Chapter 198
At 6:00 p.m., Q1 began.
Teams capable of reaching Q2 all sent their cars out on soft tyres, while the rest of the field was released early. Rosberg easily set a lap of 1:35.657.
That time was even slower than his practice-session pace and nowhere near true qualifying speed. Clearly, everyone's first flying lap was just reconnaissance.
Wu Shi went out with the pack and posted 1:35.754, deliberately a little slower than Rosberg, temporarily second.
But that meant nothing.
Hamilton's time was only 1:35.987.
Was that real pace?
Obviously not.
The front-running teams were still observing. After the first round of laps, Force India and Sauber somehow sat inside the top ten.
No one believed those positions would last.
Everyone was waiting for the second flying laps.
And the first to strike wasn't anyone already on track, but Vettel, who hadn't even left the pit lane in the first seven minutes.
After completing his out-lap, he immediately began pushing.
With Mercedes still cruising, he sliced 0.339 seconds off Rosberg's time in Sector 1, another 0.3 seconds in Sector 2, and although he backed off slightly in Sector 3, he still improved by about 0.2 seconds.
Final time: 1:34.919.
With three minutes still on the clock, Vettel cooled down and returned to the pits.
The German had once again shown his talent without any intention of hiding it.
Compared to Vettel, Hamilton was far more reserved.
Despite driving the fastest car in the paddock, he still ran two proper flying laps like everyone else.
What exactly was he hiding?
When the second flying laps began, the answer came immediately.
Hamilton obliterated Vettel's time just as Vettel had obliterated Rosberg's.
1:33.928.
Straight to the top.
Moments later, Rosberg, Wu Shi, Massa and others crossed the line, and Vettel was quickly pushed down to seventh.
Besides Mercedes, Ferrari and Williams, Ricciardo also slipped ahead of Vettel, nearly three-tenths faster.
But the other Red Bull cars were nowhere to be seen.
Anyone could tell: today's battle was clearly between two Mercedes, two Ferraris, and one Williams.
Red Bull could only fight on the fringes.
When Q1 ended, the Manor duo were eliminated without suspense. Their cars were four to five seconds slower than the next slowest barely resembling F1 machinery.
But for Manor, simply making it to the grid was already a victory.
And who was third from last?
Kvyat.
Not because of a mistake, but because of instability issues. He exited Q1 unexpectedly.
Verstappen was also eliminated, 0.23 seconds slower than his teammate.
Button retired from qualifying entirely due to engine failure, not completing a single flying lap.
Ironically, Alonso dragged his McLaren into Q2 the team's first Q2 appearance of the season.
Perhaps that was the power of sacrifice.
Overall, Q1 exposed Red Bull's vulnerability. What they could do in the race remained uncertain.
---
Q2 began almost immediately.
Mercedes, Ferrari and Williams had clear objectives:
one clean flying lap, safely into Q3.
The two Force Indias and two Lotus cars charged out early. For them, these tyres would be used for two laps anyway.
Making Q3 would be a bonus.
"Mercedes and Ferrari haven't gone out yet. Ricciardo neither. Sauber and McLaren are also waiting," Jonathan reported.
Some were saving tyres.
Others were confident.
Midway through Q2, the big teams finally rolled out.
Kimi was first to break into the 1:33s, setting 1:33.540.
Then Massa crossed the line just 0.011 seconds slower.
Applause broke out in the Williams garage. Q3 was secure.
Wu Shi followed, going even faster:
1:33.500.
More applause.
Then Hamilton arrived.
1:32.669.
Eight-tenths clear.
The garage fell silent.
Rodrigo and Jonathan exchanged glances. Wu Shi's prediction had been dead on Hamilton was already deep into the 1:32s.
Pole position suddenly felt unreachable.
Only rain could disrupt Mercedes now.
The broadcast cut to Ferrari's pit wall.
Their faces were far more serious than Williams'.
Williams would be thrilled with third.
Ferrari, however, lived under brutal expectations.
Everyone knew why their previous team principal had been fired.
Pressure there was on a completely different level.
Rosberg's lap came in: 1:33.878.
Most assumed he was still holding back.
But Wu Shi, sitting in the garage watching telemetry on the steering-wheel screen Jonathan had placed in front of him, frowned slightly.
"He's really struggling," Wu Shi said quietly.
Jonathan nodded. "Good luck."
When Q2 ended, the eliminated drivers were Sainz, Pérez, Nasr, Ericsson, and Alonso.
Alonso had fought valiantly, but the car simply wasn't there.
Sainz missed Q3 by the narrowest of margins, showing impressive form.
---
In Q3, tension filled every garage.
Teams released their cars in staggered order.
"Wind speed is down to 2.3 meters per second, but crosswinds are still affecting stability," Jonathan warned.
"Be careful in Sector 2."
Wu Shi gave a thumbs-up and rolled out.
To run a 1:32 lap — that was his target.
Bottas and Grosjean went first.
They pushed harder than in Q2, but their cars simply had no more to give.
Both stayed around 1:34.5.
Hülkenberg followed with 1:34.450, then parked it. That would keep him safely ahead of the midfield.
Now only seven drivers remained in the real fight.
Hamilton struck first again.
1:32.631.
Even faster.
Wu Shi answered with 1:33.381, second for now.
Massa managed only 1:33.744.
The Williams garage grew quiet.
Then Rosberg's lap appeared:
1:33.390.
Still behind Wu Shi.
For the first time, everyone at Williams held their breath.
When the first runs ended, Wu Shi was still second.
"Is… second possible?" Claire whispered.
"We'll know in a moment," Jonathan replied.
---
With three minutes left, all drivers prepared for final attempts.
Wu Shi drove his cooldown lap slowly, waiting, hoping for a slipstream.
But in Q3, no one willingly towed anyone not even teammates.
Ricciardo went first: 1:33.832, only seventh.
Massa failed to improve.
Then came the three heavy hitters: Raikkonen, Rosberg, Vettel.
Kimi improved to 1:33.227, bumping Wu Shi to third.
Rosberg followed with 1:33.121.
Still no 1:32.
Jonathan immediately spoke: "Rosberg didn't improve enough."
Wu Shi felt some pressure lift.
Then Vettel crossed:
1:32.982.
Wu Shi was now fourth.
But he was already exiting Turn 15, charging onto the main straight.
Full throttle.
DRS open.
Speed climbing past 330 km/h.
Then heavy braking.
Down through the gears.
Second gear.
Entry speed: just over 100 km/h.
Turn 1 demanded patience straighten the car first, then accelerate.
Wu Shi hit the exit perfectly and powered through Turn 2 without lifting.
Turn 3 flat.
Onto the DRS straight again.
He delayed braking, squeezing every meter.
Sand from the runoff still coated parts of the track something he had been carefully monitoring all session.
Cars ahead had helped clean it.
That was why he went late.
"Sector one: 29.866!" Jonathan shouted.
Fast.
Through Turns 5, 6 and 7 barely lifting.
Downhill into Turn 8, brake bias adjusted, rotating the car neatly.
The hardest section of the lap.
Through the double-apex of Turns 9 and 10, using every inch of asphalt but avoiding the sandy kerbs.
Then acceleration unleashed.
"Sector two: 39.411!"
Jonathan was nearly yelling now.
Wu Shi was faster than Vettel in both sectors.
Hamilton was still quicker in Sector 1 but the gap wasn't unreachable.
The final sector demanded perfection.
Smooth inputs.
Maximum traction.
Twenty seconds later, Wu Shi crossed the line.
1:32.698.
Front row.
Cheers erupted across the Williams garage.
Even Verstappen applauded in the paddock.
Alonso smiled and clapped.
Vettel shook his head, half-amused, half-exasperated.
"Driving a Williams like that… what kind of monster is this?" he muttered.
Rosberg stood apart, silent, staring at the timing screens, water bottle clenched in his hand.
Then Hamilton crossed the line.
1:32.571.
Pole.
Still unbeatable.
"Oh, I drove pretty well, didn't I?" Wu Shi asked over the radio.
"Fantastic lap," Jonathan replied. "Absolutely fantastic."
"You gave everything," he added stopping himself just before saying how far ahead Wu Shi was of Massa.
Back in the garage, Wu Shi didn't relax.
Starting ahead of two Ferraris and one Mercedes in a Williams?
Tomorrow would be brutal.
He pulled off his helmet and drank deeply.
Then he glanced toward the Mercedes garage.
He had meant to congratulate Hamilton.
But Rosberg stood there, expression dark, cap pulled low.
Wu Shi hesitated.
Congratulating Hamilton now would only sharpen the knife.
So he turned back.
But Rosberg noticed him anyway and adjusted his cap without speaking.
Hamilton climbed out of the car and exchanged a quick high-five with his teammate.
"Hey, I saw Wu Shi earlier," Hamilton said casually.
"Why didn't he come over?"
Rosberg forced a smile.
"I don't know. Maybe he was busy."
But his eyes remained fixed on the timing board.