Chapter 151 - 73: Practice Match Confirmed

Chapter 151: Chapter 73: Practice Match Confirmed

"The Singapore Grand Prix?" Wu Shi paused, slightly taken aback.

He wondered why this was completely different from what Hamilton had initially hinted at. The Singapore Grand Prix would take place in two weeks on September 21st, whereas the Neon Grand Prix was scheduled for October 5th.

"Yes, the opportunity for your practice session will be in Singapore," Toto nodded.

Wu Shi realized that either Hamilton’s information had been inaccurate, or Mercedes-Benz had other internal considerations. Regardless of the change, he had no intention of bargaining. He simply nodded and said, "Alright."

At this moment, music began to play outside the track.

"Let’s go watch the award ceremony together," Toto said.

The track was now packed with people. Most of them were waving Rafa flags, even though this race had almost nothing to do with Rafa. Of the two Ferrari cars, one had retired from the race, and the other was sitting in a mere ninth place. If it weren’t for the fact that Italy was practically half a home race for Massa, the situation would have been extremely awkward. Yet, amidst the passionate atmosphere, Wu Shi didn’t think these tifosi felt awkward at all. They were simply supporting their favorite team, even if that team hadn’t made it to the podium.

On the semi-suspended circular stage, Hamilton, Rosberg, and Massa stepped onto the podium as the anthem Queen Victoria started playing.

Standing in the crowd, Wu Shi looked up at the three men on the podium. Even though he was currently the strongest driver in F3, he was still a nobody compared to these figures. He felt that the song *Exaggerated* would be fitting for this moment.

The Mercedes-Benz personnel hugged and cheered on the sidelines, celebrating another 1-2 finish. Wu Shi saw Hamilton’s father standing there, a non-stop smile on his face.

"This trophy looks like a silver wine glass," Louise remarked.

"Do you like it?" Wu Shi asked, compelled by some inexplicable urge.

"The design isn’t very nice."

"WOOO!"

When Massa received his trophy, the crowd below cheered wildly. The advantage of having half a home-field crowd was very evident.

"In the future, everyone down here will be cheering for you like this." Louise cheered along with the crowd, turning happily to look at Wu Shi.

"Haha!" Wu Shi laughed, reminded of the ancient quote: *This is what a true man should be!*

The three men on the podium popped their champagne and started spraying it. Rosberg sprayed Hamilton, while Hamilton aimed his at the crowd below.

"Has the seat for Williams been confirmed for this year?" Wu Shi asked Toto.

"Hmm?" Toto turned to look at him, wondering why Wu Shi would suddenly ask that. He simply shook his head and said, "They want to confirm their candidate as soon as possible."

"Oh." Wu Shi nodded. It seemed that moving his practice session forward to the Singapore Grand Prix might have been because the Williams side was also pressuring Toto. He knew very well that most people who were aware of this contract believed he would ultimately end up at Williams. Only he—and he alone—believed that he could fight for a seat at Mercedes-Benz.

On the podium, after the champagne bubbles had been completely sprayed out, Hamilton poured the remainder into his trophy and took a massive gulp. In the previous three races, he had failed to secure a championship for various reasons, and the point gap between him and his teammate had widened significantly. One could only imagine the immense pressure he was under.

Afterward, the three drivers raised their champagne bottles to toast and drink.

"Looks like they have a pretty good relationship," Wu Shi commented.

"Haha." Hearing this, Toto suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha," Wu Shi laughed along.

While it wouldn’t be entirely accurate to call the three men on stage bitter rivals, the dynamics between Hamilton and Massa, as well as Hamilton and Rosberg, were certainly complicated. The grievances of the former pair dated all the way back to 2008, while the enmity between the latter was just beginning to fully metamorphose.

"If I remember correctly, Massa scored zero points at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, which indirectly cost him the World Championship," Wu Shi noted. That year, Massa had lost to Hamilton by a single point, settling for the runner-up position for the season.

Toto nodded. At that time, he was still chasing his own racing dreams. However, when it came to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, there was simply too much drama to even know where to begin. First, there was Massa. He started his car before the refueling hose was even unplugged during his pit stop, completely ruining his own race. One had to admit, Rafa always knew how to put on a show. Of course, even Rafa’s spectacle in Singapore that year wasn’t the biggest deal. Compared to Renault’s Crashgate scandal, it was practically nothing.

Simply put, after Alonso finished his pit stop, his teammate Little Pigai crashed into the wall. Alonso benefited from the incident and ultimately took the championship. Because there was evidence of race manipulation, Massa’s team later actually contested whether the points from the Singapore Grand Prix should remain valid. If that year’s Singapore Grand Prix wasn’t counted toward the total points, Massa would have won the season championship.

Since 2008, Hamilton and Massa had battled almost every year. Many of the things that occurred between them back then would almost certainly provoke mass outrage if they happened on today’s internet. However, time washed everything away. Whether it was crashes or intentionally caused accidents, as time went on, people would increasingly forget it all. When the dust settled, only the championships in their hands would leave a mark on history.

Nowadays, who still remembered the details of the six collisions between Hamilton and Massa in 2011? Besides, it was only 2014 right now, so everyone still remembered the highly controversial moves Hamilton made during his races. By the time he was crowned a seven-time champion in the future, new fans would probably only know him as a great driver who achieved the same feats as Schumacher.

Thus, Wu Shi perfectly understood that as long as it was within the rules, everything was fair game. Forget about whether their driving was "dirty" or not; in the sixty-four-year history of F1, how many champions were completely clean, with maneuvers that were utterly beyond reproach?

After the on-track celebrations concluded, Wu Shi and Toto returned to the Mercedes Team garage together. He felt there was nothing left to say for now; they would just see each other on the track in two weeks.

At this time, the two drivers also returned.

Rosberg was quite enthusiastic, not looking at all like someone who had just lost the championship. He turned to Wu Shi and said, "I heard that you’ll be driving my car for a practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix?"

Wu Shi didn’t nod. Instead, he said, "I just found out about it. Team Principal Toto only told me that I’ll be participating in the first practice session in Singapore, but he didn’t mention whose car I’ll be driving."

"Oh, well, you’ll have to do your best then. I can give you some guidance," Rosberg said, glancing over at Hamilton on the other side.

Hamilton, whose complexion was already dark, had an expressionless look that made his face seem even darker at this moment.

"Thank you!" Wu Shi replied. Rosberg was a highly technical driver. If you wanted to learn how to drive, it was best to follow Rosberg, as he would teach you using data and logic.

"You’re welcome. We might even be teammates in the future." Rosberg patted Wu Shi on the shoulder.

They chatted in the pit lane for a little while longer before Wu Shi finally left the circuit with Louise. Right after leaving the pit lane, he saw Louise tugging at his sleeve repeatedly.

"What’s wrong?" Wu Shi turned his head and saw Louise blinking incessantly. Her pretty face seemed to have the words "I am curious" written all over it.

Wu Shi couldn’t help but laugh. "Are you Chitanda Eru?"

"EH!" Louise became even more confused. "You actually have time to watch anime?"

"Ahem. The agreement with Mercedes-Benz was made back in May." Wu Shi steered the conversation back to what Louise actually wanted to ask.

"Oh! Why wasn’t it announced back then?" Louise asked.

"This sort of thing isn’t something that can just be announced casually. After all, it didn’t confirm a driver’s seat; it was just a preliminary agreement regarding the possibility of a future collaboration."

"I remember seeing rumors online saying you were going to the Mercedes Team, but you told me it wasn’t true!" Louise let out a cute humph.