Chapter 151: Mercedes' September — The Hunting Grounds Never Fall Silent
The Singapore Grand Prix had come to an end.
Whether it was Hamilton overtaking Rosberg in the championship standings and temporarily claiming the initiative in the title fight, or Wu Shi missing the top three by twenty-five thousandths of a second, the paddock was left with the unmistakable sense that 2014 was a year unlike any other.
But the biggest headline did not come from the circuit.
It came from Maranello.
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Ferrari: The End of an Era
On Monday, Ferrari officially announced that Luca di Montezemolo had resigned as chairman.
For a man who had presided over Ferrari since the 1990s, the news marked the unmistakable end of an era.
Media outlets across Europe rushed to publish obituaries—not of a man, but of a philosophy.
With Montezemolo's departure, the Agnelli family, through its absolute control of Fiat Group, consolidated its influence over Ferrari entirely.
Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Group's CEO, began reshaping Ferrari according to his own vision. ①
In hindsight, Ferrari's internal power struggle in 2014 had only just concluded.
But what followed would be even worse.
Over the next eight years, Ferrari would suffer from constant changes in senior management, chaotic technical leadership, and internal instability.
The glory of the Scuderia gradually faded into memory.
The once-mighty red empire became trapped in endless infighting—its ambitions collapsing one after another, its dreams shattered in public view.
Even the so-called "Temple of Speed" was no longer sacred.
During this turmoil, the previous agreement between Montezemolo and Wu Shi resurfaced repeatedly in internal discussions.
The consensus was clear:
Montezemolo had been completely wrong.
Even Martina had been indirectly affected by the internal fallout.
In retrospect, it was fortunate Wu Shi had not joined Ferrari.
Otherwise, the team might well have terminated the contract outright—at best paying a penalty, at worst destroying his career in the chaos.
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Mercedes: The Price of Mismanagement
On September 27, Sid returned from negotiations with Mercedes-Benz.
The results were decisive.
First:
Wu Shi had indeed failed to meet the requirements stipulated in the original agreement—an objective fact.
Second:
Tony Ross had already been dismissed by Mercedes and was facing legal action for unauthorized modifications to the car.
Third—and most critical:
Under the contract, Mercedes-Benz was liable for breach of contract, due to inadequate internal personnel management.
The compensation?
Twenty million US dollars.
An astronomical figure.
But not unreasonable.
After all, Wu Shi's own liquidated damages had been set just as high.
From that point onward, neither Wu Shi nor Sid spoke publicly about the practice session incident again.
And naturally, reporters could extract nothing.
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Williams: A Quiet but Decisive Choice
In parallel with the Mercedes negotiations, Wu Shi flew to the United Kingdom.
There, he finalized a three-year contract with Williams Racing.
The length of the deal shocked his entire team.
Very few teams were willing to commit that deeply to a rookie.
After the contract was signed, Wu Shi faced his next challenge:
The FIA Super Licence.
At the time, the regulations were still vague.
There were no age limits, no points system.
Issuance depended primarily on:
Team recommendations
Physical fitness testing
Track ability verification
Mercedes and Williams jointly recommended Wu Shi.
The FIA scheduled his fitness and on-track evaluations for December.
Even without a Super Licence, Wu Shi was still permitted to race in 2015—regulatory oversight was far looser in those years.
Otherwise, he would never have been allowed into practice sessions in Singapore. ②
The announcement of Wu Shi's Williams contract sent another shockwave through the paddock.
What was happening in September?
Why did every major event seem to converge in this one month?
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China: Breaking the Silence
On September 28, CCTV reporter Sang Tong conducted a brief interview with Wu Shi.
It was scheduled to air on the national news channel.
Early on September 29, just before four in the morning, Wu Shi was sleeping soundly when his blanket was abruptly yanked away.
He squinted against the harsh light.
Louise stood over him, eyes shining.
"My little darling," he muttered groggily,
"aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
"Look!" she said excitedly. "It's on the news in China!"
She placed her phone beside him.
Wu Shi kept his eyes closed as the familiar, steady voice of the announcer filled the room:
> Williams Racing officially announced on the 27th that sixteen-year-old Chinese driver Wu Shi has joined the team and will compete in the 2015 Formula One World Championship.
Wu Shi thus becomes the first official Chinese F1 driver and the youngest full-time driver in Formula One history.
He will make his debut at the Australian Grand Prix, the opening race of next season.
The broadcast calmly reviewed his career.
Karting titles.
European F3 domination.
Records upon records.
Wu Shi grew sleepier with every sentence.
He'd been on CCTV before.
Aside from the Evening News, there wasn't much left that excited him.
And to make that broadcast?
He'd probably need a world championship.
The last athlete he remembered making a real impression there was Liu Xiang.
"Louise," he said softly,
"what's so exciting about this? You've already seen it on Italian channels. Watching domestic news won't help—you don't even understand it. Go to sleep."
Without waiting for her response, he pulled her onto the bed and turned off the lamp.
Huff—huff—
Louise flushed instantly, her breathing unsteady.
Sleep was the last thing on her mind.
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September Never Ends
September 29 had barely passed.
On September 30, Red Bull's junior team held a press conference.
Toro Rosso officially announced that Max Verstappen, who had just turned seventeen, would replace Jean-Éric Vergne and partner Daniil Kvyat for the 2015 Formula One season. ③
They also confirmed that Verstappen would participate in FP1 at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.
Another bombshell.
Wu Shi wasn't surprised.
He called Verstappen immediately.
"Congratulations," Wu Shi said.
"What a coincidence. We'll be racing each other again next year."
"Haha! Thanks," Verstappen replied.
"But honestly, I'm not confident I can fight you."
He continued, unusually modest:
"I've done a lot of mileage in a 2012 F1 car, but it still feels incredibly demanding. I really don't understand how you performed so well without ever driving one before."
"And the craziest part—
they actually allowed someone with zero F1 experience to run in practice."
Wu Shi smiled.
"You'll have to ask Mercedes about that."
He knew perfectly well how much effort Mercedes had invested behind the scenes.
Whether it was for him—or because of their own internal conflicts—
Only they knew the real answer.