My Formula 1 System

Once again, Luca had a meeting with the internal body of affairs and management of Trampos Racing. Like the princely driver he was, this meeting was treated with utmost paramountcy and attention. It was a handsome lunch held in what appeared to be an open-roof penthouse atop the main building, and the meeting was attended by Luca and Manuela, who was present to pen down anything important that he might overlook.

Just like when he had joined Jackson Racing and discussed with Mr. Palmer and Pires, this meeting held the same purpose. Matters beyond the already signed contract, and concerning his active participation, were brought to the table. For example: his exact driver role, his positioning in the team's hierarchy, expectations placed on him, and the objectives ahead. On the technical side, things like his engineering package, car setup, and other feedback regarding his nature, customization preferences, and overall driving style were discussed.

Obviously, Trampos was going to reinstate Luca as the lead driver. It wasn't even up for debate, really, as the next driver in line was Victor, who wasn't even close in terms of prowess, raw talent, or the rising legacy that Luca carried.

Luca was set to be the main driver in their still-practiced Tiered Pursuit strategy. Any other drivers who would be signed in the future would do well to pay respect in all possible ways, whether on the track or not. Luca happily accepted this role.

On the technical side, Luca would also be empowered with the best engineering resources Trampos had to offer. This meant direct access to their top race intentions, dedicated data analysts, and the full backing of the vehicle development division. Because of this, his feedback on the packages would be prioritized. It would help guide the team in understanding what was best for their car upgrades, aid in testing new components, and generally shape the evolution of their standing as an F1 Constructor.

And as for the car model, Trampos would offer what they had as their best. Their best was Ansel's crashing model: the Ferrari Scuderia Z24, powered by its engine, the Sigma Core V1 (A-level).

This car was generally around the 11th–15th fastest car on the grid. The deeper the ranking, the more vague and indefinite the differences between the cars' speeds became. But the Z24 had considerable potential when paired with a competent F1 driver.

Fortunately, Luca wasn't just any F1 driver. The moment he would register the Z24 to his system and sync all the 97's stats into it, the car would skyrocket to heights its manufacturers never originally intended.

In truth, Luca knew he was unarguably going to be commissioned the Z24 if he joined Trampos, so he was already prepared for it.

After learning that Ansel had a Ferrari to his name back then during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix time phase, Luca couldn't help but research its potential. The results weren't difficult to discover, especially since Ansel had just used it in-race, and Trampos' telemetry security wasn't exactly that tight.

From analysis he conducted using the system, Luca was able to source out all three engine features of the Sigma engine. It was the first time he was able to correctly discern all three of them through the system's general description.

Even though the Sigma was quite average and resembled your typical F1 engine when it came to torque and other basic values, it was two out of the three engine features that truly caught Luca's eye.

The first was an inferior version of Ailbeart Morieach's Rotterbad engine feature, which dealt with harnessing and recycling spent energy into more usable energy. In the case of the Sigma, it was only inward heat energy that could be transformed into deployable ERS.

Luca saw great use in this because an F1 driver was limited to just several major ERS boosts in-race, since energy wasn't exactly abundant. The abundance, of course, varied depending on models across the grid. The 92B was never a power-driven car, and the 97 was just touching into that echelon which Squadra Corse and Mercedes prioritized.

The Z24 was surprisingly on the same power level as the 92B. But now, with the ability to recycle exhausted energy, the Z24 was going to be upgraded past the 97 when it came to raw power!

The second engine feature that stunned Luca was the Sigma's ability to distribute ERS freely and according to the driver's choice! This could be done by operating through buttons. The car would respond to the engine's uneven distribution of electric power—either left or right, all Luca's choice.

A rare, unbelievable feature that many teams had dropped in the pursuit of rawer and more impactful systems. With this feature, Luca could actually drift however he pleased, take corners with clinical perfection, helped by the ability to balance the ERS boost to whichever side he chose.

And thirdly, a very familiar one: Zero Drag.

The 97 had Zero Drag, the 92B did not, and even the 88X lacked the Zero Drag feature. Luca wasn't sure of Nevada's packages, but the fact that the Zero Drag integration had skipped many levels down until the Scuderia Z24 was unbelievable.

With all three features combined, Luca would be more powerful with the Sigma at S-level than even with the Thunderkat 2.0.

On one of those days, Luca had to slip himself into a freshly branded Trampos suit. It still carried the designs of the passing season, even though all teams were currently in the process of changing liveries, mostly subtle changes and soft touches.

An entry into a team wasn't complete without an official photoshoot, right? So, photos were taken of him walking along a pit lane, standing at sunset, and lying on the tarmac while leaning against one of the single-seaters. For the essence of the photos, he was either doing the action of removing his helmet, or it was tucked neatly under his arm, or he was seen caressing something to give off a feeling of reminiscence.

All official now. The photos were uploaded on Twitt, with the location tagged as Germany.

When Luca had a free moment to himself, he bought a PlayStation and installed the F1 Monoposto game.

Whirr! Zip! Zip!

The intro was a thrilling, blockbuster-styled clip that was far too exaggerated for actual F1 action. The cars zipped across the screen; one, strangely silver, overtook another that was blue in colour, in a fierce corner as sparks lit up under the chassis.

A helicopter shot swung in from the clouds, following a car that danced through Monaco's street circuit toward the finish line. The passing of the car over the finish line was smoothly transitioned into the game's logo, mainly the "t" in Monoposto.

After that, the main interface opened with a very eye-catching UI design. A Mercedes car slowly rotated in the background, and what appeared to be Luigi's silhouette was faintly visible. But Luca didn't mind.

He had an unintentional smile on his face as the screen reflected on his face and bad eye, making it appear glassy.

(Choose Mode!)

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(CAREER MODE – Climb from rookie to world champion in full seasons.)

(QUICK RACE – Jump into any circuit with instant settings.)

(MULTIPLAYER – Test your pace against real drivers around the world.)

(CHAMPIONSHIP – Into the shoes of a real life F1 driver you go and see what it's like for 20 races.)

(CAR SETUP LAB- Tweak downforce, gearing, suspension, and tire strategy. Create your own chassis.)

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(Edit) (Settings & Controls) (Check for Updates) (Replay Studio)

The control box, which was defaultly set on Career Mode, was blinking and waiting for his choice.

Chuckling at his own amusement, Luca navigated downwards to CHAMPIONSHIP and selected it.

Let him see what it's like to be in his own shoes in a digital world.