[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 152

KING of For One. The momentum of rookie driver Yoo Yi-hyun was tremendous.

For a rookie, the pressure and burden that one would naturally have did not exist for her. It was as if she had forgotten all the hundreds of thousands of spectators and cameras broadcasting worldwide, boldly placing herself on the track.

She was bold.

Having barely been in the race car for a short time, she completely trusted herself and the F1 team Ferrari, despite being in an uncertain situation. She believed in herself, believed in the race car V-1, and believed in the team members who created V-1.

She dove into corners without hesitation, pushing the race car to its limits. A skill that could never emerge if one did not think they could endure was unleashed, lap after lap, without rest.

The skill culminated in completing laps, and those laps were displayed as a perfect lap on the electronic scoreboard.

The overwhelming presence of KING, adored by everyone who loves For One, was vividly recreated over the Bahrain Circuit.

Commentators were busy praising her remarkable driving technique while at the same time being astonished by her unwavering momentum.

[Yoo Yi-hyun sets the best record in Sector 1 with her amazing driving!]

[This rookie is really impressive. Just like all sports, including F1, it’s not easy for a player who has just taken their first steps to race around the circuit like it’s their living room.]

[Is she naturally suited for the stage? She’s flying around the track!]

It was a play born from belief. Yoo Yi-hyun had a strong faith that even when she drew on all her overflowing potential, the race car would sustain her. This belief enabled such driving.

The race car V-1 was helping her manifest the infinite potential that only existed within her.

In return for V-1’s sacrifice, Yoo Yi-hyun opened and continued to unleash the maximum performance of V-1.

The final step. The very last step… This truly was the last step.

She broke through the limits defined by figures multiple times.

Despite the unequal starting point of the overwhelming machine, Yoo Yi-hyun ultimately surpassed Mercedes’ Max Verstappen.

The power that started from a strong belief in her team was indeed magnificent.

-Hamilton. Yoo Yi-hyun has defeated Max by 0.065 seconds.

Wooooo!

The rough yet refined roar of the engine sounded majestically, emanating from the heavy silver race car adorned with the names and logos of various famous companies.

So, it was natural for the champion Lewis Hamilton, who was holding the first place, to hear the news of his team member’s defeat.

“Yeah, I saw.”

Despite it being unexpected news, Hamilton showed no signs of surprise or even minor disturbance. He was instead focused on the race with calmness.

He only concentrated on his own battle.

-I heard they’ve changed the entire race car… looks like Ferrari came out with something fierce?

“Of course. It’s ‘Ferrari,’ not just any team.”

-Did they spend more money this time, or did they spend it wisely…? Whatever it is, it’s definitely improved.

Hamilton himself was known for maintaining a level-headed demeanor, but there were several reasons he could remain calm.

First, today’s race was a practice session, not a competition.

Second, because it was a practice session, the race car had not been pushed to its max performance.

Third, like the race car, he too was not displaying his full potential.

So, even though he was holding back unnecessary wasted effort while still doing his best, there was no reason for him to feel pressured when he was ahead of Yoo Yi-hyun, who was exerting all her strength.

Moreover, practice sessions differed significantly from qualifying or the actual race, and considering that all teams didn’t reveal everything during practice, it wasn’t really a remarkable achievement yet.

While it couldn’t be said that “all teams have made improvements” over the season, if they had, it was unclear how much better teams that had performed well in the last season would do in qualifying.

The secret weapon wasn’t only with Ferrari; every team had one.

-Still, it feels like she’s giving it her all in a practice session. It won’t do any good to sell so much data this early in the season…

The race engineer quietly interjected, and Hamilton remained silent in agreement.

There was nothing wrong with that statement.

In today’s F1, where telemetry that dismantles and analyzes the performance, features, advantages, and disadvantages of race cars had advanced significantly, data played a crucial role in competition.

Hundreds, thousands of precise analytical charts clearly show where the team’s race car has strengths and weaknesses.

This information is not just a simplistic analysis like “weak in corners, strong in straightaways.”

It is based on numerous objective indicators, such as how much downforce is generated in shallow and deep corners at specific angles, how the efficiency of aerodynamics changes with angles, the overall weight distribution of the chassis, tire wear rates, and the effectiveness of variable engine outputs.

This analysis provides a clear path to complementing the weaknesses and honing the strengths of the team’s race car, thus having an intuitive impact.

It’s as simple as following what telemetry shows.

Of course, telemetry only identifies the causes inferred from the results. Naturally, it can’t dissect the cause, i.e., the technology itself. Moreover, due to qualitative differences in each team’s telemetry programs, information reliability or error rates vary, so it couldn’t serve as an absolute standard.

From the perspective of race car development, it could be said to be an essential function, and once a good analysis program is developed, data collection can be easily achieved with minimal manpower, which cannot be overlooked.

However, thinking about that in reverse…

-Other teams might not know it, but Ferrari will be fully exposed. Everyone must be busy analyzing until tomorrow’s qualifying.

While I can get a solid understanding of my own race car, it also means that it’s equally easy for rival teams to analyze my race car.

In this age where information warfare has become a crucial strategic element, Ferrari’s performance in the practice session may positively influence the morale of a team that has been stagnant for years, but it would only have negative consequences for qualifying and the actual race.

In reality, among the mid-range teams excluding Ferrari, there was no team performing at full capacity. They were all sacrificing some data collection to minimize information exposure and gain a strategic advantage.

“What is she thinking…?”

Hamilton spoke to himself in pure curiosity without sarcasm.

While her lap times were significantly shorter compared to the previous season, suggesting a remarkable improvement, it was true that Ferrari, a relatively weak team compared to the top teams, should hide information even more.

With Ferrari’s current competitors being mid-range teams, or higher if one generously considered, it was only logical that they shouldn’t give information to teams competing for second, third, fourth, or fifth place, even if they weren’t competing with the first-placed Mercedes.

Right. It begs the question, “Why are they revealing their full power so openly when they should be hiding?”

“There has to be some plan behind this exposure.”

Since it deviated completely from common sense, there was a suspicious aspect to it.

According to the telemetry analysis, while the engine was clearly being used to its maximum, there might be hidden technology that couldn’t be detected. One couldn’t help but consider the possibility that the current appearance was a huge deception.

-Looking at the analysis charts for Leclerc and Yoo Yi-hyun, both are fully utilizing their engines; heat output is exceeding maximum levels… even if there are new technologies hidden, the dramatic change won’t be that significant. Regardless, our engines are significantly different, so there’s no need to worry.

“If they’re hiding something, it’ll make the mid-range competition much fiercer. I’ll have to keep an eye on it.”

After finishing his thought, Hamilton’s gaze became focused ahead but soon lost its focus.

Is there really no need for concern…?

Hamilton swallowed the words he couldn’t voice, remembering someone who had shown breathtaking driving, even from his perspective as a seven-time champion.

In the past, he pushed his teammate Max to the very last lap in the Kiwi Tournament finals, and now he was facing Yoo Yi-hyun, a driver who could defeat Max and record lap times similar to his despite the significant engine differences in V-1.

Since witnessing Yoo Yi-hyun’s driving, he had imagined racing against her countless times. Bahrain, Silverstone, Paul Ricard, Monaco… assuming similar performance for race cars across around twenty circuits, he ran through simulations hundreds of times but found it hard to guarantee victory.

In one Grand Prix, he had won and lost; in one lap, he had won and lost; even in one corner during a straightaway, he had won and lost.

In a fight where even minor details couldn’t be predicted, what Hamilton felt was ironically enough, joy.

It was a joy of two kinds.

The joy of gaining another formidable competitor and the joy of imagining what she would show on the circuit in the future.

He felt an expectation that Yoo Yi-hyun would overcome any extreme situation.

“I guess I should give it a go.”

The seven-time champion was starting to move, ready to become a wonderful stimulus for her.