My Formula 1 System

**Review is over. You're clean. Good job, lad!** Mr. Ruben informed Luca with exuberance.

The stewards had completed their scrutiny, and despite Luca's Dallara making slight contact with Robert's car, it wasn't enough to hold him responsible for the incident. Fault was determined to rest with John and his unsteady grip.

"WOOOOHH!"

Luca let out a deep breath, followed by a sigh of relief.

No penalty for him. His actions had actually been... legal.

"WOOOOHH!"

As he skillfully battled the aquaplaning in Turn 11, Luca shifted his focus momentarily to the crowd's roar, which had intensified a lap after the incident, coinciding with the stewards' verdict.

"...and the decision is in! Luca Rennick is cleared of any wrongdoing in the Turn 8 incident with John Roberts! No penalty for the Trampos driver—he's in the clear to continue his climb now in P12!"

"WOOOOHH!"

"... but can you hear that, Steve?! The Velocità fans are absolutely livid! They're on their feet, booing and roaring for what they believe is an injustice! This French Grand Prix is pivotal for the championship standings, and every point counts. The Velocità faithful were banking on a penalty for Rennick to give their team a much-needed edge in this nail-biting season finale. But the stewards' ruling has dashed those hopes!"

"WOOOOHH!"

Luca frowned deeply, his grip tightening on the wheel. How dare they boo him?

He understood they were rival fans, loyal to their own, but still—weren't they watching when their star driver, Max Addams, slid across the grass and collided with him earlier in the race?

The stewards had cleared Max of any wrongdoing, ruling both the contact and his off-track excursion as unintentional. They had even declared Max's rejoin, which allowed him to gain a positional advantage, as a stroke of luck rather than calculated intent.

The review cited a lack of "mens rea"—the mental intent to commit an infraction. Meanwhile, Luca's own role in that incident had been chalked up to sheer misfortune.

If they could excuse Max's actions, why couldn't they extend the same fairness to him?

But the boos didn't faze him for long. Luca resolved it was time to fully embrace and enjoy this French Grand Prix and make it his race.

The stewards' review of his latest maneuver had described his actions as a perfectly timed instinctive move. With a burst of momentum still lingering all around his chassis after the Drop, he used the rival driver beside him to regain control.

While such maneuvers had their limits and carried significant risk, Luca was relieved to know his actions had stayed within the acceptable boundaries.

Now, with a clear conscience, Luca was determined to enjoy the race as well as win it. Even at P12, he could make it.

"WOOOOHH!" in the roars, Trampos chanted louder, unable to suppress their excitement of watching Luca climb up the leaderboard in style.

[32nd Lap]

The start of the 32nd Lap signaled an imminent pit stop for Luca. After his early stop in the 12th Lap, Luca thought twenty laps later was an impressive stretch for a Dallara chassis and its soft tires.

[Tires degrading rapidly, host. Inner treads nearing limit. Fuel level at 30%. DRS is unavailable. Engine temperature stable. Brake wear increasing—22%.]

[Telemetry warning: Reduced grip detected. Handling stability compromised. Aerodynamic efficiency dropping slightly. Immediate pitstop recommended to avoid further performance decline.]

As Luca prepared to use the last of his ERS to minimize tire wear and push for P11, the driver ahead—an APX driver—veered into the pitlane.

Luca raised a brow, puzzled. Why was Sven Larsen pitting now? He'd assumed his own pit window was uniquely timed. Then again, Luca reminded himself that he had no insight into APX's team strategy or any potential issues Larsen might be experiencing with his car.

His thoughts were interrupted when, in the distance, another car exited the pitlane, adding to his surprise. Luca seized the opportunity, zipping into the space left by Larsen and inheriting P11.

[11th Position]

Understandably, that didn't count as an Overtake. The system required overtakes to occur on track, with no advantage gained from a pit stop exchange.

Luca decided to gather as much speed as possible and build a good gap. He would be pitting in the next lap and needed to stay in P11, avoiding the usual reversal that often came with pit stops.

By the 33rd Lap, Luca and Mr. Moritz were communicating effectively, with Mr. Moritz informing Luca that the pit crew was fully prepared for his stop.

[33rd Lap]

Before reaching Turn 1, Luca smoothly diverted into the pitlane, carefully regulating his speed to stay within the limit as he barreled toward Trampos' garage. The rain had eased to a light drizzle, improving his visibility significantly.

From his peripheral vision, Luca caught glimpses of other team garages. Beneath their caps, engineers and crew members watched intently as his car rolled past, finally reaching the Trampos pitbox with precision timing.

[0.5...1.0...]

Once again, Luca waved at Mr. Grant, who returned the gesture. He gave McCauley a quick thumbs-up as he shouted their pit time. His car dropped perfectly into the marked rectangle with a gentle thud.

"3.0 seconds!"

[Pitstop Prodigy +1]

Valued at 12, Luca's Pitstop Prodigy skill was proving its worth again. He marveled at how efficient the team had become, even under less-than-ideal conditions. Considering his car's 40% Operational Status, he had expected a longer stop. But somehow, the crew managed to outperform expectations.

Luca wondered if the Pitstop Prodigy spiked in its performance sporadically depending on the situation and how he glided in.

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

"... lightning-fast stop for Luca Rennick as he exits the pitlane! 3.0 seconds! Absolutely marvellous work from the Trampos crew! That's Formula 1-worthy efficiency!"

**Larsen's moving down, heading toward Turn 1**

Luca watched his Operational Status trickle back up until: [Operational Status: 85%]

He sailed out of the pitlane, hopeful of rejoining the race ahead of Larsen. Although Pitstop Prodigy worked its magic, cold tires and the pitlane speed regulations held him back.

Sven Larsen zipped by confidently, the aura from his car radiating an air of mockery, as though scoffing at Luca's attempt.

Merging back on track, Luca couldn't help but smirk. He was even happier to have a driver with 0x Race Wins and 1x Podium Finish ahead of him.

"Big mistake, bud. You're gonna help me get Slipsense and Rainborne today."

[Analyzing Dallara (F2 04) and host's distance from 11th Position]

[You are 1 second away, host.]

Cold tires wouldn't hold Luca back. After trailing Larsen for three sectors, he felt confident he had enough grip to make a bold move.

Sven Larsen's crew quickly warned him over the radio that Luca's chassis was looking far more threatening than it had at the start of the lap. Now, he had to defend against one of the most deceptively aggressive drivers in F2—and possibly all divisions.

"Tsk!" Larsen muttered, gritting his teeth as Luca's front wing inched closer. The two cars were nearly side by side, roaring down the straight after Turn 8.

Luca didn't even need DRS. The raw speed of his SomberCore engine, combined with his precise execution, had closed the 1.5-second gap they'd started the lap with.

Larsen eventually conceded, subtly shifting aside to acknowledge the inevitable. The moment Luca slid ahead to claim P11, his focus locked on James Legrasse in P10, just a second further down the track.

"Bunched up, you guys are. Yay!"

"...And there he goes! Luca Rennick takes P11 from Sven Larsen!"

"WOOOOHH!"

McCauley and the rest of the Trampos crew burst into cheers as Luca overtook Larsen, leaving behind a trail of spray and "dust" just before Turn 9.

Their cheers were abruptly silenced by a collective gasp.

Luca had nearly lost control as he dived into the turn too aggressively!

The world spun in a dizzying blur from Luca's perspective. His heart raced, a cold jolt of fear rippling through him. The car skidded wildly, but with extraordinary composure, he corrected the misstep, executing a perfect 360-degree spin before regaining traction and continuing the race.

"WOOOOHH!" The crowd erupted in disbelief and admiration.

[Agility +1]

[Reflexes +1]

[Track Awareness +1]

McCauley and the rest clapped even harder.

[Analyzing Dallara (F2 04) and host's distance from 10th Position]

[You are 2 seconds away, host.]

He lost a second in that swerve and his 360 save, but Luca was determined to close the gap far quickly than Legrasse could even register.

[Speed Boosted!]

[Reanalyzing...]

[You are 1 seconds away, host]

[Speed Boosted!]

"WOOOOHH!"

[You are 0.5 seconds away, host]

**Wonderful, Luca! WONDERFUL!**

For James Legrasse—0x Race Wins, 2x Podium Finishes—Luca's rapid approach was a nightmare, and was anything but appealing.

From his side mirrors, he just witnessed the driver behind him spin 360 and continue racing like he hadn't just been on the brink of a crash. How did he even catch up so quickly?! How could a driver like Legrasse survive and thrive in Formula 2 when prospects like this competed with him?!

With trembling hands, Legrasse entered Turn 11 that was now safer than it was at the start of the race.

Less rain, less water on track, less hydroplaning.

With ice in his veins, Luca dove to the outside lane as if flaunting his Dallara to the grandstands and to the valleys where the outside lane banked to nature.

He was unfazed by Legrasse's own inner lane. He knew he took it because he wanted to cling to P10 so badly, and the inner line seemed more ideal.

However, in racing, track structure was almost everything.

A driver might choose the inner lane for its smoother exits and improved control. Still, the other driver who took the outside could prevail once the chicane was cleared. The result often depended on the angles of every bend.

While inner lane drivers benefited from stability, an outside lane driver could take advantage of the tangents—mini shortcuts formed by the curve's geometry—and execute bold, risky drifts that allowed them to cut in sharply and potentially gain the upper hand.

With a system that granted him accurate calculations of the track structure as long as he had a good view of them, Luca would know firsthand which lane to take and how to take it.

Literally, the data streamed before him in real time, numbers flashing and updating in mere milliseconds, slim black arrows and wide graphs guiding his every move.

[Calculating host drift exit...]

[... successfully calculated]

Maybe after this season, Luca could go to Formula 1 and give drivers like Legrasse a chance.

"....LUCA RENNICK IN P10!"

"WOOOOHH!"

**Yes! Attaboy, Luca! Simply lovely!**

[10th Position]

"...from P20 to P10, Luca Rennick is putting on a display in this French Grand Prix! How is this possible! Don't write him out yet Squadra, don't write him out Velocità, Luca Rennick makes it to P10!"

"WOOOOHH!"

Mr. Lugo and Mr. Mancini had both believed they'd dismissed Luca entirely, ruling him out of contention in this race. Mr. Lugo, in particular, had been hopeful that this would be the defining moment to secure Bueseno Velocità Jnr their second consecutive F2 Championship Trophy.

But now, seeing Luca's red-and-black Dallara devouring asphalt in P10, his heart burned with fury and frustration.

[Overtaking +1]

[Distributing Attained Point to Attributes involved...]

[Strength, Agility and Intelligence are all yet to reach level-up threshold]

[Ding!]

[Slipsense & Rainborne Skill Accumulating 5/6]

Luca glanced up at the sky as a low rumble rolled across the French heavens.