My Formula 1 System-Chapter 623: Damgaard VS DiMarco

Before the start of the South African Grand Prix.

Before the start of the South African Grand Prix, the sprint or warm-up sessions, the circuit buzzed with checks, briefings, and audits.

While officials handled technicalities and drivers rotated between preparation and press duties, one driver, DiMarco withdrew from it all. He spent longer than usual inside his personal booth near the uniform room, preferring silence.

He used the muffled world and his isolation to steady his breathing and order his thoughts. After all, this was his first race since his injury, and he didn’t expect the stakes to be this high for himself.

After about seven minutes, DiMarco finally faced the mirror. Twenty-five years old. He had dominated F2, yet no Formula One championship. Maybe there was a curse in the air, maybe not, but DiMarco refused to believe his story would end like Marcellus’.

There was one person to blame—Luca. But there was someone else, an obstacle, stopping him from serving justice. And that’s Jimmy.

DiMarco suited up.

The race began.

A large section of Velocità fans acknowledged his return appearance by waving flags imprinted with his face and chanting his chorus. DiMarco appreciated them, but their love wouldn’t restore what he’d lost.

[○][○][○][○][○] !!

"...lights out, and the fourteenth race of the season is underway...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

P8— Denko Rutherford

P9— Davide DiMarco

P10— Luis Dreyer

Since Denko was the easier prey, DiMarco set aside his restlessness and preserved P9 from Luis Dreyer.

His car felt heavier than in the qualifiers, but durable and efficient through the opening Meyers at lights out. Dreyer couldn’t match this despite having a hotter blood, meaning the normal RBioL still had a lot of prestige to its performance.

Still, after having tasted what Jimmy’s ride could do, you can’t blame DiMarco for his discontentment.

Imagine the glimmer in his eyes when he saw Jimmy drop to P7 while he himself finally cleared Rutherford.

After nights of dreaming about this very moment, the universe had delivered his teammate to him as an act of Providence.

Jimmy was momentarily speedless, his momentum drained after the failed attack on Marko and Luca. This was the best opening for DiMarco. He could silence the arguments and settle the debate without words. One clean overtake here would redraw the internal hierarchy instantly!

[10th Lap]

"...Jimmy Damgaard, Davide DiMarco, two teammates, one team, and the tension is palpable. Everyone knows what’s been simmering all season. One-on-one, you can practically feel the hostility radiating off the track...!"

"...Can they pull a safe switch, or are we about to witness them go all out, wheel-to-wheel, right here in South Africa...?"

Jimmy had now sensed the encounter coming, a glance into his mirrors enough to confirm it. Same colors, same manufacturer. Same livery. It was closing fast, patient and brisk at the same time.

Davide DiMarco was eating up asphalt as quickly as he could just to confront him before the opportunity slipped away for good.

Since KGP had an uneven track surface, Jimmy couldn’t afford recklessness while he raced on the Tempesta MkII. Only certain sections of the circuit rewarded power and speed while everywhere else demanded fidelity and control.

Because of this, DiMarco shaved a lot of milliseconds he shouldn’t have if they were racing on a track like Stadhaven. This irritated Jimmy. He thought it was unfair, but he stayed calm to prevent skidding away in smoke, dust, and grass.

Ultimately, those sections he needed dearly arrived at regular intervals, and Jimmy used them well, employing short, controlled bursts, and clean exits, just enough to stretch the gap from his teammate-turned-foe.

But DiMarco pressed on. His car had more longevity after all.

With this back and forth, what had begun as a looming confrontation slowly tilted in Jimmy Damgaard’s favor, and one could start to wonder if the clash everyone anticipated between both drivers would even happen.

From 1 second to 1.5, then to 2.

Both Red Bulls were pulling away from each other, asphalt running below them.

Behind, DiMarco felt his push thinning out, each attempt costing more than it gave. Ahead, Jimmy felt buoyant and satisfied that he won, shaming DiMarco as well.

"...And you can see it there on the timing screens—the gap is starting to stretch! Davide DiMarco just can’t keep his car in the window! This battle might be slipping away right before our eyes...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

’What did he think? That the team would order me to hand him the position?’ Jimmy mused, smirking. ’Haha! Time’s up, old man! You’re yesterday’s news.’

As he watched DiMarco pushing and struggling to close the gap, he felt vindicated.

And Jimmy was right.

Since he had the faster car and he was in peak form, any team orders to let DiMarco through would be absurd. So, if DiMarco wanted to get ahead of him, he’d achieve it through grit.

After seasons of being Driver B, bullied and overwhelmed by DiMarco who never put up a challenge but was always given his position free of charge, you couldn’t possibly imagine how happy Jimmy was.

But unfortunately—

Formula 1 is a sport of....strategic versatility.

The radio crackled on.

[13th Lap]

**Jimmy, listen up. Strategy call**

**You’ll need to give position to Davide shortly. This will allow him an upfield advantage before the pit sequence**

**You can recover easily from a temporary loss. Not him**

**Hold P7 for now and maintain consistent pace. Once we have both cars ahead and stabilised, you can push forward. Confirm?**

Confirm?

Jimmy’s silence filled the cockpit.

He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

And neither could DiMarco, who was told the same.

Team orders had just come from the pit wall: Damgaard needed to yield position to DiMarco. That meant the slower, less in-form driver would get an upfield advantage??

Velocità was taking a strategic route to acquire more points in this race for the title chase.

As said earlier, Jimmy had a better chance of finishing in the top five, and DiMarco did not. Because of this, they were trying to give DiMarco an advantage early on the race as this little setback might not affect Jimmy’s race thoroughly!

Favouritism or not, DiMarco was set to breeze past Jimmy Damgaard like he always did.