[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 131
“Why are you all fighting in the midst of this busyness…?”
I let out a deep sigh as I looked at the scene where a tense tug-of-war over possibility and impossibility was unfolding. There’s still a long way to go, and the enemy is over there beyond, so why are we creating enemies within?
It’s not like we have enough collaboration even if everyone puts their heads together. Can’t we just resolve it nicely through conversation? Like rational beings.
However, contrary to my wishes, the raised voices showed no signs of lowering and continued to escalate.
“Ah, really! I’m telling you it can be done! Just bring someone and ask!”
Won-jin, who had been shouting about possibilities, yelled at the majority of engineers who disagreed with him. It was quite disrespectful, but the engineers only chuckled without taking any particular action.
In his own way, he thought he was acting for the team’s progress, but from the perspective of the older engineers, Won-jin was just an eighteen-year-old child, no matter how well he performed.
They were putting up with him with the broad tolerance and acceptance of an adult dealing with a child.
“Someone needs to fix that brat…”
Due to Won-jin’s childish behavior, he had had quite a bit of friction with other staff in the past. Unfortunately, more often than not, Won-jin was right, and since he walked the fine line, things ended peacefully without any incidents.
“…Always saying it can’t be done without even trying. If that’s the case, why are we even making the engine? We’re just going to lose to Mercedes anyway, so we might as well just give up.”
Won-jin’s voice, which was murmuring openly as if it were meant to be heard, pierced my ears.
“……”
“…”
“…!”
This time, it had definitely crossed the line.
I clutched my throbbing head and glared at Won-jin.
“Hah… This is really… messed up.”
Won-jin’s sharp voice echoed throughout the laboratory, piercing through the noisy din.
In fact, everyone involved in this matter, as well as engineers and mechanics from other departments in the vicinity, had stopped moving and were silently staring at Won-jin.
A sudden silence fell. Dozens of cold gazes pierced through, creating a tense atmosphere that felt like a fight could break out at any moment. The surroundings were noisy, but only this place felt unfathomably quiet, as if time had stopped.
I could no longer ignore the palpable tension. Realizing the frozen atmosphere, Won-jin shrank back slightly. But instead of backing down, he defiantly asserted his innocence. After all, the words had already been spoken, and he seemed ready to stand firm.
“Hey!”
It was at that moment that the patience of the engineers reached its breaking point.
One of the youngest engineers, his face flushed red, shouted as though releasing his pent-up frustration. Thanks to that, the silence that had been spreading around was broken, engulfing the entire laboratory.
Minoto and Logan were also looking over, so that said it all.
“Hey, Won-jin! Do you think you’re the only one working? Do you think you’re the only smart one? Just because you’re the youngest and are being coddled, does that mean you can ignore everyone else? It’s gone far enough now!”
A barrage of straightforward criticism, equal to Won-jin’s earlier provocations, poured out of the engineer’s mouth, and not a single person tried to stop it. It meant everyone had been waiting to unleash on Won-jin.
Of course, he worked hard and performed well, but F1 is not an individual sport; it’s a team sport. There should be at least a minimal consideration for each other, but even though Won-jin was young, he exhibited none of that.
His strong opinions led him to reject other people’s views, and he was always so self-centered…
Oh? Maybe it’s not just me who’s a young know-it-all, but maybe it’s actually Won-jin?
Anyway, everyone seemed to think this was an incident waiting to happen.
It was indeed time to set the young ones straight. Yeah, that’s right.
“Just because everyone around you tells you you’re doing well, do you think you’re something special? Ignoring what others say and doing whatever you want?”
“So, have I ever been wrong by following my instincts? Everything has turned out well!”
“Until the end…!”
Go, engineers! You’re doing great! Keep it up!
With a blank expression on my face, I was secretly cheering for the engineers, watching the exciting situation from the perspective of a thorough bystander.
“Alright, let’s take this to the end, shall we? Driver Yui-hyun, Driver-nim! Where are you!”
Suddenly, an engineer started calling for me loudly, as if trying to drag me into this war with a big, booming voice.
This time, all eyes were focused on me. There were expectant glances as if I was some kind of asymmetric force that could end this fight.
What’s going on? Why are they looking for me? I want to remain a third party. I don’t want to get involved in a clearly losing battle.
And I absolutely don’t want to be the minority here being Won-jin!
“Hey, you are being called…”
“Hah… they really…”
While standing there dumbfounded, Enrique, who had been watching the situation, gave me a light tap on the shoulder. I glanced at him with irritation and raised my hand to step forward.
“Yeah. I’m coming…”
At this point, I couldn’t not step in. Whatever the reason for being called, the only option was to lower my posture and concede. Won-jin was wrong, and that much was clear.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use this opportunity for some serious mental education.
Standing center stage, the engineers didn’t require me to give any answers.
They only demanded something from Won-jin.
“Let’s test whose words are correct. Set up the race car as you said, and if you can complete 63 laps at Imola Circuit, I will apologize. But if the performance drops or the engine blows, then you will apologize. To me and everyone.”
An engineer named Mike proposed a very straightforward and childish wager—let’s see whose claim is valid. Some might think it’s inappropriate for an adult to act this way towards a child, but there was no more effective means than this.
Normally, his rank wouldn’t allow for a wager of this nature using a race car, but given the situation, no one would raise any objections because everyone was eager for this.
Even Minoto and Logan kept their mouths shut.
Implicit consent. It was clear that even the higher-ups deemed it necessary to correct Won-jin’s selfish and unreasonable behavior for the sake of the team.
And there was no doubt that the prideful Won-jin wouldn’t shy away from this bet.
“Fine! Let’s do it! If I lose, I’ll write an apology letter of a hundred pages and apologize to everyone! But if I win, everyone apologize to me!”
“Alright, let’s go right now.”
Thus, the wager was set. At this point, it was no longer a mere dispute about possibility versus impossibility. It had become an ideological fight about whether Won-jin’s attitude was right or wrong.
But… why wasn’t my opinion being asked? The fight was between you all, so why did I have to be the pawn on the chessboard?
With a deeply wronged expression, I looked around, but just then, Logan stepped in for mediation.
Of course, my opinion was completely disregarded as he took on the role of an undemocratic referee in a wager.
“Right. With the FR3 project having progressed somewhat, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to test its performance. Get the race car ready right now and load it onto the trailer. Only a minimal crew should head to the circuit.”
Won-jin vs. the rest. The wager was given legitimacy by the one in charge. Perhaps they were enjoying a rare bit of excitement; employees murmured like waves rippling through.
After a brief pause, Logan whispered something to Minoto and then added.
“Correction. Everyone. All engineers, mechanics, and not one person should be left behind; all proceed to the circuit. Be ready to board the cars within the hour.”
In this crucial moment, with the season opening just around the corner, the bold decision to mobilize all personnel from the laboratory was a testament to how significant Won-jin’s attitude problem was.
Of course, it wasn’t just that. Having all the creators directly observe the performance of the car they had practically recreated was also a meaningful affair from a macro perspective.
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
“I’ll get ready!”
Excited answers erupted from all directions.
Who would have thought that F1 personnel would lose their minds over the mere word “bet”?
As I sank into despair, Logan and Leclerc approached me. Especially Leclerc, who was chuckling.
“Our Hyun is going to have a tough time.”
“Don’t laugh, seriously…”
At my low-toned remark, Leclerc covered his mouth with his hand.
He hadn’t been like that originally, but he’s becoming more and more annoying.
“Logan! Yeah, this isn’t about Won-jin, it’s about you, Engineer Logan. I’ve told you repeatedly to correct his behavior beforehand.”
“Come on… Do kids that age ever listen? They need to feel it in their bones to understand. This could finally set him straight.”
“That may be true, but…”
As Logan said, with the scale of the wager expanding to the entire staff, it was clear that the impact on Won-jin would be significant.
It’s worth hoping for dramatic change.
“And Hyun, take this opportunity to understand the car’s characteristics and strengths and weaknesses. Since it’s a process we have to go through anyway, think of it positively.”
“…Understood.”
After finishing the brief conversation, I headed out with Leclerc towards the cabinet outside the laboratory to gather equipment.
“Hah… What’s with this weather?”
For some reason, it seemed unusually dreadful that day.
*
*
*
At Imola Circuit, with weather chilly enough to warrant a coat.
All the staff from F1 Ferrari, dressed in windbreakers featuring the iconic prancing horse emblem, were intensely observing Yui-hyun’s race car lined up on the grid.
Engineers leaned against the fence, murmuring.
“Hey, do you think it’ll work?”
“I really don’t think so… You saw the design from Won-jin. The heat generation is so severe that I don’t think it’ll be controllable.”
“I did see it. It was a design that changed the crankshaft structure to accelerate the piston pumping speed. Did you see the structure? It’s indeed quite innovative. A true genius is a genius.”
As a compliment to Won-jin slipped out, another engineer seemed to have had enough frustration built up and rebutted vigorously.
“So what? Getting the thumbs up is a one-time thing. He ruins the entire team atmosphere and kills the motivation of everyone else. If that’s the case, he might as well work alone.”
“That’s true as well…”
While it’s valid that one genius can support the many, it’s also the case that the genius holds significance because of the existence of the majority.
“Let’s just watch how it turns out.”
Without needing to say what exactly he wanted to see, the engineers present understood what they were observing as they geared up for the race to begin.
Soon, the race started.
Pah-!
[Heat Generation 0%]
The electronic scoreboard ominously flashed real-time heat generation figures.