My Formula 1 System

The disaster that struck Trampos just 30 seconds into the Bahrain Grand Prix was identified as telemetry failure and data link loss.

Telemetry failure meant a complete blackout between car, driver, and the team. There existed an invisible web of communication; an advanced thread linking the car to the team through technology we're all familiar with today. So, when this link was severed, telemetry failure was declared.

At the very moment the problem surfaced right after lights out, all critical data including engine temperature, tire wear, energy recovery levels, and fuel delta froze entirely. Simultaneously, the screens at the pit wall and within the telemetry room went static.

From that point forward, there was zero connection between Luca and Victor and the Trampos crew at the pitlane. Neither side could communicate the issue they were facing, because the radio transmitter was affected too.

There were a few possible causes for this kind of blackout, as it wasn't entirely a foreign calamity in Formula 1 history. Hardware or physical damage could have been the culprit, but more often than not, the issue stemmed from software or signal failure. And since both Luca and Victor's Ferraris were affected simultaneously, the problem had to be originating from the pit wall itself, most certainly a software or signal malfunction.

Mr. Ruben and the rest of the crew were thrown into disbelief as they immediately began troubleshooting and scrambling for answers. Panic erupted inside a garage that had just moments earlier brimmed with novelty and high hopes for a fresh season. From Mr. Grant down to the simplest nut cleaner, all Rising Suns watched helplessly with clenched jaws as two of the most complex machines on Earth became ticking enigmas, hurtling at 300 kilometers per hour. They couldn't talk to them. They couldn't reach them. They had no link. This was a doomsday.

Rashly, Trampos lunged hotfoot and alerted the marshals that they had lost technical link with their drivers on-track and were actively probing for the cause.

The team had no choice but to alert the marshals and stewards because the telemetry blackout posed a serious safety threat not just to their own drivers, but to everyone on the grid. Without access to critical live data, the team couldn't detect or respond to any looming mechanical issues, which meant any failure could spiral into catastrophe and endanger everyone on the goddamn track.

Telemetry failure was a genuinely grievous issue, more than most fans or even some crew understood, because the stewards themselves couldn't issue a standard command for the drivers to return to the pits especially if the root cause wasn't from the car, but from the pit wall itself.

Their cars could still run just fine. They were not the problem, but since they've lost vital connection with the team, Luca and Victor were Trojan horses right there.

The stewards frowned the moment they received such destructive news barely two minutes into the new F1 season. Trampos would definitely be fined but that was a different matter entirely. For now, they had to join forces to ensure the safety of Rennick, Surmann, and every other driver on the circuit, while still preserving the tense competitive atmosphere of the race that was already in full motion.

[Lap 3 – 00:02:52]

"...Race Control has been notified that Trampos Racing is currently experiencing telemetry and data link loss with both of their cars..."

"....The issue is under investigation. Luca Rennick and Victor Surmann have been advised to proceed with caution..."

"...Due to loss of telemetry connection, both Trampos cars are being monitored visually and by manual pit-board until further notice..."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

After the broad announcement, the Stewards proceeded to place both Luca and Victor under Technical Observation and issued a Restricted Engagement advisory on them.

A Restricted Engagement advisory meant that both drivers were prohibited from executing any ambitious overtakes, reckless maneuvers, or engaging in risky duels with rival drivers. Most critically, it also came with a final order of mandatory retirement if the telemetry issue remained unresolved by Lap 20.

If, by the time the 20th lap arrived, both drivers were still blind and disconnected from their team, they would be forced to DNF, classified under Mechanical Failure.

"...this season opener had just gone from awesome to mind-blowing..!"

"...AND FROM BAD TO WORSE FOR TRAMPOS RACING..!"

"...They've completely lost telemetry with both cars, and now the stewards have slapped them under Technical Observation! Rennick and Surmann are driving blind out there with no data, no strategy calls; just pure instinct and grit! This is impossible to believe in this era!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH"

[Operational Status:

Fuel Level: 90%

Tire Condition: New

Telemetry Status: Inactive ]

Luca understood very well what he was getting into when he put down his signature for Trampos during the winter break.

They weren't the most advanced, not the most financially buoyant, nor the most structurally sound of teams. In fact, half the grid still referred to them as a "pitlane liability."

But Luca hadn't come here for the comfort of cutting-edge tech or the assurance of a title-contending garage. Statistically and undeniably, he had just left a team that offered all of that.

As he sat in the cockpit, he fully grasped the technological depths Trampos was drowning in. Of course, he already knew it was bad, but not this bad. The level of dysfunction clearly stemmed from the team's own ineptitude. And if this was the starting point... then it was going to be a very long season ahead.

[6th Position]

Now in P6, Luca was already proving to the world that he didn't even need full team support to flourish in a race. He overtook Dreyer at the start of Lap 3 using DRS Boost, combined with a powerful surge harnessed advantageously through his Heat-Energy Recycling Engine Feature.

"…and there it is! Lap 3, down the back straight, and Luca Rennick made his statement! No telemetry, no data feedback, no guidance from the pitwall, but he still sent it! He used the DRS perfectly, and just as Dreyer went to cover the inside, Luca surged past on the outside with raw instinct and pure drive..."

"WOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

"..Incredible! That move was gutsy! Powered by Trampos' barely-reliable hybrid!!"

Truthfully, Luca need not rely on the dashboard's data because his system was more than enough. The only real problem he faced now was the absence of strategy calls that were typically discussed over the radio, like usual. Apart from that, he was still fine on track.

But Victor wasn't.

As a rookie, Victor was visibly lost.

While Luca leaned into his system's inner alerts and instinctive racing knowledge, Victor had none of that luxury. He was stuck as just a young driver with a blank dashboard, no data influx, no tire wear charts, no engine temp warnings. All he was left with was just guesswork and sweat, and his heart drumming a rhythmless beat.

As a result, he began to miss braking points and took far too many caution lines. That further led to poor and sloppy defense, ultimately relegating him lower and lower on the grid.

By Lap 5, only the radio came back on, alive and clear, with no actual sign of the prior malfunction. Mr. Grant barked through it like a dog, trying to catch the attention of his drivers and help guide them while the entire telemetry structure was still being restored.

At least with the radio, they could salvage something: discussing a possible early pit stop window, adjusting brake bias manually, and managing engine modes the old-school way through pure communication. But tragically, it had come too late for one of them.

Victor was already sitting at the bottom of the leaderboard.

P20 — Victor Surmann ↓