My Formula 1 System

Being the minority never mattered in situations like this. As long as their attendance reached up to ten thousand, enough to cause a roar, Trampos had found their voice over Bueseno Velocità.

A DNF for Velocità Jnr driver Dani Walding on the first lap of the Italian Mega Prix was the most humiliating feat of the season, far more demeaning than Ansel's similar first-lap DNF back in Budapest. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

At least Ansel's crash had a thrill to it and was understandable because he was in a duel with Miles before one of his tires clopped away, sending him into the barricades.

Dani Walding, however, didn't skid away in a cinematic manner. He just remained seated at the intersection, his right tire fuming with smoke as all twenty-nine other drivers moved past before the flags waved.

This was the 12th lap, and even though that happened on the first lap, chants kept on going for twenty more minutes.

Dani Walding was escorted off the track back then as the safety car parade began, totally abating the first lap of its sudden action. He was then deemed unable to finish the race.

Wonderful news for Trampos Racing! Even Luca didn't expect such fortune to drop before them so early in the Italian Mega Prix.

A rival team's driver had just failed to finish. This meant Trampos' chances of winning the championship were almost solidified, increased by 25% if mathematically calculated!

Everyone in the Trampos crew understood this, but instead of openly expressing their joy, they stuck to their plan of avoiding premature celebrations until the very end.

Silence and calm remained in the garage as if they weren't the team that would benefit the most from Dani Walding's fizzle.

But the silence was nothing compared to that which reigned in Velocità Jnr's garage, a stone's throw down the pit lane from Trampos' garage.

Mr. Lugo and his head engineer had their jaws tightly clenched, their hard mandibles visibly outlined.

A DNF where the driver was barely hurt felt like an embarrassment. It was as if it had all been for nothing, their efforts useless, with the driver returning to the garage without even the slightest scar of a battle.

Mr. Lugo felt like grabbing the collar of any of his pit crew workers and delivering a heavy punch to the innocent soul just to exert his anger somewhere. His mind kept recalling the commentary, even though it had been twenty minutes now.

"...AND HE'S OUT! HE'S OUT! Dani Walding is stranded at the intersection, completely immobilized...!"

"...What a nightmare for Velocità Jnr! This is NOT how they wanted to start the Italian Mega Prix! Look at that—Walding's car isn't even moving! Just billowing smoke as the rest of the grid storms past...!"

"...Absolutely gutting for Velocità Jnr! That's an early DNF for Walding, and we're only in the opening lap! And look at Sean Aaronson, he's still going! No damage to his car at all...!"

The most frustrating part was that a lap later, race control announced their verdict of Aaronson being not guilty on the basis of a tight-intersection crash.

"...What a disastrous start for the Italian outfit at their home race. That's a championship-impacting moment right there...!"

The timing did catch Bueseno Velocità Jnr and all their supporters off guard, as no one had expected such an early DNF.

But if it was to happen, they were somewhat glad it happened early in the race, almost as if Dani Walding didn't participate at all. This gave Mr. Lugo and his strategists the opportunity to dig up Plan D, re-strategize themselves, and inform Max, who was still on track, of their changes and what he should do from now on in order to make up for the lost blue.

"...It still marvels me, Jon. This is a MAJOR blow to Velocità Jnr's title ambitions! A two-on-one battle now, with Trampos holding all the cards!"

"...They needed every point they could get today, and now… now their title hopes are hanging by a thread in this Italian Mega Prix!"

"WOOOOHH!"

[Tires are in less than ideal condition, host. Fuel level at 60%. DRS is unavailable. Engine temperature slightly stable. Brake wear at 40%.]

[Telemetry reports fair handling. Aerodynamic efficiency optimal. Recommend maintaining current pace. However, a pit stop is strongly recommended immediately to refresh your tires and maintain performance for the race.]

In the 12th Lap, Luca was still in P4. He had had many opportunities to overtake Derstappen, but it felt out of reach for some reason.

The tight curves of the track were a great hurdle to overcome, not to talk of planning an overtake. Luca made sure his turn exits were smooth and steady, focusing on correcting understeer and oversteer when necessary. This would help him fully adjust and master the demands of the track ahead of the more intense laps to come.

As expected, Max Addams took P7 from Legrasse at the 7th Lap. Even though it took him some time, he managed it, throwing James Legrasse into Aaronson's jaws. Now, Luca, Miles, and Max were lined up again, and Luca was considering a pit.

Luca's car wasn't in bad condition, so he hoped Pitstop Prodigy would shave off a lot of time for him. Even if Miles would definitely take P4, Luca was confident he could slip in before Max or, if possible, merge side by side.

For now, he had to make it into the 13th Lap and head into the pitlane.

[Analyzing Dallara (F2 04) and host's distance from 3rd Position]

[You are 1.5 seconds away, host.]

Luca deliberately gave himself and Derstappen some space as they headed into the tight chicane that featured Turns 13, 14, and 15. Luca knew better than to follow a rival closely at this part of the track because this was the track's signature sequence.

[Turn Sequence: Three-turn chicane (Left-Right-Left)]

[Entry Width: 7.5 meters → Narrowing to Apex: 6.2 meters → Exit Width: 7.8 meters]

Derstappen's tires rumbled over the strangely high curbs. The curbs were 5mm in height, very unusual but important for a tight chicane like this. It helped Derstappen sweep into Turn 14 before he used his rear to wedge himself out at the apex.

It was a brief drift for Derstappen, and his car was now directed into Turn 15.

Perfect! Luca thought. He and Derstappen had navigated this chicane eleven times already, and this was, so far, Derstappen's best, most efficient feat.

The longer you race on the track, the more it becomes second nature...

Luca decided to imitate him by throwing his car in that same manner, instead of gradually snaking through the chicane, which was a real momentum killer.

He mimicked Derstappen's maneuver, letting his tires rattle over the harsh curbs before soaring into Turn 14. His fast gave him a nice but blurry view of a cherry tree beyond the track. The cherry tree served as a marker, informing him there was still one turn ahead to complete the chicane.

Luca then flicked the rear just right, wedging himself out at the apex and sliding cleanly into Turn 15.

By then, Derstappen was already rounding the normal Turn 16, heading toward the final straight.

[Analyzing 5th Position's distance from host and Dallara (F2 04)...]

[5th Position is 1.2 sec away, host.]

Luca's priority now was to gain as many milliseconds as he could with the upcoming straight and even the home straight that would loom very soon.

He pushed his car through the rangy Turn 16. It was just like any other roaming turn that gave a nice sweeping view of the blur of cars from the grandstands.

It served as an arc, leading to the entrance of the fourth straight.

[600 m straightaway ahead]