My Formula 1 System

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TARGET: LUCA RENNICK // #21 //

AGENT: Mrs. Coastfield | TEAM: ████████ | CIRCUIT: Circuit du Soleil

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DRIVER ASSESSMENT – PAST AND CURRENT OBSERVATION

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—Raw Prowess: 85—90

—Racecraft: 80—90

—Fortitude: 85—90

—Speed Science: 85—95

—Tacticality: 85—95

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➡ OVERALL DRIVER SCORE: 85—88

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The name Luca was undoubtedly on every clipboard, perhaps even on Bueseno Velocità's Mr. Stock's clipboard.

Let's not rule out the possibility of F1's Bueseno Velocità making a move to get Luca's signature even though their star junior driver should make the top division.

Mr. Grant, Ms. Vallotton, Mr. Fisher and the other esteemed figures in the board could only look at the track with pride as Luca engaged in yet another duel.

His performance, climbing from P20 to P10, was nothing short of extraordinary. They agreed this level of brilliance was something they needed to secure for future seasons.

A 12-fold increase in his salary was already on the table, elevating Luca to a staggering €8 million—a record-breaking figure for Formula 2. Even Max Addams, valued at €5 million, paled in comparison.

Though the value wasn't finalized yet, the board was eager to make it official after this French Grand Prix. This move wasn't just about rewarding Luca but also ensuring no opportunistic F1 team could lure him away at the end of the season.

For Trampos Racing, €8 million was undoubtedly a significant investment, but given Luca's performance and potential and to fix according to FIA rules, they saw it as a modest price to pay for keeping their star driver firmly in their ranks.

[38th Lap]

Luca had to temporarily pause his duel with Hatcherk Motorsport's Peter De Klerk when the announcement for the safety car echoed loud and clear.

The wet conditions had claimed yet another victim at the back of the track, leaving just 26 engines in play in this French Grand Prix.

Luca sighed, steadying his car behind the same driver he had been battling, as the safety car's lights flashed and reflected from afar while it peeled onto the track.

"...Safety car is out in this French Grand Prix!"

"WOOOOHH!"

Maintain delta time. Watch your gap to Legrasse and De Klerk.

"Peter De Klerk," Luca repeated, weaving left and right as the cue of Dallaras lined up behind the safety car.

From his position, he could see the side frames and mirrors of his true rivals in the top positions. Their colors blended so much that he couldn't clearly discern who was in P1 and who held P2.

For now, though, P9 was Peter De Klerk's to keep. And Luca had to admit—De Klerk was a solid driver. 1x Race Wins, 7x Podium Finishes.

Luca's final remark about De Klerk was that he was like a wolf in the midst of lions—good, but surrounded by drivers who were just a little bit better. At 27, two years older than his star teammate Sean Aaronson, who was only 25, Luca couldn't quite envision the Dutch driver making it to Formula 1.

Moreover, Hatcherk Motorsport didn't even have a senior F1 team, making the prospect of De Klerk's advancement even more unlikely.

Luca's climb to the top had gradually become difficult as De Klerk showed him why he drove for Hatcherk. However, Luca's difficulty in overtaking De Klerk tilted mostly on the wet conditions than De Klerk's driving itself.

The rain had picked up, the crowd roaring as heavier droplets began falling on Luca's Dallara, creating a rhythmic pattern within seconds.

The 40th Lap would soon begin, opening up the window of thicker tension that might even cause him, the host of a system, to be too entangled and lose control. Luca needed Slipsense & Rainborne and he needed it now, every drop of rain was like an echoing reminder.

Without the skill, reaching P1 felt impossible. Based on Luca's instincts—since the system hadn't yet provided full details—he guessed it would give him an edge, allowing him to navigate faster and more efficiently than the other drivers.

The skill might offer smoother handling through tight turns, improved tire grip as if the track were dry, and enhanced visibility through the rain.

Luca would start out small with a [2] value, but who says that wouldn't help than zero?

"... safety car would be leaving the track!"

"WOOOOHH!"

"...and ██████ leads the pack down into the last chicane to resume this French Grand Prix! "

A smart thought crossed Luca's mind as he trailed behind De Klerk unthreateningly.

He remembered that he would be starting Slipsense & Rainborne with [2] once he unlocked it. He also remembered that his Sync Buff was close to filling up.

To see exactly how close, Luca glanced at the top-right corner of his system interface.

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

Half a bar left? Incredible!

If Luca could earn another Overtaking Skill point, unlock Slipsense & Rainborne, and fill up the Sync Bar at the same time, it would create the most dangerous system combo level-up he'd experienced so far!

Once activated, Luca would select Slipsense & Rainborne as one of the Skills to buff. Instead of starting at a measly [2], the Skill would shoot up to a powerful 50!

Visibility would become as sharp as an HD photo, and the tires would grip the asphalt like they were one with it.

This was the smartest plan Luca had ever come up with, and he couldn't wait to execute it.

Imagine driving at full speed under the influence of Sync Buff, taking sharp turns and descending the Drop without worrying about aquaplaning or spinning out!

The crowd wouldn't even believe it.

**Okay. P1 has crossed the grid. Focus**

Luca gripped his wheel tighter, chuckling at the sight of Peter De Klerk's gearbox through the spray of water.

The 27-year-old Dutch driver would be the crossing to his T in this plan. As they rolled down the straight, skimming over the grid, Luca readied himself to strike.

[39th Lap] Luca's system announced.

Peter De Klerk emerged first with a burst of speed, leaving Luca, still in the 38th lap, to move under the required speed.

However, once Luca crossed the line, he clutched his throttle, still cautious of his lack of owning Slipsense & Rainborne in his arsenal.

[Analyzing Dallara (F2 04) and host's distance from 9th Position]

[You are 2 seconds away, host.]

De Klerk was navigating the first turns with reduced speed, which gave Luca the opportunity to enter Turn 1 just as De Klerk was leaving Turn 2.

Unfazed by Legrasse's delta, which his system provided shortly after, a determined Luca pursued De Klerk before the short straight could come into play.

At the apex of Turn 2, Luca could see, across the wet grass and through the sheet of rain, De Klerk's orange chassis weaving into Turn 4.

"I need to keep up," Luca whispered, tilting his wheel in line with the track's structure and completing the outside line he had taken for Turn 2.

Seamlessly, he dove into the inside of Turn 3, battling the unstable traction caused by water on the track.

"WOOOOHH!"

The urge to be part of whatever the crowd was roaring about distracted Luca momentarily. However, he kept his focus and resolved to clear this hurdle first. For some reason, Peter De Klerk was maintaining the two-second delta between them.

"Maybe the first straight will close the gap," Luca thought, responding to Mr. Ruben's instructions to apply more downforce into Turn 5 and Turn 6.

But first, the straight—his foot left the brake and pressed the throttle.

[You are 2 seconds away, host.]

Luca sighed.

De Klerk had already finished the straight before he could even start making an effort to use Slipstream Mastery.

Luckily, as soon as he followed into Turn 5, where De Klerk showed significant difficulties in weaving its steep, dangerous side, the time gap reduced a bit.

[You are 1.2 seconds away, host.]

Luca eyed the crest of the Drop from where the bottleneck of Turn 5 lay ahead.

He debated whether to follow closely and chase down De Klerk, exiting with more momentum and finally overtaking the HM driver.

But Luca considered the now-increasing rain and the growing amount of water on the track.

Unlike when he was behind John Roberts, the track now had pools of water forming once again, meaning he'd definitely be blind.

Moreover, Peter De Klerk was far better and more experienced than John. Luca couldn't predict what surprises this rival might have in store for him. After all, he wasn't even close to accurately predicting opponents' actions with his system—he had to rely solely on intuition.

Mr. Ruben also advised Luca to keep a safe distance, and he complied.

Soon enough, Peter De Klerk was at the bottom of the Drop. A glance in his side mirror reflected Luca's eager Dallara zipping down behind him.

Sitting in 9th place in the standings, De Klerk knew this was probably his last shot at taking home points for the season. Another year without an F2 title, F1 still feeling out of reach. The weight of it all hit him as he thought about how potential worked, and why a 19-year-old like Luca from Trampos had so much of it.

The gap between them had been 1.8 seconds. By the time Luca shot out of the Drop, it was down to 0.9. The Dallara fishtailed, struggling for grip, before locking in, the young driver chasing him down like a predator on his tail. De Klerk felt his heart racing, a little too familiar with that feeling, even though he was older.

Hatcherk Motorsport team engineers warned De Klerk to be aware of Luca's plans.

All entities against Trampos and Luca, fans and teams alike still believed Luca was guilty of John Roberts' spin out at Turn 8 back then. And now, HM engineers were warning De Klerk to be careful if Luca planned on doing the same to him.

Meanwhile, Luca, unaware of the chatter on the team radio, hummed to himself, counting down the seconds until he could claim P9.

Both drivers dove into Turn 8 together, but nothing happened to De Klerk. In fact, Luca struggled a bit as he was slammed with the full force of water spray from De Klerk's tires.

Back in the pits, Mr. Ruben and his engineers watched closely, noticing Luca gently feathering his brake as they approached the exit of the turn. They figured he was just trying to escape the spray, but then something caught their attention, and it was the circular DRS indicator that flashed on their screen.

[DRS Engaged]

The engineers erupted into cheers in the dimness of the rain.

"....It's crunch time as Luca makes his move on De Klerk! That's the advantage Luca's been waiting for. Trampos' crowd's on their feet as Luca engages DRS skilfully at the start of the straight!"

"WOOOOHH!"

**COVER YOUR LANE!** Peter De Klerk was warned, but the warning came when Luca was already beside him.

A shove from De Klerk would send him ten positions back after he'd suffered a 20-second penalty.

But would he risk it just to get Luca out of the race simply for hate and spite.

No... not in Formula 2 at least. Luca would worry about that kind of unhealthy competition in the biggest division of motorsport.

"WOOOOHH!"

Luca's DRS window closed and he was nose-to-nose with De Klerk.

Peter De Klerk tried to fight and gain the upper hand before they hit the next straight. He could almost taste the edge, but it was too far out of reach.

Luca, with Side-by-Side King at 5, struggled his best to master the skill more. De Klerk's heat was scorching, both drivers spraying each other's tires, but at the end, Luca emerged victorious by making it into the inside line of Turn 9 first.

De Klerk had no choice but to fall in behind, his spirit and morale taking a hit.

"...Luca Rennick in P9!"

"WOOOOHH!"

**Oh my word, mate! Incredible driving!**

Luca let out a deep breath and gave another pump of his fist to congratulate himself.

He loved the fact he could hear Trampos' German cheers again! He had reignited them in this French Grand Prix!

"...we might be experiencing a comeback in Le Castellet, Jon! Trampos' Luca Rennick has found his way into P9!"

[9th Position]

[Side-by-Side King +1]

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

[SYNC BAR COMPLETE]

Luca felt a tinge of concern and excitement. "Is... that all....?"

[Overtaking +1]

[Distributing Attained Point to Attributes involved...]

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

"..."

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! Daily Quest Completed!]

[You have been rewarded with (EXP)!

-Strength +1

-Agility +1

-Intelligence +1]

"...?..."

[Ding!]

[Slipsense & Rainborne Skill Accumulating 6/6]

[Ding!]

[You have unlocked a Skill:

-Slipsense & Rainborne: 2 ]

"YES!"

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A/N: Thanks for 100+ Golden Tickets and 1000 Privilege Unlocks ^⁠_⁠^