My Formula 1 System

A noteworthy afternoon in London ultimately came to an end. The 49th British Grand Prix in Formula 1 history unfolded to be an unforgettable one, starting with the compound crisis that drastically altered the anticipated course of the race, followed by the infamous glass incident that further disheveled the race's rhythm and shattered the circuit's placidity, turning it into a hippodrome of havoc, one that claimed the races of three unfortunate drivers.

Jimmy Damgaard did not end up winning the race, but Elias Nyström did.

During the second round of pitstops for drivers who'd followed an organised tire schedule, Damgaard had a reproachable exit from the pitlane while rejoining the race. He ended up bumping into a few barriers, and even tangled with Petrov along the way. However, due to the significant lead the three had built—thanks to the chaos caused by the earlier glass incident—it didn't cost Damgaard much.

But Nyström took his chance. He saw the window and surged. He claimed P1, silencing the Velocità crowd and crew, who had been prematurely celebrating what they believed was a secured victory. Jimmy Damgaard still managed to finish in P2, and Petrov completed the podium, his third career podium finish to date.

The leaderboard remained unchanged for the top three, but the middle of the pack was erratically jumbled. Fortunately for Luca, he finished in the top five, specifically in P4, the same position he held when Olympus came crashing down.

As earlier explained, during the yellow flag period, the notorious three boxed to swap out their glass-punctured tires. When they returned to the race, their positions had taken a serious hit, and they were far down the order.

Luca was the first to exit the pitlane with a lightning-fast service time of 1.85 seconds, rejoining the race in P9. He outpaced the system's prediction by a clean 0.8 seconds, and in response, the system rewarded him with a single EXP point for Gripper. It was a big bonus, triggered a notification that added another bar to his Sync Bar.

[Gripper +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 87.5%]

Luigi followed with the second fastest pit time of 1.92 seconds, while DiMarco registered 2.13 seconds. Both rejoined at P11 and P12 respectively. What made the reality of this plummet even more striking was that Ailbeart Moireach—who had started the race dead last at P20—was now two positions ahead of Luca, holding P7.

When Luca rejoined the track, Desmond Lloyd was right there, ready to prey on the demerits of his pitstop. But it wasn't Lloyd's day to shine. Luca had just enough grip, stability, and tire warmth by the time the Englishman pulled up for a wheel-to-wheel contest. The Side-by-Side King did not founder—instead, it showed up at the right moment, securing Luca P9 and, more importantly, completing his Sync Bar.

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

[SYNC BAR COMPLETE]

[Host, Sync Buff can be used]

No hesitation was required from Luca. He initiated the Randomized Duration procession, and the system clocked him in with a time window of 3 minutes and 15 seconds.

He was satisfied with the duration. Without delay, he took to the skies—figuratively—and launched himself out of P9, climbing higher and higher with every corner and straight. At the blistering pace he was moving, overtaking the likes of Hank Rice, Ailbeart Moireach, and Marko Ignatova, many watching had assumed it was about to be one of those electrifying surges he'd become known for back in Formula 2—those bold, breathtaking stints that earned him the nickname; The Mazerunner.

But unfortunately, 3 minutes and 15 seconds just wasn't enough. It didn't get him to P1. It didn't land him in the top three. But still, Luca closed out the British Grand Prix with a solid performance, earning 12 points to his name.

[4TH POSITION]

[Unfortunately, host. You did not make the podium]

**That's a wrap, Luca. Can't fault that drive. You did your best—bloody brilliant out there**

First race win for Elias Nyström this season, and the seventh of his Formula 1 career. Even though James Lockwood DNFed in the race, Nordvind Racing was all smiles, celebrating Nyström as though they'd just won the championship that very afternoon. And Nyström embraced the moment with the kind of confidence and presence that interpreted: "Who just won a race now, huh?! Me!" His expression carried layered declarations: "You can't keep a lion caged forever." "You made me feel like a ghost in my own sport." "Guess I didn't need luck after all. Just the right track." "Seven wins. But it's this one you'll remember."

Damgaard, who finished 2nd, was not happy and certainly not satisfied that he didn't take the win. Petrov, on the other hand, was all smiles. He was genuinely pleased to have clinched P3. It wasn't every race he even got close to the top five.

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Final Race Standings – British Grand Prix

🏁 Top 10 Finishers:

P1 – Elias Nyström 🇸🇪 (Nordvind Racing) 🏆 +25pts

P2 – Jimmy Damgaard 🇩🇰 (Bueseno Velocità) +18pts

P3 – Mikhail Petrov 🇷🇺 (Iberia Grand Prix) +15pts

P4 – Luca Rennick 🇮🇹 (Jackson Racing) +12pts (+1 FL)

P5 – Marko Ignatova 🇷🇸 (Squadra Corse) +10pts

P6 – Luis Dreyer 🇪🇸 (Outback Performance) +8pts

P7 – Hank Rice 🇬🇧 (Iberia Grand Prix) +6pts

P8 – Ailbeart Moireach 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing) +4pts

P9 – Desmond Lloyd 🇬🇧 (Velox Hispania) +2pts

P10 – Yokouchi Yūichirō 🇯🇵 (Alpine Swiss F1) +1pt

▾Remaining Finishers:

P11 – Antonio Luigi 🇮🇹 (Squadra Corse)

P12 – Davide DiMarco 🇮🇹 (Bueseno Velocità)

P13 – Ansel Hahn 🇩🇪 (Trampos Racing)

P14 – Józef Konarski 🇵🇱 (Alpine Swiss F1)

P15 – Alejandro Vasquez 🇪🇸 (Velox Hispania)

P16 – Javier Montez 🇪🇸 (Outback Performance)

P17 – Erik Haas 🇩🇪 (Trampos Racing)

⨉ DNF (Did Not Finish):

P18 – Mark Derfflinger 🇩🇪 (Haddock Racing) – Debris-related

P19 – James Lockwood 🇬🇧 (Nordvind Racing) – Debris-related

P20 – Buoso Di Renzo 🇮🇹 (Jackson Racing) – Debris-related

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When Luca saw the final leaderboard of the afternoon, a warm feeling of relief washed over him, in and out like a tide.

It had technically been a rough race for both him and Jackson Racing, but when he realized that Luigi and DiMarco had failed to crack the top ten, he let out a mechanical chuckle.

After all that hype from the IMC, just for Damgaard to lose P1, and for DiMarco and Luigi to walk away from the British Grand Prix without even tasting a single point.

Not that Luca's happiness relied on their misfortune though. If we recall, both he and Luigi were locked in a tie at the top of the standings with 101 points. Since Luca had managed P4 with 12 points and Luigi ended his race in P11 with none, it meant that Luca was now, officially, the Driver's Standings leader, right as the season headed into Round 10, the midpoint of the calendar.

PROVISIONAL DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP10)

Position | Team | Points

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

1. | Luca Rennick | 113 (+1) ↑

2. | Antonio Luigi | 101 ↓

3. | Hank Rice | 92 ↑

4. | Davide DiMarco | 90 ↓

5. | Ailbeart Moireach | 88

6. | Luis Dreyer | 81 ↑

7. | Marcellus Rodnick | 79 ↓

8. | Marko Ignatova | 78

9. | Elias Nyström | 62

10. | Jimmy Damgaard | 50

If some hadn't noticed, they definitely noticed now.

3. | Hank Rice | 92 ↑

With an Iberia GP Audi, Hank Rice was accomplishing the undoable. He was now sitting in 3rd place, and no one could flimsily claim that it wouldn't last, because at the untraceable pace with which he had just climbed into the top three, nobody could genuinely say if he would stay there or drop!

The South African Grand Prix would be a historic and pivotal race this season, one that could finally tell F1 fans whether Hank Rice is truly a championship contender, even in a team like Iberia, or if he's not.

The RSA Grand Prix would also be the race where the champion makes his return. Marcellus Rodnick would be fit to compete on July 9th, reviving a championship defence that was going down the drain with him sitting all the way in 7th place.

South African Grand Prix

Location: Midrand, South Africa

Date: July 9

Time: 3 PM

Track: Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (KGP)

Track Length: 4.5 km

Total Laps: 65

Track Type: Permanent road course

Lap Record: No-lap time set.