My Formula 1 System

Everyone celebrated the New Year with a deep breath that could be described as a breath of transition and change. The arrival of the New Year came hand in hand with official confirmations for nearly all completed F1 deals and driver transfers.

December had been filled with speculation, whispers, and early actions hinting at what was to come. But January solidified everything into signed contracts, team announcements, and the formation or renewal of alliances.

As expected, the energy across the motorsport world was ambition, wary anticipation, invidiousness, and even a touch of apprehension. The grid had changed drastically, and so had the stakes. This particular transfer season had stirred up a wide spectrum of sentiments and perceptions.

It felt this way because everyone could sense that these transfers weren't like the typical shuffles seen in previous seasons. These moves carried the kind of weight and consequence that could redefine the very structure and rhythm of the championship. The names that had just switched camps were far too knightly, too established in prowess, for their collective potential to be overlooked in a competition that was already formidable on its own.

With proven championship winners and their loyal veterans, with teams that had never truly been out of contention and their relentless challengers; now joined by rising talents finally finding a home and rogue drivers hitting their peak form, just like Luca, the distribution of power had clearly tilted.

Outback had just added Max Addams to their roster. Although still a noob in Formula 1, he already understood how to handle a car through 50–60+ demanding laps without crumbling.

Jackson Racing had secured their replacements for both Rodnick and Luca: Albert Derstappen. He would be utilizing the FRC and the ThunderKat Pro to rise to preeminence. Upon hearing that he'd be handed the HiCE package over Di Marco, there was nothing that could stop Derstappen from walking away from Squadra Jnr. In his mind, this opportunity alone made all the waiting worthwhile.

And then there was Luca Rennick—the only driver who had deliberately sacrificed the upward momentum of his career just to re-sign with his rookie team. Why would such a formidable force willingly merge with a strengthless one like Trampos? There were three possible outcomes: either Luca's great aptitude would influence the team and raise Trampos to greatness, or his strength would combine with their mediocrity and level everything out, making both him and the team just average. The last possibility? That Trampos' weakness would infect him and slowly drag him down.

Luca's goal was firmly on the first. He was going to change this team. He would remodel their entire structure, reform their philosophy, and reconstruct their mindset to match his. His strength would spread through them; his potency, his wins, and his success would become their new standard.

So, it was no longer safe to assume dominance would only come from the usual suspects. Possibilities had exploded across the grid. A dark horse team could now rise up and challenge giants. A once-forgotten squad might crawl its way back into relevance. The potential for surprise victories, shocking championship upsets, and the birth of new rivalries had never felt this real.

Luca's officially a Trampos driver now, though he would still have to put another wet ink on the final signing ceremony yet to come. But for the moment, all formalities between him and the team were already wrapped up. There were no negotiations with Jackson Racing, no buyout clauses, and no involvement of middlemen. Luca had simply allowed his contract with the Silver Stallions to cleanly and silently expire, gutting them in the process.

With no renewal and no transfer fee involved, Trampos had managed to secure one of the most sought-after drivers on the market without spending a single dollar on acquiring him. The sting for Jackson Racing was immense, considering the past season's campaign had been centered entirely around Luca. It was one of the greatest rookie campaigns in recent memory, only for them to now watch him walk straight out the front door free of charge, with no compensation and no leverage.

Luca's goodbye came in the form of a Twitt, where he stated that he was grateful for all the help, development, nurturing, and support received from the Stallions. But unfortunately, he had to chase other purposes, as he no longer believed the future looked safe with Jackson Racing.

(Jackson Racing ) —> (Trampos Racing): Luca Rennick.

As one reporter put it coldly: "It's as if Trampos loaned Luca to Jackson Racing to train him in F1 for one year, then took him back without paying a dime."

What remained now were all those final formalities and essential procedures that every driver was required to complete before being fully embedded into their new team. Luca still had to undergo his full medical evaluation, fitness screening, and simulator onboarding with Trampos engineers to finalize the internal protocols.

Apart from being the final routine check, the main purpose of this phase was to ensure the athlete was physically, mentally, and technically ready to align with the team's machinery and demanding operations. And considering Luca had previously suffered something physically trivial and potentially impactful, his own evaluation was considered paramount.

After that would come the final ceremonial grand signing event, just like the one last year when Luca had indirectly revealed to the world that he was Aldo's son.

With handshakes and an official press release, Luca and Trampos would finally reveal what had been quietly negotiated behind closed doors. Cameras would flash like thunderstorms on Jupiter, and microphones would swarm like a colony of ants as the world would be left to interpret what this seismic move truly meant.

"Rennick Returns to Trampos in the Most Shocking Offseason Twist Yet!" #RennickReturns

"Rennick to drive in red once more!"

Germany were on the sideline, celebrating and hosting parades in his honour even from the start of the negotiations. And now that things were termed complete, the anticipation to see Luca in Trampos' red once again only intensified.

So, re-signing with Trampos and officially becoming a Trampos driver meant Luca would have to relocate back to Germany, because the team's headquarters and racing infrastructure were based there. He was used to London now, had adapted quite well to its rhythm, but of course, he could easily get accustomed to this switch too.

He quietly wondered how this change might ripple through his inner circle. His mother had options; she could either stay in the house at Clapham or at the villa, whichever she wished. Both were his properties, and she was his mother. Knowing her, she'd probably keep her independence in Clapham during the weekdays and spend her weekends at the villa.

On the other hand, Luca had no doubt Sophia would always choose the villa's warmth, serenity, and privacy over Clapham's tighter, busier neighborhood feel.

As for Isabella, Luca knew she wasn't one to enjoy the idea of a long-distance relationship. She preferred presence, touch, and spontaneity. But Luca also knew that sometimes, distance could add some fuel to the fire; build up tension, deepen affection, and stir more lust. He would handle it well.

Preparations for Luca's new home in Germany had already begun. The property he'd selected bore an intentional resemblance to his current villa in London. But this one in Germany was bigger, with a grander, more architectural frame for a house. Civil engineers in Germany weren't as lenient to their resources as the greedy English were. They often designed to impress, not just sell.

It also felt like a lived-in home rather than just another millionaire's asset. It was tucked away for privacy, yet still reasonably close enough to important locations to keep things convenient while maintaining its peace and isolation.

Luca would not return to his property in Dahlem. Even though the house was in a secluded, high-class neighborhood shaded by trees and silence, Luca knew his status in society had outgrown that. His name was too big now to dwell there, so he had to move on. To move on as so, he promptly added it to his real estate investment portfolio.

Perhaps, from here, he could begin investing thoroughly across Germany.

Once word leaked that it was Luca Rennick's former residence, the property's listing exploded. It turned from a simple house into a piece of memorabilia, as wealthy people began to auction with heated bids. Everyone wanted to live in Luca Rennick's previous home, so the listing was swarmed by families and ambitious bachelors.

The price, which was once modest, exceeded ten times its original value, and even at that, the bidders still refused to let go.