My Formula 1 System

Chapter 702: Dutch Grand Prix. 3

Yield?Surrender the lead just because the tires were showing a bit of thermal degradation?

'No way! Absolutely not!'

This was Squadra Corse! They were the titans of the grid and the peak of motorsport engineering. They did not yield to anyone.

Instead of pulling Antonio Luigi into the pit lane early and giving up track position, the team principal made the ruthless decision that Luigi match the aggression of his rivals, push the degrading rubber as far as possible, and then execute an intelligent undercut later.

It was the only way to preserve the points and the pride of the Blacks. After all, with Luigi's mastery that could keep the tires from exploding, this decision wasn't exactly high-risk as it seemed.

After receiving the tactical directive, Luigi took the initiative instantly, his eyes squinting in resolve.

'Come on then, you cheerful snakes!' yelled the champion as he gauged the Delta to Luca and Jimmy. His racing turned decisive because the objective was a bit complex now. Luigi wasn't only racing, but managing his tires, holding the lead, while also keeping the candy away from Luca's reach.

At any low-speed corner, he handled the throttle just right to accomplish his goal. If there were any accurate module, his accelerator would be calculated at about 78% minimizing wheelspin and preventing the rear tires from sliding and cooking themselves.

To maintain a challenging pace while also nursing some softs was a feat only legendary drivers could pull off. Thankfully, the man behind the wheel also had the crest of the F1 championship title on his helmet.

Because of Luigi's perseverance, high-speed warfare manifested in the Dutch GP amongst the top three. Since he was picking up his pace, Luca and Jimmy had no choice but to follow. Thus, the three cars formed a chain of similar delta, tearing through Zandvoort.

And as a result of running in synchrony with about a second difference separating each man, a multi-layer slipstream effect was created, and their top speeds began to skyrocket into mind-blowing numbers.

317 kilometers per hour for Luigi.

320 kilometers per hour for Luca.

And a staggering 330 kilometers per hour for Damgaard, who was reaping the ultimate benefit of the double-tow.

Sector 1 turned purple. Sector 2 turned purple. Sector 3 turned purple. All three drivers were simultaneously setting fastest laps of the entire race.

Starting with Luigi's 1:11.234.

"... Unbelievable! Antonio answers the critics! On dead tires, the Squadra Corse driver has just set a purple sector! What a legendary response from the current champion...!"

As for Jimmy Damgaard who hit the fastest in Sector 3, his overall lap time was 0.125sec faster than Luigi.

'Eat my dust!' he said to the slower drivers behind as his dashboard praised his staggering speed only an S-level engine could muster.

Now, for Luca who was in the middle of the grind, he was currently the man at a disadvantage after thinking Luigi was easy prey. He didn't have the perfect tires of Damgaard and he didn't have the clean air of the Black Dread. Without a Resonance too, his brain was working at 200% capacity to conjure the necessary skills manually just to keep the car stable.

But trusting in himself, Luca remembered his prime and he let that version of himself take over. Moreover, the speeds of his rivals were enough to push him to his limits.

Luca Rennick — Lap 15 Overall: 1:11.014

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

**********

By Lap 17, the tactical trap was set.

After Luigi had taken that pace to the roof, Squadra Corse had achieved their goal of building enough gap to execute an undercut. Yes, they would temporarily sacrifice the race lead. But once Luigi fitted a fresher set of soft, he would fly like a comet and take the lead back at just the right time.

Screeech!

Luca got very close and eventually breezed past Luigi on the inside line with ease after the Black Dread's tires gave up the ghost. Considering how intense the dynamic had been, the overtake felt anti-climactic.

Furthermore, Jimmy Damgaard opened his DRS flap and blasted past Luigi, dropping the championship leader down to P3 in a matter of seconds the same way Luca had earlier.

P1— Luca Rennick ↑

P2— Jimmy Damgaard ↑

P3— Antonio Luigi ↓

But it was clear something wasn't right. Luca figured it out quickly even before Mr. Ruben and co spoke up. 'A pit?' he thought.

**Antonio boxing now. Heads up**

Down in the pit lane, the Squadra Corse mechanics were already sprinting out of the garage like a SWAT team, rolling out a fresh set of tires.

"...And there it is!" came the commentary. "Antonio Luigi is diving into the pit lane! He simply had no choice. Those sets were completely cooked, and if he stayed out for one more lap, Rennick and Damgaard would have checked out completely..."

Since Luigi was out briefly, that meant Luca had that clean air all to himself. But before he could enjoy it, duty called.

**Luca, Box this lap! Box this lap! Copy!**

'What?! Box now?!'

Luca's eyebrows shot up under his visor. It sounded completely wrong! His tires were still in a decent window, and he had just taken the lead. Normal drivers would have stayed out to build a gap.

But in the next microsecond, Luca's tactical brain clicked. That's when he realized his team was trying to checkmate Squadra's cunning move.

If Luigi ran on fresh rubber for even one lap while Luca stayed out on old tires, Luigi would erase the gap instantly and leapfrog him when Luca finally pitted. By pitting right now, Trampos Racing was sacrificing their own tire life to neutralize Squadra Corse's entire strategy.

"Copy," replied Luca.

Unbelievable.

The grid was completely turned upside down.

Jimmy Damgaard slammed his throttle down, happily taking over P1 in the clean air.

Meanwhile, Luigi's car was already sitting on its jacks in the Squadra Corse box. And far behind, the scarlet Ferrari of Luca was rolling down the pit lane speed-limiter. Inside the Squadra Corse garage, the senior mechanic's eyes literally bulged out of his head as he looked at the pit lane monitor.

"What is he doing?!"

Vroooam!

Luigi's Mercedes dropped from the jacks and roared out of his box, fresh rubber spinning violently as he accelerated away. Right at that exact second, Luca's Z24 arrived at the Trampos box!

Luca was completely exhausted mentally from the earlier state. Because of that, his brain was too tired to activate his special skill, [Pitstop Prodigy]. But it didn't matter! The Trampos Racing pit crew was absolutely impressive on their own!

Clack-clack-clack-clack!

The wheel guns spun at lightning speeds. Four tires off, four fresh softs on, and the car dropped back to the tarmac in a blink.

"....2.2 seconds! What a stop from the Trampos crew under pressure! Rennick is away...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

Luca felt the dark, furious aura from Squadra Corse's garage when he rolled past them, but he didn't care as he rejoined the live track in P9. Since Luigi had entered the pits earlier, he had successfully rejoined in P7, ahead of Luca on the track. But the strategic gap between them was completely dead for sure.

"He ruined it! He completely spoiled the plan!" Luigi yelled, his face red with rage as he gripped his wheel tightly. "Does he have a crystal ball in that car!"