Chapter 230: A Peerless Genius
Wu Shi remained silent, waiting for them to continue. Sid pulled up prepared materials on his laptop and pushed them across the table:
"We've been tracking Williams' situation closely. While your performance has been exceptional, the revenue you've brought in can't sustain their R&D costs. Their budget sits in the lower-middle tier among teams, and multiple reports indicate struggles with aerodynamics development – there have been frequent personnel changes, which will hurt progress in the coming years."
He looked at Wu Shi: "Do you know this to be true?"
Wu Shi read through the data and sighed, nodding. He wasn't familiar with the exact finances, but he'd seen firsthand how slowly aerodynamic improvements were moving. The Red Bull Ring win had little to do with aerodynamics – it relied on the Mercedes engine, track characteristics that let skill compensate for downforce deficits, and strong tire management.
In qualifying, Mercedes' mistakes handed him pole; in the race, Hamilton's slow start and battle with Rosberg opened the door. Even then, the pit stop error nearly cost him everything. Hamilton's 1:10.6 fastest lap was "crazy" – 0.8 seconds faster than anyone else, achieved by pushing tires beyond their limits.
This victory wasn't sustainable. Wu Shi knew Williams' funding was tight, and the Mercedes engine's advantage was only clear in low temperatures – Ferrari was catching up fast. Next year, without better aerodynamics, Williams might not even keep pace with Ferrari.
"The situation is accurate," he admitted. "R&D is slow, funds are tight."
Martina leaned forward: "Your first-half performance has been so good that every team wants you. Ferrari would be keen if they didn't already have Vettel and Räikkönen. Mercedes, McLaren – they've all reached out. They want to invest in your future."
"Sid mentioned Mercedes and McLaren," Wu Shi said. "I get along well with everyone at Williams. Plus, Mercedes has Hamilton and Rosberg; Ferrari has their pair; McLaren has Alonso and Button. Red Bull isn't interested, and other teams are worse off than Williams. Isn't this discussion too early?"
Martina cut to the chase: "We need to know if you'll refuse all talks out of loyalty to Williams."
Wu Shi thought of Williams' future – he knew the team would decline after 2015, eventually being acquired as costs became unsustainable. Sir Williams' dedication earned respect, but respect couldn't compete with money in modern F1.
"Yes, but I'll only consider Mercedes," he said firmly. "They're the only ones with a championship-contending car right now. I'm pragmatic about winning the WDC – I'll make sacrifices for that."
"Not Ferrari?" Sid asked in surprise.
"Not yet," Martina answered for him, smiling. She'd gotten the answer she wanted.
After Wu Shi left, Sid sighed: "He's grown attached to Williams."
"Williams has treated him well, but his driving style will soon become a burden," Martina said. She thought of Räikkönen nearly bankrupting Lotus a few years prior.
"At his current pace, he'll hit 300 points this season – that's $9 million just in points bonuses, plus other incentives totaling around $15 million," Sid calculated. "Williams' prize money for second place would be around $100 million – barely enough for R&D and operations. Most teams lose money except for factory-backed ones like Mercedes."
Back Home
Wu Shi felt a little down, but shook off the emotion – nothing was final yet. That's how the paddock worked; even seven-time champions moved on when the time came.
Louise came home excited and pulled him to play iRacing. Creating a new account would require proving his identity, so he used hers instead.
"1500 rating, D license – about to level up!" she said, then asked, "You can drive other cars besides F1, right?"
"Should be able to," he shrugged, picking up the controller.
He pointed to the SPEC RACER FORD CHALLENGE at Spa – a practice session was ongoing. His first lap was conservative: 2:42.111.
"Wow! How did you do that?!" Louise gasped.
"Want me to teach you?"
She nodded eagerly, and he walked her through braking points and track awareness – basics beginners often missed. In qualifying, he pushed to 2:39 high, while the next fastest driver was in 2:41 high.
During the 9-lap race, he led from pole but spun on lap 5 – without force feedback, judging tire wear was guesswork. He recovered to win, boosting Louise's rating to over 1700.
She screenshot the result and posted in her group chat: "Just casually ran a race and got first place. Is this okay?"
Messages flooded in – one user asked, "First race? You're a genius! Interested in pro competitions?"
Louise looked guilty: "He's asking if you want to join pro races."
"Hahaha, tell him academics come first – I'm already racing professionally," Wu Shi laughed.
Back to Williams
The next morning, Wu Shi flew to the UK base. In the foyer, he saw the 1994 championship car – usually in the museum, now moved here. That was the year Senna passed away, and Sir Williams rarely indulged in nostalgia like this.
Massa was talking with engineers when Wu Shi arrived. Young team members whistled in greeting; while some found it unprofessional, no one objected to celebrating a champion.
"Welcome back – tuning has been slow without you," Massa said happily.
"I'm just extra help – you've been doing great," Wu Shi grinned, high-fiving him. Jonathan hugged him too: "Our champion is back."
Claire was focused on keeping the team financially stable, while the engineers prepared for Silverstone. The track shared Red Bull Ring's high-speed nature but had 18 corners – far more complex. Wu Shi knew it well from F3, and many expected him to continue his winning streak, though others thought Hamilton would dominate at home to close the gap with Rosberg.
The "Genius" Misunderstanding
Anatoly Tucker replayed Louise's race on iRacing, growing more amazed by the lap after lap. The corner entry and exit speeds seemed impossible – until he saw the spin on lap 5, which eased his mind slightly.
Checking the account's history, he saw inconsistent results – some races were terrible. Could this beginner be using a controller? He scratched his head in disbelief.
'Geniuses are always arrogant,' he thought. 'I need to convince them to join our club!'
He messaged Louise, but got no reply. Meanwhile, she was buried in homework and sent him a screenshot: "Log in and reply for me."