Chapter 104 Where's Verstappen?
"Yes! Yes!"
"Wuu!!!"
The moment the results were announced, cheers erupted in the P room. After high-fiving the two people next to him, Alan remained composed and asked in the TR chat:
"Your tires are severely overheated. Qualifying ends in three minutes. You'll need to cool down for one lap before you do another."
What was my second fastest lap before?
"1 minute 32.636 seconds, ranking eleventh."
"."
Wu Shi was considering whether to do another lap. The tires were already worn out, and doing another lap would make them difficult to use in the race.
"1 minute 32.445 seconds, eighth place, that's the position I'd recommend," Alan said.
"Understood, I will try again."
During his cool-down lap, Wu Shi paid close attention to the tire feel, but after one lap, he couldn't help but shake his head and said in the TR:
"If I do one more lap, this set of tires will be ruined. I'm not entirely confident that I can lead the race."
"Then come back."
"OK".
The vehicle drove back to the pit lane, and he got out. Alan came over, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Why didn't you follow my plan? That way, you'd have a chance to start from the front row for at least the last two races."
"I would also find it difficult to do that," Wu Shi said.
"Can't it be stabilized?"
"The tires can't break 32 seconds twice; there's not enough time for them to cool down," Wu Shi said.
Alan sighed. The current result was two pole positions and one eleventh position.
His plan was to secure pole position in the first race, around third or fourth place in the second, and either pole position or third or fourth place in the third.
From the perspective of earning points, this is a greater gain.
"As long as I win, the points don't mean much to me," Wu Shi said.
"Indeed." Alan smiled upon hearing this. Wu Shi had a total of 75 points in the first three games, while Ocon, who was in second place, only had 45 points, and Verstappen had less than 30 points.
At noon, without taking a break, everyone immediately began preparing for the first match.
"The first one has the oldest tires," Wu Shi said directly to Ai Lan.
"Mm." Alan nodded, without saying anything.
Wu Shi's thinking was also very simple. In the first race, he was in pole position, followed by Lucas Auer and Antonio Giovinazzi. These players put far less pressure on him than Bromqvist and Verstappen.
So just use the oldest set of tires to deal with them.
The match came quickly.
The indicator lights used at Hogheimlin Circuit for F3 races are the same as those for F1 races, consisting of five red lights.
The five lights lit up in sequence.
The drivers were completely focused until the red light suddenly went out, and the race officially began!
Wu Shi released the clutch in a second, and the car started moving.
After the engine speed rises rapidly, shift up at the most opportune moment.
Accelerate, shift up, accelerate!
After a series of maneuvers, Wu Shi's car pulled ahead by 0.3 seconds, a sudden performance that naturally drew everyone's attention.
"It's amazing that an old tire can be used like this."
"Yes, and his reaction speed has always been very fast, and he has almost never made a mistake at the start."
"His control over gears and engine speed is so good that the output curve rises almost consistently."
"If Wu is in pole position, there's basically nothing to watch."
Wu Shi ran ahead without paying attention to what was behind him. He was already faster than others, so as long as he created some distance, no one could catch up with him.
However, shortly after the race began, Airan TR reported: "Verstappen and Giovanni have had an accident, but the track is currently normal."
"receive."
The yellow flag mechanism in F3 differs from that in F1. If a disabled vehicle crashes into the run-off area, the tow truck is usually not activated until the end of the race.
After all, the F3 race schedule is very short, and deploying yellow flags and safety cars arbitrarily can basically delay the race and end it in no time.
As expected, Verstappen's accident did not trigger the safety car. He got out of the car, turned into an opening next to the track barrier, and left the track.
The photographer gave us a shot.
The front row of this race wasn't very exciting, but from third place onwards, the competition among the drivers became extremely fierce. King climbed all the way from tenth to fourth place, almost making it onto the podium.
Halfway through the race, Latifi suffered an accident and had to withdraw from the competition.
Because of the chaos in the midstream group, their lap times were severely affected, and Wu Shi had already lapped the 18th-placed team.
In the 35th minute of the match, Wu Shi was the first to cross the checkered line under the waving checkered flag! Another title!
The second and third matches were scheduled for the following day, so reporters flocked to the venue, ready to use the ample afternoon to learn more about the situation.
After giving a few perfunctory replies, Wu Shi returned to the rest area.
Today's schedule was exhausting for him. Both the second qualifying session and the later stages of the first race, which involved tire management, took a lot of mental effort.
The following Sunday, at 10 a.m., the drivers began to enter the venue one after another.
Before setting out on the survey, Verstappen walked up to him and said, "I'm going to overtake you."
"Oh, we'll see!" Wu Shi said with a smile.
This wasn't Verstappen trying to stir up trouble, but rather a reminder to Wu Shi, just like their conversation in the stands on Friday: in the upcoming matches, he wouldn't care about anyone.
Wu Shi understood Verstappen's personality very well. In fact, he also believed that emotions should not be considered on the racetrack, especially among drivers who are competing with each other.
In this situation, if one party gives more than the other, and the other party doesn't reciprocate, then the relationship will begin to decline.
It would have been better if we had agreed from the beginning of the competition that we would be complete strangers on the field.
Wu Shi was using the same tires he used in the first qualifying session. These tires were in much better condition than the ones he used yesterday, and he didn't think Verstappen would have a chance to get behind him.
At this point, Verstappen was still somewhat different from the Verstappen who later won the championship, and he was no longer a threat to him.
Besides, when the vehicle performance is similar, even a peak-level Verstappen wouldn't pose a threat to him.
Because of this confidence, Wu Shi was able to remain completely calm and composed during the F3 races.
You asked why his hands sometimes tremble before the game starts?
Isn't that just a pre-burst of adrenaline, caused by excitement?
Just before the race officially began, Alan brought another piece of news: "Bromquist has changed the engine."
"Huh? He was starting from the front row this time, why is he being changed?"
Halfway through the conversation, Wu Shi had already roughly guessed what was going on.
Because the penalties for replacing an engine are severe, teams try to limit engine performance during races to ensure its lifespan. However, there are always exceptions where overclocking is performed in order to win a particular race.
"So Verstappen will start behind you."
"I see."
After speaking with Alan, Wu Shi got into his car.
The reconnaissance team started moving, but when he stopped at the starting grid, he found that there was no one beside him.
Huh? Where's Verstappen?
Alan TR: "Verstappen's car is having some problems and is still in the middle of the track."
Wu Shi (TR): "What's the problem?"
The vehicle appears to be fine.
"His clutch couldn't engage properly, and the engine... oh, he had to retire from the race."
"Why can't it lock properly? What's wrong with the engine?" Wu Shi pressed.
Since both vehicles use the same parts, if Verstappen's car has a problem, then his car is also very likely to have a problem.
"Well, we don't know the answer to that question for now. Just keep driving carefully."
"good."
Wu Shi frowned slightly. His racing car was performing well, which was probably due to his proper maintenance.
He had expected to face pressure from behind in the second main match, and to fight hard before finally reaping the victory.
As a result, the second-place finisher was penalized ten places after the engine was changed, and Verstappen, who took over the second-place position, retired from the race before even completing the reconnaissance lap.
While Wu Shi remained silent, one of the five red lights lit up every second.
After all five red lights came on and then went out, the second game of this weekend officially began!
Because his direct competitor, Aokang, started from the third position, Wu Shi's start was unaffected by anyone, and he gained a lead of more than 0.6 seconds in the initial stage alone.
After just one more lap, the difference would basically stabilize at more than one second.
Wu Shi (TR): "I know there might be some problem with his separation and reunion."
Alan TR: "Yeah, focus on driving, we'll take care of this. Watch your engine."
Wu Shi (TR): "Okay."