Chapter 218: Influence Within the Team
When a race team hasn't won a championship for many years, it's highly likely to lose much of its ability to win.
This was precisely the situation Williams found itself in.
Early on, their internal R&D work was quite standard, simply aiming to build a decent car.
However, as Wu Shi's points momentum became too strong, and he was always able to provide timely feedback on issues, R&D began to shift towards Wu Shi.
This shift had both pros and cons.
The advantage was that if improvements could be made according to the driver's methods, speed would definitely increase.
The disadvantage was that if the driver's skill could compensate for minor issues during the improvement process, it would lead to the car gaining speed but becoming increasingly strange to drive.
It could be said that Massa had the most say in this matter.
The FW37 now had more speed than at the start of the season, but it was no longer as familiar to drive.
To improve cornering, continuous adjustments to the suspension and aerodynamics had made the car's steering more sensitive.
Anyone who has played FPS games knows that excessively high sensitivity severely tests a player's aiming ability; tiny differences in mouse movement translate to huge differences on screen.
Massa felt he needed to discuss this with Wu Shi.
Hearing Massa's explanation, Wu Shi nodded. Indeed, when a team's R&D capability is insufficient but it strives for speed, it's easy to take extreme measures.
However, Massa's willingness to communicate with him outside of the team meeting showed the Brazilian's respect for him.
"You should raise these issues. You have far more experience than I do, and I believe your suggestions would be beneficial."
Wu Shi's idea was simple: everyone wants their car to handle well; no one likes driving a car with terrible balance.
"Alright, I need to prepare some materials with my race crew engineer."
At the team meeting held the next day, Massa and his race engineer, Dave, presented their opinions.
"Based on our analysis, the FW37's balance is significantly worse than at the start of the season. These are the various data we collected on track."
Dave handed out charts. The curves on them would be a headache for non-professionals, so he continued to explain:
"This is a comparison chart. At the same speed, the car's transferable steering angle has become 13.9 - 14.3°, whereas previously, this data was 13.5 - 16°.
"Excessive turning will immediately result in understeer."
Dave analyzed chart after chart, finally stating:
"I believe the current vehicle R&D needs to be corrected. If we continue in this direction, the car will become increasingly difficult to control."
As soon as Dave finished speaking, Jonathan pulled the microphone to his mouth and said:
"Our speed should have become faster, and we even have significant advantages in competition with Ferrari.
"If we change the R&D direction now, can you confirm that we will still maintain this level of competitiveness?
"I believe there are no issues with the current R&D process. The car is becoming faster and more competitive, which is beneficial for the entire team's development."
Jonathan's rebuttal was unexpected by Wu Shi, as Jonathan had previously agreed that the car's handling window had shrunk after tuning.
However, with a quick thought, he immediately understood.
He was now capable of contending for the championship, so he couldn't casually deny the previous R&D direction and risk falling behind for a few races, which would completely ruin their chances.
Moreover, on the surface, this looked like a debate about R&D direction, but judging by Dave and Jonathan's demeanor, it seemed more like a struggle for influence between the two race crews.
Massa probably hadn't considered vying for power, as he was aware of his declining competitive ability and likely expected to retire from racing himself in a few years.
Claire, as the Deputy Team Principal, was present at today's meeting. She placed the charts in her hand on the table, pondered for a moment, and said:
"Did you communicate with the R&D personnel in advance?"
Dave nodded. Although this was a matter he only wanted to discuss today, he had already formed an opinion:
"Rob Smedley's suggestion to us is to roll back R&D progress. We need to re-validate the results of normal R&D progress.
"Pat Symonds also stated that changes in aerodynamics are very necessary, and the car's struggle in corners is an abnormal phenomenon."
The two individuals directly referenced were the former, Massa's long-time associate from Ferrari, who had been promoted from track engineer to Performance Director.
The latter was the Technical Director, specifically responsible for R&D in aerodynamic efficiency.
Claire looked at them. She didn't immediately draw any conclusions but said:
"I will hold a separate meeting with the R&D department to discuss this matter. For now, let's report on the preparations for the Canadian Grand Prix."
The two race crews separately reported on the current situation, including R&D adaptability and issues currently encountered by the drivers.
After the routine meeting, Jonathan pulled Wu Shi aside and said seriously:
"Wu Shi, I know you are a friendly person, but when it comes to the R&D direction, you cannot give in at all!
"You cannot guarantee that you will maintain your speed after they change the R&D direction, nor can you guarantee that the improved car will suit you!
"Once you are unable to make the race car more compatible with you during the R&D process, you will quickly lose all your advantages.
"This is your first season. Although you have already achieved sufficiently brilliant results, this is just the beginning. To achieve better results, you cannot show any weakness, not even problems caused by the car."
Seeing Jonathan's expression, Wu Shi knew that the track engineer was worried about him.
He couldn't exactly tell the engineer that as long as the car could be driven, he could adapt and drive it, right?
So he didn't refute Jonathan's words but nodded and said:
"I understand. I will still report all the situations I encounter to the R&D department. I also want to pursue more speed, but what Dave said is also true; the car is becoming increasingly difficult to drive."
"I know, I know all the situations you mentioned. I will feed these back to R&D, but we need influence. We need to establish a dominant position in the R&D department."
Jonathan said.
Wu Shi looked at the track engineer's serious expression and nodded. This engineer was dedicated to helping him solve all problems outside of racing.
"Thank you," he said.
Jonathan was a bit surprised but still responded with a smile:
"You are the most talented driver I have ever seen. I think that in our careers, this kind of cooperation will help us both achieve unexpected results."
"Then, happy cooperation!" Wu Shi extended his hand.
Jonathan shook his hand firmly.
A routine meeting didn't lead to the two race crews attacking each other, which was also the current situation of the Williams team.
After all, Claire had just solidified her position, and frankly, everyone in the team belonged to her faction. It would take some time for different factions to re-form.
Therefore, in this situation, Claire's decisions were more based on a consideration of overall interests.
She ultimately believed Jonathan's statement that Wu Shi's lead in the points standings and consistent podium finishes were sufficient to indicate that the FW37 should follow Wu Shi's rhythm at this time.
Even if the car was difficult to drive now, it was only difficult to drive, and it still had competitiveness.
If R&D were rolled back, would it cause a sharp decline in competitiveness?
The R&D department couldn't say for sure about this. The overall engineering of a race car is often very difficult to find a good solution for, even if everyone knows there are many possible solutions.
Currently, Williams only had one problem-solving approach and couldn't pursue another.
Not to mention that Williams was a private team already facing severe economic problems and simply couldn't afford to pursue two different directions;
Even wealthy teams wouldn't long-term pursue two different R&D paths.
Because doing so would only disperse R&D efforts and lead to R&D stagnation.
As the R&D direction issue was internally resolved, the recent paddock news was also very lively.
Toto Wolff continued to insist that the team would treat both drivers equally and made no further statements regarding Hamilton losing the championship after being recalled for a tyre change.
However, some Italian media reported that while Toto, with a one-third stake, had significant authority over team management within Mercedes, authority did not equate to control.
The German had far more support within the team than the Briton.
Of course, this support was not solely determined by nationality; in many cases, it was also related to skin color.
However, the internal development of Mercedes was the same as Williams; the two race crews, acting in their own interests, had already caused more serious disputes.
Compared to Rosberg, Hamilton had more confidence. He was already a two-time world champion and was on the verge of winning his third.
And it was an undeniable fact that Rosberg's performance had been sluggish throughout the season.
British media also published articles stating that Mercedes was undergoing difficult negotiations internally.
The team was facing an impending fierce internal struggle. The Team Principal, Toto Wolff, was very reluctant to see this situation and had repeatedly emphasized this matter in internal meetings.
Fortunately, this level of internal conflict did not escalate, and the R&D department was completely unaffected, not to mention the AMG engine R&D system, which operated independently of the Mercedes Team.
They announced that they would be introducing their second power unit at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Among the other teams, there wasn't much news revealed. Everyone's attention was now on the future direction of F1.
Although the first six races, with the exception of the Chinese Grand Prix, had some notable highlights, it was an undeniable fact that the entire F1 sport was becoming increasingly sluggish.
Spectators were complaining that races were becoming boring, so the F1 Strategy Group was still considering reintroducing refueling, but no team supported it.
On the other hand, they wanted to put the development of "customer chassis" on the table, which drew extreme opposition from smaller teams like Force India, Lotus, and Sauber.
After all, if this trend continued, wouldn't they just become the B-teams of the front-running big teams?
Once their independence was completely eroded, what would be the point?
When Wu Shi heard this news, he also opposed it.
With F1 technical regulations becoming increasingly complex, the differences between teams were already diminishing. Introducing "customer chassis" would just make it a spec series.
Force India also took this opportunity to raise the issue of unequal income distribution in F1, arguing that it should be appropriately skewed towards smaller teams.
The British Financial Times reported on this matter.
Wu Shi didn't participate much in these F1 development directions and team conflict issues. He was more concerned with Verstappen's situation.
Verstappen still refused to accept responsibility for his collision with Grosjean, and then Massa publicly stated that such driving habits were dangerous.
Then Verstappen retorted, asking Massa why he didn't think about his collision with Pérez last year.
This dispute ultimately ended with the FIA deciding to penalize Verstappen with a five-place grid penalty.
As soon as the result was out, Verstappen, with nowhere to vent his anger, called Wu Shi.
"I don't think it was my fault. He braked early and caused the collision. We are all pushing hard; this is just normal driving behavior."
Wu Shi thought of Verstappen's pouting expression and said:
"It's already over; there's no point in saying anything. You never used to care so much about these things."
"Oh, you're right." Verstappen calmed down, his emotions settling.
"His tyres were older than yours. When you were closing in, you should have observed his braking point. That way, you would have had more options when overtaking," Wu Shi said.
At that time, Grosjean's tyres were very old, while Verstappen's tyres after his second stop were new. The speed difference between them was not small.
"I was a bit impatient." Verstappen recalled, and it made sense.
After chatting for a while, Wu Shi hung up the phone.
Verstappen was still very reckless, or rather, lacked experience, unlike Hamilton, who followed Vettel for seven laps without encountering such a situation.
However, Vettel's situation also showed that if Verstappen had encountered Grosjean and hadn't been impatient, he might not have had a chance to overtake.
Days passed quickly, and soon it was June 5th, the day of the Free Practice 1 (FP1) and Free Practice 2 (FP2) sessions for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Toro Rosso once again changed Verstappen's power unit, so he would receive another 10-place grid penalty. Combined with the previous penalty, he would have a total of 15 places.
Well, running in qualifying would be pointless then.
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was not hot at this time. In FP1, Mercedes once again took the lead, with Ferrari and Williams close behind.
Lotus, after catching up, also seemed to show good competitiveness.
During FP2, it started to rain. Towards the end, Hamilton went off track, causing a red flag, which was a display of his margin for error.
The next day during Free Practice 3 (FP3), Massa repeated Hamilton's mistake, went off track and hit the wall, causing a red flag. He even said on the radio:
"Guys, this car's steering is impossible to drive. I hadn't even turned the wheel, and the car just slid out."
At this time, the German veteran, Vettel, hadn't realized the red flag was out and overtook a slow car.
On the afternoon of June 6th, before qualifying even began, Button retired due to an ERS failure. If the race stewards hadn't reviewed the situation, even the main race would have been delayed.
Equally unlucky as Button was the German veteran, whose engine malfunctioned, ending his session after just one flying lap.
Massa also failed to achieve an ideal result, being eliminated with Vettel in Q1.
Sainz, Verstappen, Ericsson, Alonso, and Nasr were eliminated in Q2.
Verstappen's performance was not bad, but unfortunately, with a fifteen-place grid penalty, he was destined to start from the back of the grid.
By Q3, the two Mercedes cars were very fast, but Rosberg was 0.3 seconds behind his teammate Hamilton.
As expected, Wu Shi, seizing the opportunity in that gap, slotted himself in once again.
Although Massa's elimination saddened the Williams team, Wu Shi's yet another front-row start immediately swept away the negative emotions.