Formula 1: The GOAT-Chapter 20: Race Weekend | Saturday IV | The New Apex Predator

The commentator's voice boomed through the grandstand speakers, his excitement palpable as he described the action unfolding on the track:

Commentator 1: "And once again, Jackson, the young Englishman and last year's champion, shows what he is capable of as he takes provisional pole for Group A!"

Jackson's lap time immediately catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard.

Commentator 1: "And as he slows down and starts his cool-down lap, his challenger, last year's top-ten finisher and this year's contender, Selçuk, is showing remarkable improvement in Sector Two as he takes the double hairpin! He goes wide on the entry, using as much space as possible as he sets himself for the second hairpin.

OOOohh! He's impeded! He's forced to take the dirty side of the track, but still recovers as he enters the narrow straight! Is there anyone to hinder his lap? No, the track is clean now! He moves his head to induce a mini-DRS effect, but due to the impediment he experienced on the double hairpin, he's down by three-tenths compared to defending champion Jackson's Sector Two! He brakes, takes Turn eight, hitting the early apex, going wide, hugging the right side of the track on the short straight as he accelerates, moves to the middle of the track, brakes once again as he starts negotiating the second double hairpin, and thankfully the driver in front of him moves from the racing line as he accelerates and passes the underpass, taking T11 straight, going wide before getting the middle apex in Turn Twelve and goes flat out! Did he manage to take pole position from Jackson?"

Both the commentator and all the attendees turned to the screen to see the lap time Selçuk had set.

[P2 - #247 Selçuk A - QL - Lap Time: 01:20.637]

Commentator 1: "Noooooo! He loses pole position by half a second!" His voice was strained for a moment as he answered his own question, but the excitement in it didn't wane even for a moment, as if he were commentating on a Formula 1 qualifying.

It was then that the co-commentator took over.

Commentator 2: "That impediment on the first double hairpin clearly disrupted his whole rhythm, and he ended up missing pole position by half a second – a very small margin for the current level of karting, but interesting nonetheless. It seems like it's something that needs to be addressed, but since they are kids and are learning about racing, you can't be too harsh."

Commentator 1: "Looks like the only chance for Selçuk is to settle this during the Qualifying Heats." He commented, as Selçuk went around the track one more time due to the placement of the pit lane entry being right at the opposite side of T1, meaning only those who were near it could immediately enter.

Commentator 2: "Yeah, I agree, but you have to remember there's a new threat at play: Fatih. From the information I received from the officials, this is his first competition, and he's only been training at the Fatih Academy for about three months. He's also the youngest participant in the championship at 5 years, 10 months, and 20 days old – younger than the second-youngest competitor by more than seven months!"

Commentator 1: "He is a very big threat indeed. I just checked my notes, and Fatih's fastest time in Free Practice Two (01:19.937) is still fast enough to put him on pole position by two-tenths of a second to Jackson's P1 time in this qualifier (01:20.149). So, these three are going to be the most interesting drivers to watch in tomorrow's qualifying heat races to decide the pole-sitter for the Final race, which will take place at 16:00 tomorrow."

Commentator 2: "I can't wait for the race! I'm pretty sure these three will be neck-and-neck tomorrow, and depending on the circumstances, any one of them can win." His words set the perfect entry point for the first announcer to take over.

Commentator 1: "I agree. But first, Fatih needs to take pole position in his group to have an easier route in tomorrow's Qualifying Heat races. So, let's see if he has an easier time dealing with the traffic and doesn't face impediments on the track like Selçuk and Jackson had to navigate around. And it looks like he's very much in a hurry to set a lap time on the screen. With more than thirty seconds still remaining until the start of Group B's qualifying, he is already lining up near the pit exit, waiting for a green flag."

Commentator 2: "It is a smart move. He can use the first lap to immediately bring his tires to optimum temperature before he sets out for a hot lap while the whole group is still doing their first out-lap, which should allow him to have a good gap for a clean run."

........

The moment the green flag was waved and the Group B qualifying session began, Fatih immediately hit the accelerator and shot onto the straight. He instantly started weaving like a snake, trying to put in as much heat into the dry compound tires as possible. He repeated this process throughout the track, effectively slowing the pack that had come out with him, making it look as if they were performing a safety car restart by the way they were moving in unison.

As he reached the second hairpin of the second double hairpin, transitioning into the short underpass straight, he immediately got into full power, taking both T11 (Wide left-hander) and T12 (Left-hander) flat out. He entered the start/finish straight, immediately starting his qualifying lap.

Commentator 1: "Oh, looks like he's really doing it as you suggested! He's on the power and immediately starts his qualifying lap! This takes us into it!" (He handed over to Zakir, his co-commentator, as Fatih passed the start/finish line.)

Zakir: "For T1 (Left-hander), you need a good exit, as the following straight's maximum speed before T2 (Left-hander) and T3 (Left-hander) is determined by that exit. And, unsurprisingly, he aced it! He took the apex with a perfect rear-left lift, inducing a slide, allowing him to carry more speed into the corner and have a better exit."

"Into this straight here, the more speed you have, the better, and he knows it! He moved his head forward to reduce drag, and he subtly moves his body back to increase the weight on the rear tire. Now that he's near the corner, he goes wide, trail-brakes while leaning outward into the corner, taking T2 and T3 in sequence as he enters a short straight. The track widens here a bit, so you can take the inside line before moving wide for T4 (Left-hander) in order to have a good exit leading to the straight with a bridge and elevation. It seems like he timed his lap perfectly as he actually found the track empty, and as expected, he goes purple on Sector One, which is comprised mostly of straights! Let's see how he does on the most technical Sector Two."

"And he brakes, going wide on the entry of the first double hairpin (T5 Left-hander and T6 Right-hander). A good exit is necessary to set for the second hairpin. And ooooh god! He is really taking risks as there were mere millimeters between him and the tire wall that would ruin his lap in the narrowest part of the track! But having perfectly placed it, he managed to get a good entry into the second longest straight! And he knows that as he floors it! He brakes a little, hits the early apex, goes wide on exit, but the track allows and encourages it as he heads into the second double hairpin (T9 Left-hander and T10 Right-hander)!

He places the car perfectly on the exit of the second hairpin, lighting the screen purple on Sector Two as he enters the straight underpass, taking T11 (Wide Left-hander) flat out, goes wide before taking T12 (Left-hander) with a slight lift! He enters the final straight! He moves his head forward to reduce drag as he pushes to the maximum on the final straight! And he lights up all three sectors purple! And moves to provisional pole with more than a second to the pole lap time of Group A! FATIH YILDIRIM SETS THE FASTEST LAP OF THE QUALIFYING SO FAR AND RIGHTFULLY TAKES HIS POSITION TO P1!"

[P1 - #213 Fatih Y - QL - Lap Time: 01:19.001]

The first commentator immediately took over from the overly excited Zakir, who was practically shouting in excitement.

Commentator 1: "This young boy, in his first qualifying session of his life in an official competition, is showing composure and talent of the greats, and paints a shining future for what he can be! And, unsurprisingly, he doesn't go around for another lap.

He immediately returns to the pit lane, following the waves of his coach, Burak, as there is no need for him to do more laps or waste his tires. He has set the fastest lap across all sessions until now, and until someone breaks that lap time, he will most likely not come back to the track. Wow, we came here expecting Selçuk and Jackson to be the contenders for the championship, but this kid has now turned himself into the most exciting individual of this new championship! And if he keeps this form, then this championship is going to be very, very interesting."