CHAPTER 546: S3 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX. 6

~SKRRRYYAAAAASHHHHHH!~

Side by side on the home straight at first. From the perspective of anyone, Marko’s Mercedes, the W09, looked more intimidating and more powerful with its polished black livery, far more than Luca’s scarlet Ferrari.

And on paper, the W09 was incontestably superior to the Z24. Yet, it was a surprise how the 20-year-old Italian, Luca Rennick, was piloting the unpopular Ferrari model to greatness.

Both cars were flat across the racing line, livery almost kissing livery, until Marko Ignatova faltered.

The tires of the Mercedes met a darker strip of asphalt, which, of course, was where water had gathered shallowly. There was no grip there at all, losing Marko his traction at a very crucial moment.

"WOOOOOOOOHHHHH!"

"...MAYDAY FOR IGNATOVA! THERE’S NO RECOVERY FROM THAT...!"

Twitching and swaying against the spray of track water, Marko’s steering lost meaning, and he eventually lurched off the racing line on the home straight.

~KRRRRAAANNNGGGHHHH!!!~

Nose first, the car slammed into the barriers with sparks, and the Russian’s race was essentially over, while Luca continued towards the next lap with great acceleration.

"...the Australian GP has gone horribly wrong for the Italian Kings and for Marko Ignatova! Big hit there, and it’s a strict yellow from the marshals...!"

"...From this angle, it looks like Luca kept his line clean, but the spray makes it hard to tell. Was there any contact? Was Luca Rennick’s pressure just too unbearable at such speed and wetness...?!"

RACE CONTROL: Quick Review No Further Action – No Contact Detected.

RACE CONTROL: Retirement Announcement Marko Ignatova – Crash.

RACE CONTROL: Yellow Flag Sector 3 – VSC (2 min est.).

The fact that it was a quick review from Race Control meant that the contact supposition wasn’t that close, and Luca was clearly innocent via the replay.

But half of the attendees in George Park didn’t agree with that ruling!

Like the thunderclaps in the Melbourne sky, frustration erupted from Squadra Corse’s garage. Mr. Campanella was right there at the pit lane, throwing his arms and ranting about the incident and the supposed biased verdict.

**Car’s in the wall, that’s your race over. We’ll review everything after, but from our side, it looked like you were forced off. He’s gotten away with it. Unbelievable**

"Understood," Marko replied from the home straight as he let the marshals attend to him and his mangled machine.

**Sorry, mate. That’s not how this should’ve ended**

XXX— Marko Ignatova

"...and that, ladies and gentlemen, is heartbreak for Squadra Corse as Marko Ignatova leaves the crash site under guidance! This is his first DNF of the season...!"

"...although the champions haven’t been spectacular, they’ve been so consistent so far this campaign. Falling to a one-man race would be catastrophic for them as this could hand over the championship lead to Trampos Racing..."

"...Exactly! Luigi’s down at P11 after starting at the very bottom. Still not in the top 10. This is a blow to their title defense...!"

**Safety Car deployed, Safety Car deployed. Slow delta**

**Also, confirmation from Race Control: no contact on that incident, you’re clear, Luca**

Behind his rain-dappled visor, Luca’s face was deadpan after the VSC confirmation and his review clearance. But as seconds passed, the Trampos driver slowly gave himself a soft grin, taking a deep breath.

[Tire Wear Management +1]

[Downforce +1]

[Braking Efficiency +1]

[Zero Drag +2]

Luca glanced at his system display in search of his Daily Quest, which he certainly hadn’t forgotten.

+1 EXP each to Wear Control and Silent Restore, a Wrench, and 0.6 Tokens were rewards Luca didn’t want to miss out on, even though the Daily Quest was by far the most difficult he had been issued.

Executing every turn in the Australian GP was already tough on its own because of the stern corners. Now, with the wet track factor, the Daily Quest was not only tough but cruel, even for Luca with all his supporting skills.

Perfect lines, flawless tire care, and measured braking were almost impossible to maintain while resisting the tiniest slip from the slick track, which could fail the quest. But so far in 25+ laps, Luca was still on the green light.

He exhaled with relief after confirming he hadn’t failed yet. After activating Side-by-Side King to pressure Marko Ignatova, Luca had feared the skill would backfire and throw him off balance.

Fortunately, things went according to plan.

Squadra Corse was one man down now.

RACE CONTROL: Safety Car Ending Lap 26 – Green Flag at Sector 3.

"...VSC ending in just a moment. The field is completely jumbled in anticipation, weaving left and right to keep those rubbers warm on that track...!"

"...thankfully, the weather’s better now, so no worsening of the conditions, but the asphalt is still slick."

[Analyzing Ferrari (Z24) and host’s distance from 1st Position...]

[You are 0.6 seconds away, host.]

"...it’s good composure from Jimmy Damgaard, leading the pack from the front even after all that drama behind him. He’s brilliant. He’s solid. Damgaard is unfazed here in George Park, and if he nails this restart, Velocita are still in control at the Australian Grand Prix...!"

"WOOOOOOHHHHHH!"

The crowd in the grandstands nearest to the home straight, where Marko fluttered away, erupted in unison immediately the VSC board went offline. The green flag returned, signaling the full race pace again.

The unresolved grudge from Squadra Corse spectators had to dwindle away as Jimmy Damgaard pushed hard on his throttle to stretch his lead. The RBioL burst into full High-Intensity Combustion, giving him enough gap to hold P1 for all to see.

Behind him, the field snapped alive too, like a chain being dragged. Everyone was eager to seize momentum after learning the rain had ceased, and conditions would be better.

Luca had to briefly add Grid Launch to his mental load, execute it to the level he had trained himself to, before returning to the batch: Gripper, S&R, and Spatial Awareness.

[Analyzing Ferrari (Z24) and host’s distance from 1st Position...]

[You are 1 second away, host.]

"...Rennick launches off just as DOMINANT as Damgaard, Moireach right behind him though...!"

"...he’s chasing immediately, wasting no time at all as they make it into the first sector, dropping their speeds for finesse! From the way these two are moving, folks, brace yourselves—we’re about to get a stunning display of wheel-to-wheel racing very soon between Damgaard and Rennick...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!"

While the front of the pack was already sizzling, there was more than just chaos in the midfield.

A particular driver had turned savage amongst his rivals, his machine snarling like a beast in the spray, his engine howling as he lunged into gaps.

Every twitch of his steering wheel frightened the other drivers around him to the extent that Desmond Lloyd relinquished his position in reverence, without challenge.

P10 – Antonio Luigi ↑

P11 – Desmond Lloyd ↓

From behind his dark visor, Luigi gave Desmond Lloyd a knowing glance, a silent message that surrender had been the right choice.

Lloyd didn’t even move in his cockpit as the Black Dread growled further, flashing his red rear lights before claiming asphalt ahead.

Desmond Lloyd wasn’t even sure if stepping aside was smart or a cowardly act. Perhaps it was both. But the undeniable truth was that challenging Luigi in these wet conditions would have been reckless, putting his race into jeopardy.

As a Velox Hispania driver, he knew his Mercedes was nowhere near the monster Luigi commanded. Not only did Lloyd feel inferior mentally, but he was also inferior on paper.

"...look who’s in P10! ANTONIO LUIGI, THE REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION!"

"WOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!"

"...started way back in P20, now he’s cut through the field even in these conditions. What a rise! Absolutely brilliant! Does he have enough pace and, more importantly, is there enough time left in this Grand Prix for him to make his way onto the podium...?"

The next driver on Luigi’s list was Elias Nystrom, and his "old rusty Audi," as Luigi often referred to Nystrom’s machine.

But unlike Desmond Lloyd’s spineless surrender, Nyström was never the type to simply move aside. He had been around too long, cut his teeth racing wheel-to-wheel with legends like Hank Rice, and that experience meant he was going to give Luigi a challenge worth sweaty palms and precise racing.

With or without a supercar, Nyström’s ego would never let him even think of giving up the racing line to you. Perhaps if you offered him the chance to join a better team, then maybe he might consider it.

But Luigi wasn’t here to play their little old games anymore where he would trade blows with Nystrom lap after lap, those kinds of pride contests that thrilled the crowd but also drained the clock.

That era was gone.

The pace was faster now, so fast that the W12 wasn’t as mighty as it was upon its debut last year October. Luigi knew that ego without results only made a driver look like a fool.

At turn 2 of the following lap, after closing in with DRS and sheer combustion power, Luigi slipped past Nystrom’s right at the hairpin, risking a slip.

Nystrom held himself back from nudging Luigi away, because that was the only way to get rid of him.

Fortunately for both drivers, the Swede’s intrinsic thoughts didn’t win, and Luigi dismissed him carefree, as if overtaking the "old rusty Audi" was nothing more than routine for him.

P9– Antonio Luigi ↑

P10– Elias Nystrom ↓

"WOOOOOHHHHHHH!"

**Good job, Antonio. That’s P9 now, nice and clean overtake on Nyström**

**Thirty laps completed, mate — just a couple more till next pit window. ... Copy that?**

**And just so you know, Rennick’s in P2**

"Understood," Luigi replied.

"...and into P9 goes the reigning champion, Antonio Luigi! What an incredible recovery this has been from a bottom start — remember, he launched from twentieth on the grid..!"

"...It might not be a podium just yet, but in a race that has already left Squadra Corse one man down, at least crucial points have been salvaged. A statement drive here in Australia..."

The commentators were right, but Luigi had no intentions to settle for anything other than the podium, or even P1 itself.

There were less than 15 laps left in the race, and it was more than enough for the fastest car on the grid to rise from P9 to P1 if he drove smartly and efficiently.

If possible, eliminating other drivers along the way would be ideal.

Luigi had great experience in crashing his fellow drivers, especially back then when the power rankings of the grid were leveled across many teams.

The only reason he had paused his notorious acts was because he was handed the W09 and subsequently, the W12, the fastest cars in each era. He couldn’t play both roles of a fox and a lion at the same time.

But now, he believed he could, since Rennick decided to play that game by crashing his teammate to favor Trampos in the standings.

Luigi’s chest burned with rage, determined to pay back. This race or in the next races.