[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 144

[The practice session 1 will start in 10 minutes!]

Hearing the broadcast echoing throughout the circuit, I truly realized I had returned to the circuit.

The warm night air of Bahrain, the cheers of countless fans heating the night air, the loud mechanical noises from the pit, and the roaring engine sounds…

Everything was familiar yet new.

“I’m really back…”

I climbed onto the race car to prepare for the upcoming practice race, becoming lost in contemplation amidst the noisy environment.

Today was a monumental day for both Mr. Yooihyun, making his debut, and Jin Hyun-woo, making a comeback.

Though it was merely a practice session, not the main race or qualifying.

I wanted to deliver the most perfect driving I had ever shown, for the F1 fans who came here and for myself.

To do that, I had to focus on the present. I needed to concentrate on the race car V-1 I was driving and the strategies our race team had prepared.

A desperate moment of focus with just 10 minutes left until the race started.

Before heating up the race car, I began the process of awakening the cells in my body. I needed to awaken the sensitive sensations in my fingertips and toes to prepare for any situation.

“Haah…”

Exhaling a long, deep breath, I closed my eyes.

Vrooom-! Vrooom-!!!

I pressed the accelerator step by step, breaking down the intensity of power into finer units, methodically building a solid tower.

Vrooom- Vrooom-!!! Thud-! Thud-!

As more force was added, the FR3 engine pulsed. The pounding sound resonated deep in my bones, flowing through my heart. That acceleration transformed into excitement, quickening my heart.

The once slow heartbeat of thump… thump! changed to a sharp sound of thump! thump! and eventually turned into a rapid rhythm of thud! thud! thud! spreading throughout my body.

As such, my heartbeat synchronized with the pulsation of the engine.

A process of unity where I and the race car resonate, where I become the race car and the race car becomes me.

Once the heart of the race car, the engine, and my heart began to beat together in their unique rhythm,

“Oh…”

My eyes finally opened. My heart opened. A world beyond the limited senses of my body was within reach.

That world was the race car. It is my religion and world that guides me to a greater reality, and at the same time, it is God.

My sensory system flowed through my fingertips, connecting me with the race car.

Through the steering wheel in my hands, the neural bundles transferred throughout the entire race car, like tree roots firmly rooting into solid ground in all directions.

Beginning with the closest engine and reaching the farthest tires, the solid root of the nervous fibers explored every corner of the race car.

“Good…”

I felt omnipotent, with everything under my control.

Even if there were faster drivers than me, I was convinced that no driver could handle the race car better than I could at this moment.

I was in perfect condition. It couldn’t be any better.

My mind was exceptionally clear, and my eyes saw only the immediate goal.

This was a sense of reality that could not be felt even in the best-crafted For One.

The tension evaporated, replaced by an overwhelming confidence, and a pure desire to rush out immediately dominated my heart.

My mind and body entered a perfect state where I could fully dedicate myself to the race.

Soon, the voice of Enrique, the ace engineer for Team Ferrari and my personal race engineer, flowed through my earpiece.

– Lee Hyun. How’s the condition?

“It’s perfect. I want to get out on the circuit right now.”

– That’s a relief. I was worried you might be overly tense since it’s your debut… Is this the world-class Yooihyun?

“What are you talking about? Stop with the pointless talk and get to the point. The race is about to start.”

I could sense a hint of care in Enrique’s playful voice trying to ease my potential tension.

I appreciated it, but… why do I feel like you are the one more nervous?

His voice was slightly elevated, and his breathing was uneven, indicating that he himself seemed to be engulfed in tension. It made sense for Enrique as this was also his first real situation as a race engineer.

For me, having participated countless times in For One and having undergone several test drives, driving was familiar despite this being my debut. Enrique, however, was performing the role of a race engineer for the very first time today.

During the test drives, he had minimized conversation just to gather test values, but now he needed to make quick, accurate judgments based on the real-time changing situation in the circuit, exchanging opinions with me as a partner too.

So, while a race engineer wouldn’t be able to surpass the driver’s share in a race, they held the second most crucial position.

That meant a significant amount of pressure.

Being smart, Enrique surely understood how important the position he was in was.

It’s natural for me to feel tension as well, and it wouldn’t be strange to be in a panic. But I was only calm because I was a reincarnated driver living a second life.

Though I felt for Enrique, there was nothing I could do for him. The only answer was to overcome the pressure and burden by himself.

All I could do was cheer for him to overcome it.

Seemingly sensing my thoughts, Enrique began to articulate the things he had prepared, even with his trembling voice.

– Since it’s a practice session today, there won’t be many points for me to intervene. Most of the race will be your time to grasp the feel, experiment, and assess the race car.

Enrique’s words were correct. A practice session is a time to raise the driver’s capabilities to their maximum, experiment with prepared strategies, and objectively assess the race car’s athletic abilities, rather than simply extracting the best record.

Season opening. That is to say, you can only know by seeing.

It’s the first time to face the practical performance of the race car, shrouded in veils even for the F1 team.

Knowing oneself leads to victory in a hundred battles.

Before winning, knowing oneself is paramount, but currently, no team truly knows themselves. Therefore, a practice session is often utilized to carefully assess individual capabilities.

– Let’s spend session 1 like that. Gauge the maximum output V-1 can give, and set your path. You can do it, right?

“Not easy in just one hour… but I’ll try my best.”

– Regarding hybrid suspension and cornering, I can add a few words. You won’t stray far from the record line, but… that also makes it hard to calculate the details. The system formulas are complicated.

“Then base it on the maximum entry speed. I’ll manage the steering wheel angle, braking timing, and acceleration timing myself.”

– Are you sure? It won’t be easy.

“I have to. Without a benchmark, the path becomes unclear.”

Asking to calculate based on maximum entry speed was not out of self-conceit. It was because, to reach pure perfection, a close enough standard might be needed, even if it wasn’t the right answer.

Moreover, everything changes with speed.

The entry timing, the rotation angle of the steering wheel, the braking timing and intensity, the timing and strength of acceleration after the apex, and finally the exit timing.

Speed serves as the first button that changes all processes and entangles them complexly, so the criteria of maximum speed becomes a choice that rather lowers the difficulty of the attack.

Enrique, who understood instantly, continued.

– And… I’m sorry to say, but can you possibly complete that path in session 1?

“Complete it?”

Asking to complete the path when I hadn’t even fully adapted to V-1 was close to impossible given the current situation where I had only one hour and no infinite time.

That’s why I didn’t make any hasty declarations earlier, saying I would try my best.

Whether my reaction was overly dramatic, it was clear that there was a strong sense of apology in Enrique’s voice.

– No, no. I’m not saying you must, but if possible… If you achieve that, it would be great because session 2 would just need minor adjustments. Then we could gain an advantage in qualifying… Our race car isn’t complete yet.

“Hmmm…”

What Enrique was saying now looked like a request, but it wasn’t just a request.

An incomplete V-1. Competition vehicles outperforming V-1, even though they were last year’s records.

Even if Enrique didn’t intend it this way, considering these two factors, asking me to complete the path wasn’t merely a request for victory but an order.

To be competitive in rankings, it’s natural to have to move much faster than others. That expressed a willingness to complete and refine the path ahead of others to gain an advantage in qualifying.

At the same time, it reflected a blind yet rational belief in me as a driver, Yooihyun.

The words I had heard countless times since the broadcast, from the Kiwich 1v1 tournament…

“If it’s KING, can’t he do it?”

“Maybe if it’s KING…”

“If it’s KING…”

The overwhelming and shocking history written as KING and

“Of course, it’s Yooihyun.”

“It succeeded because of Yooihyun.”

“It was possible because of Yooihyun.”

The undeniable truths proven together with the F1 team Ferrari.

– I’m counting on you, Hyun-a. You can do it.

Faith intertwined with rationality acted as a single ideology.

KING, Yooihyun.

Those names had likely become a lifeline to save them without my awareness.

“I’ll do my best, so get ready for feedback.”

And willingly.

I was ready to accept the fate that was given to me.