CHAPTER 67: RACE WEEKEND | SUNDAY | WEEKEND WRAP UP

"Ninety-five points. That is Fatih’s current championship total as he leads the championship by eight points over Huzeyfa, with Jackson falling to third overall, nineteen points behind. With today’s crash, Selçuk is now mathematically eliminated from the championship, and his chances of winning are over," Süleyman commentated alone, Zakir having left the booth to go and interview the podium finishers.

"With three wins and a second-place finish due to a mistake from the stewards, Fatih has finished in the top two positions in every race he has completed. It’s even better in other sessions, as he has led in all the sessions he participated in and completed, which is something I just realized now," Süleyman paused briefly, seemingly realizing the implications of what he had just said for both Fatih and the championship, before continuing.

"Having already broken three track lap records, recovered from last to first twice, but on the second time, he was taken out by Selçuk on the final lap. He has also led more than sixty percent of the laps in the entire championship, and he has done all of this in his first championship. This is a first for someone who had only a few months of training before entering the competition.

I am really looking forward to his future because if he continues showing performances like these, then he has a bright future. He might also be one of the few people to graduate from the country to the international racing scene and deliver results. But let’s not put pressure on him this early in his career, or we might end up pushing him to hate the sport. Instead, support needs to be provided to nurture him and ensure he doesn’t stagnate. Otherwise, we might have to wait for someone else to rise and show the potential to move to the international stage and bring home good results. And now, let’s cut to Zakir interviewing the podium finishers."

.......

"....." Aslan looked at Selçuk without saying anything for ten minutes after entering the academy tent and finding him sitting in a chair, waiting.

Not wanting to break the silence and escalate the situation, Selçuk remained as still as humanly possible, his right hand on his helmet, always ready to pick it up and put it on as a guard against anything that might be thrown at him.

Having just gotten off a phone call with his wife, who made it clear that she was aware of what he was doing and that she wasn’t going to let it slide. She had told him she would wait for him to come home to hear his defense or reasoning for his actions, even going so far as to threaten divorce. This left him unable to even express his feelings about the race ending early and completely destroying his son’s championship chances, as he now had to think of ways to save his marriage.

Raising his head from looking at Selçuk to looking at his coach, Aslan’s expression showed that he already suspected Adam of being the one behind the call to his wife. But because he didn’t have any evidence, he didn’t say anything, ending it with only a look of suspicion.

"We are leaving. Pack your things," Aslan said, releasing a deep sigh, before turning and leaving the tent. This left Selçuk even more scared, as his father wasn’t known to hide his feelings in front of others, and he cared about no one when expressing his anger.

"Can you come with me?" Selçuk turned to his coach and asked as he picked up his bag, his eyes begging along with his words.

"Sure," Adam said, agreeing without hesitation. He had already taken sides, and pulling back now would only make things worse.

......

"It’s fine. You still have a chance to win in the final round," Aron said, carrying his son’s bag as they walked to the parking lot. He didn’t want to stay and watch the podium ceremony.

Jackson didn’t say anything, turning his head upon hearing people cheering. The voice of the P3 finisher giving his interview followed, prompting Jackson to increase his pace, not wanting to hear anything about it.

Aron, seeing his son’s reaction, just shook his head and increased his pace to keep up with Jackson, who was on the verge of breaking into a run. Inside, however, Aron was curious to see how his son would grow as a result of this experience in his future endeavors or if he would simply rage quit now that the joy of constantly winning had disappeared, as he always seemed to finish behind Fatih or Selçuk, both of whom had less experience winning than he did.

......

"What do you think of your chances of winning in the final round? You need to finish ahead of Fatih, but you also require him to finish at least in P4 for you to have a chance to win the championship," Zakir asked Huzeyfa, the current P2 in the championship, who was eight points behind Fatih.

"My dad told me not to give up, to do my best, and to focus on the parts that fall under my control while not wasting time thinking about things I can’t control," Huzeyfa answered, repeating the advice his father had given him just minutes earlier after congratulating him for finishing in P2.

"That’s a good way of thinking, but isn’t hindering something you can do, just like Fatih did against Selçuk over the last two rounds of the championship?" Zakir asked, despite knowing it might be a difficult question for a child to answer.

Huzeyfa went silent for a moment, trying to rack his brain for an answer, but he came up blank. After about ten seconds of silence, he said, "I will do my best."

"Hahahahahaha, my mistake for asking such a difficult question. Congratulations on your third podium finish, and good luck in the final round of the championship."

"Thank you," Huzeyfa said, shaking Zakir’s hand before leaving as Fatih walked up for his final interview.

"Congratulations on your third race win, Fatih," Zakir said, shaking hands with Fatih, who had just shifted the microphone to his left hand to do so.

"Thank you."

"Now that you are back in the championship lead after not being there for the last few rounds, how does it feel? Is there any pressure or excitement in returning to that position?"

"There is always pressure to perform, no matter how far ahead or behind you are in motorsport. It’s just that the reason for the pressure changes depending on where you are. Being in motorsport requires you to be able to deal with it, so I’m very thankful that I can handle it. Instead of demotivating me, it motivates me to perform and overcome the cause of the pressure," Fatih answered in a very detailed manner, surprising Zakir and the viewers. He paused for a moment to enjoy the look on their faces before adding, "Also, it feels very good to be back in the lead."

"Mh..." Zakir coughed to regather himself, recovering from being stunned by the answer, before continuing with the next question. This time, he increased the level of language to see if the previous answer was memorized or if something had changed in Fatih’s development. "With an eight-point gap from second place, what are your views on the championship? Do you consider it in the bag, or is it too close for comfort?"

"Unless I have a twenty-five-point gap to second place, nothing is assured. Even in this championship, I’ve been hit twice, sending me to the back of the pack, and I had to recover to point-earning positions. There’s no certainty that it won’t happen again in the final round, so there’s no chance for leisure until the final race is over. After all, it’s the one who finishes that earns the points, not the one who leads the championship going into the final round," Fatih answered, looking at Zakir and enjoying his reaction even more.

"I’m very surprised by your articulate answers, so please let me recollect myself and come up with a better question to fit the change in circumstances," Zakir said, causing the audience to laugh at the situation, as they too were surprised by Fatih’s elaborate and clear answers coming from a child’s voice.

The laughing crowd gave Zakir time to come up with a new question before he asked, "What is your summary of the season as a first-timer who immediately performed better than those with more years of experience and training?"

Though Zakir had always wanted to ask this question, he had hesitated, thinking it would be too difficult for a child. But now, with the opportunity presenting itself, he took it.

"Though I performed better than those with more experience, I don’t see this as evidence of their poor abilities or being incapable of using their experience. It’s just the result of many circumstances aligning well. I had an academy behind me at the start, giving me an advantage, a dedicated teacher, and ample practice time, more than any of the experienced drivers had in their three-year period. Though talent is also a factor in my performance, it isn’t the only reason," Fatih answered, subtly sending shade toward the academy while maintaining a humble tone.

"That is a very insightful answer, and although I would like to ask more questions, it looks like we are out of time. Congratulations on your win, and good luck in the next round," Zakir said, looking disappointed that the interview had to end. He shook hands with Fatih, who was now being called to the podium.

"Thank you,"