My Formula 1 System

Spanish Grand Prix

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Date: September 8

Time: 5 PM

Track: Circuito de Barca-Raval (Mandalora)

Track Length: 5 km

Total Laps: 65

Track Type: Permanent road course

Lap Record: Marcellus Rodnick 1:18.477

The Spanish Grand Prix's surge into action was breathtaking, truly one to remember, as lights out was cinematic, with every driver thirsting for each other's slipstream like savages.

The race start had also been an exercise in authority and control for Luca. The moment the lights went out, Luca, locked into pole position, felt the charge of the crowd's roar vibrating in his ribcage as he launched forward. From his P1 pole position, he had made use of his Grid Launch skill to devastating effect, turning his already excellent reaction time into a lightning-quick getaway.

Luigi anticipated this and tried to match the abrupt pace, but it was too overwhelming and incredible, impossible to keep up with. The way the tires gripped the tarmac perfectly, without a single slip, was the pure definition of impeccability and preeminence. After that brief, fleeting show of flawlessness, Luca shot off the line like an arrow loosed from a bow, officially kicking off the Spanish Grand Prix to his advantage.

The field of twenty and chaos roared into Turn 1, but Luca was about three car lengths ahead at that time, defending with steely nerve against no one in particular as the pack still squabbled for position behind.

By using his Skill and Attributes, Luca minutely established gaps of milliseconds, sector after sector, which eventually amassed into seconds that placed him firmly ahead. His start in Spain was so incredible that many bettors were confident he was indeed going to green their tickets just as they had placed them.

However, even with that fantastic run up to the 5th Lap, Luca was filled with dissatisfaction because the Sync Bar remained at 0%. That was a poor but still manageable progress—if there was any at all. At the very least, he should have had 12.5% at this stage, because the rate of consummating the Sync Bar depended heavily on how the early filling began.

Luca was dissatisfied for a reason—not confused as to why he was barless. He knew the occasion was because of the recent changes he had just undergone with the system; almost total Skill completion. Since almost all Self Skills were complete except for two, this drastically reduced the chances of getting the Sync Bar filled or even halfway, since Luca had planned a tool-investment.

Just as he took his mind off it to focus on the approaching rival and the system's evaluations, he was flashed with a notification of faith.

[Yaw Flex +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 12.5%]

"There's still hope!"

After traversing at over 300km/h, navigating the uneven parts of the track where the undulating curbs and slight track dips tested his precision and balance eventually triggered a Yaw Flex point.

This re-imbued Luca with a sense of confidence again, as he believed things would continue to sail in perfection. However, someone decided to attack his peace, and it was none other than Ailbeart Moireach.

[2nd Position closing in]

Ailbeart had started in P5, and already, eight laps into the race, he had sheerly climbed to P2. His remarkable ascent was not by mere luck or chance—it was a testament to the superior engineering he commanded, the R.S.25. That machine was a masterpiece of mechanical art, one that seemed to bend the laws of speed and grip in his favor. It had been a constant threat for everyone else in the paddock, and now it was about to become Luca's nightmare.

Luca was alerted of his approach. The system immediately registered Ailbeart's rapid progress and presented detailed readouts: the speed differential was significant, the pace was undeniable, and the duress was enough to make the sensors twitch. Everything was going against him, all clear signs that an impending overtake was looming closer and closer, an unavoidable shadow bearing down upon him.

Turn 4 was exactly where Luca registered his threat, the system marking the Renault a second and a half away.

Luca knew that cars powered by HiCEs were extremely fast, so he had to be taking tighter angles and smoother lines to mitigate the drastic speed differential. But what made the situation so ugly for Luca was that it was still early in the race, and Ailbeart Moireach had all the time in the world before tires would begin to truly show significant wear.

[Chicane ahead!]

[Turn type: Medium-speed right-hander] [Angle: 90°] [Braking Point: 80 meters before turn-in] [Recommended Entry Speed: 170 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Inside curb]

[Exemplary navigation!]

[Turn Type: Two-Turn Chicane (Right → Left)]

[Approach Width: 7.2m → Tightens at Apex: 5.4m → Widens at Exit: 6.3m]

[Impeccable maneuver!]

Luca weaved abnormally well through the chicane as if it were two distinct tight turns he took with fast patience, unlike Moireach, who struggled greatly to navigate it cleanly.

After the chicane, Luca was blessed with Turn 9's high-speed layout that helped him stretch the gap back to 1.5 seconds—1.8 in fact—since Ailbeart had notoriously come too close.

"...Rennick's mastery through the chicane has given him that precious breathing space—he's not just defending, he's extending, leaving Ailbeart in the dust for now...!"

However, Luca only felt like he was stalling the inevitable overtake. Even though he had managed to build a slight gap through Turn 9, Turns 10 to 13 were taken extremely well by Ailbeart Moireach. Luca did better in those tight technical sections, hitting every braking point and apex with precision, but it was ultimately no true difference in the grand scheme of the lap. Ailbeart's R.S.25 was just too good—its engineering meant that even Luca's best couldn't keep the gap from shrinking.

What made it worse was the following straight, stretching out like a prize-giving opening for overtakes, a place where raw speed and slipstreaming were everything.

[>>>>>

T9-----┐ ┌T12┐

| T11 T13

└T10┘ |

|

|

————————T14

<<<<]

[Straightaway ahead!]

[Warning: Slipstream Threat Detected]

[Analyzing car behind...]

[Burnt Orange Renault (R.S.25)]

[Distance: 1.0 → 0.8s → 0.6s]

In no time, Ailbeart's Renault had tucked into the wake of Luca's own Ferrari. Luca knew he was exposed and hearing the roar of a High-Intensity Combustion Engine almost made him tremble.

Ailbeart had surged out from the slipstream with perfect timing, the Renault's nose sliding alongside Luca's rear wheel as they neared the braking zone for Turn 14.

The Scottish man grinned with decisiveness, satisfied that the power toggle in Formula 1 had ultimately shifted to him. Now, he could easily overtake anyone in the race. Qualifying position didn't mean anything anymore now.

The overtake had been clean, executed with a cold precision that had left no chance for Luca to counter. In that moment, Moireach's R.S.25 had proven its superiority

But this superiority would not last forever.

" . Ailbeart Moireach has made the move! He used the slipstream perfectly, pulled out, and took the position in one swift, unstoppable strike. Luca could do nothing but yield to that raw speed..!"

[2nd Position]