Chapter 116: Two Contracts
Hamilton also noticed the commotion on the other side of the garage. A moment earlier he had still been chatting and laughing with his race engineer, Peter Bonnington.
After all, he had just taken three consecutive Grand Prix victories, and his pace this weekend was strong again. With momentum like that, he was naturally relaxed and confident.
"Who on earth started that rumor?" Peter frowned. He was as puzzled as Tony.
As a senior engineer, he knew that news circulating inside the paddock always had a source. It might not be accurate, but it was rarely baseless—especially when it came from inside a team.
"What's the point worrying about that?" Hamilton shrugged. "The car is strong this year; let's just focus on the races."
He wasn't uninterested in the championship fight—far from it. He simply sensed that the chance to win his second World Championship had arrived, and compared to that, other rumors didn't matter.
---
In a meeting room at the back of the Mercedes garage, Toto, Niki, and Sid sat down.
Sid immediately began, "As you know, this matter didn't come from us. We would never be foolish enough to break a contract."
Toto's expression remained neutral. "We are still investigating. We invited you here today to show our sincerity. We don't want our agreement damaged because of baseless rumors."
Sid exhaled in relief. It was time to establish the official stance.
"We've prepared a supplementary agreement. Please have a look." Toto pulled a stack of documents from his bag.
Sid took the papers and began reading. Because of the amount of information, he had to go through it line by line. By the time he finished, twenty minutes had passed.
The supplementary agreement strengthened the confidentiality clauses, stating in detail:
If Wu Shi's side leaked any information, the original contract would become invalid.
If the leak came from Mercedes' internal personnel, then Wu Shi's side would bear no responsibility.
In addition, the sponsorship requirement had also changed.
Originally, the contract already included a sponsorship clause—because Wu Shi was too young, setting a higher number made it easier to pass the board vote.
Now, the supplementary agreement increased that requirement from USD 30 million to USD 50 million.
"I… don't quite understand the reason for this increase," Sid said.
Fifty million wasn't outrageous for joining a team like Mercedes, but raising even thirty million had already been extremely difficult for Wu Shi. Fifty million was nearly impossible.
"I understand," Toto replied calmly. "That's why there is another contract."
He produced a second document.
Sid opened it. The contracting party was not Mercedes, but a company he didn't recognize.
He read it carefully. The document essentially stated that Wu Shi would receive USD 20 million in sponsorship funding.
Sid immediately understood—Toto's extra twenty million was simply being moved through another channel.
"I see. No problem."
"Good. We'll finalize details on Monday." Toto casually signed several copies but did not ask Sid to sign anything yet.
He put the contracts away and stood.
Sid followed, shaking his hand before leaving the meeting room.
---
Outside the circuit, Sid called Martina to update her.
"They caused this mess themselves and dragged us into it? That's really unethical," Martina said.
"I think so too. But at least the seat isn't affected. It's just money shifting from one hand to another. The contract's execution doesn't change."
"Once you finish there, I'll apply for leave and fly to China," Martina said before hanging up.
Sid shook his head. The situation was becoming more complicated than he expected.
Just as he was thinking, another call came in. Seeing the caller ID, he realized it was an old classmate—someone who was probably supposed to be working on Renault's engine program.
Strange.
He answered anyway. "Hey, what's up?"
"Haha! Heard you've got a hot young driver. After discussing it internally, we're interested."
"Interested? We're not considering running in Formula Renault 3.5," Sid replied automatically.
"Oh! I didn't explain. I moved to Sauber three months ago. I'm calling on behalf of Sauber."
"Oh. Then we can schedule a time to talk."
Sid didn't refuse. Sauber wasn't as competitive as Mercedes or Williams, but they were still an F1 team. For someone like Wu Shi—who hadn't yet proven himself in F1—entering the championship in any seat was the best path.
He paused, realizing that the Mercedes rumors were no longer "Mercedes-only."
The entire paddock had clearly heard—and now other teams were making moves.
---
Rustle—
After three Safety Car periods, the race finally ended.
Wu Shi kept the lead until the finish. Overtaking on this circuit was extremely difficult; as long as he controlled the race, he could bring home the win.
After the podium ceremony, he returned to the rest area and immediately called Sid.
"No issue with the contract. Focus on the race," Sid said.
"Yes, I understand."
Wu Shi finally relaxed. He was about to message Louise when he saw dozens of unread messages—from Charles Leclerc.
"Hey! You got an F1 seat? Didn't you have a good relationship with Ferrari?"
"I'm joining the Ferrari Driver Academy."
"Is the news true?!"
The last message was a news link.
He clicked it.
The headline image showed Sid, Toto, and Niki Lauda entering the back area of the Mercedes garage. The bold headline read:
"Wu Shi's agent spotted entering Mercedes hospitality—rumors of an F1 contract gain credibility."
Damn!
What kind of efficiency was this?!
Sid said he went in at 11 a.m.
It was only 12 p.m. now. And a full article was already out?!
He skimmed the text.
"Ten-million-dollar base salary? My ass."
"Where would I get a hundred million in sponsorship?! If I had that money I could just buy an Indian team and live like Lance Stroll!"
"When did I become the heir to Mercedes-Benz?!"
The article's wording was ridiculous, but because it was so ridiculous, the only thing people would focus on was:
"Wu Shi has a Mercedes F1 seat deal."
Just then, Ocon and Verstappen walked over.
"Is it true?" they asked immediately.
Wu Shi shook his head firmly. "I have no idea who's spreading this nonsense."
"Tsk tsk… no matter what, since you won't deny it outright, you must've already talked to an F1 team," Ocon teased. "Didn't you say earlier that you'd reached an agreement with an F1 team? Is it Mercedes?!"
"Mercedes is strong this year. Their power unit is insane," Verstappen added, thinking only about the car. "Honestly, if I were a team principal, I'd sign you too."
"How about we consider buying a team?" Wu Shi joked, trying to change the subject—following Verstappen's earlier habit of random ideas.
"I have no money," Verstappen replied instantly and honestly.
"Hey! Since you're the one involved, aren't you going to clarify anything?" Ocon said while frantically refreshing Twitter like a gossip reporter.
"I don't like posting statements online."
"Your account is exploding!"
"Really? Let me see?" Wu Shi leaned over.
"Wait—why are you checking on my phone? Isn't this your account?" Ocon stared.
"I'm not allowed more than two hours of phone time a day. If I go over, I'll exceed my limit," Wu Shi replied casually.