My Formula 1 System

[7th Lap]

[Host hasn't unlocked Skills to adapt to wet weather conditions]

"I knowwww, system. Don't rub it in."

[4th Position closing in]

Unlike Luca and Miles, who were in their first year of Formula racing competiton, Max was in his fifth. This made his driving experience under the rain high, alongside other drivers like Aaronson and Derstappen.

The heavy rain proved challenging, but Max navigated it far better than Luca, who was yet to unlock Slipsense & Rainborne. And in the 5th Lap, Max was able overtake Miles whom he hated as much as Luca.

"WOOOOHH!" the crowd had cheered once Max's blue-and-black Dallara made a perfect, swift line that Miles couldn't deny him.

So as Luca's system alerted him that 4th Position was closing in, it wasn't referring to a Squadra Corse Jnr Dallara anymore.

"...AND THERE GOES MAX ADDAMS into P4! What a beautiful move on Bellingham! Textbook racing under wet conditions—he saw the gap, committed, and made it look effortless!"

Luca's grip on the steering tightened as he caught a faint reflection of Max's livery in the spray-filled mirror. Not good.

[Analyzing 4th Position's distance from host and Dallara (F2 04)...] Find adventures at empire

[4th Position is 2 sec away, host.]

That was a good delta for Luca against his top rival on the standings. He weaved through the early turns, his tires tearing through the wet track and spraying a sheet of water behind him.

The first few turns and straights were manageable under the rain, but navigating further became a serious challenge—especially at the Turn 5–6 chicane, The Drop, which had every Team Principal on edge whenever their drivers zipped downward.

Turns 9 and 10 were equally treacherous, and Turn 11's sweeping U-turn, which reversed the track's direction toward the home straight, only added to the struggle.

It was at Turn 11 that Arnold McPaul of Ashton Motorsport suffered a spinout due to hydroplaning.

The safety car had been deployed swiftly, yet it exited just as quickly, barely disrupting the race. That was likely because McPaul's car had veered completely off the track, skidding over the soaked grass before slamming into the exterior barriers.

[Reanalyzing...]

[4th Position is 1.5 sec away, host.]

Luca had managed to shut down Miles from P4. But at what cost? Now, a much fiercer driver was right behind him, driving over the flooded track as if he cared less of the impact on the tires.

"...oh my! Look at the speed Addams charges with on the wet track. The rain doesn't seem to bother him at all right now! He goes after Rennick!"

"WOOOOHH!"

First encounter between Luca and Max was about to go down in the French Grand Prix, and the very figures in the corporate suits, including Mr. Fisher himself and the corresponding President of Bueseno Velocità sat upright to see what would be made out of it.

[Corner Chopping had failed due to wet track]

[System detects unstable traction]

"...This is the battle we've been waiting for! Luca has held his own, but Max is a different beast! With just a race left in the season, this fight could decide who enters the finale as the championship leader!"

══════════════════════════

TARGET: LUCA RENNICK // #21 //

AGENT: Mrs. Coastfield | TEAM: ████████ | CIRCUIT: Circuit du Soleil

══════════════════════════

DRIVER ASSESSMENT – PAST AND CURRENT OBSERVATION

══════════════════════════

—Raw Prowess: 71—82

—Racecraft: 80—90

—Fortitude: 70—78

—Speed Science: 80—95

—Tacticality: 85—95

══════════════════════════

➡ OVERALL DRIVER SCORE: 80—83

══════════════════════════

With up to two hundred pages in their clipboards, they'd be able to scratch out and make new drafts, aligning current values with past, current performance with past to give verdicts and jot down as follows.

Seated elsewhere, another esteemed figure sat with legs crossed, his sharp eyes locked on Max Addams as the 7th lap got underway, watching as he chased down Luca.

Unlike Luca, whose F1 potential spanned across all ten F1 teams, Max was more or less bound to Bueseno Velocità—the very team this figure represented.

For a driver like Max, being scouted by rival F1 teams was difficult. Everyone knew he was part of a junior team under a senior outfit, so other teams never really considered him an option. It just didn't make sense to put him on their list.

A frustrating position for Max. He wasn't just waiting for an opportunity—he was waiting for acknowledgement.

If the senior team didn't call him up, he'd be stuck, while other F1 teams wouldn't even think of making an offer, assuming he was already spoken for.

Perhaps this season would be different. Perhaps this would finally be the year Bueseno Velocità pulled him up from Mr. Lugo's administration and into the top division.

══════════════════════════

DRIVER: MAX ADDAMS // #13 //

AGENT: Mr. Stock | TEAM: Bueseno Velocità | CIRCUIT: Circuit du Soleil

══════════════════════════

DRIVER ASSESSMENT – PAST AND CURRENT OBSERVATION

══════════════════════════

—Raw Prowess: 90—95

—Racecraft: 75—85

—Fortitude: 87—92

—Speed Science: 80—95

—Tacticality: 85—95

══════════════════════════

➡ OVERALL DRIVER SCORE: 85—88

══════════════════════════

"WOOOOHH!" the crowd roared as Max's car sliced through Turn 5's treacherous bend. His tires momentarily left the track, tearing into the grass before quivering under the stream of rainwater flowing downhill. Somehow, they regained traction just in time to follow Luca into Turn 6.

Luca managed the turn fairly well, though with far more difficulty than he had the previous six times. Max was closing in, and Luca's pulse raced—not just from fear of what the duel might bring, but from the anticipation of it.

[Analyzing 4th Position's distance from host and Dallara (F2 04)...]

[4th Position is 0.8 sec away, host.]

[System's prediction: that value would reduce and not in your favor.]

Mr. Moritz and Mr. Ruben were confident Luca would emerge victorious from the duel. Their confidence mostly relied on the fact that the Drop Straight was next, and with the rain, it made the track even more treacherous.

Leading into the straight, Luca's tires would churn up a relentless wall of spray, obliterating visibility for anyone trailing too closely. Max would have only two choices: back off before the straight to avoid the hazard or stay within a second of Luca and risk driving blind at high speeds, something that could easily end in disaster.

As Luca snaked toward the apex of Turn 6, it became clear Max wasn't going to back off. He was hell-bent on climbing the leaderboard as early as possible.

"...Rennick leads into the Drop, and this is where things get absolutely brutal under these conditions!"

"...Addams refuses to back down! They're both charging to the top!"

"WOOOOHH!"

Max only feathered his brakes as he approached the peak of the slope, while Luca had already gained a split-second advantage and begun his descent.

Milles followed suit, letting his front tires grip the opposite slope of asphalt just as his rear tires cleared the crest. A second later, he was a streak of blue trailing behind Luca, the pair carving an L-shaped trajectory into the mist.

[System detects loss of speed control.]

[Host is involuntarily moving at 310 km/h.]

Zzzzzzzz!

**Yes! You're spraying him. Good!**

"...Look at that spray! It's like a wall of mist—Max can barely see a thing..!"

"WOOOOHH!"

Luca grinned as he gripped his wheel tighter. He wasn't in control of his car, but soon he should be and he had to be ready to retake control of his tires that churned up a thick sheet of water like a beautiful fabric of curtain behind him, blocking Max's view down the slope.

However, Max remained unfazed.

His only concern was nailing his exit, ensuring he'd know exactly when the slope ended to avoid slipping off the track and zipping out of bounds. While his team radio might provide alerts, nothing beat having clear visibility for his own intuition.

Worrying about the slope itself or the wall of spray ahead? Not a chance.

Max trusted gravity to do its job while locking onto Luca's rear lights as a guide. The Drop Straight had no turns, just a steep descent, making it a matter of holding steady and committing fully.

If he made it through unscathed, he'd have the perfect chance to overtake Luca due to the rule of A:B momentum where the trailing driver (B) often gained an edge over the leading driver (A) thanks to factors like exit speed, earlier adaptation over driver (A), and even the slightest slipstream advantage.

"...And yet, he's not backing off! Max Addams is staying right in Luca's wake, fully committing to this treacherous stretch..!"

"WOOOOHH!"

"...This is some high-risk racing! If Max doesn't time this right, he could lose grip and aquaplane straight off the track!"

[Speed Control Detected!]

[Traction still unstable!]

Luca gripped the wheel, his fingers hovering over the brake bias as he tapped the brake softly. He tilted sharply—almost too sharp.

"WOOOOHH!"

However, it was enough as his rear tires sent a massive wave of water spraying off to the right, soaring high above the grass before crashing against the barriers.

"WOOOOHH!" the crowd in that section roared because the water almost splashed them.

That was close! Luca thought as he tilted again to keep control. He had unknowingly caused a drift, but he wondered if this drift was actually a method to safely leave the Drop while under the rain.

Exit the Drop—Regain control—Turn 7 was just next, its bend displaying the green, soaked grass and the well-built stands—tilt sharply, rear tires would wobble away, but front tires would grip well enough... if lucky.

"WOOOOHH!"

Luca glanced at his side mirror for Max's reflection under the storm. He thought he saw nothing, but for a split second—just the perfect speed of a spinout single-seater—Max's car's reflection zipped out of the Drop and that bend Luca just described and into the grass.

"WOOOOHH!"

"...AND MAX IS OFF! MAX ADDAMS IS OFF INTO THE GRASS!"

"WOOOOHH!"

**YES!!!**

"....UNBELIEVABLE! HE JUST LOST IT ON THE EXIT! CAN HE RECOVER? HE'S SKIDDING! LOOK AT THE SPRAY! HE'S FIGHTING IT—!"

Luca clenched his fist in victory!

Yes! he celebrated inwardly as he glanced to his side, rounding Turn 7.

There he could see Max's car in the open grass field, sliding like a sled on snow. His tires kicked up more water than Luca did as he held on brake, and this time, it did reach some spectators, the one below.

"WOOOOHH!"

══════════════════════════

TARGET: LUCA RENNICK // #21 //

AGENT: Mrs. Coastfield | TEAM: ████████ | CIRCUIT: Circuit du Soleil

══════════════════════════

DRIVER ASSESSMENT – PAST AND CURRENT OBSERVATION

══════════════════════════

—Raw Prowess: 71—82

—Racecraft: 85—95

—Fortitude: 70—78

—Speed Science: 85—97

—Tacticality: 88—97

══════════════════════════

➡ OVERALL DRIVER SCORE: 83—85

══════════════════════════

"...HE'S SIDEWAYS! MAX IS COMPLETELY SIDEWAYS OUT OF THE DROP!"

Max was drifting involuntarily just like Luca had. However, Max couldn't get his rear under control. So much for trailing behind Luca down the Drop.

Now, he was fighting with his car, the back not sticking and it was sliding so easily.

══════════════════════════

DRIVER: MAX ADDAMS // #13 //

AGENT: Mr. Stock | TEAM: Bueseno Velocità | CIRCUIT: Circuit du Soleil

══════════════════════════

DRIVER ASSESSMENT – PAST AND CURRENT OBSERVATION

══════════════════════════

—Raw Prowess: 90—95

—Racecraft: 70—80

—Fortitude: 87—92

—Speed Science: 77—85

—Tacticality: 75—72

══════════════════════════

➡ OVERALL DRIVER SCORE: 81—84

══════════════════════════

[4th Position closing in]

With Max still battling it out with his wheel, the crowd roaring and the rain at its peak, more drivers were taking it down the Drop, and Miles had inherited P4, Benjamin Taubert right behind him.

Luca snaked into Turn 8, his movements far-fetched than he executed. It was as if the water on the asphalt made swerves more deeper with the rear tires always disobedient.

Luca realized he was so hyped after Max's encounter and couldn't wait for Max to crash or get a suspension.

His car was still sliding!

[4th Position closing in]

[Analyzing 4th Position's distance from host and Dallara (F2 04)...]

[4th Position is 2.5 sec away, host.]

"Not today, Miles," Luca said, attempting a final risky drift out of Turn 8 to hit the next straight.

Suddenly, a sharp tension crawled over Luca's body, his gut twisted, and an uneasy feeling churned in his stomach just as his tires sent another wave of water into the air in a drift.

But it wasn't the drift that triggered this feeling. His Spatial Awareness had kicked in—hard.

At the peak of my drift? What's wrong?

"WOOOOHH!"

The crowd's uproar grew, but Luca wasn't sure why. He quickly scanned his surroundings.

[Calculating host drift exit...]

[.... calculation failed]

"Shit!" Luca cussed as he finally saw the cause of his discomfort and the crowd's roar.

Max's car had completely slid off the track, cutting across the grass—a shortcut through two brutal turns—and now, SOMEHOW, his car was drifting back onto the circuit, straight into Turn 8's exit—the exact place where Luca was drifting out!

**Jesus, Luca! SWERVE AWAY!**

[Spatial Awareness +1]

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

"...OH MY WORD! MAX ADDAMS HAS JUST TAKEN AN UNBELIEVABLE SHORTCUT ACROSS THE GRASS! HE'S COMPLETELY SKIPPED TURNS 7 AND 8—AND LOOK AT THAT! HE'S REJOINING THE TRACK IN A FULL-BLOWN DRIFT!"

Luca did his best to swerve away, but it was as if his unstable traction and Max's wet grass worked together to collide them, dragging them to each other like magnets!