My Formula 1 System

After Luca emerged from the warzone, crowned winner of the Qatar Grand Prix, an immediate interview was waiting for him. Cameras were rolling, reporters bustled like ants around the fenced perimeter of the interview booth.

Standing in front of the microphones was Luca. He was still in his Trampos racing suit, but it was unzipped down to his waist, so his undershirt, drenched in sweat, was on display, and his unshaken, stud posture was accentuated.

"Luca, first of all—congratulations on the win. That was a storm of a race. How are you feeling right now?"

Luca nodded appreciatively to the man and answered his question by stating that he was feeling alright—victorious, grateful, and also overwhelmed by what had happened in the race.

"Many are calling this the most unpredictable Formula 1 race in recent years—did you ever think you'd make it to the end, let alone in P1?"

"Like many of my rivals, I came in tonight with 25 points as the objective," Luca started. "But as soon as we were hit with the heat wave, I was thrown in a lot of doubt. So—yeah, yeah, you can say I didn't think I'd make it to the end and walk out in P1."

"What was going through your mind during that heat wave? Did the car feel like it was slipping away from you at any point? You seemed to manage your tire degradation much better than others. Was that luck, preparation, or something about the car's setup?"

The question wasn't an amusing one, but the reporters saw Luca smiling at nothing in particular with his hands on his hips. How could he explain to them that he built this brick by brick with his system, and so, that was his reward?

He also slightly attempted Sync Buff in this race by getting points each for Yaw Flex and DRS Boost when he remorselessly snatched P1 from Dreyer after the second round of stops.

"The heat wave was a big bad problem," he replied. "I thought I'd crash—many of us thought we'd crash, but we held on. I did my very best to hold on better, so that means this was a very much deserved win."

The male interviewer with thin-rimmed glasses smiled firmly in agreement. "It certainly is," he said in support. "You've claimed a strong seat at the top of the standings with Ailbeart's DNF and Luigi's P6 finish. Do you feel the pressure, or is this where you always saw yourself this early in the season?"

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't see myself here," he said with a smirk that made him and all the reporters laugh. "Haha. Not in a bragging way really, just… this is the result of months of work. So, I'm not surprised, I'm rather satisfied."

After a pause, he added, "Pressure's always there, but I've lived with it. If anything, it's confirmation that I'm somewhere worth fighting for. So yeah… this is exactly where I meant to be."

"And lastly, Luca… with so many retirements and drama today, do you think this race will define the tone of the championship going forward?"

Luca's mischievous smile appeared. "To be honest, I do fancy this kind of unpredictability. If this becomes the standard, good luck to our tire suppliers. By November, we will all be bald."

All the reporters around laughed collectively, and it took a while before Luca finished. "But really—today was mad. I don't think it defines the season, but it definitely reminded all of us what Formula 1 is all about."

The reporters were grateful for the outstanding interview.

"Thank you, Luca."

Luca nodded before he left the booth and returned to the pitlane that was blindly bathed in fluorescent lights. He raised his hands to the celebrating Trampos crowd, and they roared in response.

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Final Race Standings – Qatar Grand Prix

🏁 Top 10 Finishers:

P1 – Luca Rennick 🇮🇹 (Trampos Racing) 🏆 +25pts (+1 FL)

P2 – Luis Dreyer 🇪🇸 (Outback Performance) +18pts

P3 – Jimmy Damgaard 🇩🇰 (Bueseno Velocità) +15pts

P4 – Marko Ignatova 🇷🇸 (Squadra Corse) +12pts

P5 – Buoso Di Renzo 🇮🇹 (Jackson Racing) +10pts

P6 – Antonio Luigi 🇮🇹 (Squadra Corse) +8pts

P7 – Hank Rice 🇬🇧 (Iberia Grand Prix) +6pts

P8 – Max Addams 🇨🇦 (Outback Performance) +4pts

P9 – Desmond Lloyd 🇬🇧 (Velox Hispania) +2pts

P10 – Elias Nyström 🇸🇪 (Nordvind Racing) +1pt

▾Remaining Finishers:

P11 – Yokouchi Yūichirō 🇯🇵 (Alpine Swiss F1)

P12 – Albert Derstappen 🇳🇱 (Jackson Racing)

P13 – Victor Surmann 🇩🇪 (Trampos Racing)

P14 – Józef Konarski 🇵🇱 (Alpine Swiss F1)

P15 – Denko Rutherford 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing)

P16 – James Lockwood 🇬🇧 (Nordvind Racing)

P17 – Alejandro Vasquez 🇪🇸 (Velox Hispania)

P18 – Mikhail Petrov 🇷🇺 (Iberia Grand Prix)

⨉ DNF (Did Not Finish):

P19 – Ailbeart Moireach 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing) – Mechanical Failure

P20 – Matteo Bianchi 🇮🇹 (Bueseno Velocità) – Health Complications

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So, it turned out that not fielding the super cars was a masterstroke in foresight after all. The HiCE-powered machines might have suffered catastrophic failures under the unexpected thermal stress of the Qatar heat wave. If the likes of the W12 or R.S.25 had been pushed to full race distance in those seventeen minutes of hell, the damage, both mechanical and reputational, could've been irreparable.

But now, it was clear to all that those supercharged HiCE machines had been tilting the scale more than anyone wanted to admit. When stripped away, as seen in Qatar, the raw pecking order shifted dramatically. Dreyer in P2 and Damgaard sealing the podium were results no one had predicted under normal HiCE circumstances, and Luca's P1 further emphasized that driver adaptability and car balance still held meaning!

Ailbeart Moireach DNFed in the most craziest way, and Luigi fell short of the top five and finished P6, a telling placement that underscored just how much the machinery had been masking true competitiveness. Without the untouchable W12 at his disposal, it seemed he was just another driver in the fray, and suddenly, the old guard of dominance looked beatable.

The Qatar Grand Prix, in all its unpredictability, had quietly pulled back the curtain, revealing a championship more open than it had seemed for months! Luca intended to keep the curtain open in his favor.