My Formula 1 System

By Lap 45, Luca had started to reevaluate his odds of climbing into the top three and maybe even snatching P1.

The field was now stretched wide across the track, and it felt like every driver was locked in their own personal struggle—the struggle of grappling for grip, struggling to keep smooth control on the soaked Interlagos track, dodging sudden sprays blinding their visors, and navigating treacherous puddles that threatened to yank their cars off-line.

Overtaking, positions, and the leaderboard seemed to have slipped into the background as secondary concerns for the moment.

But that wasn't the case for Luca. His refusal to settle for P5 burned brightly, his ambitions as clear as a sunny day. He was dead-set on winning here in Brazil for a fistful of reasons.

The first was a no-brainer: Victory was the ultimate goal every driver chased today, the fire in their veins. Second, a win would dethrone Rodnick from the top spot, catapulting Luca to the pinnacle of the Drivers' Standings.

Third, Luca would like to shove it in the faces of every Velocità and Squadra fan who'd trashed his name. Taking P1 this afternoon would be a jaw-dropping shut-down, one of the most epic clapbacks in Formula 1's storied rivalries.

And finally, Luca dreamed of kickstarting a hot streak, nailing a second straight P1 finish right here in São Paulo, Brazil.

Bahrain had fallen to him. Brazil was ripe for the taking, and Australia loomed on the horizon.

But with DiMarco about 3 seconds ahead, Luca couldn't help but question if he'd have to rethink his bold prophecy of a winning streak.

Then, as if fate itself was fed up with the track's lull in drama, Alexandro Vasquez of Velox Hispania lost his desperate wrestle with the rain gods. His car gave in to the track's treacherous, waterlogged grip, spinning out of control in a heart-stopping moment.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

His DNF struck on the very same Lap 45, right at Turns 1 and 2, long after other frontrunners had whipped past those corners unscathed.

Maybe he'd carried too much speed from the home straight, misjudging his entry into the tight left-hander. Or perhaps his braking came too late, or it was just a brutal hydroplane that locked his tires on the glassy asphalt, sending him skidding.

Only Vasquez and the Velox engineers knew the real story, while the rest of the paddock could only guess and offer applause as the Spanish driver exited the track.

This marked Vasquez's first DNF of the season and his third in two years. You could almost feel the heavy wave of frustration, the gut-punch of another missed chance in this cutthroat championship, as he clapped back to the crowd, trudging through the relentless rain, his wrecked Velox Mercedes abandoned behind him.

Luca felt a pang of empathy for Vasquez, but he couldn't deny that the Spaniard's crash had just handed him a golden opportunity. Thanks to it, a safety car session was triggered, and every driver had to line up tightly behind the traditional safety car.

This wiped out all the time gaps between the cars, and Luca suddenly found himself glued to DiMarco's rear wing.

"...Carro de segurança está na pista...!"

**Keep steady on Davide. We have a chance for an overtake**

"Yes. I'll be great when we go green."

"...it's a smooth procession out there, folks, as the safety car leads this star-studded pack through the pouring rain at Interlagos! The track's a shimmering sheet of water and these drivers are chomping at the bit, tires weaving to keep the heat in! Antonio Luigi's holding P1, cool as ever in that Velocità, but Marcellus Rodnick's right on his tail in P2, sniffing for that lead..."

"...The crowd's buzzing despite the downpour, sensing a restart from these elite drivers that could flip this Brazilian Grand Prix upside down...!"

**Luca, safety car's in this lap—get ready, green flag next lap!**

"Copy."

Everybody figured Antonio Luigi would floor it the second the safety car swung off into the pitlane, heading for race control's fancy sheds to let the race breathe again.

But nope, Luigi didn't gun it to wake things up. If anything, he stuck to that sluggish safety car crawl—maybe even eased off a hair. It totally threw Rodnick for a loop, who was all set to mash the throttle and start piling on some speed and momentum for the main restart.

As the pack leader, Luigi had been handed the reins by the safety car to dictate the race's rhythm until the next lap—the official green-flag restart. So, he chose to tame the tempo, keeping his rivals in check while cleverly preserving tire health during the parade—saving precious tread for when the real battle kicked off, not wasting it in this tense lull.

It was a brilliant move, and everyone gave him props for it, knowing their tires needed every bit of grip for the soaked Interlagos track.

But as they neared the final sector, Rodnick caught Luigi subtly upping his speed, a sly nudge of the throttle. He matched it, staying glued to Luigi's tail. Nyström picked up on it too, mirroring the pace, and DiMarco followed in lockstep.

Luca spotted the slight stretch in the gap ahead and quickly adjusted his delta to keep tight. In no time, the entire field felt the shift, the ripple of acceleration spreading all the way back to Jacobsen, trailing at the pack's end.

"...The whole field's stirring now, all the way back to Jacobsen at the rear—this restart's gonna be a firestorm, folks, and Luigi's set the stage for a Brazilian Grand Prix showdown...!"

The crowd, who'd plopped down to rest during the parade, were now jumping up as Luigi swung onto the main straight. Splish-splash trailed him, tires kicking up sheets of water, the pack's speed climbing from a measly 60 km/h to a zippy 110 km/h.

Rodnick had to stick to Luigi's pace (110 km/h) on the straight, while Luigi zipped past the Start/Finish line, he stomped it with pure acceleration, his FiammaVeloce rocketing to 250 km/h in a blink.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

Once Rodnick hit the flooded grid himself, he tried to match it, but his car topped out at 235 km/h where Luigi nailed 250. By then, Luigi had already snagged a 1.5-second lead, pulling away like he owned the rain.

"…Antonio Luigi em P1, Marcellus Rodnick em P2…"

One by one, the other drivers roared across the Start/Finish line, diving into the 45th Lap restart. Luca concentrated on nailing a killer Grid Launch for this one. If he executed it right, he might just sneak past DiMarco before they even hit the first turn.

[45th Lap (R)]

Luca totally aced the Skill! But it didn't bag him DiMarco's spot. All it did was wipe out the gap DiMarco should've pulled ahead with, since he'd surged first. And now, Luca was still stuck to DiMarco's rear wing, just like they'd been nose-to-tail through the whole parade!

"... Elias Nyström em P3, Davide DiMarco em P4, Luca Rennick em P5..."

"No point for Grid Launch...? Should've completed the Sync Bar."

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

[You are 0.8 seconds away, host.]

**Luca, you're right on DiMarco—less than a second, mate, this is golden for the overtake!**

**One turn and his toast**

"Understood."

Without even trying hard, Slipstream Mastery started to kick in, bubbling up like second nature.

[Slipstream Status: ENGAGING]

[Car <— Approaching Slipstream (Minimal aerodynamic effect)

Car <<— Partial Lock (Drag reduction increasing) ]

[⚠ Slipstream Engagement failed!]

[Overtake Window: Uncertain]

Luca hadn't even meant to chase DiMarco's slipstream right now, knowing full well that Turn 1's tight, slick curvature would mess with the airflow.

DiMarco had already swung into the perfect inside line, snapping their nose-to-tail link for a split second as he carved through the wet corner, before Luca dove in right behind him.

"…ough it's the closest of all between DiMarco and Rennick into the restart…"

With their cars so close it was already being called a flat-out duel, Luca knew DiMarco would fight tooth and nail to keep him back, but it wasn't about what DiMarco wanted in the end.

Luca's Overtaking Skill had been the first to hit max level ages ago, so he never second-guessed when to make his move. Plus, he was hands-down the sharper driver in the wet, his Slipsense & Rainborne thriving on this soaked track.

So, barreling into Turn 2, Luca swung out of Turn 1 neck-and-neck with DiMarco, their cars mirroring each other side by side. Side-by-Side King didn't even get a chance to kick in before Luca surged forward, slicing ahead with a clean overtake, his Ferrari kicking up a thick curtain of rainwater that drenched DiMarco's visor.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

[4th Position]

Luca barely had a moment to brace before DiMarco struck back, snatching the inside line of Turn 3 with a bold dive.

**He's back at you—stay tight, you've got this!**

[5th Position]

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"Darn!" DiMarco hissed, his tires flirting with disaster as he felt a scary slip of grip at Turn 3's slick apex. He shot a glance at Luca, pure shock written across his face as the kid handled a near-hydroplane like it was just another Sunday.

It was right there Luca retook the P4 again.

[4th Position]

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"…such a ferocious back-and-forth of positions! Such blistering driving! Luca Rennick and Davide DiMarco are putting on a masterclass in this Brazilian Grand Prix, swapping places like they're dancing on this rain-soaked track! Luca's got the edge before the straight, DiMarco's down to P5..!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

[Slipsense & Rainborne]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 100%]