Chapter 181: I Really Wish You Could Broadcast the Footage to Me
On lap 45, Vettel was held up by the battle between Grosjean and Hülkenberg ahead, while Hamilton and Wu Shi had already cleared Pérez and Nasr.
At this point, there were no other cars between the top three.
"Rosberg, on fresh tires, just set fastest lap: 1:42.062. He's closing on you," Jonathan reminded.
"Copy," Wu Shi replied.
On the long straight, the constant vibration of the chassis reminded him clearly that he was sitting in a machine capable of over 300 km/h—there was no margin for error.
After clearing the traffic, he bit down on his tongue, letting the pain sharpen his focus, and switched into his most physically demanding driving mode.
The condition of every part of the car fed directly into his senses:
lighter fuel load than at the start,
a clean racing line,
medium tires with five laps of wear.
Once everything aligned in his mind, he began the chase.
To close the gap while managing tire degradation required extreme precision.
Trail-braking pressure, steering input through each apex, throttle modulation on exit—every movement had to be perfectly controlled.
The concentration was suffocating. Before and after every corner, nothing existed in his mind except the car and the next braking point.
Through Turn 3's long right-hander, he fed the car gradually toward the outside, spreading the load as evenly as possible. Then, approaching Turn 4, he applied 23% brake pressure, increasing it smoothly while adjusting the differential to balance inside and outside wheel slip through the near right-angle corner.
It was exhausting — especially on lap 45.
After Turn 15, car No. 59 crossed the timing line.
A perfect lap.
"Great job! Lap time 1:42.376. Hamilton did 1:43.125, Vettel 1:44.225."
Wu Shi had no energy to respond.
He only knew one thing: he had to keep the car absolutely on edge. Any mistake, and the next ten laps would offer no second chance.
On lap 46, Vettel picked up the pace, setting 1:43.648, even quicker than Hamilton.
That was bad news for Lewis.
Mercedes immediately reacted.
"Lewis, Vettel did a 43.6. We need 42.3s to close."
"No," Hamilton replied flatly. "These hards won't do that."
The team delivered their backup message.
"Wu Shi just did 42.3. He's closing fast."
"Why is he so quick?!" Hamilton snapped.
No reply came.
Jonathan was also monitoring closely.
"You closed on Hamilton by 1.4 seconds last lap. Rosberg is on mediums behind, doing mid-42s. Try to maintain pace but manage the tires. Ten laps to go."
"Copy."
Two flat-out laps had already produced shocking results.
But sustaining that pace would punish the tires brutally.
---
"Wu Shi's pace on the mediums is unbelievable," the commentator exclaimed.
"He's taken over two seconds out of Hamilton in just two laps!"
"Hamilton can't catch Vettel, and now he's under serious threat from behind."
"Oh! Lap 47 — 1:42.488! Still incredible!"
"Lap 45 was 42.376, lap 46 was 42.388 — we thought that was a short burst. But three consecutive laps at this pace? That's pure driver skill!"
"He's only two seconds behind now!"
"If Wu Shi looks ahead, he's chasing the idol he grew up watching — world champion Lewis Hamilton!"
"From 2007 to now, just eight years. From a child to an F1 rookie fighting a champion wheel-to-wheel!"
The audience was fully swept up.
In front of countless TVs sat not only racing fans, but also Wu Shi's family and friends, all watching from far away, cheering silently.
---
Lap 48: 1:42.688.
"OH MY GOD! Only two-tenths slower! That's insane consistency!"
Hamilton and Vettel fluctuated by nearly eight-tenths lap to lap.
Wu Shi's times followed almost perfect tire degradation curves.
Lap 49 would be the chance.
Wu Shi could now clearly see Hamilton's rear wing, his front wing slicing through the turbulent wake of car #44.
The hot air irritated him—but it also calmed him.
Then came the adrenaline.
Heart rate surged past 180 bpm.
"I'm going to try the overtake."
Exiting Turn 14, he latched onto Hamilton's gearbox.
At the DRS detection point: 0.978 seconds.
"Here it comes!"
DRS opened. The car surged forward, tire wear accelerating, but there was no choice.
Not enough — the first DRS zone ended.
Hamilton asked, "Gap?"
"Zero point six nine one."
Turn 15.
Another detection line.
Wu Shi activated DRS instantly — perfect timing.
The engine screamed, battery deployment at maximum.
At the finish line, the gap shrank to 0.514.
Main straight. Long DRS zone.
0.347 seconds.
Wu Shi stayed patient, applying pressure, moving across the track, forcing Hamilton to defend and burn tires.
He stayed just off the racing line to avoid dirty air, but picked up marbles that hurt grip.
---
Before Turn 14, Wu Shi deliberately lifted slightly.
This wasn't the place.
On the straight, Hamilton suddenly defended hard, opening the inside.
Wu Shi stayed tucked in. He wanted the next DRS.
Hamilton crossed the detection point first.
Gap: 0.127 seconds.
DRS open.
Wu Shi pulled left.
Battery fully deployed.
Top speed peaked.
Before the braking zone, he was already ahead and moved to the outside for Turn 1.
Hamilton braked later — wheels locking, smoke pouring off the tires.
Wu Shi sensed it instantly and ran wide to avoid contact.
But Hamilton kept coming, forcing him toward the grass.
So Wu Shi made a split-second decision.
He floored the throttle, shot forward past the corner, cut across the grass, bounced over the curb—
—and rejoined ahead.
Hamilton, having braked too late, had to slow heavily.
"Pushed me off! He pushed me off! I was ahead!"
Wu Shi's breathing was ragged.
He blasted toward Turn 3 without lifting.
Even if there was a penalty, he wasn't giving up the position.
"Calm down. We're checking with race control. Manage your tires," Jonathan said, already contacting the stewards.
Hamilton said nothing.
He knew exactly what had happened.
And he knew — this rookie was ruthless.
---
Wu Shi pulled a one-second gap by Turn 14.
Hamilton's earlier lock-up had damaged his tires badly.
No counterattack came.
"Will they make him give the position back?" Bing Ge asked.
"No. Hamilton forced him off. Wu Shi avoided contact."
Replay confirmed it.
No investigation.
"Good!"
The final laps passed without drama.
Only Vettel asked on lap 52:
"What's happening behind? Is Lewis still there?"
"Sorry for the late update — Wu Shi passed him. He can't catch you now."
"Oh wow. Must've been a great battle.
I really wish you could broadcast the footage to me."
The commentators laughed.
And Wu Shi, exhausted, kept pushing to the finish. 🏁