My Formula 1 System-Chapter 661: Stay Off The Brakes, Vic!
Victor had never been so grateful for an opportunity in his life. If Q1 was about luck, Q2 was about the unbridled instinct of a survivor.
Q1 had been pretty standard for Victor, mostly because a couple of rivals had messed up their own chances—like Max Addams locking up and flat-spotting his tires at Turn 1, and Nystrom going way too wide into the runoff area at Turn 11. To be honest, Victor knew those mistakes had more to do with him just racing on than the actual speed of his new chassis. But Q2 was different. This was about quick thinking and intuition.
At +3.667 seconds off the lead space, Victor frankly thought he was done for. The track was evolving so fast around him, getting grippier as more rubber was laid down, and mostly, the traffic was a nightmare. He even caught a glimpse of another red Ferrari, meaning Luca of all people was already in the mic and setting purple sectors. In just a couple of minutes, the Baku streets were less of a racetrack and more like a squirmy, high-speed maze where everyone was in everyone else’s way.
Some drivers managed to find their groove, but even then, the overall pace was sluggish compared to the incredible benchmark set by Marko Ignatova earlier in the day in Q1.
In the middle of the ordeal, Victor found himself in the same tight section as Di Renzo. Vic realized right then that Di Renzo could just be the reason Q2 had turned into such a frenzy.
If the silver Jackson Racing car hadn’t come out so early, attempting to set such a fast pace, the other big teams might have stayed in their garages longer. But seeing Di Renzo fly must’ve triggered a panic; thus, the juggernauts like Red Bull and Mercedes started letting loose their cars much earlier than usual.
It was also a bit sour for Victor to think that Di Renzo had joined a whole lap later than him, but was already higher up on the scoreboard.
But Vic didn’t sulk. His sixth sense noticed something happening ahead of him.
**Keep it smooth and steady, Jimmy**
**Maintain the pace, but be very careful of a potential back collision. Rival advancing fast on your rear**
Behind a visor, a set of cold green eyes flashed to the side mirror.
Jimmy Damgaard saw the glint of a silver Ferrari on cue through the streets. Instead of acknowledging the threat to his pace, Jimmy just twittered inwardly. He really doubted Di Renzo would take a risky opportunity here or even think about coming closer during this flyer. Jimmy assumed the journeyman would play it safe. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
And he was right. That was one of the moments Di Renzo’s momentum got cut in Q2.
Victor realized this. Seeing the body language of the silver Ferrari change, he concluded the driver was slowing instead of speeding.
It was now common knowledge in the paddock that Jackson Racing claimed they had immunized the JRX-97—and any other model of theirs—from the volatile nature of the S-level engine, the Tempesta MkII. They say they cannot be technically assaulted by their rivals anymore, but the stigma of mechanical failures in the past was still there. Being the conventional driver he was, Di Renzo believed today wasn’t worth the candle. He could measure the risk against the reward on race day when there are 55 laps, but not on qualifiers, where a single lapse could ruin the entire weekend’s grid position.
Victor saw the opening. He didn’t slow down. He didn’t think about the technical risks, because he had none. He also didn’t care about the prestige of the men in front of him. Carrying his pace through the bend, the JYX-81 screamed at his rivals as he kept his foot feathered to the floor.
First, he lunged past Di Renzo, who was clearly shocked to see that Trampos rookie diving down his inside in such a tight spot. Then, using the tiny bit of slipstream left by the silver car, Victor lunged again. He swept past Jimmy Damgaard, who was also surprised he almost twitched his steering wheel. Damgaard probably hadn’t even considered that the kid in the red car would have the guts to keep his speed up through such a dangerous section of the track.
That move.
That one gutsy choice to stay off the brakes...
...blatantly saved Victor from elimination.
At the end of Q2, the timing screens updated one last time.
As Di Renzo saw P4, Victor stared at his first Q3 qualification.
P10!
Unbelievable.
The Trampos rookie had just qualified for Q3 for the first time in his short career so far. He had clocked in with a pace of +1.946 behind the top holder, Ailbeart Moireach. As soon as the session ended and he saw the "P10" light up next to his name, his headset exploded with noise.
**That’s it, Victor! P10! You’re in, my boy! You’re in!**
The whole garage hyped him up like he’d won the whole championship. It was his first-ever Top 10 grid start, and now all that meant was that Q3 would just determine exactly where in the top ten he’d start from on Sunday.
Victor couldn’t believe the moment. He was sitting in the cockpit, breathing hard, feeling the sweat soak into his fireproof balaclava. It was far from a celebratory podium moment, but he was so happy with himself that he almost felt like the afternoon was already over. He had proven he belonged.
Nearby in the paddock, Max Addams—the P11 qualifier who had just been eliminated—was climbing out of his car. Max removed his helmet and his headsock, shaking his hair free and letting the breeze cool him down. He stood there for a second, scanning the gathering of the paddock, and his gaze locked onto the happy Victor Surmann, who was currently being swarmed by his Trampos crew.
P10: Victor Surmann (+1.946)
P11: Max Addams (+1.997)
It was such a close call. It could have gone either way with just a slightly better gust of wind or a tighter turn.
Strangely, despite getting eliminated and missing out on the shootout by a tiny fraction of a second, Max wasn’t spiteful at Victor like you might guess. He looked more impressed than anything.
But someone else definitely was feeling the sting of spite.
P12: Matteo Bianchi (+2.345)
Matteo was walking along the cool-down area, pulling his gloves off with jerky, annoyed movements. As he passed by Max, he reached out, and the two of them shook hands quickly—a silent "we both got screwed" moment—before Matteo continued on his way.
Max put his helmet under his arm, leaning on its weight while watching Matteo leave. Then he turned his attention back to Vic. He watched the kid getting praised and patted on the back, but there was a serious look in Max’s eyes. He knew what Victor was about to face.
Victor better qualify somewhere that isn’t P10 itself in Q3.
Yes, nowhere is indeed safe on the grid, but the middlebelt was looking like it was going to skin him alive once the lights went out on Sunday.
