Chapter 233: Williams Mercedes
The next day, before the main race, during the drivers' parade, Wu Shi leaned against the rail of the open-top bus.
"Wu Shi, I heard you were feeling unwell yesterday. What happened?"
Hamilton approached with a friendly demeanor.
"Nothing serious – probably cramps from pushing too hard. I'll be more careful going forward," Wu Shi replied.
"Talk to your nutritionist and trainer about this. They need to take it seriously – even small physical issues can make a big difference in a race," Hamilton advised, drawing on his years of experience.
As he spoke, his mind drifted to his teammate Rosberg, whose recent form had been shaky. He could see the pressure weighing on Nico – even his normally blonde hair looked duller. While he didn't know the specifics of Rosberg's health, he suspected things weren't ideal, especially with the team's sports psychologist spending more time at the track. And Hamilton himself was frustrated – despite often outperforming his teammate, he'd slipped to third in the standings, a position he attributed largely to Wu Shi's strong results.
"Thanks for the advice. The summer break is coming up, so I'll use that time to rest properly," Wu Shi said.
"Of course – best of luck today," Hamilton offered his hand.
Wu Shi shook it with a smile: "Wishing me luck now – are you hoping I'll catch up to you on track?"
"Oh? I'd be glad to see you try. Our top speed's solid this weekend," Hamilton said, adjusting his sunglasses as he stepped back.
During the parade, Wu Shi felt the mixed energy in the stands – supportive cheers from some, boos from others. He couldn't help but feel a pang of helplessness, thinking how Verstappen must feel when facing the fervent orange-clad fans at his home races.
At 1 PM, race time was near. The sky was partly cloudy, with thin cloud cover revealing patches of blue. Air temperature was 19°C, track temperature 32°C, wind speed 18 km/h, and humidity 52%.
"Great weather out there," Wu Shi said to Jonathan after completing his reconnaissance lap and climbing out of the car.
"Forecast says there's a chance of rain later," Jonathan replied.
They both glanced up at the sky – did the forecast hold any truth?
"Hard to say."
"Keep an eye on the wind speed – it's high enough that wind shear could be an issue," Jonathan reminded him.
Wu Shi nodded. Guarding against unpredictable wind shifts was one of racing's trickiest challenges – a steady southeast breeze could suddenly swing to southwest with no warning.
The final wait before getting into the car always brought a knot of tension.
"Time to get suited up."
"Got it."
Wu Shi pulled on his balaclava and helmet. Once seated in the cockpit and the steering wheel was installed, he left his gloves off for a moment – while 19°C felt cool outside, the cockpit was warm, and the breeze helped him stay calm.
"We're clearing the grid now," Jonathan's voice came through the radio.
Wu Shi slipped on his gloves as mechanics lowered the car from its jacks and wheeled their equipment away from the starting positions. Engines fired one after another, filling the grid with a deep, resonant hum.
When the minute hand of the Rolex clock above the track aligned with the crown logo, a bell chimed – 1 PM exactly. The warm-up lap began.
Hamilton led the 19-car field away from the grid, engines roaring in unison. Silverstone's long straights and sweeping corners meant the warm-up lap was more measured than at shorter circuits like the Red Bull Ring. Every driver started on medium tyres except Verstappen, who'd opted for hards. The top six grid positions were split between Mercedes (2), Williams (2), and Ferrari (2).
"Dark clouds are moving toward the circuit – rain probability now 30%," Jonathan informed him as he pulled into his grid slot.
Wu Shi wasn't keen on rain – low-drag, low-downforce setups struggled in wet conditions even for the most experienced drivers. He wondered if Mercedes had also run a low-downforce package, as Hamilton had hinted earlier. Even so, their aerodynamic efficiency would still outmatch Williams'.
Nineteen cars took their places – Nasr had withdrawn due to a pre-race mechanical failure. Each driver balanced their engine revs with precise throttle control, creating a symphony of controlled power.
The rear marshal waved the green flag, and the safety car pulled off to the side. Under the UBS signage, the first red light illuminated.
Wu Shi's heart skipped a beat, a flutter of nerves in his stomach – he rarely felt this tense before a start. He pushed the feeling aside, focusing on the task ahead. When he refocused, the third light was already on. A flash of panic at losing focus passed quickly as the fourth light brightened and engine notes rose in pitch.
The fifth light lit up – engines hit peak revs, clutches partially engaged. All eyes were on the lights.
Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.
Lights out!
Clutches engaged fully, and the cars surged forward. Within seconds, Wu Shi noticed something wrong – the two Mercedes ahead were slow off the line. He covered just two car lengths before switching to the middle of the track, with Massa mirroring his move perfectly.
"WHOA! Both Mercedes cars – Lewis and Nico – have made massive start errors! Complete and total mistakes!" the commentator shouted.
"Williams has seized their chance! Look at them go – Wu Shi's already past both Mercedes drivers heading into Turn 1!"
"Can Massa do the same? YES! He's through too! Unbelievable – both Williams cars have overtaken Mercedes before the first corner!"
Even Hülkenberg's impressive move past both Ferraris behind went almost unnoticed – two of F1's top teams struggling at the start was extraordinary.
Before Hamilton could mount a challenge on Massa, yellow flags waved in the distance. The camera cut to Jenson Button, whose car was stuck in the grass run-off area.
"Safety car deployed. Button and Grosjean are retired. Alonso is pitting for a new front wing," Jonathan reported.
As Wu Shi closed in behind the safety car, news came that Bottas had also retired – three cars out in the opening laps, shaking up the order significantly.
The broadcast replayed the early incidents: Hamilton's engine note had fluctuated at key moments, costing him speed. Wu Shi passed him as he shifted into second gear at 150 kph; by the time he reached fifth gear (220 kph), Massa was already diving to the inside line and completed his overtake under braking.
"Was that a driver error or a car issue? The speed gap to Williams is huge!" commentator Brother Fei asked.
Next came Verstappen's on-board footage – he'd narrowly avoided a four-car collision behind the leaders. Then Button's perspective showed how contact had sent him off track. The cars were quickly cleared by marshals, so the safety car wouldn't stay out long.
The camera focused on Massa and Hamilton, with the Mercedes driver pushing aggressively, tailing the Williams car so closely that any slight slowdown risked contact.
At the end of lap 3, the safety car pulled in. Wu Shi accelerated hard, with Massa right behind him. He held his line to avoid blocking his teammate – but this gave Hamilton an opening. The Mercedes driver floored the throttle on the straight, closing rapidly, but had to brake late for the corner ahead. White smoke billowed from his brakes as he locked up slightly, running wide and losing momentum. Not only did he fail to pass Massa, but he also let Rosberg close in.
Hamilton turned his focus to defending from his teammate. On the main straight, Rosberg drafted closely behind, but Hamilton blocked effectively – moving from the edge to the middle, then switching to the left as Rosberg tried to go wide. He held the inside line into Turn 1, retaining his position.
Up front, Wu Shi had pulled clear, with Massa maintaining a comfortable gap behind him. The battling Mercedes pair soon found themselves under pressure from Hülkenberg and Räikkönen. Hamilton's clean defense at Turn 1 allowed Rosberg to drop back slightly and defend from Hülkenberg, who lost time trying to find a way past and was then attacked by Räikkönen. The two fought through several corners before Hülkenberg held position into the hairpin at Turn 4.
Yellow flags waved again – a Red Bull-liveried car was stuck in the gravel trap, smoke rising from the engine bay. As the smoke cleared, it was clear it was Verstappen.
"Verstappen's mistake comes down to inexperience – he forgot a critical detail," one commentator said.
"What's that?"
"He was on hard tyres, unlike everyone else on mediums. After the safety car, his tyres were stone cold – grip was almost non-existent."
While yellow flags restricted overtaking in the first sector, racing continued elsewhere. Vettel tried to pass Kvyat using Ferrari's straight-line speed, but Kvyat defended brilliantly. Entering lap 5, Wu Shi set the fastest lap of the race so far: 1 minute 40.879 seconds. He was 0.9 seconds ahead of Massa, 1.7 seconds ahead of Hamilton, and 2.45 seconds clear of Rosberg. DRS remained disabled due to the safety car and yellow flags.
"Turn off the engine – you're stuck and can't return to the track," Toro Rosso radioed to Verstappen.
"That's more like a rookie's performance," Brother Bing commented – a sentiment shared by many in the paddock, where Wu Shi's maturity often made people forget how young he was. If he were Sainz's age, his talent would still impress, but his youth made his composure all the more remarkable.
The race pressed on. The first six laps had been dominated by safety cars and yellow flags, but the action was intense. Vettel spun while attacking Kvyat, losing position to Pérez in the process.
"Only us and Mercedes are consistently running 1:41 laps – everyone else is over 1:42," Jonathan reported, sticking to factual updates rather than giving driving instructions.
"Copy that."
As the track settled down, drivers became more aggressive – though they were careful to preserve their medium tyres for the long run.
DRS ENABLED – END OF LAP 6
The broadcast replayed the opening-lap overtake, cutting to the Williams garage where Claire was celebrating wildly – two cars at the front meant huge points potential for the team.
Lap 7 saw Wu Shi set a new fastest lap: 1 minute 39.353 seconds. His pace was building steadily, and while Massa struggled to keep up, he remained within touching distance. Both Mercedes drivers stayed less than a second behind the car ahead, creating a four-car train that pulled away rapidly from fifth-placed Hülkenberg. Within laps, Rosberg was 5 seconds clear of the Force India driver – the gap looked like an entire straightaway. The display highlighted just how dominant the Mercedes-powered cars were in cool, high-speed conditions.
"Hamilton just ran 1:39.293 – he's within DRS range of Massa now," Jonathan said at the end of lap 8.
"Copy."
Wu Shi had unconsciously pulled a 1-second gap over Massa. To help his teammate defend, he eased off slightly, letting Massa close back into DRS range. The front four settled into a stable rhythm.
"Hülkenberg is already 8 seconds behind Wu Shi – and we're only on lap 9! That's incredible," Brother Bing exclaimed.
"The Mercedes engine's advantage on this kind of track is still unmatched," Brother Fei agreed.
"Lotus is a shame, though," Brother Bing said.
"Shame about what? Can they even afford to keep scoring points?" Brother Fei joked.
"Hahaha – Bottas and Grosjean aren't going to hold out for Kimi-level contracts, are they? After how things went with him, Lotus won't be asking for big money," Brother Bing laughed.
Rosberg set a new fastest lap at the end of lap 9: 1 minute 39.198 seconds.
"The top four are really pushing each other hard!" the commentary team noted, keeping cameras focused on the lead group as they diced for position. Vettel's overtake on Pérez was only shown in a brief replay.
"Maintain your pace – we need to work together to hold position. I can't give you detailed instructions, so trust your instincts," Jonathan said.
"Understood."
Wu Shi tried to balance teamwork with his own race strategy. When he slowed, Massa used DRS to close in quickly – a dynamic he was wary of, as he'd noticed Massa's racing line shifting slightly in recent laps. Massa hadn't won a race since 2008, and Wu Shi knew that veteran drivers rarely let opportunities slip by. His approach was simple: leave no room for misunderstandings or mistakes.
As dark clouds gathered overhead, the question on everyone's mind was clear – with heavy rain forecast for later, would the race be able to finish before the weather turned?