My Formula 1 System

P3— Davide DiMarco

P4— Luca Rennick ↑

P5— Jimmy Damgaard↓

"... Luca Rennick in P4, Jimmy Damgaard in P5…!"

"WOOOHHHHHH!"

"....Luca snatches it! Absolutely no room left for Jimmy to answer back. That was precision at top speed. Beautifully executed from the man in the Ferrari...!"

Damgaard didn't even get the opportunity to strike back, perhaps repossess the upper hand by diving for Turn 2, if not Turn 1. Luca's speed at that expiration of the home straight was unimaginably high. Anyone could take the Scuderia Z24 as a supercar at that moment!

His car sprinted in and out of Turn 2 and, without delay, performed the same in Turn 3. Momentum was barely reduced in this short phase, so Luca was almost just as fast as he was on the home straight, on the first straight where DiMarco was nearly concluding.

[Straightaway ahead]

Once Luca saw DiMarco's #3 holographic crown, his blood fluttered with impatience and he almost jumped into paroxysm. The Z24 rumbled with intense speed and acceleration down the straight, the crowd cheers dragging as he pursued the captain of Italy.

[Analyzing Ferrari (Scuderia Z24) and host's distance from 3rd Position]

[You are 1.5 seconds away, host.]

Luca was filled with some kind of hope that he might be able to reach, arrest and overtake DiMarco, tech difference or not. He also considered what next if he did execute the almost impossible: begin defending against the same beast?

[Analyzing Pace Differential...]

[Host is gaining 0.5 sec per sector]

[Estimated catch-up time: 3 sectors (1 laps)]

[Updating Distance...]

[You are 1.2 sec away, host.]

On the straight, Luca was vanquishing DiMarco in speed, and according to analysis, if that kept up, he would overtake the Velocità driver with a good overtaking move at the important climax where necessary.

But immediately DiMarco slithered into Turn 4 and Luca followed, the headship was relocated from the 20-year-old Italian to the 29-year-old Italian. Luca's speed dropped like hell, and DiMarco, gliding like a snake towards T5 and T6, began to extend the gap that was just shrinking moments ago.

[Speed Differential: 0.3 seconds slower than rival.]

"...And now we're seeing it! Sector 2 belongs to Davide DiMarco. The engineering difference is starting to show itself as Luca struggles to hold the same line and grip...!"

"...He had the pace on the straight, yes, but once you hit the technicals, that Red Bull just starts to flex its chassis muscle...!"

"Whew–YES!"

"Ooohh my days. Thank goodness."

"Shut the damn door! That's what I'm talking about!"

"He nearly had us…"

"Clean. Clean, Davide. That's how it's done."

These sounds, grunts, and exclamations were coming from Bueseno Velocità's pitwall. Their engineers and crew members, in general, were both relieved and fired up after what had just occurred on track.

DiMarco had just shut down an impending overtake attempt from Rennick, who looked like he had the hottest wheels out there to actually pull it off. Comfort hit the Velocità crew like a breeze, and their concerns were alleviated.

On the other hand, Luca was receiving encouraging and invigorating words from his own crew. The race was soon entering its halfway stage, and there were many more laps to go; plenty of chances to attempt something better. At this juncture, P4 was already a fantastic development, considering he'd started from P8.

Luca hadn't forgotten about Damgaard. He glanced into his mirrors to gauge him, and then activated a distance assessment for clarity.

[Analyzing 5th Position's distance from host and Ferrari (Scuderia Z24)...]

[5th Position is 3 sec away, host.]

He also did the same for DiMarco, who was devouring asphalt like lunch and had now gotten reasonably far ahead, too far for immediate attacks at this point.

[Analyzing Ferrari (Scuderia Z24) and host's distance from 3rd Position]

[You are 2.5 seconds away, host.]

Lastly, Luca checked in on his tire wear. The first pit stop phase was approaching faster than many might have realized, so Luca wanted to gauge his optimal pit window. He was currently running on softs, faster to wear down, but they had also supported his speed and acceleration tremendously so far.

Almost all except the supers were on softs, and even some regular drivers were on the same compound. Despite that, the supers still suffered the most tire degradation—Luca had seen enough from DiMarco to know they'd begin pitting soon.

[Tire Wear Management +1]

**Tire degradation is healthy. Surprisingly. Still within optimal window**

"Yes. they've got a lot more to give."

**Copy that. You're still holding P4 clean. No pressure from behind, gap to Jimmy is 2 seconds. Davide ahead by 2.5. We're stretching this first stint if it stays green.**

"Understood."

Luca's tires were still in a solid condition, which meant he would remain out on track while others scrambled into the pit lane for changes. Since all three drivers ahead of him were bound to make earlier stops, that meant Luca was also bound to rise as the cycle unfolded. Perhaps, he could even find himself in P1.

Luca gripped his wheel more firmly and filled himself with patience, bracing to see how the next phase of the race would unfold.

*****

Just as predicted, even before the halfway point, the 25th Lap, the frontrunners began to visit the pitlanes. White-marked tires, depicting hards, could be seen lofted in the arms of pit crew in Squadra, Velocità and Haddock Racing.

Some other teams were also preparing for early stops too, after critical tire wear had been noticed and couldn't go unattended. For example, Hank Rice of Iberia had really lost quite the bundle of millimeters during his hot hound for the top 10 against the likes of Denko Rutherford, Derstappen, and Di Renzo.

It was quite amusing to note that Hank Rice was being shadowed and bullied by the very young stars and boys who once watched his prime on their screens or while in Formula 2. Now, they all had better cars than he did, and were in more successful teams.

If there was any driver who should be truly resenting Luca with a reasonable cause, it should be Hank Rice. His entire vestige and career lied with Nevada HanSama, and Luca indirectly snatched it away, leaving him exposed to the vultures to come and peck at him as if there wasn't a phase in the history of Formula 1 where he carried the action, the commentary shouts, and the enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

Hank Rice, Max Addams, and Elias Nystrom were the early pitters from the middle belt of the pack. The tail had its own share of those who visited the pitlane on time too.

Luca, who was set to pit quite late, perhaps seven laps or even ten laps from now, was ready to capitalize on open chances.

He was surprised that DiMarco didn't pit first among the three super drivers, even while running on thinning rubber. Luigi in P1 was the first. The moment he veered out, Ailbeart snatched the lead, prompting a loud cheer from the crowd.

"...AND THERE IT IS—Antonio Luigi peels off into the pitlane and just like that, Ailbeart Moireach inherits the lead at Bahrain...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

P1— Antonio Luigi →

**Antonio's stop is slow. We can take P3!**

Quietly, so no one would notice, Luca trailed three seconds behind DiMarco into the lap that Luigi had just pitted on. Once Ailbeart claimed P1 by zipping past the pitlane, DiMarco followed suit, and it was now left for Luca to do the same, just before Luigi would exit the pitlane.

"...Could Rennick do it? Could Luca Rennick actually shock the world and enter a podium spot in the very first race of the season...?!"

"WOOOOHHHHHH!"

Cameras remained locked on both Luca and Luigi's cars. But in truth, there was no need for the tension because Luigi was still seated in the pit box. Luca took P3 unapprehended!

[3rd Position]

P1— Ailbeart Moireach ↑

P2— Davide DiMarco ↑

P3— Luca Rennick ↑

"...Luca Rennick is into P3! He's on a podium spot now—yes, he is, ladies and gentlemen...!"

"WOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!"

"....Absolutely sensational! From P8 to P3 in a single stint! Rennick is putting the grid on notice here in Bahrain....!"

"...He's got the pace, he's got the guts, and he's now running with the titans up front...!"

Meanwhile, Luigi rejoined the race just behind in P4, ahead of Damgaard, with dust whirling up as he raced back onto the track.

P4— Antonio Luigi ←

**Composure. Composure. We'll bounce back**

**We're fast enough**

Luigi nodded in affirmation and began regrouping himself and the W12.