Chapter 202: We Can Just Change Drivers Next Year
"Wu Shi, fuel usage is at ninety-two point three kilograms. Please start saving. This is Lap 54 four laps to go."
"Also, the Stewards have confirmed they will take no further action regarding your Turn 1 incident with Hamilton on Lap 1."
After completing the overtake, Jonathan began feeding him data, bringing him fully up to speed on the car's condition.
"..."
Wu Shi was completely baffled.
They're only telling me now?
The Stewards really had their own sense of timing.
Still, while finding it ridiculous, he immediately recalculated fuel, tyres, and defensive strategy in his head. The rest of the race would depend on this.
Those two laps of chasing and overtaking Rosberg had burned nearly two kilograms per lap. In cruise mode, consumption dropped to around 1.6 to 1.8, depending on lap time.
They had enough fuel to finish.
But post-race scrutineering was another matter more remaining fuel meant more safety margin.
"Gap to Hamilton is now five point three seconds," Jonathan added.
"Copy. How do my lap times compare to Kimi?"
"Almost identical right now."
"Good."
That meant he could slow slightly more. The tyres had already taken enough punishment pushing again would risk overheating or blistering.
Chasing Hamilton was no longer realistic.
Jonathan understood that too. The miracle had already happened once. Physics wasn't going to allow it twice.
Wu Shi adjusted his settings into full management mode and carefully monitored tyre feedback. Grip was fading, but holding off Rosberg or Räikkönen for two laps wouldn't be a problem.
Hamilton and Wu Shi both settled into controlled pace.
But behind them, Rosberg was not having an easy time.
Still frustrated after being overtaken, he now had Räikkönen closing at nearly one second per lap.
By mid-Lap 54, the gap had shrunk to just 1.36 seconds.
"Is this good news?"
Hamilton's radio message was suddenly broadcast.
To casual viewers, the comment sounded strange.
But experienced fans instantly understood.
Mercedes would certainly have told Hamilton that Rosberg was under threat from Räikkönen.
And Hamilton's reaction could only mean one thing:
Rosberg losing position suited him just fine.
Whatever friendship remained between them was long gone.
After the last race's press conference where Rosberg had publicly accused Hamilton any goodwill had already evaporated.
"Hamilton's comment… wow," Brother Bing laughed.
"Now Rosberg's already under pressure. If the team repeats that message to him, he might crack again."
"Hahaha! If they really did that, Rosberg would explode at them!" Brother Fei said, laughing uncontrollably.
By now, the commentary had fully shifted into entertainment mode.
"What's the big deal if he falls out with the team?" Brother Bing continued.
"It's only a one-year contract anyway. Just change drivers next year."
"Oh? That's a very accurate calculation," Brother Fei immediately caught on.
If Mercedes replaced Rosberg… who would be the obvious choice?
"Look at the track Kimi has DRS!"
As they spoke, Räikkönen was already launching his attack.
Rosberg, finally back in proper rhythm, defended with the composure expected of a world-class driver.
On Lap 55, he used his ERS deployment perfectly and stretched the gap slightly again.
Meanwhile, Jonathan spoke to Wu Shi.
"Be aware Massa and Kvyat ahead. You're about to lap them, and they're very close together."
Normally, lapped traffic warnings were routine.
But the second half of that sentence was deliberate.
Wu Shi understood.
This could help Massa attack Kvyat but it had to stay within the rules.
With blue flags waving, backmarkers must yield within three corners.
At Turn 7 exit, Massa went wide decisively, letting Wu Shi through.
Kvyat, now next, had no choice. At Turn 8, he clearly lifted and stayed off the racing line.
Wu Shi entered slightly too wide a typical rookie mistake when passing under blue flags.
That hesitation allowed Massa to close by two-tenths.
Then, on corner exit, Wu Shi applied throttle a bit too aggressively.
The rear stepped out.
Jonathan grabbed his headset.
"Brother, I told you to delay Kvyat not scare yourself to death!"
If Wu Shi binned it while trying to help Massa, Jonathan was certain Claire would personally deduct his bonus.
Fortunately, Wu Shi caught the slide and immediately reported:
"Tyre wear is getting high. Rear grip is unstable."
"Copy. Adjust brake balance forward and soften rear differential," Jonathan replied instantly.
"Hey! What is Williams doing?!" Kvyat complained on his own radio.
But Wu Shi's driving looked entirely natural. Even Jonathan almost believed the tyre issue.
The Stewards showed no reaction at all.
Red Bull simply told Kvyat to watch out for Massa behind.
"Stay focused. Next backmarker ahead is Pérez. Gap to him is seven point three. Just follow Hamilton," Jonathan reminded.
By the time Wu Shi cleared traffic, Rosberg and Räikkönen had also arrived at the same group of cars.
This gave Rosberg brief breathing room.
Lapping traffic was still easier than defending against a Ferrari with fresher tyres.
By the latter half of Lap 55, Rosberg had actually extended the gap back to 1.12 seconds by timing the passes perfectly.
Rodrigo pursed his lips.
It now looked obvious Wu Shi's earlier strategy of attacking hard when the soft tyres were still strong had been the right call.
Once degradation set in, overtaking became far more difficult.
Before the main straight, Räikkönen surprisingly failed to get DRS.
In the Ferrari garage, everyone stared at the timing screens in silence.
Two laps remaining.
Would there still be time for an overtake?