Chapter 208: Easy Victory
"Wu Shi – the race restarts when you cross the finish line again. Push now to build a gap before DRS is enabled – switch engine mode to 4."
Jonathan's voice was steady and reassuring – exactly what a driver needs under pressure. Wu Shi acknowledged, adjusted his settings, and weaved left and right out of Turn 15 to warm tires and brakes before accelerating onto the racing line for Turn 16.
A rolling start favors the leader, and a sudden burst of speed can immediately create breathing room. Vettel's eyes were fixed on the white Williams ahead, but when Wu Shi pulled away, he was half a beat too slow to respond.
The engine roared as cars streamed down the main straight – the shimmering air from the hot track surface emphasized the raw power of the F1 machines. Wu Shi glanced in his mirror; Vettel was not close enough to threaten, but he knew DRS would be active after this lap, so he didn't ease off.
"Engine mode back to normal," Jonathan called after Turn 5. Wu Shi didn't need to check the timing – he knew the gap was already over a second.
Ferrari had picked up Williams' radio message and relayed it to Vettel. "I know – I'm waiting for my chance," he replied. He knew Catalunya was notoriously hard to overtake on, with a 90% pole-to-win conversion rate. And Wu Shi was driving with machine-like consistency at the front – no openings were appearing.
Whoosh! – Wu Shi completed the lap in 1 minute 30.231 seconds, setting the fastest time so far and stretching his lead to 1 second over Vettel. Räikkönen was right behind his teammate, just 0.4 seconds back, pushing hard in pursuit of the podium spot Ferrari now had within reach.
The camera briefly cut to Hamilton walking away from the track before returning to the action as DRS was activated.
"Don't worry about Vettel – he's fighting Räikkönen. Focus on tire management – your advantage is solid, stay calm," Jonathan said.
Wu Shi's heart was still racing – not from the speed, but from the prospect of his first Grand Prix win. He kept his focus sharp, controlling every input with precision.
Behind him, the midfield was coming alive: Massa overtook both Toro Rossos in quick succession, while Bottas passed Grosjean and set his sights on Ricciardo. With the front running order stable, cameras shifted to these battles.
In the Toro Rosso garage, Jos Verstappen reviewed lap data and smiled. "This kid's consistency is still incredible."
"Since he joined F1, mistakes have been rare," his engineer agreed. But their smiles faded quickly – on Lap 11, Bottas overtook Max Verstappen, pushing him further down the order. Without Mercedes' retirement, he would have been outside the points. Lotus was also performing strongly, thanks in part to their Mercedes engine.
Hülkenberg and Kvyat pitted at the end of Lap 11, opening the first pit window.
"How are the tires holding up?" Jonathan asked – he knew Wu Shi often reported better conditions than the data suggested.
"Waiting on your call to pit," Wu Shi replied, confirming there was still life left in the rubber.
By now, he led Vettel by 5 seconds, Räikkönen by 10, and Massa by 15. Williams and Ferrari had pulled clear of the rest, with Lotus, Red Bull, and Toro Rosso fighting for the lower points positions.
"If this continues, the result is all but decided," Commentator Bing said.
"Only strategy choices could shake things up now," Commentator Fei added.
On Lap 15, Vettel pitted for medium tyres – Ferrari's crew completed the change in just 2.3 seconds. "Incredible pit work from Ferrari this year!" Bing exclaimed.
Moments later, Wu Shi headed for the pits. Cameras tracked every move – everyone knew the stop could make or break his chance at victory.
Bang! Pop! Click! – The Williams crew worked in perfect sync, completing the change in 2.9 seconds.
"Clean stop! No issues at all!" Fei praised. "Williams must have put in extra training for this moment – every tenth of a second counts when fighting for wins."
Wu Shi emerged still ahead of Vettel. Räikkönen pitted on Lap 17 for hard tyres – another staggered strategy from Ferrari.
"They've had success with this before," Fei noted. "Will we see Räikkönen charging late again?"
"Unlikely – Vettel will block him if he has to!" Bing laughed. "Nothing stops a teammate like another teammate!"
The race settled into a steady rhythm. "Räikkönen's top speed is down 5 km/h on Massa's Williams – that Mercedes engine is making the difference," Fei observed. "Even with them out of the race, Mercedes is everywhere!"
Massa pitted on Lap 32, signaling the window for three-stop strategies, but Wu Shi, Vettel, and Räikkönen stayed out – their two-stop plans were now clear.
On Lap 40, Vettel pitted for hard tyres, with Ferrari setting a blistering 2.2-second change time. Jonathan sighed – if the gap had been smaller, that speed could have turned the race. But with lighter fuel loads, the FW37's cornering performance improved, and the gap only grew.
Williams followed Ferrari's lead, pitting Wu Shi on Lap 41. The crew, now more comfortable with the pressure, completed the stop in 2.5 seconds.
"Another great stop! Wu Shi stays ahead by a comfortable margin!"
The two leaders didn't even contest position – the outcome was already clear. Cameras shifted away from the front as the laps ticked by.
By Lap 50, Wu Shi led Vettel by over 10 seconds, Räikkönen by 20, and Massa by 30. The track was testing tire management to the limit, and only the most consistent drivers were maintaining pace. On Lap 63, Sainz overtook Verstappen for position.
With three laps remaining, Jonathan radioed: "Gap is 14 seconds – you've got this."
"Copy."
Wu Shi didn't relax, keeping his focus sharp until the very end. As Lap 66 began, he exited Turn 16 to see the checkered flag waving above the line.
He crossed the finish line, and Jonathan's voice burst through the radio: "CONGRATULATIONS, WU SHI! YOU'RE THE CHAMPION! YOUR FIRST EVER GRAND PRIX WIN – THIS IS JUST THE START!"
Wu Shi's racing heart calmed instantly. The win felt less explosive than he'd imagined – the result had been settled so early, he'd already prepared himself. Still, he cheered with his team over the radio as the broadcast commentators roared:
"WU SHI CROSSES THE LINE! SPAIN'S WINNER IS THE YOUNGEST GRAND PRIX CHAMPION IN F1 HISTORY! HE'S MADE HISTORY AGAIN – AND THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!"
Wu Shi waved to the stands, though most were Ferrari fans and cheers were muted. He drove back to parc fermé, trying to preserve as much rubber as possible on his tires.
"Congratulations, son." Sir Frank Williams' dry voice came over the radio.
"Thank you, Sir – this was a team win all the way."
He parked behind the number 1 board, where the Williams crew was already gathered in celebration. Wu Shi climbed out, stood on his car, and raised both index fingers to the sky, spinning to acknowledge all sides of the track before jumping down to embrace his team.
The Ferrari cars arrived moments later, and the crowd's cheers swelled. One engineer shook Wu Shi's hand and said, "They cheer for Ferrari now, but one day they'll cheer for you – a great driver."
"Thank you – your support is all I need right now," Wu Shi smiled. He was here to race, and wins – even easy ones – meant more than being a crowd favorite.