My Formula 1 System-Chapter 614: China Problems. 2
On his flight back to Germany, Luca marinated everything that had unfolded in the garage after the Chinese Grand Prix.
The thrill of the event itself had become a memory, but the frozen room he barged into lingered in his mind unaddressed. From the silence to Victor’s anger, the day replayed itself, refusing to disappear until he gave it all mental space.
He was on the private jet at high altitude, bound for Berlin. Much like other flights this Summer season, the journey was more breathtaking because of the golden rays and thinner clouds. With his golden-brown skin, Luca’s face was fully washed by the sunlight while he stared out.
As usual, opposite him was Manuela. After a brief discussion with Sara about schedules, she sat back in her seat with an exhale and a smile afterwards.
"So... what’s the plan when we’re in London?" she asked Luca.
"Plan?"
"Your girlfriend. Isabella. You two–what happens next?"
Slightly surprised, Luca faced her and caught her knowing smile. "And... when exactly did you get the right to audit my personal life?" he asked back with a crooked smile.
But Manuela wasn’t going to defend the privilege she managed to acquire, so she waved it off nonchalantly. "Relax. I’m not prying, I’m preventing disaster," she said. "Just don’t ruin it, SIR. I’m here to help."
Luca used about ten seconds staring at his PA before he chuckled, shook his head, and returned to the window, but her questions lingered longer than he expected.
She had said, "Don’t ruin it". What was being ruined? Luca wondered what that could be, but it was clear she was referring to his relationship with Isabella, and how thin it had been stretched by schedules and life’s chaos.
After the Chinese GP, Isabella left Shanghai so quickly, one could doubt that she even attended. This hit Luca in a strange way he couldn’t explain. Normally, Isabella was more enthusiastic to meet up and initiate physically, but now he was the one missing her.
When he makes it to London for the Hatwthorne gathering, he would get the chance to see her, but Luca wasn’t going to take Manuela’s advice by overcompensating. After all, there was no real fracture to mend.
On the other hand, Manuela cared more for Isabella than for Luca. Laura was trying to manipulate Luca to herself using Baby Martin, and she wasn’t going to stand by and watch it happen.
~~~~~~
In a hotel room, Berlin, Germany.
8 PM.
The time was 8 PM for a reason as Victor reached for his phone. This was the kind of hour Luca would likely be free in the day to answer a call. So, he dialed with courage, and on the third ring, Luca answered.
After the altercation in the debrief room in China, Victor believed he owed Luca an apology. He had brushed hard against him in the doorway while storming out. That was really disrespectful, especially toward someone he looked up to.
Anger had taken over, clouding his judgment, and now all Victor felt was self-directed frustration.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Luca," Victor replied. "You’re in town? How’s the flight?"
"Smooth so far," Luca answered. "What about you? Did you settle in okay?"
"Yeah, all good. Food was decent, and the staff are too nice."
"Where’s that?"
"It’s Potsdamer, near the Platz. They’re too stylish, it doesn’t look authentic. But overall, it’s a great place to relax after a long journey. You?"
"Grand Hyatt."
The best hotel in the district versus a random 3-star lounge building. This was more than enough to tell Victor just how wide the gap between him and Luca was.
At the end of their exchange, Victor transitioned. "About what happened in the debrief room," he started. "I need to say this properly. A lot was going on before you entered, and that was when the pressure was a bit too much to endure. I let my frustration turn into anger—"
"Vic" Luca interrupted.
"Yes?"
"I understand," Luca said. "We’ll talk this through when we gather back, not over the phone, okay?"
"Alright," Victor exhaled, swallowing all his unsaid sentences. "Good night."
As the line clicked dead, Victor felt very relieved.
It could have sounded like Luca shut him down, but that wasn’t it at all. Luca steadied him rather. By choosing to wait, he offered safety, time, context, and a real solution. Victor felt lighter knowing his teammate cared more about fixing the problem than hearing an apology.
He didn’t know how Luca did this so naturally, but he was grateful. He slept with an unburdened mind.
~~~~~~
PROVISIONAL CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (ALL 10)
Position | Team | Points
--------------------------------------
1. | Squadra Corse | 260
2. | Trampos Racing | 243 ↑
3. | Bueseno Velocità | 234 ↑ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
4. | Haddock Racing | 233 ↓
5. | Outback Performance | 158
6. | Jackson Racing | 124
7. | Nordvind Racing | 40
8. | Iberia Grand Prix | 28
9. | Velox Hispania | 12
10. | Alpine Swiss F1 | 10
"...World Sports Tonight here! Formula One on the table...!"
"...what a competitive season. Antonio Luigi delivered a masterclass victory for Squadra Corse, pushing them to the top of the Constructor’s Standings, and former leaders, Trampos sit 17 points behind. Is this the turning point? Can anyone stop the Italian Kings from holding first place till the very end...?"
In a wide bar in Frankfurt, a cluster of Trampos supporters was facing the screen. Not many even had the chance to stay on track with the standings. The TV programme also served as a replay of the previous races while dissecting topics.
On the table, Squadra Corse led Trampos by a trifling margin. Compared to how the table looked in late May, Trampos fans were disappointed. But they had some hope that things would turn again in their favor.
"...ahead is the South African Grand Prix. At this point, I really have nothing to say. There’s no certainty here at all. It’s a four-way fight for the title with Jackson Racing steadily climbing to join the brawl. What’s there to predict? Unpredictability...?"
"...we can at least get hooked on the chances of Davide DiMarco returning to action. If he’s back soon, does he reclaim the main driver role from Jimmy? More importantly, could his return reshape the trajectory of the championship...?"
"We really need to change Surmann, c’mon," one man muttered. "At this point, he’s just like James Lockwood for Nystrom. Thirteen races and Luca’s the one who’d contributed 99% of all points! What is this?!"
Complaints had begun internally. Very soon, it would spread widely through the German Motorsport Community.
In the bar, everyone agreed with that one man who spoke statistical truth.
"Yes, that’s true. Look at Squadra now," someone else said. "Marko is a very reliable help to Luigi, and that’s why the team keeps making it to the top. If Luca had that kind of support, we’d be past three hundred points already!"
"YES!" x23
"The team has to act ’cause we can’t enter the next campaign like this." "This is Trampos. We’re contenders now."
