My Formula 1 System

[20th Lap]

[Tires are in average condition, host. DRS is unavailable. Engine temperature stable. Brake wear at 18%.]

[Telemetry reports smooth handling. Aerodynamic efficiency optimal. However, considering you're on lap 20, a pit stop is highly demanded.]

[Heat Management +3]

The intermediary laps of a race often brought about a fresh balance of strategy and pressure.

Usually, by this time, the pack had spread out significantly, with definite positions on the leaderboard that could last two to three laps before any change.

However, since the Chinese GP had recently undergone a yellow flag session, the field wasn't as dispersed as it should have been.

Whether the drivers were scattered or not, pit stops weren't going to wait for anyone. Tire wear was already becoming a problem for those who started on softs—Luca included.

And after their lessons in Monte Carlo, everyone understood—no playing chicken here. As soft compound users, an early pit was their calling, whether they liked it or not.

"Tires are starting to feel it..." Luca said into the radio. "Next lap? After that? The lap after that?"

**Tire wear is at 60, Luca. You can hold steady for the next two laps**

Luca glanced at the dashboard display to stay updated on who was pitting this lap.

**Heat management looking good. Remember, we need to stay sharp on the in-lap. We're expecting a small, quick change. The team is ready**

"Copy."

P3— Luca Rennick

P4— Antonio Luigi

P5— Denko Rutherford ↑

P6— Jimmy Damgaard ↑

P7— Davide DiMarco ←

Luca was delighted to see Davide DiMarco fall down the leaderboard after making his first pit stop of the race.

Now, Denko Rutherford and Jimmy Damgaard, who had started the race at P10 and P15 respectively, had found their spots at P5 and P6.

This was actually impressive, considering Denko and Damgaard were on hards. And that meant they'd have a longer stint in this Chinese GP before making that single favorable pit stop.

Into the 21st lap, it was fun to see how the structure was changing down below. But for those at the front, timing was everything even though they knew the consequences of pitting late.

The decision between maintaining position or slipping down the ranks was always going to be the toughest in F1. That, and maybe the decision of waiting for a safe overtake or bulldozing your rival.

Luca could sense Luigi's patience was on thin ice, and he must have been really struggling with that dilemma.

For the past few laps, Luca had taken notice of the fact that Luigi wasn't as aggressive in the middle stint. Whether it was down to tire management, fuel conservation, or just team strategy, he tended to hold back more than expected.

Luca wasn't sure if this was part of a bigger plan or just hesitation, but either way, it worked to his advantage. Now, he was hoping to create a good time gap, one that could grant him the confidence to head into the pits without worrying about losing spots.

Settled in P3, Luca had the best seat in the pack as he watched Rodnick overtake Rice after a decade-long duel between the two of them.

"...AND THERE IT IS! MARCELLUS RODNICK TAKES THE LEAD...!"

The crowd roared, rising to their feet at once. In contrast, the Iberia Grand Prix garage—though not silent—had a different kind of collective sound that left their lips.

Groaning filled their territory of purple and black as hands flew to heads and faces were buried into arms.

"....UNBELIEVABLE! HANK RICE LED THIS RACE FROM THE VERY START, BUT IT'S ALL OVER NOW AS MARCELLUS RODNICK CLAIMS P1 FOR JACKSON RACING..."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

P1— Marcellus Rodnick ↑

P2— Hank Rice ↓

"...Don't you think it's just commendable on Hank Rice's part? An F1 driver through and through, as tough as the bark of a tree. The Inured One, indeed, thrusting that Audi forward and competing with greater lengths! Incredible....!"

Luca was just thinking the same thing. It was really impressive how Hank Rice managed to push his Audi to such limits despite it not being the best car on the grid.

Not even in the top 7.

Even with all its shortcomings, Rice had kept it at the front for so long, fighting off challenges from cars that had CLEAR advantages over his.

Since Hank Rice was in P2 and Luca in P3, Luca decided to give their chassis a quick comparison.

He knew his 92B was far better, but he just wanted to see it, maybe feel that superiority, and leave no doubt.

Hank Rice's chassis was the Audi (R24-F1), weighing 800kg with a top speed of 330 km/h and an acceleration of 3 sec.

Even before the main chassis comparison, Luca wished his hands were free so he could applaud the Englishman before him.

[Chassis Comparison]

[Retrieving Data from registered car and car under analysis....]

[...Data successfully retrieved!]

[Selected Modes:

—Ferrari (JRX-92B)

—Audi (R24-F1) ]

[POWER & PERFORMANCE:

—Audi (R24-F1): 85% »»»

—Ferrari (JRX-92B): 96%«««

[AERODYNAMICS & CHASSIS:

—Audi (R24-F1): 88% »»»

—Ferrari (JRX-92B): 93%«««

[HANDLING & DYNAMICS:

—Audi (R24-F1): 86% »»»

—Ferrari (JRX-92B): 97%«««

[ENDURANCE & RELIABILITY:

—Audi (R24-F1): 94% »»»

—Ferrari (JRX-92B): 97%«««

[TECHNOLOGICAL INTEGRATION:

—Audi (R24-F1): 80% »»»

—Ferrari (JRX-92B): 97%««« ]

[Review: Ferrari (JRX-92B) is built for podiums, while Audi (R24-F1) is built for standardization.]

Hank Rice's name currently displayed the two zeroes, meaning Luca had the chance to overtake him if he attempted, but Luca didn't want to stretch his pitstop time.

It was always like this for a driver: Just when the pit window approached, that was when the most tempting opportunities appeared.

Whether it was a rival struggling ahead, a sudden gap forming, or the perfect chance to undercut, something always seemed to dangle just out of reach.

That was how late, unfortunate pit stops happened.

So, into Lap 22, Luca got ready to visit the pits. Even though he didn't overtake Rice now, he eventually would since Rice—running on softs—hadn't pitted yet.

[Analyzing 4th Position's distance from host and Ferrari (JRX-92B)...]

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

[System's prediction: that value will decrease due to pitstop.]

[System Update: Pitlane Entry Detected]

[Speed Limit: 80 km/h]

[System's prediction: 11 sec—13 sec]

"Tch! I'll lose position."

**Team is ready**

Each Jackson Racing crew member assigned for pit stops stood ready with their special tools in hand. Even moments of importance still had fragments of casualness as they spoke to themselves through their helmets.

Luca's Ferrari came into view at the pit lane entrance. The blue trampoline tunnel made it seem farther than it was supposed to be, and the Ferrari, an aerodynamic blue dot in the sea of tarmac.

"Ferrari incoming!"

"...Luca Rennick will be visiting the pits in the 22nd lap! This gives an open field to Antonio Luigi..!"

Luca carefully studied the race data.

00— Luca Rennick →

P4— Antonio Luigi

By the time he glided into the pit box, Luigi inherited P3.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

P3— Antonio Luigi ↑

00— Luca Rennick →

"Stay sharp, boys!" Eddy called out, even though there were a few girls on the team.

The hiss of the air gun, the swap of fresh tires, and the snap of the jack releasing... all in 2.3 seconds.

Luca shot out of the box with the pit limiter engaged, his focus locked on the pit exit ahead. His eyes darted to the track beside him, searching for any gap—any fraction of a second—that could put him ahead of Denko.

But Denko's Renault was tearing down the straight like it had been starved for open track. The gap was closing fast, and Luca's window was shrinking by the millisecond.

He pressed on, but when he realized his system didn't display the intersection info, it meant he really had no chance to make it.

**P5 is still strong. You're fresh out of the pits. Damgaard's in P6!**

"...Luca's out! But does he have enough? The answer is NO! Denko Rutherford storms through! The Renault was just too quick on the straight, and Luca finds himself slipping behind...!"

[5th Position]

"Bollocks!" Luca hissed, aggravated. Falling down two positions was a bummer.

"...Luca Rennick in P5, Denko Rutherford in P4..!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

[System's prediction: 11 sec—13 sec]

[Host's pitlane Entry and Exit: 11.1 sec]

"So close."

Yet, not another point for Pitstop Prodigy in this race. Looking at his Sync Buff at 50%, Luca began counting down the minutes until these drivers would see him and his car enter god mode again.

To stay aware of his surrounding rivals, Luca requested a quick delta check as he focused on rebuilding heat in his tires.

[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 3rd Position]

[You are 1.5 seconds away, host.]

Crazy how Denko had already put up such a gap. With poor grip on Luca's side, that gap would subtly increase.

[Analyzing 6th Position's distance from host and Ferrari (JRX-92B)...]

[6th Position is 2 seconds away, host.]

Luca recalled Mr. Berry informing him that Damgaard was at P6 now. So, judging by the rate of tire warmth buildup, Luca estimated Damgaard to be less than a second behind him once his grip was optimized.

However, Luca was stunned when Mr. Berry spoke again, this time without his usual tone of encouragement, but with concern instead.

**Luca, it seems Velocità are implementing strategy. Jimmy and Davide are switching positions**