Chapter 235: There Will Be More Rain
When Ferrari's radio message aired, the crowd realized the race could soon become a wet-weather battle. Jonathan peered out from the pit wall – the sky still showed patches of blue, but wind speeds were rising, and forecasts confirmed thick cloud cover moving in. He relayed this to Wu Shi, along with their gap to Hamilton:
"You're 2.321 seconds behind Lewis. His last lap was 1:37.344; yours was 1:37.301. Mercedes told him to hold pace two laps ago, but just now they instructed him to manage the gap – expect him to speed up shortly."
Meanwhile, Massa – now without Wu Shi's slipstream – was fighting to hold off Rosberg, who'd closed to 0.4 seconds but couldn't find a way past. Behind them, Räikkönen and Vettel had climbed back to fifth and sixth, with Kvyat seventh, Hülkenberg eighth, Sainz ninth, and Pérez in tenth. Only four drivers remained outside the points: Ericsson, Alonso, Stevens, and Merhi.
The next few laps centered on Massa's defense, but Rosberg made no breakthrough. On lap 27, cameras showed clouds blanketing the track's southwest side; while patches of sun still shone elsewhere, wind would soon cover the entire circuit.
"It's such a shame Wu Shi lost the lead – the team should have let him pull away earlier," Brother Bing said.
"Racing is unforgiving – one small miscalculation changes everything. Wu Shi needs to learn from this," Brother Fei replied.
"Williams should be the ones learning, not the driver!"
"He needs to learn to advocate for his own strategy too!"
As the commentary duo debated, teams monitored the sky closely. With over 20 laps left, dry conditions would likely lock in positions – but rain would throw everything into chaos. On lap 29, Hamilton set a new fastest lap of 1:37.093, maintaining his 2.3-second lead. Mercedes radioed Rosberg: "Rain expected in ~15 minutes."
By lap 30, the sky had darkened significantly, and distant clouds looked heavy with rain. Teams informed their drivers rain was coming within 15-20 minutes, though predictions varied from light drizzle to heavy downpour. Hamilton stabilized his pace at ~1:37.3, keeping Wu Shi at bay but not pulling clear.
"If rain hits in 15 minutes, that's ~10 laps left – is a wet tire change worth it?" Brother Fei wondered.
"Manor says it'll be heavy! Williams thinks it'll be light," Brother Bing countered.
Mid-discussion, Pérez and Sainz both locked up; Pérez spun off but rejoined. On lap 33, McLaren told Alonso: "Sparse raindrops on the pit lane fast lane – rain starting from the exit." Engineers across the pit wall held out their hands to check, and soon Jonathan radioed Wu Shi:
"Yellow flags in sectors 1 and 3 – Sainz is stopped in Turn 18 run-off. Virtual safety car deployed."
"Copy."
Track speeds dropped. Wu Shi watched Hamilton weave on the straight ahead – he knew the pressure was getting to the Mercedes driver. With rain approaching, slower speeds only increased uncertainty. Dave radioed Massa: "You'll run to the end on current tires – hold position." Jonathan stayed quiet; while the strategy team wanted consistency between drivers, he questioned the call. A pit stop now would cost ~29 seconds (based on Kvyat's 28.347-second stop on lap 18), but with VSC slowing the field and rain due before lap 40, wet tires could close gaps quickly.
"How much longer will VSC last?" Wu Shi asked on lap 35.
"We'll notify you when it ends – watch track signs," Jonathan replied.
Sainz's car was lifted by crane, and as Wu Shi reached Turn 11, the VSC signs vanished.
"VSC ended!"
Both Wu Shi and Hamilton accelerated instantly, keeping their gap stable. Massa reacted a beat slower, but Rosberg still couldn't capitalize. On lap 36, light faded noticeably on the track's south side. As they approached Turn 15, reflections glinted off the racing line – rain was falling.
"Pitter-patter – Turn 15 is wet, whole section is raining," Wu Shi reported immediately.
"Copy – monitoring intensity," Jonathan said.
Water coated the tires, which had already cooled during VSC. Grip became harder to find, and Wu Shi focused entirely on managing traction. Lap 37 brought an update:
"Your last lap was 1:37.485; Lewis's was 1:37.6 – gap now under 2 seconds."
"Where am I faster?"
"Sector three."
Adapting to wet conditions took time, but Wu Shi's pace was closing in. Hamilton grew anxious, radioing: "Is anyone pitting? Any tire changes?" The memory of Monaco – where an early stop cost him a win – weighed heavily. Wu Shi was less than 2 seconds back; any misstep would be costly.
"No stops yet – everyone staying out," Bono replied, though he noticed Ferrari's crew standing by intermediate tires.
"Track not wet enough yet," Wu Shi told his team. But at Turns 16-18, rain was heavy – Vettel struggled through corners, correcting his car repeatedly. By lap 38, raindrops blurred Wu Shi's visor. At Turn 15, both he and Hamilton had momentary spins but recovered. They spun again exiting Turn 18 as they pushed hard for position – the thrilling sequence drew full camera focus.
Next through were Massa and Rosberg. Massa slowed significantly, and Rosberg saw an opening – but his car suddenly veered left and spun off track.
"OH! ROSBERG! All that hard work gone in an instant!" the commentators shouted.
Alonso pitted as the lap ended; Hamilton and Wu Shi stayed out, but Wu Shi warned: "Be ready – sector three is tough on slicks, but intermediates would overheat in sectors one and two."
Moments later, Vettel used DRS to pass Räikkönen at Turn 15 – the wet surface left Räikkönen with no defense. After being overtaken, Räikkönen dived into the pits for intermediates. His stop took 30.397 seconds total (4.4 seconds for tire changes), and he rejoined eighth behind Hülkenberg.
As rain intensified, lap times dropped sharply.
"WU SHI IS CATCHING UP!" David exclaimed. "Lap 38: Lewis ran 1:48.364, Wu Shi 1:48.136 – gap now 1.5 seconds. Four drivers have switched to intermediates; we'll be watching Kimi's pace closely!"
Slick tires on wet track felt like balancing on glass – only speed and downforce kept cars grounded. Wu Shi adjusted his line, avoiding waterlogged dry lines and rubber-marble-covered areas. Hamilton also changed his approach, alternating wide arcs and tight inside lines to find grip.
Cameras cut between the leaders and Rosberg, who drove with surprising consistency after his spin. Massa, however, struggled – his mid-corner speed was far slower, surrendering advantage quickly. On lap 39, Rosberg took a wet inside line at Turn 9; Massa stayed wide but couldn't apply throttle on exit. Rosberg accelerated past easily, even without DRS.
By lap 40, Wu Shi was just 1.25 seconds behind Hamilton.
"How's he going so fast? He's pushing the throttle hard!" Brother Bing said.
"That's youth – no fear of the limit!"
"He'll be in DRS range soon!"
As they spoke, Hamilton radioed his team: "Track feels drier – will the rain stop?"
"Light rain now, but more clouds are coming – intensity will increase significantly," Mercedes replied.
"What's my gap to Wu Shi?"
"1.423 seconds."