Chapter 240: Changing Lines in the Braking Zone?
During the pre-race driver parade, reporters boarded the open-top vehicles for final interviews as usual. When asked about his fifth-place starting position, Wu Shi responded with a calm demeanor:
"I've pushed the car to its absolute limit—this is the best result we could achieve given our pace."
His relaxed attitude drew praise from the reporter on the spot:
"Your mental composure is impressive. Every top driver needs this kind of mindset to succeed."
"Thank you—I try my best," Wu Shi smiled.
Max Verstappen suddenly popped into the frame, grinning as he teased:
"Really? Last night you called me complaining about how fast Mercedes was, saying you felt completely outmatched!"
With his friend playfully exposing him, the reporter laughed and turned the microphone to Verstappen:
"You'll start ninth, already in points-paying territory. Do you feel confident holding position to the finish?"
Verstappen cleared his throat and smiled: "Absolutely."
"Not like Monaco or Silverstone this time?"
The question came not from the reporter, but from Wu Shi watching nearby—deliberately lighthearted but with an edge of friendly competition.
"Hey! If you put it that way, I can't make any promises. I'm still a rookie—there are always corners I'm still learning to handle perfectly."
Verstappen's honesty earned a nod from the reporter: "A driver who faces their strengths and weaknesses head-on. It seems both of you are ready for today's challenge."
After the reporter moved on, Wu Shi playfully punched Verstappen's shoulder; the Dutchman returned the gesture without hesitation. As they joked around, a telephoto lens captured the moment from afar.
"Their friendship is really something to see," one commentator noted.
"After all, they've been rivals and teammates across various series since their junior racing days!"
"That's not all that common in F1."
"Why not? Lewis and Nico had a similar history, didn't they?"
"I'm talking about how they've maintained their relationship despite competing at the highest level."
The first commentator paused before responding: "You're right—before championship pressure intensified, Lewis and Nico were quite close too."
The second commentator fell silent for a moment: "Maybe we'll see that dynamic play out between these two someday?"
The reporter quickly found Lewis Hamilton, asking: "Lewis, you took pole position with a dominant lap yesterday. How are you feeling heading into the race?"
Sunglasses shielding his eyes, Hamilton replied: "Nothing is guaranteed until the checkered flag falls—we still have a long race ahead of us."
His unusually cautious tone didn't go unnoticed; Mercedes' recent race-day setbacks had clearly affected the drivers' approach.
The parade concluded, and drivers returned to the pit lane as tension built in the paddock. Jonathan, Wu Shi's race engineer, walked him through final reminders about car setup and track-specific challenges. Before heading to the grid, the team ran a quick reaction-speed drill to sharpen focus.
With preparations complete, drivers climbed into their cars for the reconnaissance lap. The stands were dotted with German flags—though it was unclear whether they belonged to Nico Rosberg or Sebastian Vettel fans.
A loud bell signaled staff to clear the grid, and Wu Shi glanced up to see a yellow medical helicopter hovering low over the circuit. The red lights on the gantry extinguished, and the warm-up lap began.
As Wu Shi weaved left and right to bring his tires up to temperature, he noticed Kimi Räikkönen behind him maintaining a straight line—typical of the "Iceman's" no-nonsense style. Starting further back on the grid meant less pressure than usual for Wu Shi.
Cars took their positions on the grid, but the start command was delayed—two steady green lights and three flashing yellows signaled a problem ahead. Jonathan's voice came over the team radio:
"Wu Shi, Massa has had trouble positioning his car correctly on the grid. We'll need to complete another warm-up lap. This one will count toward race distance, so the main event will be 69 laps instead of 70."
Wu Shi was surprised—grid position issues requiring a second warm-up lap were rare. Drivers completed the additional circuit without incident, and this time Massa positioned his car carefully, stopping well short of the yellow grid lines. Race control gave the all-clear for a standard start.
Green flags waved at the back of the grid, and five red lights illuminated in sequence. The front-row drivers were visibly focused—then the lights went out, and both Mercedes cars hesitated off the line.
Another catastrophic start for the silver cars.
This time, they faced Ferrari and Red Bull behind them rather than Williams. Vettel's ability to capitalize on opportunities was second to none; the moment he saw Hamilton's slow getaway, he steered left onto the empty side of the straight.
A poor start on the long main straight meant massive speed loss. Before reaching the pit exit chicane, Vettel was already alongside Hamilton's Mercedes.
From fifth position, Wu Shi couldn't replicate his Silverstone move to sweep around both leaders—but he stayed close behind Vettel, ready to exploit any opening. As expected, Hamilton tried to squeeze Vettel toward the left edge of the track, but the Ferrari driver held his ground, forcing wheel-to-wheel contact.
Hamilton couldn't afford to risk damage or penalties with his championship position at stake—especially as he saw Rosberg making similar mistakes on the right side of the track. He conceded the left line to Vettel and shifted right to block his teammate, successfully cutting off Rosberg's attempt to pass—but leaving the entire left half of the track open.
Vettel surged into the lead, while Wu Shi claimed the open left lane. The long straight allowed drivers to build incredible speed before Turn 1—one of the Hungaroring's defining characteristics.
As they approached the braking zone for Turn 1, speeds were staggeringly high. Vettel, now in control, shifted slightly left before turning in—leaving just enough space for one car to follow, but forcing any challenger onto the white line marking the track edge, or worse, the grass and gravel beyond.
Braking while crossing from asphalt to grass was a recipe for disaster, so Wu Shi had no choice but to match Vettel's braking rhythm. The Ferrari turned right into the corner, its red livery pointing directly at the apex, blocking the Mercedes cars on the inside.
Rosberg had taken the innermost line and braked aggressively, forcing Daniel Ricciardo behind him to lock up his tires. As Vettel hit the apex, Rosberg squeezed through on the inside, gaining just enough space to stay in contention.
Hamilton, trapped between two cars, lost even more speed. Wu Shi seized his chance, taking the outside line into the corner and pulling slightly ahead of the blocked Mercedes. The battle was far from over as they exited Turn 1!
Wu Shi accelerated along Vettel's line, but Rosberg—forced to the inside of the hairpin—was at a disadvantage. Hamilton had no room to maneuver and could only follow Rosberg through the tight "U" bend.
On the exit straight, Vettel's clean line gave him optimal acceleration space. In seconds, the Prancing Horse pulled clear, its speed unmatched by the chasing pack. Wu Shi had space to accelerate too, but his late reaction to Vettel's move cost him vital momentum.
Rosberg pushed his tires to the limit, getting on the throttle early. The Mercedes engine roared to life, and he pulled a full car length ahead of Wu Shi by the time they reached the straight leading to Turn 2. Wu Shi responded with full throttle, but the gap was already growing.
The full-throttle section felt impossibly short, and Turn 2 arrived in an instant. Vettel—leading by at least a car length—smoothly switched from left to right, executing the ideal outside-inside-outside line.
Wu Shi, however, was boxed in on the left by Rosberg and Hamilton behind him. He had to enter the corner from the inside—a disadvantage on a hairpin, and one that amplified the Williams' known instability in tight turns.
Desperate to maintain position, Wu Shi pushed for maximum exit speed—but the Hungaroring didn't reward overambition. A split-second misjudgment put him in an impossible position.
Screech!
Wu Shi locked up his tires, followed quickly by both Mercedes cars. Every driver was fighting with every ounce of strength—but Wu Shi's compromised line, combined with the FW37's tendency to shift balance under braking, left him with no room for subtlety. He had to brake hard, locking the front tires and scrubbing off speed violently to make the corner.
Entering Turn 2, he focused solely on keeping the car on track—avoiding contact with Vettel and Rosberg ahead was his only priority.
Screech! Screech! Screech!
Rubber screamed against asphalt as the sound of locked tires spread back to Räikkönen, Ricciardo, and Daniil Kvyat behind. F1 cars sliced through clouds of white smoke as they fought for control.
As Vettel moved to the outside on exit, Wu Shi finally had room to unwind the steering—but Rosberg applied more throttle, his car twitching slightly before shooting forward. When it came to corner exit speed, Vettel was already gone, and Rosberg pulled clear while blocking Wu Shi's path.
Hamilton seized the opportunity to squeeze past, and the two Mercedes cars powered away on the short straight leading to Turn 3.
Approaching the right-hander, Hamilton mirrored Rosberg's tactic, shifting left to protect his line and block Wu Shi. Cursing under his breath, Wu Shi yielded slightly—he was a car length behind and needed to preserve his car. He thought he could still challenge Hamilton through the corner, but misjudged the situation.
In the heat of battle, processing every variable was impossible—from Turn 1 onward, he'd had no moment to breathe.
The moment his Williams touched the white line on the track's left edge, grip vanished instantly.
Whoosh! Screech!
The car lurched violently. To stay on track would mean losing massive time, so Wu Shi gritted his teeth, reduced steering lock, and slid into the gravel trap.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Stones pelted the chassis as Wu Shi fought to maintain momentum, carefully managing throttle input to avoid getting stuck. After a few tense seconds, the car clattered back onto the asphalt—but the damage was done.
"He changed lines in the braking zone! How is that allowed?! He knows how dangerous that is! F***!" Wu Shi shouted over team radio, furious at Hamilton's deliberate blocking.
He'd underestimated the veteran's tactical ruthlessness and paid the price.
After the opening melee, the front of the field was unrecognizable from qualifying:
- 1st: Sebastian Vettel – seizing the opportunity just as Wu Shi had done at Silverstone, sending the tifosi in the stands into a frenzy
- 2nd: Nico Rosberg – managing to hold position despite the chaotic start
- 3rd: Kimi Räikkönen – capitalizing on Hamilton's focus on Wu Shi to take the inside line into Turn 3
- 4th: Lewis Hamilton – suffering heavy losses from the start and subsequent blocking
- 5th: Daniil Kvyat
- 6th: Nico Hülkenberg
- 7th: Daniel Ricciardo
- 8th: Sergio Pérez
- 9th: Felipe Massa
When Wu Shi rejoined the track, he was tenth. Verstappen had also been caught up in the chaos, dropping from ninth to 13th. The opening lap had completely shredded the qualifying order.
For the next several laps, broadcasters replayed the start from every angle—helicopter shots, onboard cameras, and trackside footage—until viewers could finally piece together what had unfolded.
"What's happening with Mercedes' starts?" one commentator asked, watching the helicopter replay. "They were slow last race, and slow again today—look how much ground they lost off the line!"
"Exactly," his co-commentator agreed. "Vettel pounced immediately on the left, while Kimi went right but couldn't quite close the gap."
"Everyone's locking up into Turn 1!"
"Wu Shi's still third at this point, with Kimi right on his gearbox."
"Look at the Williams' cornering speed—it's noticeably slower. If Kimi hadn't been blocked by the Mercedes cars, he'd have overtaken easily."
"Hamilton's carrying more speed on the outside too—he's almost level by the exit."
"By Turn 3, Wu Shi's advantage is gone entirely."
"His line is terrible—he's pinned to the left with nowhere to go."
"Didn't you notice? Every car ahead is prioritizing blocking him," the co-commentator pointed out.
"Of course they are. He's leading the championship—who else would be their target?"
It was the harsh reality of fighting for the title in a car that wasn't the outright fastest: without the pace to build a gap, every other driver would make him their priority. And with three other drivers in the top four within striking distance of the lead, the pressure was only going to grow.