My Formula 1 System-Chapter 406: Canadian Grand Prix
[Generating track layout...]
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[
┌T11---T12---T13--T14-----=----T1┐
T10
T2
└-----T9
┌T4 |
└----T8
┌T6-----T5└T3
└------------T7
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Circuit Ladislas Duval was previously known as Île Notre-Dame Circuit, or Circuit Île Notre-Dame in French. Its previous name came from the very man-made island it was built on. The island sat in the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, and it had originally been created for the Olympics. That was why the circuit wound through parkland, water, and former Olympic facilities.
So, this was a unique kind of street circuit—maybe a semi-street circuit—since it wasn't technically in a real metropolitan street, but on an artificially made one. It was also surrounded by water, with all its features permanent, unlike typical street circuits that are set up temporarily.
But the special thing about Circuit Ladislas Duval in Canada wasn't its beach-like atmosphere, the squawking of seagulls, the constant drifting of mist from the nearby river, or the sweet scent of pine and wet stone in the breeze, but its history. If you haven't noticed, the circuit's name belonged to a person: the late Ladislas Duval. It was renamed from Circuit Île Notre-Dame to Circuit Ladislas Duval eleven years ago, after the tragic death of Ladislas Duval, an F1 racer.
He was of French origin and, at the time, was driving for Haddock Racing in the Canadian Grand Prix, where one of the most shocking tire locks ever seen in Formula 1 occurred. Duval did not survive the collision that followed.
Even in this year's Grand Prix, his photos and banners remained hung all around the circuit. And before both the qualifiers and the main race, a moment of silence was conducted in loving memory of one of their very own who had lost his life on track.
Luca felt both sad and patriotic. It was also a privilege to race on the same track where chaos erupted, where gasps echoed through the stands, where roars turned into panic, and where the sonorous sound of an ambulance siren wailed so loudly a decade ago.
But looking at that ghastly track structure now, how on earth would they not be expecting fatal crashes caused not only by spin-outs from traction loss, but from other dangerous agents as well. Something as simple as braking too stiffly at a moment of truth could invoke a very deadly tire lock-up.
From Turn 11 to Turn 2, the circuit played out like a standard F1 configuration with a few kinks, normal right-handers, and left-handers. But the chicane that followed after Turn 2 was absolutely chastising. That segment, in fact, was the very portion of the track where Duval mismeasured his throttle and brake under the pressure of a rival.
Astonishingly, something similar transpired during the qualifiers, shocking everyone who, for a brief moment, thought there could be a second Duval incident on this very circuit. And the driver at the center of it was none other than Ailbeart Moireach, who, this season, had suddenly become known for frequently getting disqualified during race qualifiers.
His own issue wasn't a tire lock, but simply a total loss of control at that infamous chicane. He lost grip, and his car barreled out with wild disorder. Luckily for him—and for Haddock Racing, who could've faced the unthinkable: another driver loss at the same circuit eleven years later—the brand new R.S.25 wasn't damaged pivotally, just a few scrapes and bruises that could be patched up within the two days before race day.
Regardless, it was enough to push him to the back of the grid for this Canadian Grand Prix. Their very own super engine, which they oddly left without a nickname—perhaps to preserve its mystique—seemed to inject some confusion into Ailbeart, ultimately leading to his disqualification.
Truthfully, Luca secretly wished for all the super drivers on the grid to lose control and get disqualified—Rodnick included. If that happened, the air at the front could really become breathable.
But at the end of the qualifiers, it was only one super driver, Ailbeart Moireach, who was disqualified, alongside Yokouchi Yūichirō. The HiCEs, on the other hand, actually performed just as hyped. The ThunderKat 2.0, in particular, with Rodnick emphatically claiming pole for the race, and Captain Italy qualifying for P2. It felt like a true display of power because Luigi got P3, Luca secured P4, followed by Jimmy Damgaard in P5 with the normal RBioL, and Marko in P6 with his W15R.
P1— Marcellus Rodnick
P2— Davide DiMarco
P3— Antonio Luigi
P4— Luca Rennick
P5— Jimmy Damgaard fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
P6— Marko Ignatova
P7— Mark Derfflinger
P8— Luis Dreyer
P9— Elias Nyström
P10— Javier Montez
P11— James Lockwood
P12— Hank Rice
P13— Alejandro Vasquez
P14— Mikhail Petrov
P15— Desmond Lloyd
P16— Józef Konarski
P17— Ansel Hahn
P18— Erik Haas
P19— Ailbeart Moireach
P20— Yokouchi Yūichirō
"...welcome to the Canadian Grand Prix! We haven't been to St. Lawrence in four years—the very place where Ailbeart Moireach set a blistering fastest lap! But today, he starts way down at P19! Certainly not what he would've imagined with that brand-new chassis! Haddock Racing is disappointed, no doubt—but their fans? Still showing up in the masses today...!"
"...it's truly a battle of power here in Formula 1! Just look at that top three! No question—we're witnessing the astronomical capabilities of the new Ferrari introduced by Jackson Racing! Marcellus Rodnick takes P1, and Davide DiMarco holds strong in P2! It's incredible! An iconic race already—just from the starting grid...!"
"...you either lose power or gain it! And speaking of shifts—let's talk about Trampos! Mark this Canadian Grand Prix as the final race where a Dallara chassis will be seen in F1 competition! Welcome to stability, Trampos Racing. Let's just hope Jackson Racing stays warm toward them—because sibling rivalries? They tend to get far more brutal than the usual team feuds..."
[SYNCHRONIZING HOST....]
[SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]
[Host is now synced with Ferrari (JRX-97)]
It was Luca's first race with the 97, and he'd be honest when he said he truly loved how the car felt with him. He'd thought the 92B was light, but this one was even lighter, truly supporting its speed-oriented design.
With no Skill lost during the change of registered car, Luca was eager to see how he'd execute his Skills in a real competitive atmosphere with a new machine. Even with the overwhelming presence of better cars and S-level engines all around, Luca was a bit optimistic about this race, mostly because he had a stash of Cs & Ws he hadn't even used yet.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations on winning a race]
[You have been rewarded with:
(3) Catalysts]
This was the notif he received after winning the South African Grand Prix. And after registering the 97, he was given (3) Wrenches. So right now, that was (3) Catalysts and (3) Wrenches sitting in his inventory. Using them in-race would increase Sync Buff's probability and timing.
One of the most unexpected—but also somehow expected—things happened right at the start of the race, at lights out specifically. There was early, but nonfatal contact between Luca and Luigi. And from Luca's perspective, it was clearly Luigi's fault, which it entirely was.
Luigi completely left his line of surge and intentionally diverted into Luca's path just to block him from thrusting forward like he always did. And Luca, with Grid Launch active, quacked Luigi, prompting the first massive roar from the crowd.
Squadra Corse complained. Race Control ignored it. And Jackson Racing simply urged Luca to recover as quickly as possible.
Luca wasn't even mad. He was just chuffed that Luigi actually saw him as enough of a threat to commit—not one, but two—grid start undercuts this season just to keep him from advancing early.
