My Formula 1 System-Chapter 605: S3 Chinese Grand Prix. 2

[-·-BEAT THE BACK STRAIGHT TIME OF THIS 56-LAP RACE-·-]

[CLEAR IT IN LESS THAN 8.00 SEC]

[DURATION: nil]

The Daily Quest was familiar. Luca wondered if the summer heat was playing tricks on him, because this was the exact same quest he’d been assigned last year’s Chinese GP. He didn’t know the system could repeat itself so distinctly.

’Did I complete it?’ he tried to recall.

Unfortunately, he didn’t. The quest had been very challenging back then, harder than what a rookie with the JRX-92B could realistically achieve. He also didn’t finish the race thanks to DiMarco.

This time, he wasn’t even worried about failing it. He had the Z24 he had personally enhanced, and an S-level engine the FiveSix couldn’t match. Beating the long Shanghai back straight in under eight seconds would be routine.

If the system wanted a repeat, Luca was happy to give it a pleasing ending.

[○][○][○][○][○]

"...Lights out in China and away we go...!"

"...Race thirteen explodes off the line, and look at Rennick! Ailbeart Moireach tucks in right behind, hunting already, and Jimmy Damgaard searches for a gap...!"

[Grid Launch +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 12.5%]

[2nd Position closing in]

**All systems are functioning**

**Switch mod to manage energy here. You can’t rival them in starting power!**

"...The engines are screaming, the crowd is roaring, and there is not a single breath of rest in this opening run...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!"

[Turn type: Long, tightening right-hander] [Angle: 270°] [Braking Point: 50-75 meters before turn-in] [Recommended Entry Speed: 260 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Mid-to-late curb]

’16 corners and 4 straightaways,’ Luca memorized, slightly disheveled. Lights out had sent the top three into a ruckus. He was lucky to have <Grid Launch> flawlessly executed.

The crowd clapped as Ailbeart’s Renault defied Luca’s racing space, forcing just inches between their tires. Their squabble gave Jimmy some early opening, only for Luca to block the line at arc, while Moireach muscled forward with hectic traction.

"...wheels twitching. Messy brawl there...!"

[Turn type: Tight right-hander (continuation of Turn 1)] [Angle: 90°] [Braking Point: N/A (carrying speed from Turn 1)] [Recommended Entry Speed: 150 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Inside curb]

The instant Luca was certain he boxed off Jimmy from T2, he returned focus to Ailbeart, who had the better asphalt.

Team radio had warned the Mazerunner to manage his energy, but his discipline faltered under racing instincts.

Using <Navigable ERS>, Luca gave his machine a tilting burst back into contention right at the bottleneck. As a result, the Z24’s diffuser rumbled, indicating early overstrain.

Ailbeart Moireach noticed that. Fighting for position with Luca always came at a detriment. He was lucky he wasn’t the one affected today.

T2’s finally released them at medium speed. Ailbeart Moireach had the upper hand because Luca had traded his agility and acceleration for power and direction at the wrong time.

Once he shifted his brake bias rearward, the Scottishman feathered his throttle so precisely that the R.S.25 nosed in disrespectfully ahead of Luca, before accelerating into T3 and then T4.

P1 — Ailbeart Moireach ↑

P2 — Luca Rennick ↓

**Big loss** Mr. Ruben admitted over the radio.

"...They’re fanning out, they’re committing, they’re risking everything—strap in, because these drivers are about to empty the tank for the Chinese Grand Prix...!"

Because of the Lap 1 overtake by Ailbeart, everyone was convinced Luca wasn’t untouchable in this race. No one wanted to see him claim a third straight Grand Prix win. That would undoubtedly mean his championship win was inevitable.

If the worst came to pass, the entire pack could gang up on him, making his race difficult.

But Luca was strong, and he’d bulldoze through this kind of opposition if he had to, taking out anyone who tried to clamp him.

As the race got into full swing and balance, Ailbeart Moireach had no less discomfort in that P1. The temporary throne shifted under pressure, eventually relinquishing its hold at some point.

But that same truth applied to every position across the order. Trading places and switching sectors, the racers bled time against each other, making sure nothing stayed fixed for the other for long.

[Reflexes +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 25%]

After seven whole laps of trying to control the chaos—dropping to P3 under the RBioL’s onslaught, then pushing his way back to P2—Luca finally felt the system acknowledge the effort.

He expected the notif to vanish into the Sync Bar like usual, but this one held. It seemed it had just helped acquire what he wanted.

[Congratulations! You have leveled up a Resonance.]

[Racer’s Flow —> Racing Harmony]

[Racing Harmony (LV.2): a realization of driver aptitude and dynamic. In this state, instinct replaces thought as the host merges fully with machine and the environment.]

[You have received:

–2 Catalysts

–3 Wrenches

–2.6 Tokens ]

Apparently, Luca’s administrative Editing had worked! It quickened the learning speed of his Resonance, taking it to the next level faster than if he hadn’t.

Now, he had a deeper comprehension of the skills involved, and his focus time increased!

[Analyzing Ferrari (Scuderia Z24) and host’s distance from 1st Position]

[You are 1.5 seconds away, host.]

Lap 14 had the pack still relatively tight, and Ailbeart led Luca by a narrow margin alone. Behind, Jimmy wasn’t too far as well, but he was in a bigger tangle with Luigi, the focus of the cameras.

In the blurring speeds, Luca decided not to hesitate for this opportunity. <Racing Harmony> was just the next tier after <Racer’s Flow>. Luca expected a subtle difference, if not big.

Focus came slightly easier, but still weakly as he activated his Resonance. Having up to two to multiple drivers ahead could’ve favored better, but the orange Renault was enough still.

Hands, feet, and mind moved as a single entity. Luca could activate several skills as a single unit whilst threading to his advantage with micro-adjustments like his Engine Features.

’Incredible,’ he thought as he shrank the gap from his rival in just a single breath.

Ailbeart felt Luca’s sudden closeness as the crowd roared and his radio warned.

A gap of 1.5 sec evaporating to nothing meant the pursuer had all authority in the encounter. Ailbeart’s resorts included defending aggressively with brake tests or maintaining the optimal racing line lap after lap.

But four straights meant four equal chances for the Mazerunner to pull ahead.

He activated <Slipstream Mastery> like a man intoxicated by his own ambition.