My Formula 1 System-Chapter 350: S2 Australian Grand Prix. 3
[System's prediction: 12 sec—15 sec]
[Host's pitlane Entry and Exit: 11.5 sec]
[You've received (1) Handling EXP]
[Handling +1]
This was the system's quick recap of Luca's pitstop analysis, calculated right before the messy incident with Luis Dreyer.
[Retrieving pitstop info...]
[Service Time: 1.92 seconds]
[Front Tires: Hard → Hard]
[Rear Tires: Hard → Hard]
Meanwhile, Luca was still trying to digest what he'd just heard. He couldn't wrap his head around race control mentioning his name in their announcement.
Race control had finished their review of the avoidable contact between Luca and Luis Dreyer on Lap 17. They relayed the announcement as fast as possible by the next lap—Lap 18.
The double penalty theory held firm and was confirmed. Luca and Dreyer were both handed strong 5-second penalties for aggressive driving.
"..Luca Rennick and Luis Dreyer, 5-second time penalties each for causing a collision at Turn 3, Lap 17. Penalties to be served during pitstop or added to race time..."
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"
**Luca, race control's given you a 5-second penalty for the Turn 3 contact with Dreyer. Same for him**
"Penalty?!"
**Yes. We'd have to serve it next stop**
Luca tried to hide his disbelief, which knew no limits. He still wanted an explanation for how he was named in the penalty when it was Dreyer who clipped his tires.
Even if he was somehow at fault, Luca questioned why they both got the same 5-second time penalty.
"But he was all over me."
**Understood, Luca, it's done. Focus on race. Focus on race **
The only way Luca could see his fault was through race reviews after the Grand Prix. But for now, his system let him replay past race moments vividly in his mind, like a mental highlight reel.
This was a huge help, especially for recalling specific details in a sector—like a small puddle of water, a hydroplane risk, higher curbs, or a patch of worn asphalt—and adjusting his line accordingly.
The only drawback was that this ability lacked a third-person POV of the track. Luca could only replay from his own first-person view, leaving him uncertain since a third-person angle would show both cars' positions clearly, front and back.
Even though he felt he wasn't guilty, the damage was done, and the penalties were handed out. Luca knew penalties were rarely overturned in F1.
Montez had blasted past him and Dreyer in the final sector before Lap 18. It was a huge moment for Montez, with Outback fans—the home crowd—roaring wildly for him. It felt like a win for Outback Racing. Though one driver took a penalty, the other had seized the moment and climbed to P3.
3— Javier Montez ↑
4— Luca Rennick ↓
5— Luis Dreyer ↓
Dreyer didn't hold P5 for long, though. Hank Rice came through with a strong run, smoothly overtaking him and pushing him further back. This left Luca face-to-face with Rice, as Montez was steadily pulling away with his newfound momentum.
4— Luca Rennick
5— Hank Rice ↑
6— Luis Dreyer ↓
[Analyzing 5th Position's distance from host and Ferrari (JRX-92B)...]
[5th Position is 1 sec away, host.]
Hank Rice had long since had the capability of consequently outpacing Luca even with a less powerful chassis in those moments Luca was yet to build 300 km/h momentum.
Contributing to that, Rice himself was on fire and everyone knew he was a very skilled driver. He closed expertly on Luca, forcing our young driver to switch to attuned mode because with such a duel, George Park demanded no room for error.
Rice trailed Luca through the second sector, his tires warm and his nerve steely. At Turn 12, a fast, sweeping right-hander, Rice saw his moment. Luca hugged the inside, but Rice, riding a wave of momentum, swung wide and powered through with a cleaner exit.
Luca was stunned! The inner-line was the best.
[5th Position]
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!" The Melbourne crowd erupted as Rice surged past, stealing P4.
4— Hank Rice ↑
5— Luca Rennick ↓
"...Rennick drops to P5, and that's another shake-up in this chaotic leaderboard! Hank Rice, started at P10 finds himself in P4...!"
**Keep your pace, focus on the corners to close that gap**
**Montez is 2 seconds up—stay sharp, you're still in the fight**
Luca was indeed still in the fight, because by the 22nd Lap, he retook P4 from Hank Rice. The overtake was eerily similar to how Rice had passed him earlier.
Rice had clung to the inside line at Turn 12, while Luca banked out as a blur to the outside, cleverly anticipating he'd flow to the outer edge of the next turn due to George Park's crisscrossing layout.
A quick surge of anger flashed through Rice, but he steadied himself fast. If only he weren't driving an Audi, he might've held on.
[4th Position]
"...Rennick's back in P4, chasing Montez, and Rice is left to regroup in P5..!"
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"
4— Luca Rennick ↑
5— Hank Rice ↓
**Great move, Luca, you've got P4, 2.3 behind Montez**
**Push those tires, get close to put pressure on him**
[Analyzing 5th Position's distance from host and Ferrari (JRX-92B)...]
[5th Position is 0.8 sec away, host.]
Around then, Luca was hit with a flood of incoming notifications for points racked up so far.
[Longevity +3]
[Downforce +1]
[Braking Efficiency +1]
[Handling +1]
[Straightaway Chopping +1]
[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 37.5%]
[Gripper +1]
[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 50%]
The Straightaway Chopping Skill point came during Luca's defense against Hank Rice on the third straight. The short straight kept him from pulling away and building a big gap, but he executed the skill sharp enough to earn the point.
[25th Lap]
By the 25th Lap, Luca had slashed the 2.5-second gap to Javier Montez. He was now close enough to be a real threat again, and Montez's team urged him to focus on defending rather than stretching his lead.
If Montez kept trying to pull away, Luca would stick with him, just as he'd been doing, thanks to his superior JRX-92B chassis. Montez drove a Red Bull—Outback's—but its base stats couldn't match the 92B, let alone how Luca had improved it.
If Montez kept pushing forward, Luca would eventually zip past him, maybe even unchallenged.
[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 3rd Position]
[You are 1 seconds away, host.]
The race had hit its middle laps. Despite Luca's closeness to Montez, the rest of the pack was gradually spreading out, with an average delta of 2.2 seconds between cars.
Montez himself hadn't posed much trouble for Ailbeart in P2, so Ailbeart and Luigi kept pushing each other to the limit and bringing the best out of themselves, pulling further ahead of the field. When Luca checked the leaderboard, Ailbeart Moireach held a 4.5-second lead over Montez.
That gap was impressive, but it didn't faze Luca. With roughly 20 laps to go, he knew he had time. Once he passed Montez, he'd chip away at that lead. It might take a string of laps to close in, but Luca was certain he'd end up within a second of Ailbeart at the end of everything, ready to strike for P2.
The next hurdle to P1 would be Luigi. Luigi was riding high, having served his 5-second penalty during his first pitstop. Luca, though, still had his penalty looming, a bitter pill since the Turn 3 incident happened right after he'd left the damn pitlane.
So, his next pitstop would force him to sit an extra 5 seconds in that box, bleeding precious time.
"Darn."
Still checking the leaderboard, Luca assessed his teammate's progress.
P1— Antonio Luigi
P2— Ailbeart Moireach
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P3— Javier Montez
P4— Luca Rennick
P5— Hank Rice
P6— Luis Dreyer
P7— Davide DiMarco
P8— Denko Rutherford
P9— Marcellus Rodnick
P10— Marko Ignatova
P11— Mikhail Petrov
P12— Jimmy Damgaard
P13— Elias Nyström
P14— Yokouchi Yūichirō
P15— Jacob Jakobsen
P16— Desmond Lloyd
P17— James Lockwood
P18— Alejandro Vasquez
P19— Erik Haas
XXX— Ansel Hahn
Rodnick was still stuck in P9. By now, Luca had likely hoped his teammate would be charging toward the top five. But the midpack was a brutal tangle, even for a driver like Rodnick. DiMarco had somehow clawed his way to P7, gaining ground. The scorching heat and George Park's weaving layout made a tough mix, affecting tires and patience alike.
Luca wished he could hear Rodnick's radio. He couldn't, but it was buzzing with frustration in the thick of P9:
**Marcellus, Marko's 0.7 behind—watch your exit at Turn 9, he's strong there**
**The fucking track changes are crazy. It used to be wider**
**Stay focused, we're still in points—let's close on Denko, he's losing momentum**
By Lap 30, Luca had strongly taken P3 from Montez. He was back in the podium spots
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"
[3rd Position]
"...Rennick powers through after a long chase, clean as a whistle, and takes P3! Rennick's back in the podium spots, and the Melbourne crowd's going ballistic...!"
"WOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
**Good job. Good job. Clean overtake**
Sitting in P3, Luca saw a prime opportunity to pull off his plan. He'd been dreading the possible fallout from his 5-second penalty and how it could derail and throw off his race.
But Luca figured that if he could seize P1, he'd greatly soften its blow.
Tire health showed signs of dwindling, but it was still solid. Luca wagered that other drivers' tires were likely more worn on average, giving him a clear upper hand now.
[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 2nd Position]
[You are 4 seconds away, host.]
Sync Buff was halfway charged. Luca was set to push harder, but yellow flags suddenly flared in the side field of his vision, catching him off guard.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"
"...it's a wreck at sector 1...!"
**Luca, yellow flags in Sector 1—Denko's crashed, he's out of the race. Looks like Rodnick's involved, could face trouble**
