[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 175

[Oh, it’s finally starting]

[sh*t~~ Is the second round starting~]

[Ferrari is expected to win like a dog]

[Yeah, a sh*t team that hasn’t won a single trophy~ Red Bull is going to thrash them, right?]

[Lol, they messed up in qualifying yesterday, right? Can’t say anything now, can they?]

[Getting wrecked until now and barely winning one round, and these losers are talking big for real lol]

[Should we just shut up and see, kids?]

[You guys]

[Shitheads]

[s*x~~~]

During the tournament, the practice session was broadcasted, but Ricciardo’s stream didn’t turn off until the race started.

If he had practiced with Red Bull’s race car, the broadcast would have ended due to team regulations. However, since it was practice with the race car provided by For One, there was no reason to turn it off, nor would someone turn it off.

“Hmmm… I need to focus a bit.”

Ricciardo adjusted his posture in the cockpit and hid the chaotic chat room from view.

He pretended not to know that the broadcast was on, but he actually did know. He was the one who pressed the broadcast start button, so he couldn’t claim ignorance.

He felt sorry for deceiving Perez, Yooihyun, and Leclerc, but pretending that he didn’t know the broadcast was on was part of his meticulous plan. He judged that if Perez and the two Ferrari drivers continued the race naturally without being aware of the broadcast, it would enhance the realism and maximize the fun.

Of course, Ricciardo himself couldn’t be free of the broadcast, but he thought it would be fine as long as Yooihyun didn’t know. After all, the protagonist of this broadcast would be Yooihyun, and as long as the broadcast was entertaining, it didn’t matter.

Fan service was paramount! That was Ricciardo’s belief in treating his fans.

The situation unfolded as he intended. Perez, Yooihyun, and even the appeared Leclerc all followed his script.

Even before the race started, all four were provoking each other with a combative attitude, and dramatic fun was unfolding naturally.

“You two better follow closely behind my a**.”

“Hey, you know cows are usually slower than words, right? I showed you that yesterday.”

“Blink and I might really disappear?”

In particular, Yooihyun’s remarks, which unreservedly expressed confidence in himself, could be called the highlight of the broadcast.

“Oh, this could be troublesome…”

Ricciardo flashed a friendly smile and shined his eyes.

What had begun as fan service was now rising within him; he felt himself becoming more serious with every word from Yooihyun and the bubbling chat room.

As the trash talk provoking each other escalated their competitive spirit to the max.

Vroooom-!!!

The race began.

Ricciardo, placed in the 1st grid, had an infinitely serious expression. The fan service was only until the broadcast was on, and the race against Yooihyun was something he entered with driver pride on the line, so he couldn’t take it lightly.

His ambition for tomorrow and future goals was immensely grand, but right now, at this moment, it was only about defeating Yooihyun. It was solely to prove that he was on the right path by beating her.

‘It’s easy. If I just defend well, I can win easily.’

As he thought, the race was easy. With the same performance cars doing just 20 laps without pitting, and having the pole position in the 1st grid, it meant blocking the rear would make it hard for anyone to overtake.

It was a petty strategy for practice games, especially against a junior, but he was that desperate. Losing to Yooihyun here would feel like negating all his life.

So,

‘I’ll defend thoroughly.’

Ricciardo chose to play defense. Anyway, there was no reason to aim for a fastest lap like in qualifying. Whether the lap time was slow or fast, it was a game that only required victory, so he simply chose the most efficient method.

He broke the line and moved forward. Even if he had to sacrifice some lap time, he intended to completely ruin Leclerc’s lap time who was stuck behind him. If he lost a second, he would make sure Leclerc lost even more.

Maniel Ricciardo.

Though he had never become a champion, he had climbed the podium in several Grands Prix and, even at his age, was recognized for his prowess, continuing his career at Red Bull.

His fundamental skills were solid and virtually devoid of fluctuations; his decision to forego reducing lap times solely to pursue victory was suffocating for those behind him.

[How do you even get through this?]

[Can’t breathe, there’s not a single gap…]

[The host is really sneaky;;; playing like this in a practice game?]

[Lol, this strategy is really shitty lol]

[You idiots lol As long as you win, there’s no need for so many words]

[For real, it’s not like you’re going to break lap time records in a practice game;]

[But the defense is truly artful. At this point, I feel like Yooihyun might not be able to get through.]

[Probably. Only 15 laps left, there might not be enough time to create something.]

[Already blocked heavily by Ricciardo, positions remain the same.]

A giant wall, alive and moving.

In reality, Leclerc, who had been aggressively attacking Ricciardo, hadn’t made any noticeable progress by the 5th lap, and this traffic jam had kept both Perez and Yooihyun from gaining speed.

Chasing each other’s tails.

Ricciardo’s defense had completely blocked the flow.

‘Let’s focus more.’

Now, there were only 15 laps left. Ricciardo burned with ambition and pushed his concentration to the maximum.

Thanks to the luck of starting in the 1st grid, he could employ such a strategy, so he thought he absolutely could not lose.

Thus, laps 6, 7, 8, 9… fast yet slow laps passed, and finally, when only 5 laps were left.

Ding!

The notification of a ranking change rang clearly in his ears.

Name / Time / Laps

① Maniel Ricciardo 1:05:380 15/20

② Charles Leclerc 1:05:788 +0.403 15/20

③ KING 1:06:139 +0.759 15/20

④ Sergio Perez 1:06:665 +1.285 15/20

‘Wait, how did this happen?’

Though his expression was concealed by the helmet, Ricciardo’s face was painted with shock.

After blocking so perfectly, he couldn’t grasp how or why someone had moved up.

‘Could it be Perez’s miscontrol?’

At first, he thought Perez, who had been in 3rd, had made a mistake. A mistake so critical that it could change positions in such a entrenched situation.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, that probability seemed very low. A miscontrol in this slow flow was incomprehensible.

Most importantly, Perez was also a veteran with multiple podium experiences, and being an old teammate tied to him under contract at Red Bull, he knew better than anyone that he wouldn’t make such a mistake.

‘Could it be…’

Then, there was only one option left.

‘Did they somehow get through…’

The very person, Ricciardo himself, who had created this flow, was at a loss about how to break it, realizing that Yooihyun must have found a way through somehow. That was the only explanation for the bizarre change in ranking.

‘But… how on earth did they do it?’

Yet, while Ricciardo acknowledged the situation, he couldn’t grasp how it had been done.

So, he stopped thinking. The end was approaching, and dwelling on unsolvable problems would only negatively affect the present.

He just continued to run silently toward the end of the race.

However, why does the world keep shaking an already trembling heart…

Ding!

Slowly and clearly approaching the end, the notification of a ranking change rang chillingly once again.

Name / Time / Laps

① Maniel Ricciardo 1:05:119 17/20

② KING 1:05:551 +0.432 17/20

③ Charles Leclerc 1:05:602 +0.483 17/20

④ Sergio Perez 1:05:900 +0.781 17/20

With only 3 laps remaining, Yooihyun pushed forward once more.

At this point, Ricciardo couldn’t help but acknowledge it a hundred percent.

‘The skill is different…’

Reading the race, the very scope of vision moving was on a different level than his.

Her silent ascent in ranks resembled KING returning to where she rightfully belonged.

Somewhere, the sound of an engine buzzing behind him made his heart skip a beat.

The king was rushing to reclaim her place.