Formula 1: The GOAT

Chapter 284: Race Weekend | Saturday | Race I

“So does that mean he is going to lose his grid position?” Brad asked on behalf of the viewers.

“Well, he is safe so long as he gets moving before the last person on the grid passes him. If he manages to do that, then he can overtake the other drivers to reclaim his position. But if the last driver passes him before that, then per regulations, he can’t overtake them and has to start at the back of the grid,” he said, immediately breaking down the regulations for this specific kind of situation.

“And what if he overtakes them despite being passed by everyone?”

“A ten-second stop-and-go penalty will be issued to the driver. But it looks like it is not something he has to worry about, as he manages to get moving with more than three cars still behind him. So now he can overtake and keep his tires warm, while it looks like Fatih is way ahead of everyone, and the gap is quite big.”

“Can’t he slow down to reduce the gap and not have to stay in his grid position longer than necessary, losing the heat in his tires?”

“Well, per the regulations, the leading car is required to drive at a constant and reasonable speed during the formation lap. They cannot drive excessively slowly or perform ’erratic’ maneuvers that could be dangerous or intended to unfairly bunch up the field. So, pretty much no, if he doesn’t want to get a penalty.”

“A very weird formation lap we have today, making it very clear that everyone at the front is on their nerves. And just as you said, Fatih, despite doing his best to reduce the gap within the ruling interpretations, now finds himself sitting in his grid position alone, while Hoggard is only now finally coming out of the final corner. A nightmare scenario for Fatih and a happy and beneficial accident for Hoggard, as he is arriving along with the entire group, and they will all have hotter and grippier tires than Fatih.”

…….

{Shouldn’t a minimum of ten car lengths be maintained between cars?} Fatih asked on the radio.

{We have reported it,} a short answer came back, as the communication rules from the formation lap to the start of the race were pretty stringent on what sort of communication could be done between the driver and the team.

Upon receiving the response, Fatih didn’t say anything more. His head leaned on the headrest as he looked at the rear-view mirror, knowing that more than eight seconds had passed since he was in his grid box, and only now did Hoggard’s car approach and enter his own. Fatih turned to look at his front right tire, his imagination filling in the gaps as he visualized the heat dissipating from it.

This continued for another twenty seconds, and only then did the last car finally enter its grid box. The lights finally started turning on, which immediately removed all of his annoyance and returned him to a deep focus as he started revving the engine, sending it all the way to the optimum RPM and maintaining it there, his eyes fixed on the lights as everything else was being done almost subconsciously.

….

“And the time for speculation has come to an end, opening the way for the actual action! It’s lights out, and away we go! Fatih had a good reaction as usual, but it was met with a wheelspin, having a slow get-off, and is only slightly ahead of Hoggard, and he immediately moves to cover him! BUT THE DIFFERENCE IN TIRE TEMPERATURE SEEMS TO BETRAY HIM, AND THROUGH GOES HOGGARD INTO THE LEAD OF THE RACE INTO TURN ONE!

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE HE RETURNED TO RACING, HE HAS LOST THE LEAD! AND THAT IS THE LEAST OF HIS WORRIES, AS HE NOW HAS JEWISS USING HIS STICKIER TIRES TO GAIN ON HIM AS DENNIS HAUGER FAILS TO CONTAIN HIM!

HE IS NOW UNLEASHED UPON FATIH, WHO NOW HAS TO FOCUS ON HIS REAR-VIEW MIRRORS TO TRY AND PREVENT AN OVERTAKE ATTEMPT AND NOT SPEND THAT TIME CHASING THE RACE LEADER!

IS IT THE PRESSURE THAT HAS GOTTEN TO HIM, OR IS IT THE CIRCUMSTANCES?” Justin, who had started his commentary with excitement, found himself shouting at the turn of events.

Brad immediately took over in the same excited tone, “JEWISS MOVES OUT OF FATIH’S SLIPSTREAM, TRYING TO MAKE THE MOVE, BUT FATIH, HAVING READ IT, MOVES TO COVER HIM!

HE HAS COMMITTED TO STAYING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRACK AS JEWİSS MOVES TO THE LEFT AND THE OPTIMAL RACING LINE THAT FATİH HAD GİVEN UP! THEY ARE NOW BARRELLING INTO THE TRIPLE TURNS! WHO IS GOING TO BE THE LAST ON THE BRAKES AND THE BRAVER OF THE TWO?”

“FATIH TAKES THE GAMBLE ON HIS STILL-COLD TIRES AS HE BRAKES VERY LATE, AND WITH HIS INSIDE LINE INTO TURN THREE, HE CONTROLS WHERE EXACTLY JEWISS CAN PUT HIS CAR, FORCING HIM TO BRAKE MORE THAN NEEDED!

AS THEY COME OUT OF TURN FOUR, FATIH IS ALREADY AHEAD, AND JEWISS NOW HAS A NEW PROBLEM, HAUGER, BECAUSE DURING THIS SHORT FIGHT, HAS FINALLY CAUGHT UP, FORCING JEWISS TO DEFEND AS FATIH GAINS DISTANCE ON THE WELLINGTON STRAIGHT, CHASING HOGGARD, WHO IS FIVE-TENTHS AHEAD OF HIM!

THREE CORNERS REMAIN IN THE OPENING LAP, AND THESE THREE CORNERS ARE THE ONES HE MOSTLY DOMINATED AND GAINED THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF TIME ON ALL OF THE OTHER DRIVERS! WILL IT BE THE SAME THIS TIME?”

“YEEEEEEES! THROUGH OPTIMAL POSITIONS AND THROTTLE AND BRAKE CONTROL, HE GAINS A TENTH THROUGH BROOKLANDS, MAKES A RISKY OUTSIDE MOVE TO APPEAR IN HOGGARD’S MIRROR, WHICH SURPRISES HIM AND FORCES HIM TO MOVE TO THE OUTSIDE LINE TO COVER ANY POTENTIAL MOVE!

HE HAS UNDERSTEER FOR A MOMENT BEFORE HE CATCHES IT ON THE EXIT, BUT THAT DOESN’T MATTER AS THE GAP IS NOW DOWN TO TWO-TENTHS BETWEEN THESE TWO DRIVERS WHILE THEY DRAG RACE INTO THE SHORT STRAIGHT, UPSHIFTING TO FOURTH JUST AS THE CORNER COMES AT THEM BEFORE THEY SHIFT TO FIFTH GEAR!

FAITH MAKES THE MOVE BY TRYING TO CUT ON THE INSIDE, BUT HOGGARD MOVES TO CLOSE THAT WINDOW IMMEDIATELY! FATIH DECIDES TO STAY BEHIND AND GAIN SLIPSTREAM FROM HOGGARD’S CAR AS THEY ENTER THE START-FINISH STRAIGHT, ALLOWING HIM TO UPSHİFT TO SİXTH GEAR FASTER!

HE MAKES AN ATTEMPT AT AN OUTSİDE MOVE, AND HOGGARD CLOSES İT IMMEDIATELY, FORCİNG FATİH İNTO THE İNSİDE LİNE AS THEY COMMIT İNTO COPSE CORNER!”

“AND THEY TOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH!”