CHAPTER 585: S3 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

The eleventh round was nothing like the tenth.

The tension, the drama, and the controversies that shadowed Monza had all melted away for Budapest.

No misfortunes. No storm of chaos or complications. It was the complete opposite.

It was also considered a too-regular race week, like compensation for what had happened.

The Hungarian Grand Prix had always been known as one of the occasional Grands Prix.

It was one of the races that carried prestige and tradition.

Calendars could never feel complete without it. Oftentimes, it was the event that reminded fans of Formula One’s heartbeat.

But this year, the race wasn’t as thick as usual, and the F2 race on Saturday was even more scarce in attendance.

It wasn’t the lowest-attended race in history, but it surely marked the least crowd turnout of this season so far.

Such a bummer. Such a bummer for Hungary.

Perhaps the world was still wary of the bloody clashes and rivalries that had spilled out of Monza’s chaos.

And being the last race of the month, many might have deemed it fit to sit this one out.

But a poor reception didn’t mean the race itself would follow suit.

It actually turned out to be a good race, exactly the classic of a Hungarian Grand Prix.

The newly forged Trampos team kicked off their Grand Prix weekend with their settlement in Budapest.

For the first time in a long while, Luca stayed with them in the facility, extending and strengthening the genuine rapport that had been blossoming within the team.

However, it did cause Manuela a few analytical hiccups.

Since the Hungaroring was a conventional circuit, plotting for it by all ten teams came with little difficulty.

This gave every outfit the room to focus more on deeper strategies.

Even before qualifiers kicked off, it was clear that all teams had their pace precisely calculated for high grid spots; no one was leaving anything to chance.

It was a 5.2-kilometre track, and that meant it was all about speed now.

The game planning paid off under bright sun, clear skies, and neat air. It was a very energetic qualifying session with that sporty feeling despite the empty bleachers.

Luca didn’t grab pole, but he still managed to secure P2, a strong starting point right beside the front of the grid.

Pole position was claimed by the last race’s winner, Jimmy Damgaard, who looked every bit like a man chasing a second-straight P1 finish.

Of course, no one liked to see that happen.

But since Luigi started back at P6, Marko was disqualified for racing line misconduct, and P8 for Dreyer, it meant Luca in P2 and Ailbeart in P3 were the only immediate and capable threats to Jimmy’s ambition.

But when it came to race day, things played out differently from what had been predicted.

Firstly, the atmosphere was just as spirited as the qualifiers, buzzing with energy.

Even though attendance wasn’t the usual Hungarian standard, it was hard to tell unless viewed from an aerial shot.

The stands still had color, sound, and movement.

Before the formation lap, there was a moving presentation promoting peace and sportsmanship, a united message against sport violence that resonated deeply after recent events.

Then came a touching sight of the afternoon.

The cameras caught that there was something different about Luca’s helmet.

It was a special tribute helmet, dedicated to Ansel Hahn, the team’s "Quiet Wolf," signifying that neither Trampos nor Luca had forgotten one of their own.

Luca didn’t know whose idea it was in the team or who had prepared it.

All he knew was that while he was in the garage, mid-preparation for the race, five crew members handed him the helmet, freshly polished and gleaming under the pit lights.

The moment he saw it, he couldn’t love it any better.

"...Beautiful gesture. It really means a lot to the team, and to Luca especially..."

"...He drove side by side with Hahn for two seasons. They were more than teammates. They were friends. They were brothers..."

"...We lost Ansel Hahn on September 8, and even now, the memory lives on. Trampos remembers, and it seems that since this season, they’ve not been racing for points, they’ve been racing for someone they still carry in their hearts..."

It was perfect motivation for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

When it came to the 75-lap race, Jimmy Damgaard lost all the upper hand he had.

He started well, but Luca snatched P1 right at lights out, forcing Jimmy to immediately fight back, and he did so with a stunning lunge into Turn 2 that saw him reclaim P2 with a flash of brilliance.

However, the second lap wasn’t as forgiving.

He and Luca went at it again, but this time both drivers hurled their cars off the racing line in a struggle.

Their wheels brushed each other while also running over the ads pavement, leaving the asphalt deserted and the lead briefly uncontested.

Ailbeart Moireach might not have been at his sharpest for a few races now, but he wasn’t foolish enough to miss an opportunity when it stared him in the face.

His lead came easy while the two frontrunners corrected their lines.

It was an early advantage for Haddock Racing, and just like any other team, they held the stubborn conviction not to lose it.

But unfortunately, the tides changed, and by just ten laps in, Haddock’s brief glory was gone, usurped by the Rising Suns.

Trampos’ energy in the Hungarian Grand Prix was unmistakable, a surge so fierce that even neighboring team garages felt it.

Rivals called the German outfit overconfident, arrogant, self-assured, flamboyantly smug, and all because they had an even more audaciously self-believing driver, Luca Rennick, who carried himself like he was above every other man on the grid.

If not for the pity he showed them, they said, Trampos would still be that bottom-tier, irrelevant team the race organizers might one day forget to arrange a garage for.

Jealousy and spite had begun to creep around the paddock like a contagious scent.

And ironically, it wasn’t coming from Squadra, Velocità, or even Haddock, but from Velox Hispania—of all teams.

Velox Hispania was the secondary team powered by Mercedes.

Ever since the team’s plummet in the late 1990s, Mercedes had never again trusted them with the premium upgrades or vital resources that could ignite a return to glory.

Why would they, when their main love, Squadra Corse, had never truly faltered nor dragged the brand name into the mud?

So, Velox Hispania had to rely solely on its in-house resources, hoping that with sharper strategizing and cleaner efficiency, they might somehow climb back into the top ranks.

But with every other team constantly evolving, their efforts amounted to a stale form of progress.

The team pushed forward, but it was barely noticeable.

Their ineptitude showed glaringly when Alejandro Vasquez came in for his stop around the 21st lap.

Fumbling under the pressure, a tire was dropped by one of the crew members.

9.4 seconds. In Formula 1?

The commentators blundered about it. Vasquez’s Mercedes sped off in humiliation to rejoin the race. The Velox crew turned their eyes toward Trampos’ garage.

The red team gave them soft claps.

Encouragement?

They were expecting ridicule, but their rivals didn’t make any drama about it.