My Formula 1 System-Chapter 561: End Of Belgium
The post-race interviews of the Belgian GP were chaotic.
Unfolding beneath canopies and tunnels, the smell of damp asphalt mixed with the buzz of people, both fans and the community. Security had to work overtime to ensure those packed along the fences remained there.
Camera flashes lit the wet evening like lightning, reporters clustering and shoving themselves. The drivers, flushed with exhaustion, were unresponsive and spoke only when necessary.
Every point circled back to Luigi’s win and Squadra Corse’s reclaiming of the top. Would he be back to his winning ways for the rest of the season? Would he retain the F1 World Championship?
The controversial contact between him and Luca that escaped the steward’s penalty was also talked about, but many drivers and managers gave their take, saying Luigi was in the clear.
When asked about the bold pit call made by Trampos that saved Luca from the barriers but left him short of the podium, team principals admitted that it was smart judgment from Trampos Racing.
Had Trampos not foreseen and made the necessary mends, every other team would have gone hards and faced similar dangers.
Mr. Grant was grateful to hear that his foresight was widely acknowledged by the paddock. His peers were gradually recognizing him as a true contender in the politics and prestige of Formula racing.
When asked about Squadra Corse reclaiming the championship lead, Mr. Grant answered: "At this moment, it’s a fickle lead. We’ll be back on top, and it won’t slip next time."
Luca’s interview came with personal questions about the contact with Luigi, and if this P5 finish was a defeat or a rescue.
Firstly, he answered curtly, the crowd pressing closer because they were eager to hear him snap and get reactive.
But Luca’s composure returned a second later as he answered with a neutral smile, even through the disappointment.
P5 was neither a defeat nor a rescue, he said. He claimed it just wasn’t his best, and he had five wins this season for a reason.
"Riyadh is next on the calendar. Any words for the ninth race coming in June?"
"I’ll be there to win," Luca said with a soft wink that made the reporter blush.
~~~~~
Luca stepped back into the pit lane after receiving his weight-test card.
His hair had grown slightly again, and he was planning to take it back to the low buzz cut fully. He didn’t like his hair being damp and mucky after almost two hours in a race car.
Mr. Moritz spotted him and walked alongside, saying, "Good race, Luca. Could’ve been worse."
Chuckling, Luca shook his head. "Didn’t win this race, didn’t win last race. P2 last week, P5 today. What’s next, P9?"
Moritz burst out laughing. "If it’s P9, then we’ll kiss the championship goodbye. Looks like the champions have woken up," he said as they paused to gaze at Squadra Corse’s garage.
The garage was livid, full of cheers and happiness, with waving flags.
Mr. Moritz grimaced just to show how much he disdained the Italian kings.
"They’re at 177 points now, if I’m not mistaken. We’re on 156," he said. "It’s crazy how one race flips the board."
"True," Luca said. "I wish Victor would step up, though. But... P11 isn’t bad."
As he said this, it made him wonder if Trampos was actually even ready to be F1 World Champions.
Yes, they were in second place in the standings now, but being near the summit wasn’t the same as seizing it.
Throughout history, every legendary team had passed through gradual stages; first building consistency, then developing season after season, before that one season where they’d earn the title of champions.
Even the mighty Squadra Corse was once a B-level team.
The only team that didn’t really go through years of growth was Jackson Racing.
The English giants just popped out of nowhere with the wealthiest backing motorsport had ever seen, winning the Constructors’ Championship.
Perhaps, this was the time they were facing the arc.
Luca and Moritz saw Luigi celebrating with the wheel of his Mercedes. He had detached it, toying with it while laughing with his comrades.
Smirking, Moritz nudged Luca, muttering, "At least you didn’t grab one of us and throw to the floor like he did."
Luca laughed, remembering Luigi’s outburst in Monaco because of his P4 finish that left him unsatisfied and frustrated.
Moritz was right; Luca didn’t grab one of his own crew members out of anger. In fact, that would be one of the last things he’d ever do.
"I guess he and I are cut from very different cloth," Luca said.
~~~~~~~~
Final Race Standings – Belgian Grand Prix
🏁 Top 10 Finishers:
P1 – Antonio Luigi 🇮🇹 (Squadra Corse) 🏆 +25pts
P2 – Jimmy Damgaard 🇩🇰 (Bueseno Velocità) +18pts
P3 – Ailbeart Moireach 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing) +15pts
P4 – Marko Ignatova 🇷🇺 (Squadra Corse) +12pts
P5 – Luca Rennick 🇮🇹 (Trampos Racing) +10pts
P6 – Luis Dreyer 🇪🇸 (Outback Performance) +8pts
P7 – Buoso Di Renzo 🇮🇹 (Jackson Racing) +6pts
P8 – Albert Derstappen 🇳🇱 (Jackson Racing) +4pts
P9 – Denko Rutherford 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing) +2pts
P10 – Matteo Bianchi 🇮🇹 (Bueseno Velocità) +1pt
▾Remaining Finishers:
P11 – Victor Surmann 🇩🇪 (Trampos Racing)
P12 – Max Addams 🇨🇦 (Outback Performance)
P13 – Hank Rice 🇬🇧 (Iberia Grand Prix)
P14 – Mikhail Petrov 🇷🇺 (Iberia Grand Prix)
P15 – Alejandro Vasquez 🇪🇸 (Velox Hispania)
P16 – Desmond Lloyd 🇬🇧 (Velox Hispania)
P17 – Józef Konarski 🇵🇱 (Alpine Swiss F1
P18 – James Lockwood 🇬🇧 (Nordvind Racing)
⨉ DNF (Did Not Finish):
P19 – Yokouchi Yūichirō 🇯🇵 (Alpine Swiss F1) – Crash
P20 – Elias Nyström 🇸🇪 (Nordvind Racing) – Crash
~~~~~~
Because of the Belgian Grand Prix, the country was buckling under the weight, even though they had assured the FIA that every single thing would be as smooth as a sail.
Hospitality in every sense became slower, and the city’s streets turned into sluggish rivers of traffic that barely moved for hours.
This even affected the teams and drivers. Nobody could really get themselves out of the chaos that carried on for a full day after the race itself.
Luca was able to take refuge at his hotel, pitying his team because their designated facility was flooded with Trampos fans, who made the experience more miserable than fun.
His PT urged him to return to Berlin as quickly as possible, within three days max, because the tension in the country felt like it might escalate into a mob soon.
Trampos fans were brawling with Squadra Corse fans, and there were reports of skirmishes happening in subways and other public areas.
That night, Luca received a call from Isabella. She wanted to know how he was holding up after the exhausting chaos in Belgium, and she also congratulated him on the P5 finish.
Luca responded in kind, though he was more concerned about her welfare and how she was doing.
Taking the opportunity, Isabella revealed that she was in Germany at the moment, stunning Luca into silence. When he pressed her for a reason, she only gave a vague answer, saying she wanted him back in Berlin first to see why.
The mystery in her tone was obvious. It filled Luca with curiosity, but he really didn’t imagine something Isabella could put together that would overly excite him.
’Anniversary? Her birthday?’
Isabella was born in July, and they didn’t have a particular date to mark as an anniversary.
He wondered what it could be as he assured her that he was coming back even earlier than planned because of the chaos in the country.
