CHAPTER 547: S3 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX. 7

[37th Lap]

Before the definitive Lap 40, the rain completely ceased, leaving behind only a damp gloss across the 6 km asphalt.

The track became half-dry, shimmering with the reflection of the floodlights, and more suitable for racing. But before this ideal time came around, the light downpour had walloped two drivers apart from Ailbeart Moireach.

On Lap 34, Józef Konarski in P16 was troubled at all corners, trying to find his ground in a field full of other drivers just as desperate as him.

Unfortunately, at Turn 6’s sweeping corner of Sector 2 towards T7 and T8, his rear tires lost all sense of grip just like that. Konarski knew his race was over immediately when the steering wheel of his Renault jerked in the opposite direction of his control.

In synchrony with the curvature of T6, the car raked a lot of asphalt water until it slammed into the barriers, a bit less catastrophic than Ailbeart’s.

XXX — Józef Konarski

The second driver and the second DNF, though, just happened the previous lap before the rain officially ceased entirely.

Max Addams sadly made a bow out of the Australian GP.

Mechanical failure was often more painful than crashes because it felt as if the very machine betrayed the driver and the team, leaving them powerless to make any sort of revival.

Max’s Red Bull simply coughed up plumes of smoke at the apex of T11’s hairpin before rolling helplessly off the racing line. Max had to put the car to a stop, come out with his helmet on, and begin kicking its tires in frustration.

"...after such a long, long run. He’d been holding steady all race, managing the wet, keeping his car alive through the conditions. And now, with the track finally drying, the Red Bull just gives up on him. Max Addams is out of the Australian Grand Prix..."

XXX — Max Addams.

He received standing applause from sections of the grandstands as he trudged away from his smoking machine, but Max couldn’t care less. He was bitter, angry, and disappointed.

From the occurrences leading to the DNF, it was widely believed throughout the circuit that Luigi was responsible for it indirectly.

Max had placed his cards against the Black Dread, swearing on his career that Antonio Luigi wouldn’t make it through him that easily. And to Luigi’s surprise, the young man actually shut him down, not once, but thrice in the space of two laps.

But the course of the Canadian’s defense had come with bumps, scrapes, and hard shoulder-to-shoulder contacts between both machines, marking their duel as the best in the race.

Because of this, a large number of people suspected that the strain of those regular contacts must’ve aggravated something within Max’s car, bringing about the mechanical failure.

Only Outback Performance would be able to confirm after the race. And even if it’s true, Luigi would most likely face no penalty, as some thought he could.

The clashes between Max and Luigi had been mutual; both traded blows, neither yielding. They were warned once by Race Control, but they continued, so it was fair.

Whether or not he was guilty, Luigi still smirked when he saw the reflection of a rival’s smoke in his mirrors. That was truly one of the sweetest sights in motorsports: a rival bowing out before you.

P7 — Antonio Luigi

Feeling no flinch of empathy, Luigi knew one more obstacle was cleared from his path to the podium. A sense of satisfaction washed over him since he felt like he was responsible for every inch of his progress. No journalist or reporter could say that he got to where he was by chance. Not at all.

The race was coming to an end, and Luigi knew he had to be quick. But as the second round of pit stops came around, the seamless dynamic of the race was upended, making it difficult to analyze the entire structure until the majority of the pack had made their stops.

Switching back from wets to hards or softs was the directive for every team once the rain had ended. Staying too long on wets or intermediates meant loss of pace, so there was no doubt that every driver would visit the pit lane in order to get that last speed toward the finish line.

Luca wasn’t an exception either. Although he was running well with his current sets, he still needed full-stack pace to prevent falling behind while others flourished on the dry track.

[Retrieving pitstop info...]

[Service Time: 1.81 seconds]

[Front Tires: Intermediate → Soft]

[Rear Tires: Intermediate → Soft]

[System’s prediction: 12 sec—15 sec]

[Host’s pitlane Entry and Exit: 10.2 sec]

"....OHHHH, look at that stop from Trampos Racing—absolutely singular in the chaos! Rennick in and out in no time at all, softs on, and he’s straight back into the fight...!"

P1– Jimmy Damgaard ←

P2– Luca Rennick ←

"WOOOOOOHHHHHH!"

"...such precise timing here! Rennick’s in just a lap after Jimmy, and this right here might be crucial to determine the first to the finish line! Damgaard’s still trying to get his new tires warmed up, and Rennick’s already charging, attacking that delta. CAN TRAMPOS STEAL THE WIN FROM VELOCITA IN GEORGE PARK...?!"

And so, it all boiled down to the two men everyone had circled since the grid lineup. Jimmy and Luca had their face-off in Australia already written in history for them. What remained vague, however, was who would be leaving the country with 25 points and who with 18.

Ailbeart Moireach was down to P5 after a generational flop in pit stop service by Haddock Racing, not to mention his pitlane infringement that Race Control reviewed as the 40th Lap opened.

And Luigi—Luigi had to drop his false conviction of rising from P20 to P1.

After the second pit stop round, he found himself in P8, one position down, when he expected six positions up.

[You have received:

– 1 Catalyst]

[43rd Lap]

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

[You are 1 second away, host.]

"...Two laps left in Melbourne and THIS is what we live for—one second separates Jimmy Damgaard and Luca Rennick as they weave once more to glory! The track is dry, the crowd is on their feet, and we’re about to witness an almighty showdown for the chequered flag...!"

"WOOOOOOOHHHHH!"

P3 was occupied by Luis Dreyer, surprisingly so. Luca, seeing that he was 3 seconds behind, knew he had to put his all to snatch P1 from Jimmy Damgaard at the last minute.

From the tonality of his engineers, Luca sensed Trampos was quite satisfied with P2 if it ended this way, but he really wasn’t. To dominate this entire season was what Luca wanted, which would make his championship victory feel uncontested in every way.

With DRS Boost, Luca subtly closed the gap on the second straight to T10.

Damgaard pulled away into T11 just when Luca was having the advantage.

Luca had to give Jimmy the credit. Jimmy knew High-Intensity Combustion wasn’t what would guarantee him victory here in George Park.

Nothing would ever beat the crude application of the careful balance between finesse, power, and perfect lines. Essentially, Jimmy Damgaard had abandoned the role of rashness and desperation that some drivers like DiMarco would take in this situation.

Right now, before the finish line, he was a clear mirror of Luca’s driving, making it difficult for the Mazerunner to exploit any vulnerability.

Still, Luca didn’t give up. Slipstream Mastery felt like a long-range skill, a true golden finger in a crucial time.

[Slipstream Status: ENGAGING]

[Car — Approaching Slipstream (Minimal aerodynamic effect)

Car — Partial Lock (Drag reduction increasing) ]

[⚠ Slipstream Engagement failed!]

[Overtake Window: Uncertain]

"...Oh, Rennick is trying everything now—he’s tucking right in behind Damgaard, searching for that slipstream, but the straights are far too short to build any momentum! IT’S THE FINAL LAP HERE!"

"WOOOOOOOHHHHHH!"

After the last failed attempt at drawing close and overtaking, Luca finally eased off in resignation.

Jimmy’s defense was too solid, and with the track structure offering no real slingshot, Luca understood he had better respect Jimmy’s mastery than risk making a mistake that would fail his Daily Quest, or worse, a reckless lunge that could endanger both of them.

"...Here they come! The checkered flag is out.."

"...Damgaard leads, Rennick right there in the Ferrari, he’s pushing all the way down the straight! But it’s not enough—"

"....JIMMY DAMGAARD WINS THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX FOR VELOCITA!"

~~~~~~~~

Final Race Standings – Australian Grand Prix

🏁 Top 10 Finishers:

P1 – Jimmy Damgaard 🇩🇰 (Bueseno Velocità) 🏆 +25pts

P2 – Luca Rennick 🇮🇹 (Trampos Racing) +18pts

P3 – Luis Dreyer 🇪🇸 (Outback Performance) +15pts

P4 – Buoso Di Renzo 🇮🇹 (Jackson Racing) +12pts

P5 – Ailbeart Moireach 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing) +10pts

P6 – Albert Derstappen 🇳🇱 (Jackson Racing) +8pts

P7 – Antonio Luigi 🇮🇹 (Squadra Corse) +6pts

P8 – Denko Rutherford 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing) +4pts

P9 – Yokouchi Yūichirō 🇯🇵 (Alpine Swiss F1) +2pts

P10 – Matteo Bianchi 🇮🇹 (Bueseno Velocità) +1pt

▾Remaining Finishers:

P11 – Desmond Lloyd 🇬🇧 (Velox Hispania)

P12 – Hank Rice 🇬🇧 (Iberia Grand Prix)

P13 – Victor Surmann 🇩🇪 (Trampos Racing)

P14 – Mikhail Petrov 🇷🇺 (Iberia Grand Prix)

P15 – Alejandro Vasquez 🇪🇸 (Velox Hispania)

P16 – Józef Konarski 🇵🇱 (Alpine Swiss F1)

P17 – James Lockwood 🇬🇧 (Nordvind Racing)

⨉ DNF (Did Not Finish):

P18 – Józef Konarski 🇵🇱 (Alpine Swiss F1) – Crash

P19 – Max Addams 🇨🇦 (Outback Performance) – Mechanical Failure

P20 – Marko Ignatova 🇷🇺 (Squadra Corse) – Crash

~~~~

"Luca, second place today in Melbourne. Trampos Racing now tops Squadra in the Constructors’ standings. Do you and the team feel satisfied with that result?"

"Me and Victor’s result could have been better. But yes, overall we’re satisfied. We’ve got the points we need, and we’re leading the standings."

"Antonio Luigi — P7 from a P20 start. That’s a massive climb. What’s your reaction to that drive?"

Luca scratched his head, chuckling before answering: "Wow, that’s scary, isn’t it? He had an incredible recovery today. That’s a good result for him, and I’m sure he’ll bounce back even harder next race. We’ll all be ready for that — me included."

"And your former team, Jackson Racing, with Di Renzo finishing P4 and Derstappen P8 — what do you think of that performance?"

"It’s a good improvement, I think."

"Even though you didn’t make history today with five wins in seven races, you’re still dominating the season so far. Do you think this level of form continues all year? Because respectfully, your career is known for dipping in the later stages of a season."

Luca didn’t get mad at the reporter who stated that, because he knew she was right. He was determined to change this curse of his.

"The championship trophy is all there is. I’m going all the way," he answered.

After his interview, Luca returned to his jubilant team that was celebrating the achievement of leading the Constructors’ standings for the first time in the team’s history.

Other teams couldn’t help but feel repulsed by their celebrations.

"They didn’t even win the race. Why are they acting like champions already?"

"Let them enjoy it. The season is just reaching halfway. Celebrating this hard only makes the fall worse later."

But Trampos Racing couldn’t care less about the muttering from rival garages.

They stretched their happiness all the way to the podium ceremony, cheering louder than anyone else as if the Constructors’ trophy was already in their hands.

But the fervor in George Park was suddenly silenced when—

BANG! BANG!

Luca froze his soft smile and turned his head toward the direction of the gunshot.