Chapter 172 - 93: Harmonious Team Rapport

Chapter 172: Chapter 93: Harmonious Team Rapport

With the start of Q3, only the final ten cars remained on the circuit, and the track itself seemed to have grown wider.

The ten drivers were each issued a set of soft tires that could only be used in Q3. After the session, these tires had to be returned. This allowed everyone to go all out without having to be too concerned with tire strategy, which would have otherwise compromised the session’s competitiveness.

"According to our predictions, if you can match your previous lap time, you’ll be in third place. This is crucial," Jonathan advised, squatting beside car #59.

"I understand. I’ll do my best," Wu Shi replied. No driver could claim to be perfectly consistent and flawless. All he could do was get himself into the best possible mindset.

"The clouds are getting thicker, but we’re not forecasting rain. However, the temperature has dropped, so track conditions aren’t as good as in Q1. You need to watch your tire temperatures. The wind is picking up too, so be careful at Turn 9."

Jonathan finished, patted Wu Shi’s helmet, and returned to his seat.

As a signal sounded, the light at the end of the pit lane turned green.

"GO!"

The Williams Team sent both their cars out without hesitation. This would grant them a clear track but meant they would have to contend with less-than-ideal track conditions.

But that no longer mattered. Massa led the way with Wu Shi following, and both cars began their warm-up laps.

To ensure he had a clear track for his flying lap, Wu Shi didn’t follow Massa immediately after leaving the pits. Instead, he let his teammate pull ahead by about a sector’s distance before he started accelerating to warm his tires.

In the final qualifying session, no team would risk waiting in the pits, especially with the cloud cover growing thicker. Even if rain wasn’t in the forecast, you could never be sure with the weather.

"We’re now seeing the two Williams cars starting their flying laps first. Massa is in the lead. He’s an experienced veteran, but in the first two qualifying sessions, he was outshone by his rookie teammate. Let’s see what kind of performance he’ll deliver in Q3.

"Sainz has also begun his flying lap. We all know the standing Old Sainz has in the Red Bull system, so perhaps the younger Sainz feels he needs a spectacular performance to prove his own skill.

"Of course, the fact that he’s brought a Little Red Bull into Q3 is enough to show he’s not just here because of his connections. In fact, for a rookie to post a time like that is already incredibly impressive."

Qualifying commentary is usually less excitable, focusing more on providing background on the drivers. Since the broadcast rarely shows a driver’s first-person perspective, it’s impossible for them to analyze the specifics of how a driver is handling the car.

Whether they were fans at the circuit or viewers watching at home, all they could see were the sector times that periodically popped up on screen and the occasional shot of a car.

Once Wu Shi adapted to the conditions, his consistency was terrifyingly good, a testament to both his control over the car and the backing of his prior F1 experience.

Half a minute after Massa crossed the line with a 1:27.998, he also shot past the finish, posting a time of 1:27.456.

According to the team’s predictions, that lap time was more than enough.

But no matter how well he conserved this set of soft tires, they had to be returned anyway, so he might as well go for another flying lap.

Just then, Hamilton’s first flying lap time was posted: 1:26.419.

Seeing this, many team principals and race engineers couldn’t help but shake their heads. With a time like that, how could anyone hope to challenge the dominance of Mercedes-Benz?

"Push for one more lap," Jonathan said.

"Alright."

On the straight, Wu Shi briefly loosened his grip on the steering wheel to flex his fingers. It was a little quirk of his. When pushing the car to its limits, he often got the false sensation that his grip wasn’t right, so he needed to readjust before a flying lap.

He knew it was just a mild form of obsession, but it was a harmless psychological tic.

As he passed the second sector mark on his cool-down lap, he suddenly saw a flashing tail light ahead. It seemed Massa hadn’t pulled much further ahead.

’Is he planning to do another cool-down lap?’

Wu Shi wondered, but then he saw the #19 Williams start to weave from side to side.

He understood instantly and accelerated to catch up.

Sure enough, as the #59 Williams made its move, the #19 Williams also accelerated and began its charge.

By Turn 16, the two Williams cars were running extremely close together.

Entering the Great Straight, the #19 Williams activated its DRS and blasted forward, with the #59 Williams tucked in close behind.

With the car ahead punching a hole in the air, the #59 Williams rode the slipstream, its speed at the end of the straight climbing all the way to 330 km/h.

WHOOSH!

Wu Shi reached the braking point for Turn 1 faster than ever before.

The camera cut from the track to the Williams garage. This was a coordinated effort, one made without any team orders.

Wu Shi, who had all but given up hope in the face of Mercedes-Benz’s blistering pace, now felt a spark of ambition.

He continued to drive on the absolute ragged edge, and by the time he crossed the line for the first sector, he had already shattered his previous best time.

27.919!

This wasn’t just due to the higher top speed on the Great Straight; he had managed to shave off even more time elsewhere.

By now, Wu Shi couldn’t hear the roar of the engine or the rush of the wind. With blood pounding in his ears, only the blur of images flashing past his eyes remained sharp and clear.

The tires felt like they were about to tear away from the tarmac at any second. The engine’s oil pressure climbed, squeezing out every last ounce of available power.

The time for the second sector came in: 28.078!

In the Williams garage, the crew was so tense they were either covering their mouths or staring at the screens without daring to blink.

’Could it be?!’

Seeing that Wu Shi’s pace was still faster than his previous lap after Turn 14, everyone was on the verge of celebrating.

Approaching the V-shaped left-hander of Turn 15, car #59 ran right to the edge of the asphalt on the right, trying to claw back every last possible fraction of a second. Its spinning tires kicked up flecks of grass.

"!"

He then dove hard for the apex, only to see a sudden puff of white smoke billow from the left front tire. The loss of grip forced Wu Shi to immediately apply a bit of counter-steer to keep the car under control.

"The lap’s ruined!"

The spectators in the stands had a direct view of the corner, and a collective groan went through the crowd.

To fall short at the final hurdle!

And because he had missed the apex of Turn 15, the car’s line on exit was completely compromised. It remained in the middle of the track for a full 0.1 seconds before finding enough grip to move over to the left edge.

Turn 16 was not a difficult corner, and though the car wasn’t on the optimal line, it still shot through quickly.

30.013!

Total time: 1:27.010.

"Such a shame!"

Jonathan sighed. If not for the mistake in those last two corners, he would have definitely broken into the 1:26s!

Keep in mind, Rosberg’s first flying lap had only been a 1:27.036.

If Rosberg failed to improve on his second flying lap, a Williams might have just squeezed onto the front row for the race!

Wu Shi (Team Radio): "Sorry, Massa. Sorry, everyone. I had a bit of understeer at the end there and lost some time."