Chapter 155: Winter Testing
After visiting Bianchi, Wu Shi returned to England, where his life became monotonous and disciplined—daily physical training, strictly controlled nutrition that was healthy but barely edible, and an endless rotation of oddly flavored sports drinks.
On December 5th, the FIA End-of-Year Awards Ceremony was held in Doha, Qatar. Wu Shi put on a tailored suit for the occasion, standing among professional racing drivers for the first time in such a formal setting.
The front row was occupied by Formula 1 World Champions and podium finishers from major international championships. Wu Shi stood in the third row, his line of sight barely clearing the shoulders in front of him.
After the ceremony, he immediately underwent the FIA Super Licence evaluation. His high-speed control of an F1-level car exceeding 300 km/h posed no issues, nor did the physical assessment.
His neck was already nearly as thick as his head—and still developing.
According to Ken Ruiz, Wu Shi had essentially met all requirements. In actual race conditions, the only concern would be endurance during the final laps of long-distance Grands Prix.
As the year drew to a close, the Formula 1 driver lineup for the upcoming season was largely finalized.
Sebastian Vettel left Red Bull Racing to join Ferrari as a race driver.
Daniil Kvyat was promoted from Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing.
Fernando Alonso departed Ferrari and returned to McLaren.
Valtteri Bottas joined Lotus, while Pastor Maldonado temporarily exited Formula 1.
Five rookies entered Formula 1 that season:
Wu Shi and Max Verstappen, promoted from FIA Formula 3;
Felipe Nasr and Alexander Rossi, promoted from GP2;
Carlos Sainz Jr., promoted from Formula Renault 3.5 to Toro Rosso, partnering Verstappen.
Several unusual incidents occurred during the driver market reshuffle.
One notable case involved Sauber reserve driver Giedo van der Garde, who sued the Sauber F1 Team after his contracted race seat was reassigned to Felipe Nasr. Van der Garde won the lawsuit—but Sauber still had no intention of placing him in the car.
Beyond driver changes, Ferrari underwent the most dramatic transformation.
Immediately after the 2014 season, an internal overhaul began. Team Principal Marco Mattiacci resigned. Technical Director Pat Fry stepped down. Chief Designer Nikolas Tombazis departed, as did Head of Tyre Performance Hirohide Hamashima.
Ferrari's mid-to-senior management was almost entirely replaced—an internal earthquake that had been inevitable ever since Luca di Montezemolo's departure.
As 2015 approached, attention shifted toward pre-season testing, and every team accelerated development to meet the new regulations.
The FIA introduced revised technical rules. The car width increased from 1.8 meters to 2.0 meters, significantly raising cornering loads while making narrow circuits like Monaco increasingly processional.
Minimum car weight rose from 691 kg to 702 kg, while the power unit regulations remained unchanged: a 1.6-liter V6 turbo-hybrid.
Williams' 2015 challenger, the FW37, continued to use the Mercedes PU106B Hybrid.
In 2014, Williams had leveraged Mercedes' dominant power unit to secure third place in the Constructors' Championship, beating Ferrari outright.
On February 19, 2015, pre-season testing officially began at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Testing was split into two four-day sessions: February 19–22 and February 26–March 1.
Ambient temperatures hovered between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius throughout the test, while track temperatures fluctuated sharply—far from ideal for tyre evaluation. Rain occasionally interrupted running but allowed teams to gather data on intermediate tyres.
During testing, Wu Shi clearly felt the FW37 struggle in medium- and high-speed corners.
This was a long-standing weakness of Williams as a customer team: limited aerodynamic development capability.
At the same time, rival engine manufacturers had closed the power gap. The FW37's straight-line speed—once its greatest strength—was no longer dominant.
On the timing sheets, Williams was roughly 1.5 seconds per lap slower than Mercedes. While testing data could be misleading, the trend was unmistakable.
The FW37 had lost competitiveness.
The only positive takeaway was reliability.
Across both test sessions, Wu Shi and Felipe Massa completed over 450 laps combined, ranking third overall in mileage, without a single major technical failure.
It wasn't a fast car—but it was a stable one.
"This year's car doesn't look ideal," Massa said quietly after testing concluded.
He had initially been skeptical of the driver seventeen years younger than himself, but Wu Shi's performance over the entire test had earned his respect.
"If we can't have both aerodynamic balance and outright performance," Wu Shi said, "then we should commit fully to one direction."
"Oh?" asked Chief Engineer Rod Nelson, who remained responsible for race and test operations. "What's your thinking?"
"Maximize straight-line performance," Wu Shi replied.
Williams' top speed ranked only fourth—despite using the same Mercedes power unit as the benchmark team.
"Balance is still critical," said Technical Director Pat Symonds, who oversaw aerodynamic development.
"I understand," Wu Shi replied calmly. "But if the car lacks speed, no amount of balance will help. Balance can be managed by the driver. Lack of pace cannot."
Symonds frowned. He knew Wu Shi wasn't wrong.
As Mercedes' power unit advantage diminished across the grid, the FW37 was no longer among the top three cars.
From the feedback of both drivers, Williams appeared to be best positioned at the front of the midfield—unlikely to challenge Mercedes, Red Bull, or Ferrari outright.
Yet the team was still basking in memories of last season's success.
Reality had arrived.
"I think Wu Shi is right," said Performance Director Rob Smedley, formerly Massa's race engineer at Ferrari. "A more aggressive setup might give us better race positions."
"This direction is worth pursuing," added Chief Performance Engineer Andrew Murdoch.
Massa finally spoke again. "I agree. We should take risks. Let's see what the new parts deliver."
The development direction for the FW37 was set.
Pre-season testing concluded on March 1st, with final system checks completed by March 10th.
On March 13th, the first free practice session of the 2015 Formula 1 season began.
The Australian Grand Prix awaited.