My Formula 1 System-Chapter 431: St. Barca-Raval. 2
The world oscillated into a dream-like atmosphere for Luca in Mandalora's highly saturated appearance. The sun appeared brighter and more orangish, as if they were in Australia or downtown Mexico. And Luca's 97 chassis reflected this glint with pride, the entire frame vibrating, telling Luca that it was impatient with the other rivals already on flyers.
**You're clear. Push as hard into sector three. Don't let off in four**
The rubber of his tires clawed at the fresh tarmac as he headed toward Turn 1 with purpose. With time, Luca had already merged with the rest of the drivers, including Rodnick, who had joined early. Soon, the sectors were consumed by all twenty drivers, each focused on scoring the fastest lap time—the primary purpose for some, while for others, it was simply about surviving Q3.
**Brake a touch later. Trust the grip in Turn 9. Your grip. Trust it, Luca**
Luca listened to the advice of his engineers and feathered a later braking point right after the chicane at Turn 9's sweeping structure. Fortunately, it rewarded him handsomely by trimming away some milliseconds from his seventh flyer in Q3. That ended up being his fastest lap in Q3, but not the fastest on the grid overall, as Davide DiMarco claimed that title. But Luca was close though; that particular flyer ranked him as the third fastest. Hence, he moved over to Q2 with others like him, who were not survivors, but ambitionists.
Davide DIMarco- 1.10.383
Ailbeart Moireach- 1.11.047
Luca Rennick- 1.11.383
Swearing with determination, Luca truly wanted to attain a fastest lap in the qualifiers, even though it was just one. Not only would he get 0.2 Tokens, he would obtain some rewards—maybe EXP, a tool—it all depended on the system's spontaneous choice.
So, he attempted again in Q2, where many tweaks and adjustments were imposed on his car. He had to double-check with the engineer for a perfect downforce because he felt it waver in stability while he battled the uneven track portions.
**Alright, Luca, clear track ahead. Let's see that push lap—get it hooked up, maximum attack!**
Since Luca was the one with promising momentum, drive, and energy, the engineers subconsciously leaned on him and away from Rodnick, believing Luca stood a better chance of stealing pole from the super drivers than Rodnick did.
Rodnick's performance wasn't that bad, but it wasn't great either. He had escaped Q3's elimination by setting a fastest lap that ranked him 10th. Q2 wasn't going as planned for him either, and Rodnick knew it was because he was accumulating too much time when taking corners in order not to meddle with his wrist that still seemed to refuse healing.
After the collision in Germany with Luca, Rodnick felt he needed to control his impulses and sudden actions under pressure or abrupt impending doom. The PEDs back then in his system had initiated a nervous response, making him twitchy and reactive in ways he couldn't afford on the track.
Because of this, Rodnick understood he had to limit how much he took them—reduce the doses or abstain from ingesting them for a period of time. He couldn't tell why his wrist refused to heal, but that was a query he had long since abandoned because he had found a solution, although temporary, that would still keep him in the competition.
If Jackson were to be aware of his incomplete healing, his title reign would be… over. How many races would he miss?
Rodnick now regretted missing a dosage ahead of this Qualifier, his performance limited. He then promised to take the one he missed with the next one, due before race day, so he could perform at peak level, his wrist ultimately becoming more of a help than a burden. And it was this idiotic decision that was going to drastically change Formula 1 and the world.
**Keep pushing harder into sector 3! That's where you need to sync!**
Eventually, when Q2 came to an end, Luca was surprised to see his name at the very top! He had set the fastest lap in this round, all with the help of Ailbeart and DiMarco, who kept losing time as they subtly lacked some sync with their super cars, a real demerit that teams would have to solve soon enough.
Luigi set the second fastest lap, followed by Damgaard, Dreyer, and then… a new face, Miles Bellingham. He was truly using Marko's engineering to its best potential and served as the checkpoint where DiMarco and Ailbeart eventually fell behind. And, as if narrowly escaping elimination again, Rodnick managed to secure 9th Place.
**That's the lap, Luca. Good job.**
[Congratulations on a fastest lap!]
[You have received 0.2 Tokens]
Even though Luca had an eager, impatient side that couldn't wait to begin administering like he was someone who had hacked a computer, he knew that 0.2 Tokens weren't enough for anything—anything substantial at least.
So, he attacked the final qualifying round with all the undercuts he had in his arsenal. But since everyone was filled with the yearn for pole, the fastest lap became a tug-of-war, one that only seemed to be participated between DiMarco, Ailbeart, and Luca. The rest were fast, but these three seemed to be on another level, because the layout of Mandalora truly favored them the most.
At some point, the two titans—DiMarco and Ailbeart—began to duel each other instead of focusing on their flyers. This was what every team condemned and always instructed their drivers to avoid at all cost. But when moving at such speeds, evading engagements was a difficult task, especially when it was qualifiers where dropping speed and momentum was not an option.
The thinkable happened as one of them eventually hit the barriers after the slightest of touches was made between them. Logically true, because even the smallest rock could knock down Goliath.
Ailbeart Moireach was left to a blow to his best lap time, his speed reducing, while DiMarco found his lap time erased as his car met mechanical malfunctioning.
Without hesitation, Luca claimed the time lead within seconds, and Moireach—a super driver—was automatically thrown away from the fastest lap contention. Before he could recover, Q3, the shortest round, came to an end, and the world cheered, exhilarated that some breathtaking action to come in the race was previewed in the qualifiers.
Luca qualified for pole, sixth in his career, and second fastest lap of the afternoon.
[Congratulations on a fastest lap!]
[You have received 0.2 Tokens]
[Inventory:
-Tokens: 0.4 ]
"That's barely enough to do anything, right?"
[Don't underestimate the capabilities of Tokens, host! It depends on your level of imagination or lengths of intentions]
"I want to create really big things with these Tokens, not waste them on small, trivial stuff that won't matter in the long run. I'd rather save them up for something truly worthwhile in the future. But I'll still try random things here and there throughout the day—like mentioning any random Skills or Features I want to create, or anything I might want to edit. You'll just need to evaluate the cost for each. Maybe, I'll stumble upon something really useful that costs exactly the amount I have."
[That's a solid plan, host!]
[Congratulations on acquiring a Pole Position!]
[Tire Wear Management +1]
[Handling +1] freewёbnoνel.com
