My Formula 1 System

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

".....LUCA RENNICK TAKES P2 OUT OF THE CHICANE!"

"...HE'S DONE IT! THAT EXIT WAS PURE PERFECTION! AILBEART MOIREACH COULDN'T COVER THAT ONE...!"

Luca still couldn't believe it even after many laps following the fantastic overtake he pulled on Ailbeart Moireach. Unbelievable. It still stuck to him, a rush of adrenaline that refused to leave his bloodstream.

Overtaking Ailbeart Moireach was one thing, but overtaking a HiCE-powered machine was something else! The sinewed capabilities of these cars were not fresh news to everyone, and somehow, Luca had found a way to thread every ounce of his skill and instincts into one breathtaking move that left Ailbeart watching his tail lights.

"Wow... I really did it."

The Scuderia Z24 felt more alive beneath him as if it shared the ecstasy of victory too. The both of them knew they had just started to break into a new tier of racing where even the proclaimed untouchables could be touched.

**P2, Luca! You're in P2!**

**That's how you do it!**

Trampos Racing garage continued celebrating two laps after, and the crowd celebrated till present. In the face of the English adversity, Trampos Racing were more than happy to see themselves winning. Jackson Racing were left flabbergasted, their banners lowered in exhaustion and lack of inciting energy. And Haddock Racing remained stunned after realizing that the R.S.25 had just been overtaken by a mere Trampos Racing Ferrari Scuderia Z24!

In the VIP suites where the monarchs, politicians and billionaires sipped their expensive wine, all the polite composure drained from their faces the moment Luca's Ferrari shot past Ailbeart Moireach. Some stood in shock, some applauded wildly, others instantly murmured amongst themselves, but none was able to deny the audacity of the move even if they weren't cheering for Trampos.

This was really happening? Had someone just conquered the R.S.25 like it was any other car? From the pit lanes to the luxury boxes, every eye tracked Luca's scarlet streak as he rewrote the laws of F1 racing before thousands.

Across the world and to the spectating millions, many commentators had lost their voices because of their shouts. Luca supporters celebrated, non-supporters remained silent, people began fighting, throwing blows because of what one said, some continued to watch the race in peace.

It was a world of varying time zones, but only one particular event was happening simultaneously on a million screens.

Could Luca even go on to challenge Antonio Luigi? Many asked. If this was the fire he brought for P2, the world was desperate to see if he could burn through the reigning champion's fortress in P1!

[Analyzing Ferrari (Scuderia Z24) and host's distance from 1st Position]

[You are 1 seconds away, host.]

Antonio Luigi looked in his mirrors and, for the first time that race, he didn't see the sepia Renault behind him. He had to take an assuring look for himself even though team engineers had informed him that the rival at P2 had changed. So, Luigi saw Luca—red, Ferrari.

The sight of the Z24 pressured Luigi even though Luca hadn't acted yet. Just his presence there toyed with the edges of Luigi's composure, because Luigi understood the whole world actually wanted to see if Luca would overtake both super cars in tandem.

But the Italian world champion knew he was the undisputed king of the grid. Losing P1 to Luca would not only belittle his reputation, but Squadra Corse and Mercedes too. How could they spend billions to break into a new height of F1 engineering, just for a subpar Ferrari product to overtake their best?

"No one will ascend past Antonio without losing a part of their car," a certain rich man said to his friend.

**...yes, impressive. But he won't pass me**

Luigi was communicating with Squadra Corse's garage. The team responded in kind.

**Understood. He's 1.2 seconds behind and closing. Focus on clean exits, especially out of T4 hairpin and the later chicane. We'll manage the gap**

A strange smile cut through Luigi's thin lips. His head was filled with a swirl of thoughts and delusion. He could never forget that Luca was leading the Drivers' Championship, an inconceivable reality. 22 points—22 points was what Luca had over him. How did that come to be in just three races? Luigi had no idea.

One thing was clear: if the young man wins this race too, the gap increases. So, Luigi's smile came from the root of excitement. He was actually excited because he knew he was the only one who could stop Rennick. 16 more races lay ahead, and if things continue like this, it would be the greatest rivalry ever. Hence, the championship win would feel even more precious.

And today's eventual clash would mark their first official duel of the season. Pundits would begin scorecards like 1-0, 1-1 and onwards till the end of the season to see who triumphed over who during one-on-one battles.

Unfortunately for everyone expecting an immediate, sultry showdown between Luca and Luigi, the duel never ignited—at least not yet in the British GP. Just as the crowd braced for the clash of titans, Luca was called into the pits during the early pitstop phase, immediately evaporating all tension.

**Box, box, Luca. This is the early phase we discussed. Box now, confirm.**

"Copy, box this lap. And Ailbeart?"

**Affirmative. Fresh mediums. Perfect stop, and you'll come out with clean air to chase him back down**

"Understood."

The fight the entire world craved at that moment was delayed. Gaps came from the stands and across the broadcasting worldwide.

"...AND LUCA RENNICK DIVES INTO THE PITS EARLY! THAT'S A SURPRISE MOVE FROM TRAMPOS RACING—WE NORMALLY SEE LUIGI OR MOIREACH BLINK FIRST, BUT THIS TIME IT'S RENNICK TAKING THE INITIATIVE...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

"...Exactly! This is aggressive strategy from the young championship leader. He's rolling the dice with an undercut attempt, hoping fresh compounds will give him the grip to leapfrog all rivals when the speed bounces back on him. That's bold... and it might just work..!"

Luca couldn't be more proud of Trampos as they accomplished a stunning quick service pit time of 1.91 seconds, an absolute stunner that sent their supporting crowd roaring in admiration.

The team had been getting sharper with every race, their pit stops polished to perfection, each move flowing like a dance they'd rehearsed a thousand times. All that hard work was paying off big time now.

As Luca zipped out of the box, one pit crew member coolly removed his gloves and shook his fingers as if he had just touched something hot. Others jumped up and down, giving each other handshakes and acknowledging that they had just delivered something special.

It was a subtle celebration, but the home crowd sure didn't like the sight of Trampos Racing raising their own bar. It was a fast pitstop, and Luca snaked to rejoin the race, happy because he beat the system's pitstop time prediction.

It had been a while since he last beat the prediction, because he noticed the system had been shrinking and slimming the time, turning it into a challenge rather than a simple prediction. So, he was glad to receive his rewards.

[System Update: Pitlane Entry Detected]

[Speed Limit: 60 km/h]

[System's prediction: 9 sec—12 sec]

[Retrieving pitstop info...]

[Service Time: 1.91 seconds]

[Front Tires: Soft → Medium]

[Rear Tires: Soft → Medium]

[System's prediction: 9 sec—12 sec]

[Host's pitlane Entry and Exit: 8.8 sec]

[You have received:

—(1) Wrench

—Silent Restore: 1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 25%]

**Okay Luca, strategy is in play now. Early stop puts us on the undercut. Ailbeart and Antonio will still have at least 2-3 laps before their windows open. If we can keep sector times under 1:15s, we'll come out ahead of Ailbeart when he pits. Push clean to climb but don't shred the tires**

**We need this compound to hold strong until Lap 45. We avoid late stop**

"Copy."

**Eyes forward, you're on for a big gain**

[3rd Position]

"...AND LUCA RENNICK DIVES OUT OF THE PITS—A CLEAN STOP FROM TRAMPOS, BUT THAT EARLY STRATEGY CALL DROPS HIM TO P3 BEHIND MOIREACH...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

Just as Luca dropped to P3 with poor momentum on his side in favor of Damgaard behind, Victor, his teammate, had begun to see some pace in his race for the first time since lights out.

He had put up some short, repetitive but impressive duels with Kornaski and Bianchi, both of which he emerged as the winner in the last clash. His runs were now respectable, and his calm persistence broke Matteo's heated relentlessness.

It was safe to say the bottom field of the race, the British Grand Prix, was equally challenging and tense to spectate. There were no lapped drivers and there'd likely be none, since analysts had confirmed the British Grand Prix had the fastest pace differential, more than Austria.

It was because of this bottom field turmoil that Di Renzo, who started in P20, found it very difficult to break into the top 10!

Why wouldn't the home crowd be mad? No one could blame Jackson Racing for loathing seeing Luca in red while they were haggling with failure.

Although Derstappen eventually emerged victorious against Max Addams, and also took P6 by subsequently relegating Nyström in a diminishing overtake for the Swedish man, Jackson Racing believed they deserved more because of their history.

Both drivers had the JRX-97, but it seemed it wasn't enough for this grid. Desperate measures needed to be taken in order to force themselves into championship contention and prevent being dumped by the algorithm of sport's nature.

The team had to dedicate the FRC-91 to one of their drivers. Asap. They've had meetings brooded over this topic, but no clear decision had been made that's why Mr. Matthew's administration was left with the 97s for now. They had to put in the consideration of the fact that the FRC-91, as powerful as it was, demanded absolute synergy from its pilot. A driver had to be toned, molded, and trained specifically to handle its raw HiCE power and unforgiving torque curves.

Jackson Racing knew this all too well, and the fear of wasting its potential on an unprepared driver kept them locked in endless debate, while their rivals soared ahead.

But for sure, it would take the team just the next race to break if things don't go well again. Frustration was off the charts for them, especially their drivers.

With his frustration, Buoso Di Renzo thought Matteo Bianchi had vexed him enough both on and off the track. The Velocità rookie kept disrupting his rhythm lap after lap, and Di Renzo couldn't resist the temptation to lock those tires for good.