[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 158

Yihyun Yoo, who had been closely trailing Daniel Ricciardo all day while continuously updating her sector records, surprised everyone by bursting out at the last corner, despite looking overwhelmed just by following behind.

Like someone bursting forth with all the power she had accumulated, Yihyun unleashed the force condensed in the slipstream, perfectly carving out space.

Always hunting for an overtaking opportunity, Yihyun took her final gamble at the last continuous corners of the Bahrain Circuit, corners 14 and 15. She dove inside Ricciardo, who was taking the outside line with traditional cornering, and simultaneously pushed his car out of line on the next section while setting herself up to take the lead.

Plans rarely flow as intended, yet Yihyun’s actions unfolded smoothly, just as everyone had anticipated.

Chiriririk!!! Cardeuk!

As Ricciardo’s race car began to significantly reduce speed approaching the right angle corner 14, a chilling frictional sound echoed. He aimed for the inside by stepping on the curb, executing an out-in-out movement.

At that moment, Yihyun had already slowed down in advance, securing enough distance from Ricciardo before entering the corner.

Chiiik-! Chik! Chikchik!

Unlike Ricciardo, Yihyun maintained her speed beyond the maximum entry speed, braking sharply. It appeared precarious, as though she might bounce off the track, but for Yihyun, it was the only solution, based on her pathological tire management and high vehicle understanding.

Ricciardo exited the corner to stay on the outside, while Yihyun’s race car, V-1, maintained acceleration at maximum entry speed, explosively accelerating while burning fuel. V-1 zipped past Ricciardo, gaining extra speed from the slipstream.

Numerous operations happening in an instant. The steering wheel turned, buttons and paddles clicked, and the accelerator and brake moved complexly within a consistent system.

As they passed the apex of the corner, the DRS opening again was truly the finishing touch.

[Ricciardo gives way!]

[The acceleration is incredible. Yihyun will update her lap time!]

[It’s art. This is art.]

What seemed like a breathtaking overtake from Yihyun was, in reality, a perfect calculation of several factors executed in an instant.

Perfect timing, perfect design, perfect psychological tactics… all enabled by her flawless technique.

Leading with Ferrari’s race car, Blue Bull’s race car crossed the finish line, causing the rankings to fluctuate significantly.

Name / Time / Team

⑥ Yihyun Yoo 0:58:091 2.301 – Ferrari

⑦ Daniel Ricciardo 0:58:121 2.331 – Blue Bull

⑧ Sergio Perez 0:58:284 2.494 – Blue Bull

⑨ Steven King 0:58:777 2.987 – McLaren

Yihyun from Ferrari jumped from 9th to 6th place in an instant, while even though Ricciardo conceded the rank to her, he ultimately stomped on his teammate and McLaren to lead Blue Bull.

The names lighting up the electronic scoreboard moved in orderly fashion, indicating a fluctuation in rankings from 6th to 9th without exception, creating one of the most thrilling spectacles of this qualifying session.

The audience roared as if the circuit would burst, and the competition of Blue Bull and McLaren against Ferrari intensified. In each pit, emotions swung between joy and despair.

“Are we really going to concede like this? Is this even possible?”

“Oh… what is this…”

“This is driving me crazy…”

In McLaren’s pit, a lament filled the air as Steven King instantly dropped from 7th to 9th place. Being a rookie driver in his first year, he had achieved a personal best of 7th in qualifying, but his momentum shattered with just one lap.

Like how the thrill of the underdog winning doubles, the sense of defeat for the strong is equally amplified when they lose to the weak.

McLaren’s team members held their heads in despair. Although it wasn’t unreasonable to feel frustrated about their drop in standing, as qualifying is primarily determined by the performance of the race car and the driver’s skills, they were aggrieved.

To be exact, they resented Ricciardo and Blue Bull.

“Why is that car even here?”

“Perfectly towing from start to finish like it’s a dream.”

“Thanks to that, only Ferrari benefits…”

Ferrari, having both drivers in Q3, had realistically accomplished the maximum lap time possible from the outset. Their star driver Charles Leclerc and the newcomer Yihyun had pushed V-1 to its limits but failed to update the time further.

Thus, Q3 was a battle among Renault, McLaren, and Blue Bull, excluding the top-tier Mercedes and bottom-tier Ferrari. Ricciardo’s towing unexpectedly drew Ferrari back into the competition.

It had to be infuriating, particularly since his tow had also dragged down his teammate Steven, who had been running well.

Aside from the drivers’ conditions, there were no other variables in qualifying. Trapped in the simplest form of racing rules, they were catching up to a gap that should be unbeatable due to differences in race cars.

“Is recovery possible?”

“Is recovery even feasible… there’s just about a minute left until the end.”

“This lap was ruined from sector 1…… Soon, sector 3 will finish, and while there’s time for one more lap, considering the remaining time, we must accomplish the fastest lap for this one. Otherwise, we’re done for.”

“We’re doomed, really doomed.”

Due to the limited remaining time, the McLaren team members resigned themselves, wearing bittersweet expressions as they accepted the situation. Some things are simply unavoidable.

They were able to accept the outcome because, despite their resentment towards Ricciardo and Blue Bull, considering Yihyun’s driving technique sent chills down their spines.

“Honestly, I didn’t think she’d be this good during practice, but she’s really impressive.”

“Sure, but I heard she gained recognition at the Kiwi Tournament, and all ten teams were trying to sign her. Even Mercedes, who has a pretty high nose, was trying to bring her on board. She must be good.”

“Hey, it’s not just that she might be good, she really is good. Did you not see her following Ricciardo without a single miscontrol?”

An engineer manipulated the telemetry to display Yihyun’s and Ricciardo’s trajectories on the screen.

The line, which could almost be described as one instead of two, overlapped terrifyingly accurately. Yihyun was perfectly tailing Ricciardo like a seasoned hunter chasing her prey.

It was only in the final moment that the lines diverged. Like a hawk snatching its prey and soaring gracefully into the sky, she overtook him comfortably at the last corner.

This intricate technique of maximizing gain with minimal loss isn’t as easy as it sounds. Perfectly adapting to the unpredictable pace of the opponent while ensuring that the distance never widens or narrows is a challenge even for legendary drivers.

Moreover, the ability to make a decisive yet instinctive call to surge ahead at the crucial moment is another layer. Waiting when necessary yet capturing the moment brilliantly, Yihyun’s performance was at a level so impressive it was hard to believe even for veteran engineers who had seen and analyzed countless races.

Knowing the limits of the Ferrari engine, the engineers could only be astonished. This overtake, even more cinematic than a movie, was achieved solely by Yihyun’s individual capability.

“Just focus on doing well in tomorrow’s race.”

“Yeah, the main event is different.”

“We need to distance ourselves from Nilsson at the grid, so we’ll have to rethink our strategy. I don’t think Steven can play the wingman role this time.”

“I’ve lost sleep over today…”

Though McLaren blamed Ricciardo’s race car as the tow vehicle, there were valid reasons for accepting their defeat. This harsh F1 world requires more than just relishing in sentiment; knowing when to acknowledge and adapt is essential for survival.

So rather than lamenting the present, they began preparing for the future. While today cannot be changed, tomorrow can be, and thus they chose to move forward instead of staying in place.

Similarly, Blue Bull faced a comparable situation.

“Is this a loss or a gain?”

“If we must assess, it would be a gain. Both have top pace.”

“True enough. It’s disappointing to drop in the rankings, but since we’ll start at the same time, we can minimize the starting variables.”

“Not bad. However, the difference in lap time isn’t significant, so we’ll catch up quickly in the main event.”

Accepting the situation calmly and promptly formulating a plan, Blue Bull’s director and leadership were the textbook answer to “how they manage to stay in F1.”

No matter what sort of frustration or form it comes in, they are individuals with the resilience to stand up and press forward.

Having longed so eagerly for success, ironically, they must also become accustomed to defeat and failure.

If there are losers like McLaren and Blue Bull, naturally, there are winners too.

“Today, it’s all about kimchi with rice.”

“I’m going to stir my water into it too.”

“Long live Yihyun…”

Ferrari was savoring the sweet taste of victory.

Thus, the passionately heated night of qualifying was fading.