My Formula 1 System

Luca chose to activate Sync Buff on the 60th Lap. It felt like an earlier move than usual, not the race-closing kind he'd leaned on in past Sync Buffs. At Lap 60, based on his math, the 1-minute-45-second duration wouldn't even carry him to Lap 65.

Still, Luca had a solid reason for triggering Sync Buff by the 60th Lap. Waiting any longer risked getting caught short by the duration's tight window, leaving him without enough time to maximize its edge.

The clouds hanging over Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos) were heavy, dark, and brooding, though they'd softened slightly from their earlier menace. This shift signaled no heavy rain was looming, leaving the Brazilian Grand Prix with just a cool, damp breeze and a gray sky, the track still slick but no longer drenched.

The after-drizzle from the earlier downpour had finally stopped, though the Interlagos track was far from dry. Traction loss and shaky grip remained problems, but nowhere near the disaster of the race's middle laps when water flooded the asphalt.

This was precisely why Luca planned to activate Sync Buff now. He wanted to trigger it while the track was still noticeably wet, its surface slick and treacherous from lingering dampness.

That was his ticket to staying ahead of the pack. The only way he could have the upper hand.

When he fired up Sync Buff, Luca would pick Slipsense & Rainborne, Gripper, and some extra Skills. Slipsense & Rainborne and Gripper would be unchallenged and he'd crank them to (50) for unmatched control.

Luca aimed to carve through the circuit with pinpoint precision while his rivals wrestled with occasional slips on patches still damp and dicey. With his buffed FiveSix roaring at peak speed, unhampered by the wet, others would struggle to find grip.

That edge would stretch his lead by the time the buff ran out—that's if he could battle his way to P1.

He didn't want to activate Sync Buff now, but at the same time, he feared the track might dry up and he wouldn't have that grip advantage.

Luca was still stuck in P6 as Luis Dreyer crept closer with every corner. Soon, he'd be right on Luca's tail, turning into the threat Luca had brushed off earlier.

Just a lap ago, Luigi had powered past Nyström with ease. That overtake was yet another showcase of the gaping chasm between Luigi's beastly FiammaVeloce and Nyström's nicknameless Audi engine, which just couldn't keep up.

Luca hated that the top five's late-lap fireworks were unfolding without him. P6 was a rotten spot on the leaderboard—any driver would back that opinion up. Then it hit him and he realized that P6 was even exactly where he'd started this race on the grid today.

The 61st Lap loomed, and Luca still clung to his glowing Sync Bar, its energy pulsing like a heartbeat. He wasn't sure why, but his gut was yelling to hold off for just one more lap.

So, Luca waited, looping the 4km Interlagos circuit for the sixty-first time, the track still slick from earlier rain. He was risking another minute and a half of drying asphalt and the shrinking gap to Dreyer behind him.

[7th Position is closing in]

[Analyzing 7th Position's distance from host and Ferrari (JRX-92B)...]

[7th Position is 1 sec away, host.]

"…62ª volta neste Grande Prêmio do Brasil…!" boomed across the sprawling Interlagos venue, signaling that race leader Davide DiMarco had blasted over the Start/Finish line, launching the next lap.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

Luca could feel Dreyer lurking, ready to pounce at any second, now just a single second behind him. That was close enough, so Luca made up his mind—it was now or never.

"One small step for Luca Rennick, one giant leap for a Brazilian Grand Prix win," he murmured.

[ACTIVATE SYNC BUFF?]

[Y / N]

"No Catalysts or Wrenches left in the inventory. Alright, let's do this."

The system registered his words as a firm YES and kicked into gear, processing his command.

[INFUSING....]

[Strength: 31 »»»» 50

Stamina: 32 »»»» 50

Endurance: 31 »»»» 50

Agility: 31 »»»» 50

Intelligence: 30 »»»» 50 ]

[You can only select three skills]

[Reflexes/ Overtaking Skill/ Track Awareness/ Pitstop Prodigy/Corner Chopping/Straightaway Chopping/Spatial Awareness/ Night Mastery/ Grid Launch/ Slipstream Mastery/ Side-by-Side King/ Slipsense & Rainborne]

"..."

[Aerodynamics: 22 »»»» 50

Downforce: 25 »»»» 50

Braking Efficiency: 22 »»»» 50

Handling: 20 »»»» 50

Tire Wear Management: 20 »»»» 50 ]

[Sync Buff is detecting A-level (Ferrari Turbo-Hybrid 056)...]

[High-Speed Dominance: 14 »»»» 50

-Heat Management: 20 »»»» 50

-Longevity: 12 »»»» 50 ]

[You have only two Skills so both of them are up for selection]

[Gripper: 11 »»»» 50

Yaw Flex: 6 »»»» 50]

Luca still couldn't quite process that his system had upgraded Sync Buff to juice up the car too. For those 1 minute 45 seconds, his Ferrari would be just as untouchable as he was, both dialed to godlike perfection.

He figured it'd take a while to get his head around this new, game-changing power.

[Please Select three Self Skills for Sync Buff]

Having mapped it out earlier, Luca didn't hesitate, feeding the system his first pick: Slipsense & Rainborne. At (50), he'd be gliding like the track was bone-dry, even while others slipped on the damp asphalt.

He wasn't sure what else to choose from the Self Skills lineup. With Slipsense & Rainborne maxed, he was already set to dominate! Yet Sync Buff let him boost two more Skills, a chance too big to waste.

How overwhelming. It was almost too much to wrap his mind around.

Spatial Awareness sat at (9), and Side-by-Side King was at (10). Luca reasoned he could use sharper awareness to navigate Interlagos' tricky layout, especially that gnarly, wet chicane where one wrong move spelled disaster.

Side-by-Side King would be his wildcard, a weapon to smack down anyone bold enough to challenge his charge up the order.

[Successfully Selected!]

[Slipsense & Rainborne: 12 »»»» 50

Side-by-Side King: 10 »»»» 50

Spatial Awareness: 9 »»»» 50 ]

[INFUSION SUCCESSFUL!]

[You have 1 min. 45 sec left for Sync Buff]

The same integrational process that occurred back in Monte Carlo washed over Luca and his car again. He felt a rush of energy flood his veins, his Attributes spiking sharp and his Ferrari roaring with newfound power. For a fleeting moment, it reminded him of being Zen Zoned, that hyper-focused state.

But no way. If he was Zen Zoned, he'd have thrown his Ferrari into Dreyer's path on the home straight, maybe even clipped him to hold his ground—whatever it took to keep his spot.

"...Luis Dreyer takes P6 into Lap 62, leaving Rennick stunned!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

[7th Position]

The leaderboard flipped fast as they hit Turn 1. The commentary erupted as Luca slammed the throttle at the tail end of the home straight, powering through the wet.

It was a crazy place to GUN his throttle because drivers were supposed to BRAKE hard there, easing into the tight corner. That spot doubled as the pitlane merge, making it even dicier with water still surfacing on the track.

But Luca carved through the hydroplane Dreyer had dodged, stunning Brazil and the entire world at large with his nerve.

Dreyer didn't even have a second to catch Luca's move in his mirrors—the kid had already shot to the apex, pulling level with him in a heartbeat!

"What?!" Dreyer sputtered as Luca's Ferrari streaked past like a blur. "With that speed through this corner, the Gs should've knocked him out by now!"

Luca knew with Strength and Endurance buffed to (50), he could handle a fighter jet, let alone this soaked circuit.

"...Luca Rennick's just pulled off a great move into Lap 62! He's blasted through Turn 1's slick, stealing P6 from Dreyer like it's nothing and his momentum entails more for the young driver...!"

[6th Position]

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

Luca felt a surge of overwhelming power flood his system, as if every nerve and muscle had been supercharged beyond what he'd felt with Sync Buff in Monaco. It was a level of focus and strength that felt almost otherworldly.

It was time to mazerun, as he'd done so many times before. It was time to seize this race.

He studied the leaderboard with cold analysis, mapping out the drivers standing between him and victory. The 1:45 timer was steadily counting down.

P1— Davide DiMarco

P2— Marko Ignatova

P3— Marcellus Rodnick

P4— Antonio Luigi

P5— Elias Nyström

P6— Luca Rennick ↑