[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 159
Increasing RPM.
Kii-ing!!
“Ugh…!”
Inside the race car slicing through the air with sharp aerodynamic qualities, I let out a scream that no one could hear. While my mind briefly ran calculations, Ricciardo’s bright red tail lights suddenly filled my vision as I approached the corner. It had been a mistake to momentarily let my guard down.
The tension I had momentarily released transformed into immense anxiety, taking over my body uncomfortably.
Kkuuk! Chiririk-!
I reflexively reduced my speed to widen the gap and narrowly avoided the crisis, then tightened my grip on the steering wheel, sharpening my focus.
‘That was close…’
Having raced on the Bahrain Circuit hundreds, thousands of times… I knew every detail of the circuit, including the lengths of corners and straightaways, and the ins and outs to a precision of one unit. Completing the lap was not difficult for me; it was natural since my body reacted faster than my mind.
However, if conditions were attached to completion—if I had to overtake someone, keep up with someone, or use someone… that is, at that moment, creating the fastest lap.
The difficulty skyrocketed.
“Hoo…”
Now was that moment. Right now, I had to perfectly follow Ricciardo.
The race car had long reached its limits. V-1 couldn’t provide any more performance. Compared to the other teams’ race cars that had already advanced to Q3, I felt one or two classes behind. Yet, competing with them was no small feat.
Thus, this situation felt even more burdensome. When I needed something that wouldn’t work to become effective, it was entirely up to me as a human.
If the tool couldn’t become sharper and harder, then it was up to me to become sharper and harder.
I intensified my gaze and followed Ricciardo’s race car like a shadow, obsessively and precisely.
‘1, 2, 3…’
As I passed a few corners, the sector changed.
‘Sector 1, 2, 3…’
When the sector changed, the flow shifted. Ricciardo’s racing line, filled with his talent, effort, and experience, transformed fluidly and diversely. I surrendered my body to that change. It wasn’t the time to stick to my way; I had to become Ricciardo.
I pushed away all electronic equipment and data displayed on the steering wheel. I relied solely on my instincts to feel the speed, shift timing, and calculate acceleration and deceleration timings. I moved, predicting the one movement he had to make within his actions.
Amidst the chaos of the commentators’ voices, Enrique’s deep voice cut in.
– It looks great right now. Just keep going like this.
Everything was perfect, just like he said. From distance control to the racing line. Even I, unable to check telemetry data, felt the perfection.
An indisputable perfect play was unfolding in my hands.
– Last corner!
If the process is perfect, the finish must be perfect as well.
In the last corner, the two race cars became one, finally splitting into two.
The slow side and the fast side. The leading side and the trailing side.
The victory and defeat were decided in an instant.
– Yes!!! Great, it worked!!! 58 seconds 091 for 6th place, 6th place!
With less than a minute remaining before the end, perhaps because the current standings reflected the grid order, an overly excited Enrique raised his voice unusually.
“Calm down. It’s only 6th place…”
I tried to reassure him, pretending to be calm, but I couldn’t hide my trembling voice either. I had earned pole positions, stood on the podium, and achieved championships multiple times, but…
A victory earned by overcoming adversity is immensely valuable.
[Q3 ends and qualifying concludes!]
[A significant ranking change occurred at the end, and it seems that’s how it will end. This might be the biggest upset of the event.]
[Driver Yoo Yi-hyun of Ferrari was phenomenal.]
As expected, the ranking board that had swayed did not change until the end of Q3.
Noticing something wrong, the little over a minute remaining was far too tight a timeframe on the circuit to change anything.
I returned to the pit, releasing my tense mind and body. Getting out of the race car and removing my helmet, I was met by the cheers and rushing pit crew and engineers filling my vision.
The team members surrounding me chanted my name from a distance. Seeing their excited faces, it looked like they wanted to celebrate me, but they seemed to be holding back.
Perhaps it was because my body was that of a minor female.
I willingly dove into their embrace.
“Yoo Yi-hyun! Yoo Yi-hyun!”
“You’re the best, Yoo Yi-hyun!”
Buried in their warm embrace, I finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Haa… That was really tough…”
I had only just finished qualifying, and it wasn’t time to be satisfied.
“Haha…”
For a moment, I wanted to soak in this moment.
Not me, but Ferrari’s victory at this moment.
*
*
*
Ferrari finished qualifying in 6th and 10th places, and the heat in Bahrain was embarrassingly intense.
Indeed, the cheers from the thousands of spectators inside and outside the circuit resonated, echoing more prominently than the engine sounds of the race cars.
And… while Bahrain was chaotic, there was even a more frenzied place.
<It’s here...>
Ferrari’s era has come, you fools!!!
10-year Tifosi*: Ferrari resurrected like crazy!!! hahahaha
nobody (233.321): This guy hasn’t been around for years, and now he crawls back out? lol
nobody (10-year Tifosi*): Would you come out if it were you? lol So happy right now.
nobody (14.4): Congrats on 10 years of waiting, dude…
<The world gasps, and Japan trembles...>
That would be Mr. Yoo Yi-hyun from Korea, lol.
yes (114.32): Anyway, the world gasps, and Japan trembles~~ lol
nobody (Master of Taegeuk*: Seriously, the national pride sentiment is awful;;;
nobody (223.789): Did you not watch today’s race? Even if the national pride sentiment is bad, you have to acknowledge today’s performance;
nobody (118.235): Those with national pride are particularly Japanese pride.
LOVE Yoo Yi-hyun*: Today, I’m at the national pride limit…
<Long live Yoo Yi-hyun>
Long live Yoo Yi-hyun
short life*: Long live Yoo Yi-hyun
nobody (Yoo Yi-hyun): Long live Yoo Yi-hyun
nobody (Jeoktomatan Suhmiher*): Long live Yoo Yi-hyun
:
:
nobody (Lemon*): Long live Yoo Yi-hyun
<New driver Yoo Yi-hyun>
Driver Yoo Yi-hyun is ‘God’…
Simply GOAT…
yes (233.182): Amen…
nobody (27.1): Amen…
nobody (58.227): Amen…
nobody (Mr. Science No.5*): I’m here for the pilgrimage.
RockBlock*: lol the God next to it annoys me, lol.
Yoo Yi-hyun’s hometown was South Korea.
The fact that a Korean was sitting in an F1 seat was enough for Korea to stir. Moreover, Yoo Yi-hyun was the one and only first-ever ‘female’ driver in the long history of F1 and debuted as an elite at Ferrari.
So, regardless of results, just the fact that she participated in F1 as a woman representing Ferrari made the country stir…
Securing the sixth grid with a race car considered the weakest would not be surprising at all.
Thanks to that, the two frontrunners, Hamilton, who took pole position, and Max, who took the second grid, could barely be found mentioned in any community or article. Only Ferrari’s Yoo Yi-hyun was the center of attention.
Coincidentally, this phenomenon wasn’t just happening in Korea. On the site where F1 fans around the world gather, known as F1 Of World, or ‘FOW’, Yoo Yi-hyun’s name dominated the posts.
As Yoo Yi-hyun was being celebrated worldwide. The Korean F1 gallery was even more so.
<Today’s recording of Yoo Yi-hyun’s perfect lap>
(Q3 final lap video)
Is this even human? The honey badger chased until the end, sucking up everything it could—anyone who’s ever attempted this knows how difficult it is. A single mistake could lead to losing the lap time or crashing and facing a barrage of complaints.
It’s so d*mn hard to do that in reality, even in a game it’s tough—where’s the person who can pull this off? Yoo Yi-hyun is a legend.
FullDRS*: This is right. At least F1 is a game, so you can try it, but in reality, the risks are so high that psychologically, it’s daunting to attempt; doing this is impressive, and succeeding is equally remarkable.
nobody (122.46): The fact that it was done in the debut race too;;; wow.
nobody (Yoo Yi-hyun, I love you*): I’m in F3, and while I may comfortably gap and close the distance, maintaining the maximum advantage like that is absolutely impossible. It’s not just me who can’t do it; I’d say most top-ranked people would struggle as well.
nobody (short life*): What do you mean by top-ranked? That’s tough for pros too.
As they mulled over Yoo Yi-hyun’s perfect lap and analyzed her lap and driving technique, they resembled religious devotees. The atmosphere of the community idolizing and deifying her could typically evoke resentment, but today, no one raised any complaints.
Today, Yoo Yi-hyun’s performance was akin to the arrival of the god of F1.
Yet, there are always oblivious individuals.
yes (172.225): Is it really worth all this hype? After all, she got wrecked by Hamilton… These gushing low-lives are…
nobody (short life*): Yeah~ please go drown in seafood stew.
nobody (rookie): Shut up, idiot.
nobody (Mr. Love KING*): Just go d*e.
nobody (Jeoktomatan Suhmiher*): Are you foolish?
If even one negative comment was made, it was immediately flooded with curses,
-Comment deleted due to reporting.
Deleted in mere seconds—an unusual phenomenon.
Indeed. Today, Yoo Yi-hyun was the god of Korea; she must not be touched.