My Formula 1 System

For teams like Trampos Racing, preparations for the eighth round of the season were hectic, even though the schedule wasn't as packed to the brim like how it was during the interim period from Canada to Monaco.

Trampos were among those that suffered freight delays, where their premature shipments to Belgium were delayed by weather after customs had already played their notorious part too.

The German garage, focused on the active part of this round, didn't expect this kind of scramble. Having vital components arrive at the designated destination in Stavelot later than planned disrupted the preparation rhythm.

But with time, the team managed to mitigate the problem to avoid an analytical disaster. By working double shifts and running overnight, the systematic flow was restored.

"Now it's on us not to hold ourselves up. No excuses, we march on," Mr. Fisher remarked when it was confirmed that the freight issue had been solved. The team could resume their final assemblies before flights to Belgium.

Just like for the Monaco Grand Prix, Trampos heavily utilized simulators for the training of their drivers. The last time was because the team's track was under an austere reconstruction, unsuitable for racing.

This time, there was just a lot of rain almost every day, drenching the facility grounds, the asphalt, and the grass, leaving everything inconvenient.

So, moving over to the simulators as sustenance, Luca and Victor grinded laps without interruption, while the crew refined data and strategy indoors. The indoor-wet weather feeling fostered warm unity.

Beep! Beep!

One of these days, the simulator that Luca was operating made strange beeping sounds he hadn't really heard before. So, he carefully ended his progress to check out what it could mean.

It was a new simulator, so Luca wasn't concerned or anything; rather, he was curious to find out, since this meant he had missed its meaning in the manual.

This simulator model was a trailblazing, ultramodern prototype of Ferrari, the best so far produced, and Trampos had finally earned the right to utilize it after back-to-back progress.

The model had a motion platform with full 6-axis movement that replicated the g-forces. For the visual, it was in high-resolution, clear and wide to mirror the visor-view of one's helmet in the cockpit.

If that wasn't state-of-the-art enough, the adaptive resistance steering it featured would make any F1 driver believe they were in a real cockpit.

Luca fancied this model out of the other generic kinds he had driven. The immersive features and the aesthetics were cool, but he truly preferred this because of its integrated live telemetry.

This telemetry wasn't forged at all; it was the same as their real chassis. It felt like piloting the Z24 inside a building, because every quirk was mirrored on the screen's dashboard.

This was why Luca received the beep sound and no one else had yet.

Even though the simulator was a digital mimic of the Z24, it still wasn't exactly accustomed to registering such stratospheric performances. So, Luca was just triggering the chime as he struck performance thresholds that ordinary drivers would never touch or wouldn't reach so early.

When Luca realized this, he laughed to himself before deciding to take a break and freshen up.

He left the facility, moved down the garden, before he entered the dressing room, quiet, sterile, and slightly dim.

It had been a long day of relentless training, and this was the only real moment of rest Luca allowed himself. He twisted open a bottle of water to drink, splashed his face by the sink, draped a towel around his neck, and sat in silence as a reward.

After a long moment of sitting on the bench, Luca summoned the system to inspect his chassis panel.

It had been a while since he kept track of just how long it was left before he could term himself as a super driver alongside the others.

[All Modes:

—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24)

[POWER & PERFORMANCE:

—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 296%

[AERODYNAMICS & CHASSIS:

—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 261%

[HANDLING & DYNAMICS:

—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 100%

[ENDURANCE & RELIABILITY:

—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 90%

[TECHNOLOGICAL INTEGRATION:

—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 92% ]

'That's extremely close,' Luca thought with eyes on the first category: POWER & PERFORMANCE.

He couldn't believe Luigi, Ailbeart, and Damgaard already had their own POWER & PERFORMANCE around 300% or beyond, yet they weren't tyrannizing the grid like he was at 296%.

When both POWER & PERFORMANCE and AERODYNAMICS & CHASSIS are taken to 300%, Luca wanted to see how powerful he would be on track.

Now, the word "super cars," "HiCE-powered machines," didn't petrify the paddock as it used to before. Now, even normal drivers like Luis Dreyer and Di Renzo could finish above Ailbeart Moireach.

Was the grid recuperating? Had the spark of the High-Intensity Combustion Engines faded away? Was this the end of the Unrestricted Power Era?

Luca understood that novelty always wears off in every part of life. In the case of F1 here, what once stunned the grid was now becoming familiar. Thus, the rest of the teams had begun to learn, mitigate, and regulate against the supers' edge.

Even Trampos had made regular meetings concerning the major High-Intensity Combustion problem. With each round, adjustments were made, and the field grew sharper.

In time, these super cars and super drivers might not stand out as distinctly as they once had!

This explained Luigi's struggles so far, because it was a surprise how the W12 looked sluggish compared to its debut phase.

If Luigi didn't beef up and sharpen his edge soon, these middling results of his could quickly harden into his new standard.

~~~~~

"Welcome to Belgium. Home of fine chocolates, waffles, and the legendary Spae-Ferenchal circuit. Enjoy your stay, and we wish all teams a successful Grand Prix weekend."

The last time Luca came to Belgium, he left point-less because of the tire puncture Luigi inflicted upon him, which Luca hadn't forgotten, by the way. Now, he was comfortably at the top of the standings, and Luigi was the one haggling for points.

The Belgian GP was known for unpredictability, both in weather and competition patterns. Luigi could use this as his bounce-back race to reclaim his dignity, but in a country where the grandstands would be largely painted in Trampos' colors?

Luca didn't think so.