Chapter 237: You're Still Lacking Something Compared to Lewis.
As Wu Shi crossed the finish line, the dreamlike feeling lingered. As he slowed down, Jonathan's voice burst through his radio:
"YES! YES! WU SHI! CONGRATULATIONS! BRITISH GRAND PRIX CHAMPION! WOOHOO!"
"Thank you… thank you all," Wu Shi managed, his mouth twitching into a tired smile.
The main grandstand erupted – fans in white "59" hats waved small red flags, their cheers cutting through the air. Wu Shi waved back, and the T-bar camera broadcast the moment, amplifying the roar from the stands. Some spectators with Union Jack flags looked disappointed, but victory had been decided.
Hamilton pulled up alongside, giving him a thumbs-up. Wu Shi returned the gesture before parking his car at the number 1 board – his rear tires were severely worn, almost unrecognizable after racing in the rain.
Climbing out, he stood atop the car, waving 360 degrees to the crowd with both index fingers raised high.
"I AM THE CHAMPION!"
He sprinted to his team, embracing Jonathan first – the engineer's timely reminders had been critical. He didn't yet know Jonathan had defied a team order to protect his position. After hugging everyone, he cupped a photographer's lens and repeated his declaration seriously.
"This race tested his mental strength to the limit," the commentators noted. "Winning in the rain against Hamilton proves he has what it takes to be a world champion!"
Hamilton approached, patting his shoulder: "Your wet speed was insane! Is your hometown covered in ice like Kimi's?"
"Rains a lot, but rarely snows," Wu Shi replied.
Rosberg also came to congratulate him, and the three posed together – Williams in the middle, Mercedes on either side. By the time he reached the weigh-in area, the sun had broken through the clouds. Hamilton and Rosberg sat silently in the lounge, drinking water.
"They look pretty down," Brother Fei said.
"Of course! Silverstone is home turf for Lewis – pole but no win. And Nico's points gap just narrowed again," Brother Bing added.
In the lounge, Claire noticed his mouth: "What happened there?"
"Bit it by accident – nothing serious," Wu Shi said, wiping sweat with a towel.
"You worked hard," she said, patting his shoulder. When the host called them out, Wu Shi walked to the podium. As he stepped onto the highest step, his national anthem played. He looked back at the grass area packed with overseas Chinese students waving red flags, and waved in return.
Prince Michael of Kent presented the golden trophy, which glinted in the sun. After the ceremony, Wu Shi sprayed champagne with the Mercedes duo before taking a drink himself.
The interviewer smiled: "Wu Shi, this victory surprised everyone. Your wet-weather speed was key – how did you do it?"
"We only aimed to defend the podium at first. Mercedes' slow starts put us ahead, but we made strategic errors that cost us position later. I told myself to stay focused and find a way back. Lewis's hard tires degraded quickly, and I knew I had to overtake before the rain came – once we switched to intermediates, it got tough, but we pulled through."
Turning to Hamilton, the interviewer asked about his struggles: "Slow start and tire issues – what went wrong?"
"Clutch problems at the start – both Nico and I were slow. I could have overtaken Massa, but he had Wu Shi's DRS. Our strategy overused the tires, and I still don't understand how I was overtaken on intermediates," Hamilton shrugged.
Rosberg was satisfied with third place, having overtaken Massa. After interviews, Wu Shi returned to the paddock with Claire to find Sir Williams waiting.
"Your defense was strong – the stewards won't take action on the incident with Lewis. We negotiated the best outcome," Sir Williams said.
"Thank you – every win is the team's effort," Wu Shi replied.
"You're a good lad. Ten more races," Sir Williams patted his hand before leaving.
Verstappen approached, voice hoarse: "Congratulations – you're close to the title now."
"Season's only halfway – anything can happen," Wu Shi said.
"Why can you get so much performance out of the car when I can't?"
"Practice more. We're all eager to prove ourselves, but impatience hurts performance. Be bold though – you need to find the limit," Wu Shi advised.
They discussed track insights, with Wu Shi mentioning: "Remember driving the RV in the rain? Slightly exceeding the control limit makes the car faster, but wears tires more. Find the best grip, and you'll be quicker even if tires wear more."
Verstappen nodded seriously before leaving. Alonso soon arrived to congratulate him – scoring his first point of the season was a relief for the world champion, who had been the only top driver with zero points until now.
Massa returned looking dejected, congratulated Wu Shi briefly, and left. Jonathan then called him into a private room and told him about the team order dispute during the race.
"Thank you," Wu Shi said sincerely.
"Compared to Lewis, you're missing something – proactive decisiveness. The intermediate tire stop was his decision," Jonathan said. "Would you have pitted proactively? Probably not – you'd rely on the team. To win the title, you have to fight for everything yourself."
"I understand," Wu Shi said, looking into Jonathan's serious eyes.
"If I help make a world champion, I'll be in demand too!" Jonathan laughed, then added: "Rest up – your efforts are your own, but others only see the honors. Protect them well."
After showering, Wu Shi sank into an ice bath, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. He thought about Sir Williams' words and the team's internal dynamics – small issues become big when fighting for a title.
Ten races left. Hungary, Belgium, Japan, Brazil, Abu Dhabi.
"Can this white warhorse carry the WDC?" he wondered, closing his eyes as sleep pulled him under.