Chapter 109: First Imagine
Wu Shi had no idea what kind of shockwaves his win at Hockenheim would cause. After returning to the Netherlands, he was ready to sink back into the usual rhythm—physical training, simulator runs, and more training.
But on Monday, Sid walked over with an expression he rarely showed.
"Toto Wolff wants to talk to you," Sid announced. "Mercedes team principal. The meeting is set for Thursday."
For a moment, Wu Shi felt as if Tuesday and Wednesday no longer needed to exist.
But once the excitement ran its course, calm returned.
2014 was the first year of the new hybrid-turbo era. Mercedes had already shown signs of dominance. If he could join them, the possibilities were endless:
The youngest F1 driver.
The youngest pole sitter.
The youngest fastest-lap holder.
The youngest Grand Prix winner.
And eventually… the youngest World Champion.
A perfect fantasy.
A sweet, self-indulgent dream.
But reality quickly poured cold water over it.
Mercedes' 2014 drivers: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Hamilton's seat was untouchable—raw talent, proven speed, and both Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda firmly behind him.
As for Rosberg—Hamilton's childhood rival, consistently strong, and fresh off a dominant win at the season-opening Australian GP. There was no logical reason for Mercedes to replace him.
And even if outsiders didn't know it, Wu Shi did: Rosberg was destined to become the 2016 World Champion before retiring immediately after. The paddock had even jokingly dubbed him the "Fifteen-Time Champion"—seven titles alongside Schumacher, seven alongside Hamilton, plus his own.
But all that was just one possible timeline.
If Wu Shi entered the scene early enough, some things—big or small—could shift. If Rosberg never faced the same immense psychological pressure, maybe he wouldn't retire at all.
Which meant one thing:
There was almost no chance Mercedes was offering a works F1 seat.
If anything, the meeting was probably connected to their engine customer teams.
In 2014, Mercedes powered four teams:
Mercedes, McLaren, Force India, and Williams.
McLaren was off the list immediately—they were switching to Honda next year.
Force India? Forget it.
Sergio Pérez had already taken a podium in Bahrain; Nico Hülkenberg was in peak form, considered a future champion by many. Pérez also had enormous sponsorship backing. Wu Shi couldn't compete with that.
That left Williams.
But even that seemed unlikely.
Felipe Massa was a veteran with experience and results.
Valtteri Bottas had struggled in 2013 but was in blazing form this season.
After thinking everything through, Wu Shi finally understood:
Talent and results were just the entry ticket.
Something more important was needed.
Top teams didn't lack champions.
Mid-field teams didn't lack proven drivers.
Back-marker teams lacked neither talent nor desire—
They lacked money.
"What's wrong with you? You were excited for ten seconds, then completely froze," Verstappen said, having just finished a training run. He noticed Wu Shi staring blankly at his phone.
"I thought of something depressing," Wu Shi muttered.
"Don't think too much. Happiness comes first in life."
Verstappen gave the simplest solution possible, then went straight back to training.
Moments later, Wu Shi's father called. More Chinese companies were expressing interest in sponsoring him—but sponsorship fees were proving extremely difficult to negotiate.
If the amount was large, every door opened.
If it was average… even if teams liked him, nothing was guaranteed.
Sponsorship was business.
It was always an exchange of interest.
Only massive corporations—Tianyan Group, Penghang, Hainan Airlines, Beiben—could throw around millions casually. Anyone else had to think twice.
These companies supported Wu Shi partly due to personal interest, partly because motorsport was linked to their businesses and they hoped he would be a brand asset back home.
But Sid, despite speaking five languages—English, Spanish, Italian, German, and Russian—did not speak Chinese. Coordinating with domestic corporations became a major bottleneck.
Wu Shi realized that as he grew older, he would need to expand his management team and eventually take control of these matters himself.
"Ahh…"
He rubbed his temples.
On track, he was a driver.
Off track, everything became complicated.
But things would sort themselves out.
Listen to Verstappen—don't overthink it.
Training first.
---
On Thursday, Wu Shi and Sid flew to the United Kingdom and entered the Mercedes-AMG Petronas headquarters in Brackley.
When they stepped into the meeting room, both were stunned.
Across the table sat Toto Wolff—and Niki Lauda.
No business staff.
No marketing team.
Just the two most powerful men at Mercedes.
"Every era produces extraordinary young talent," Niki Lauda said at once, without hiding his admiration. "And in this era, you are that talent."
"Thank you," Wu Shi replied, sincerely. This was a legend sitting before him.
"I had high hopes for Hamilton when he first appeared," Lauda continued, "and now, I have the same expectations for you. So—why don't we talk about cooperation?"
The directness struck Wu Shi and Sid like lightning.
Hamilton?
Cooperation?
An F1 seat?
Could it really be?
Their minds went blank for a moment.
But Wu Shi had already fantasized about this on Monday—so much so that he dreamed about it twice. His threshold for excitement was now much higher, and he regained composure before Sid did.
He smiled and answered carefully:
"Back in 2007, at the Chinese Grand Prix, I took a photo with Hamilton. I told him I wanted to become an F1 driver. I never imagined that years later I'd be sitting here, discussing cooperation with one of the strongest teams in the paddock."