My Formula 1 System-Chapter 602: Shanghai
The earthquake that struck China weeks earlier was a moderate one, registering 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale. It happened on the outskirts of the city, Luzhou, causing notable structural damage and a handful of landslides along the hilly terrains surrounding the region.
Many who were traveling to the country requested images in advance to discern the level of damage, and if it could raise any true concern for the Chinese Grand Prix.
But the Shanghai International Circuit was hundreds of kilometers away. The tremor had no geological connection, and no aftershocks were expected to reach the metropolitan area, as diagnosed by the Chinese seismologists.
Just to assure safety and calm the public’s anxiety, the FOM and the Chinese authorities conducted inspections and prescribed protocols to all bodies involved in the motorsport event. The city was safe for tourism.
Upon arriving in the country, Luca pictured an impossible scenario. He was racing, his engine shrieking down that lengthy back straight, when suddenly the asphalt split open beneath him, a grave earthquake.
He and the other drivers were swallowed by the black, endless pit beneath the ground before it collapsed dramatically.
The thought was so ridiculous that he giggled under his breath. Luca couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such an original, vivid imagination. It reminded him of his old phone wallpaper of an F1 car racing away from impending doom.
Mindlessly, Luca unlocked his screen to take a look at his current wallpaper: a selfie he had taken with the U-13 go-kart kids in Hohenburg. Their grinning faces had been with him for two years now, and a version of himself that looked cheerful.
He decided it was an outdated wallpaper, so he scrolled through his gallery to change it, only to be met with its usual scantiness.
Unable to decide, he settled for one of the system’s suggested images: a serene view of the Alps. As soon as it appeared, it tugged at memories of his trip to Switzerland, so it felt right to apply it.
Luca hoped to spend a free day wandering Nanjing Road like he had the previous year, but Vance suggested otherwise.
In just one season, he’d accumulated 30x the fame he had. He was too recognizable, the 11th most popular person in the world. That dense crowd on Nanjing Road would pose a security risk for him.
Luca understood, but that didn’t stop his mind from drifting back to that woman with the steaming bowl of noodles, and her husband, who was a big fan. Hopefully, Luca’s victories had made that man some real money.
Luca’s personal residence in China was a suite, but this time the hotel had assigned him a double penthouse thanks to its curved, architectural layout. The space felt excessive even by his usual standards.
On his first night, he didn’t know why, but a strange late-evening burst of energy hit him. Maybe it was because Isabella told him she was coming to Shanghai to watch the race. Laura also called, questioning his welfare and travel safety. Mrs. Hawthorne also called, saying a new gathering date had been fixed.
Regardless of the source of energy, Luca decided to spend it at the gym. He cycled through barbell squats, incline bench press, and cable rows for forty-five minutes.
After the session, he rewarded himself with a quiet dinner alone on the penthouse balcony. From across the curved hotel façade, he could see what was unmistakably a millionaire’s party raging in the opposite balcony.
Women danced there in glittering dresses, men in designer shirts, champagne raised under gold lights. Luca liked the hotel he was booked in, but he didn’t like how many wealthy, recognizable people filled it. His own dark, calm balcony was a stark comparison to their brightness.
As a few guests glanced his way, Luca wondered when he’d throw an extravagant party of his own, and what the reason for it could be.
Luca joined the team at their designated facility in due time. At the top of the standings, the German outfit moved and prepared for the twelfth race of the season with earned confidence.
Luca was genuinely glad to see Victor again, the young driver greeting him with that same eager fire he waved him goodbye in Berlin.
They picked up right where they’d stopped. A new round was here, and Luca had no doubt Victor intended to shine in Asia.
But Victor might soon have no time left with him. Inside Trampos, the internal board still leaned toward replacing him sooner rather than later, no matter how firmly Thiemann defended the boy’s potential.
Support in words was one thing; support against a restless, heterogeneous board hungry for guaranteed points was another. Victor knew none of this in detail, but he wasn’t naïve—he could sense the hesitancy in the air, and the way some executives measured him with their eyes before offering a thin smile.
Will Gerson, the Sporting Director, was already in Shanghai. Officially, he was there to support the team on-site. On the other hand, he carried scouting reports and data packets.
After securing the formal audience he needed with key figures like Mr. Ojukwu, Will finally laid out the portfolio he had carried with him across countries. He was as neutral as a man in his position could be, dissecting every driver on that shortlist one by one.
He noted strengths, exposed weaknesses, contextualized each candidate’s trajectory, and explained the hard groundwork the board didn’t have to do.
But even in all his professionalism, something was destined to surface. Because Gerson’s best "Number 1" was unmistakable. The name of the driver shifted the room’s rhythm. The board questioned this driver, and especially, his potential willingness to switch outfits.
This driver was Denko Rutherford.
27 years old and currently driving for Haddock Racing, Denko was nowhere near the twilight of his career. In fact, he was still in the middle Chapters, hungry, rising, and very much unclaimed by legacy.
He hadn’t been with the English team long enough, nor had he won enough races under their banner to create any irreplaceable bond with them. Which meant if the right opportunity arrived, Denko was movable. His story was still flexible.
And Trampos Racing, top of the standings, armed with the best driver of the grid in Luca, and boasting the most consistent developing team of the season, was a good opportunity. At least, an opportunity the board could realistically picture Denko taking.
He had the talent to run beside Luca, and crucially, he had once belonged to Trampos already, having raced for them in F2. That familiarity could soften all the sharp edges of a potential transition, making a less foreign welcome.
For the board, it was a near-perfect scouting revelation. They exchanged impressed looks, grateful for the clarity of Will Gerson’s work. Not only did they thank him, but they were genuinely eager to entertain the possibility.
