mercedes radio: "Calculation error – we're investigating."
"Was pitting necessary? Vettel passed me – he should give the position back," Hamilton said.
"We're looking into it."
Midway through Lap 70, the safety car's lights went out. Wu Shi slowed briefly to bunch up the field, then accelerated hard – tires and brakes were cold, making Monaco's corners extremely dangerous.
His focus was absolute. As he blasted through Turn 19, the engine roared to full power.
"Seven laps left – Rosberg's locking up behind you," Jonathan warned.
Wu Shi ignored him, fully immersed in the car. Within a few corners, he'd pulled a 1-second gap on Rosberg, whose tires were a lap older.
"Steady – can he hold it?!" Jonathan clenched his fists, heart racing.
With a two-car length lead established, cameras switched to Vettel and Hamilton – the director assumed the battle for first was settled, and the real fight was now for the podium.