My Formula 1 System

Formula 1 was not leaving Europe any time soon because the next round of the season, the eighth round, was set to be hosted by Hungary. And after the Hungarian Grand Prix would come the graceful British Grand Prix.

The Belgian Grand Prix did not unfold satisfactorily for Jackson Racing, much like how Australia did. But Australia was undoubtedly worse, since the team managed to attain greater points in Belgium thanks to Rodnick's finish in P4.

Belgium GP: 12 points—2x greater than Australia's—and just enough to barely keep them at the top of the standings for another round.

True. Even with all the stunts Rodnick pulled off on Spae-Ferenchal, he ended up in P4 by the time all 44 laps were over. And since he did not make the podium again, his vexation had evolved largely.

Rodnick was extremely focused in the pre-Hungary drills and wouldn't even speak or communicate unless it was to say something of importance regarding his driving or the car through the radio.

You couldn't blame him; he had just turned on his own kind of Zen Zone mode. His F1 championship title was in jeopardy, and Luca heard from some crew members that this was the same way he behaved last year during the heat of the season.

Turned out it wasn't a new locked-in behaviour.

A few but cathartic things in the race had relegated him to P4. For example; the wrong pit timing, which happened because he had failed to comply at the right moment, claiming he was locked in a tough duel.

He was in a tough duel indeed—the same duel in which he was wheel-to-wheel with Luigi, dragging for P1, which DiMarco had abandoned earlier for the pits.

Rodnick and his bitter rival, Antonio Luigi, eventually touched, and the crowd went wild. Witnessing the two greatest go at it was always going to be thrilling, even Luca twitched in reflex when their cars grazed and sparks flew.

Both drivers lost momentum, but Luigi had the better spot on the track, the better car, and a power boost, so he regained pace fast and took the position, leaving Rodnick to deal with the aftermath and the consequence of disarray.

Luca wondered where Rodnick had got the guts to go wheel-to-wheel with the same Mercedes that punctured his teammate's Ferrari. Luca swore that if it were him, he would have totally avoided Luigi for the rest of that race—whether or not they had changed the wing.

And the most damning thing about Belgium was the fact that the same Antonio Luigi lifted the silverware—his first P1 finish of the season, a stunning triumph given the circumstances.

"...P1, Antonio Luigi...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"...He's done it—P1, a masterpiece! Weaving with magic, Luigi dances through chaos, snatching glory! The crowd's electric—this is F1's heartbeat...!"

Luigi made his win special by doing his signature celebration of imitating a baseball player striking, swinging an imaginary bat with swagger and watching the invisible ball soar into the sky.

Jackson Racing DID NOT fancy his win at all. They disliked it not just because of all the havoc he had caused throughout the race, but also because his win had just brought Squadra Corse one huge step closer to snatching 1st Place from them in the Constructors' standings.

Not to even talk of Marko, who managed a strong P6 finish, which further boosted their total points tally. That was a combined total of 33 huge points!

Many of the crew members genuinely wished it had been DiMarco—who had finished in P2—that had won the race instead of Luigi.

Luis Dreyer finished P3, the schemey driver who benefited the most from Rodnick's fall. And Damgaard had returned to the big points section, rounding out the top five with an unchallenged P5 finish.

Here was the updated team standings after the Belgian GP:

PROVISIONAL CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (ALL 10)

Position | Team | Points

-----------------------------------------

1. | Jackson Racing | 166

2. | Squadra Corse | 154

3. | Bueseno Velocità | 94 ↑

4. | Outback Perf. | 91 ↑

5. | Haddock Racing | 85 ↓

6. | Iberia Grand Prix | 78 ↓

7. | Nordvind Racing | 34

8. | Velox Hispania | 6

9. | Trampos Racing | 1

10. | Alpine Swiss F1 | 1.

Ailbeart Moireach managed to clutch P9, but Denko dropped to the no-points section this round. The incapability of other teams—even Velocità—to reach the hundred-point mark made it feel as though Jackson and Squadra were battling each other alone for the title.

Still, at least Velocità were now just 6 points away from the triple-figure club, and they had successfully made their way into the top three on the standings. Outback wasn't far behind either, but it was clear just how drastically the middle belt had shifted, all because of one single race.

Other notable driver finishes included Hank Rice, who really used that P11 starting advantage well and brought it home in P7, while Nyström did not make the top ten.

Montez took a solid P8, and Yokouchi Yūichirō finally got his first point of the season by finishing in P10.

After the Australian Grand Prix, the Drivers' Standings hadn't been updated immediately. But this was how things stood after the dust had settled in Melbourne. The race had seen Ailbeart Moireach clinch victory, Luca finish P7, and Rodnick suffer a dismal P12.

Despite Jackson Racing's rough outing, Luca still held onto 1st Place. His good performances in earlier races had cushioned the blow for him, and the championship remained firmly in his hands… for that time being.

PROVISIONAL DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP10)

Position | Team | Points

----------------------------------------

1. | Luca Rennick | 83

2. | Ailbeart Moireach | 70

3. | Antonio Luigi | 68

4. | Marcellus Rodnick | 67

5. | Hank Rice | 65

6. | Luis Dreyer | 58

7. | Marko Ignatova | 54

8. | Davide DiMarco | 46 (+1)

9. | Elias Nyström | 33

10. | Jimmy Damgaard | 20

Looking closely, it was clear how razor-thin the margins were between 2nd and 5th—just five points separating four drivers. A minor slip or an unexpected podium could easily flip that whole structure.

But after Belgium, a lot had changed.

The tightness remained, but the order didn't. The standings now had a new leader. The top three was reshuffled entirely, with Antonio Luigi finally claiming the throne after his sensational victory. A new hierarchy had formed, and the battle lines were redrawn.

PROVISIONAL DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP10)

Position | Team | Points

-------------------------------------

1. | Antonio Luigi | 93

2. | Luca Rennick | 83

3. | Marcellus Rodnick | 79

4. | Luis Dreyer | 73

5. | Ailbeart Moireach | 72

6. | Hank Rice | 71

7. | Davide DiMarco | 65

8. | Marko Ignatova | 62

9. | Elias Nyström | 33

10. | Jimmy Damgaard | 30

Luca wasn't completely disturbed that Luigi had taken 1st Place from him. That was still the 7th Round and he definitely did not expect himself to hold 1st from May to December in such a competitive division.

But he was going to do his best to remain in the top three. All he would need would be one rac at the closing races of the season—just one rac if the points remained tight like this, to win the championship.

Because now, one race was all it took to change anything. Luigi led by 10 points, easily turnable by a P1 finish of a rival. And from Rodnick to Hank Rice was an EIGHT POINTS difference, smaller than the gap Luigi had over Luca!

One thing that was clear here was that the season's freshness was gone. This was the heat now.