Chapter 234: COPY
Stabilizing lap times within a comfortable range is easy for a driver – but holding pace to a precise target is far more challenging. This was exactly what Wu Shi was grappling with.
He had to carefully manage the gap to let Massa enter DRS range at the detection zone, yet keep enough distance to avoid being attacked. To do this, he'd been asking Jonathan to relay their time difference constantly – a good thing such updates weren't restricted by the team radio ban, or the task would have been nearly impossible.
After several laps of forming a DRS train, the balance became tough to break. A stable train meant the trailing cars didn't have an absolute advantage, and as laps passed, dirty air took its toll – engine temperatures rose, tire degradation accelerated, and speeds dropped slightly. Leading drivers' skill and trailing drivers' strategic caution kept the order locked in place.
Hamilton could have forced an overtake on Massa if he wanted to – but at what cost? Aggressive moves would wear his tires heavily, risking losing position to Rosberg for no gain. In F1, attacks come with steep prices, and Hamilton wouldn't gamble unnecessarily. The same logic applied to Rosberg challenging Hamilton – overtaking his teammate would require significant effort, and mistakes would be costly.
As a result, the top four positions stabilized, with little likely to change before the first round of pit stops. The audience found the DRS train unexciting, so the broadcast shifted focus away from the front runners.
Lap 12 – Ricciardo pitted for new tires. He'd started tenth but dropped positions after a poor start; exiting the pits, he fell behind Alonso to 13th place.
Lap 13 – Räikkönen, stuck behind Hülkenberg for too long, opted to pit and switch to hard tires. He rejoined in tenth.
End of Lap 14 – Mercedes mechanics rushed to the pit lane with tires, prompting Williams to tense up – but both silver cars drove past without slowing. It was a bluff, timed to coincide with Räikkönen's stop. Williams relaxed, though no instructions were sent to the drivers; the strategy team was still analyzing the optimal pit window.
Shortly after, Vettel pitted – Ferrari's early double stop left teams wondering if they were planning a two-stop strategy or simply struggling with tire wear. His 3.3-second stop was slow, leaving him behind Räikkönen when he rejoined.
Lap 15 Standings:
1. Wu Shi
2. Massa
3. Hamilton
4. Rosberg
5. Hülkenberg
6. Kvyat
7. Pérez
8. Ericsson
9. Räikkönen
10. Vettel
Sainz moved up to 11th after overtaking Alonso and Ricciardo. Ricciardo reported engine power issues, with his speed fluctuating noticeably.
"How are your tires holding up?" Jonathan asked.
"Am I going too slow?" Wu Shi countered.
"Maintain current pace."
Jonathan exchanged a look with Dave – Massa's tires were clearly struggling. Even with DRS from Wu Shi, Hamilton was closing in steadily, the gap now just over 0.5 seconds. The first pit window had opened, and strategy decisions for the top four would likely decide the race.
"If Mercedes were leading, they'd have pulled away by now," Brother Bing noted.
"True – but staying close consistently also shows strong car performance," Brother Fei agreed. In reality, without Wu Shi's help, Massa wouldn't have held position this long.
"From ninth place onward, everyone's switched to hard tires. Räikkönen's first sector on his out-lap was 30.8 seconds – good pace," the commentary team reported.
"Hard tires are warming up well. Now it's all about when the front runners pit – timing is critical. Come out behind traffic, and you're in trouble," Brother Bing said.
"Räikkönen's out-lap was 1:38.954 – faster than Wu Shi's last lap of 1:39.3. New hard tires are making a big difference!" Brother Fei exclaimed.
"Lap 16 already – should they hold on longer?"
"No! Pit now while the advantage is clear! Why keep leading if it doesn't help?"
"To protect Massa?"
Brother Fei was silent. It was rare to see a faster driver hold back for a teammate for so long – from Wu Shi's perspective, the decision seemed questionable.
Lap 17 – Red Bull called Ricciardo in to inspect his car. "Is the Renault engine beyond saving?" Brother Bing sighed.
Lap 18 – Alonso made his second stop (his first was lap 1 for front wing damage). After just 17 laps on hard tires, he switched again – though his consistent 1:44+ laps offered little strategic insight.
"BOX BOX," Mercedes radioed to Hamilton.
Jonathan frowned immediately: "Hamilton is pitting. How are your tires feeling?"
Wu Shi let out a sharp exclamation – and in the next few corners, his pace visibly increased. In half a lap, the gap to Massa stretched from 0.9 to 1.1 seconds. It was clear he'd been holding back until now.
Hamilton's stop took just 2.4 seconds; Hülkenberg pitted behind him with a 2.9-second change. As Hamilton rejoined, he encountered Pérez, locking up at Turn 3 and fighting to stay ahead on cold tires.
"Our stop time is around 3 seconds. To stay ahead of Hamilton, we need at least a 1.6-second lead," Jonathan calculated, even as the strategy engineer worked through the numbers. Williams had no contingency plan for this scenario and was playing catch-up – without past data to rely on, accuracy was uncertain.
"What was Hamilton's stop time? I need his out-lap pace," Wu Shi requested, his voice cutting through static.
"2.4 seconds. We'll update you as soon as we have the lap time."
End of Lap 20 – Williams and Mercedes called in Massa and Rosberg simultaneously, leaving Wu Shi to extend his lead on track. The team opted not to pit him to force a tire battle – but then came shocking news.
"Hamilton's last lap was 1:37.112," Jonathan reported quietly.
No response came from Wu Shi, but all attention had shifted to the pit lane anyway. Cameras focused on Massa – his stop took 3.8 seconds, while Rosberg was released first. Massa accelerated hard as he exited, nose slightly ahead of Rosberg, who backed off to avoid contact. But by then, Hamilton had already pulled ahead.
The Williams crew's faces were grim – Hamilton's out-lap had been blisteringly fast.
"BOX BOX," Jonathan called urgently.
Even though Wu Shi had just set a 1:38.6 lap on worn medium tires, it wasn't enough.
End of Lap 21 – Wu Shi pulled into the pits. Mechanics moved with practiced precision, but when the stop time displayed, the result was clear: 3.2 seconds. Hamilton had gained 1.5 seconds on track and 0.8 seconds in the pits – a total of 2.3 seconds, reclaiming the lead entirely.
Wu Shi exited the pits to find Hamilton already gone, with Massa and Rosberg closing in fast. The stands erupted in cheers – at his home race, Hamilton's popularity was overwhelming, with Union Jacks waving everywhere. Even through his helmet and the engine roar, Wu Shi heard the noise.
He wanted to chase down Hamilton, but how? He remembered their parade conversation – Mercedes had also reduced drag. Against a full-power Mercedes, Williams' advantage was fragile, requiring both exceptional skill and luck to overcome. We're not McLaren – we can't outfight the engine that powers us.
"Tell Wu Shi to give Massa a tow – Rosberg is closing in," Rodrigo said to Jonathan.
"Why?" Jonathan challenged.
Rodrigo was caught off guard: "To maximize points! We're more likely to finish 2-3 than for Wu Shi to retake first!"
Claire approached as Jonathan turned to face him. He wanted to ask again – if Wu Shi had pulled away earlier instead of helping Massa, would this have happened? With his tire condition and pace, he could have built a 2-3 second gap easily.
"If Hamilton and Rosberg had passed Massa, they'd have been right on Wu Shi's tail. The speed difference wouldn't have let us make up 2.5 seconds!" Rodrigo defended the strategy.
"To secure the championship, shouldn't Massa be holding up the cars behind instead?"
The question left Rodrigo speechless. When drivers have aligned interests, team orders are simple – but when priorities conflict, tensions rise. Even Mercedes struggled to manage such situations, and Williams was no exception.
Jonathan knew Rodrigo's instructions were based on data from headquarters, but not all decisions were logical. As track engineer, he felt responsible for advocating for Wu Shi – especially since he led the championship standings. Claire listened quietly, understanding both perspectives: the strategy team prioritized team points, while Jonathan focused on the title contender.
By the time they reached a decision, Wu Shi had already taken action – without orders, he was pushing to close on Hamilton.
Frustration flickered briefly, but he pushed it aside. Just as he could undercut others, they could do the same to him. The mistake wasn't about pit timing – it was about the earlier decision to give Massa slipstream and DRS. He hadn't objected then, not anticipating how things would unfold. Williams' strategy team, once championship-caliber, had lost some of its edge compared to Mercedes' proactive approach. But dwelling on mistakes wouldn't help – he needed to find a way to challenge Hamilton.
His tires were slightly newer – there had to be an opportunity.
"Williams' strategy has backfired badly! They had a championship lead and threw it away!" Brother Bing slammed his hand on the table.
"Too greedy," Brother Fei shook his head. "A one-two finish is tempting, but sometimes you have to prioritize the bigger goal."
He watched Wu Shi's #59 Williams on screen: "Before Hamilton pitted, Wu Shi's tires were in better shape than everyone else's – did they really need to use them up so much?"
It was a question Williams couldn't answer just yet. Perhaps past success with late stops had created a pattern of thinking that led them astray.
Wu Shi focused on the track, assessing tire grip and wear to calculate how hard he could push for the remaining 31 laps.
"Wu Shi – you're 3.12 seconds behind Lewis. Your last lap was 1:37.311; his was 1:37.254, and he's still picking up speed. Protect your tires and close the gap," Jonathan said.
"Copy that! Please send real-time fuel data – I need to manage it carefully," Wu Shi replied, keeping his focus sharp.
The pit stop shake-up didn't hold the audience's attention for long. By lap 23, spectators in the grass areas noticed the temperature dropping – thick clouds were rolling in overhead.
Lap 23 – The sky grew darker by the minute.
Lap 26 – Ricciardo was called in again and retired with an ERS failure.
The same lap, Ferrari radioed Räikkönen: "Rain expected at Stowe Corner (Turn 15) in approximately 20 minutes – prepare for changing conditions."