[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 185

[The gap is starting to widen little by little.]

[Now, is the battle between each of them beginning?]

[From now on, it’s a competition to see which team can reach their target rank.]

[It could be considered the second phase.]

As the commentators said, just a few laps later, the race was entering its second stage.

Due to differences in skill or performance, or perhaps both, the gap between the teams began to widen significantly.

The top teams were battling among themselves, the mid-tier teams were competing within their ranks, and the lower-tier teams were engaged in their own competitions. The real competition had begun between teams of similar classes.

Of course, earning points and reaching the podium would be great, but given that all teams had to consider realistic goals, they had no choice but to fight for the highest ranking they aimed for.

Thus, various local battles were erupting simultaneously on the Bahrain Circuit.

In 10th place, His was trailing Beta Romeo in 9th and Williams in 8th.

In 7th place, Aston Martin was behind AlphaTauri in 6th.

In 5th place, Red Bull was chasing McLaren in 4th and Ferrari in 3rd.

And the two teams battling for 1st and 2nd places.

Mercedes Benz and Renyo were engaging in a fight of their own, separate from the team competition.

Mercedes Benz boasted a status that no current F1 team could match, rendering any competition meaningless.

Renyo, while not as overwhelming as Benz, was certainly superior to the teams that could qualify as rivals. However, they were not at a level to threaten Benz, and it seemed they were simply accumulating their own data without any pressure.

Thus, aside from the two top teams, the remaining eight teams were locked in fierce battles, chasing and being chased.

[The fight for 3rd place is quite intense. Yui-hyun and Norris have been engaged in a close contest for three laps now.]

[Yui-hyun was unable to shake off Valtteri three laps ago, and since then, he has been locked in a battle with Norris.]

[In the early stages, Yui-hyun was able to benefit from Renyo’s pull, but luck doesn’t last long.]

[Honestly, aiming for 5th from Ferrari’s position… that’s quite a stretch.]

The commentators were pouring pessimistic remarks about Yui-hyun, who was precariously holding onto 5th place.

While it might seem somewhat biased, it was a fact. Ferrari, which had been stuck in 8th place last year, jumped all the way to 3rd place solely due to Yui-hyun’s skills.

It was true that Yui-hyun, starting from the 6th grid, showcased his competitive spirit at the start and climbed to 5th place swiftly.

However, that was merely a matter of seizing a fleeting opportunity. Unless it was a dramatic turnaround at the end, in the long-term view of 57 laps, it was a variable of minimal influence.

As if to prove that fact, Yui-hyun appeared to be frantically defending against Norris at every corner and straightaway. Nonetheless, the ranking was being maintained because her condition and skill peaked today.

[Yui-hyun is indeed impressive, but she also seems to have reached her limits.]

[Well… it seems it’s not so much that Yui-hyun has reached her limits, but rather that V-1 has.]

[It appears that catching up to years’ worth of technical prowess in just a few months is quite a challenge.]

On the 8th lap.

Though their struggle seemed even at first glance, it was gradually leaning towards one side. No, it wasn’t gradually leaning, it was already tilting. It was merely that Yui-hyun was exerting herself to the utmost to maintain the appearance of an equal struggle.

However, the balance that had barely been struck began to add weight as time went on.

The performance gap in the race car was becoming visually evident.

[Yui-hyun and Norris are recording their top speeds as they cross the start line once more.]

[This is risky. The entry to the corner favors Yui-hyun, but at this speed, Norris might just overtake him right on the straightaway.]

On the 9th lap.

As Yui-hyun’s V-1 passed through corners 1, 2, and entered the straightaway, the rough sounds of the engine echoed around, as if it were lamenting its own limits.

In corners 1 and 2, Norris, who had followed closely behind Yui-hyun, veered off his line at the last corner, corner 3, before entering the straightaway.

A clear opening had just emerged for the first time after 9 laps.

Norris did not miss the opportunity.

Zoom!!!

McLaren’s race car surged forward with incredible speed. Norris found himself alongside Yui-hyun’s V-1 and slowly started to pull ahead.

The rapid, rhythmic sound of the engine burning fuel resounded violently.

Thud—! Thud—!

It was similar to that of a steam locomotive, but the intervals of sound were many times faster, pounding loudly as it propelled the race car forward.

McLaren’s orange race car was overtaking Ferrari’s red race car.

[Just when we thought, Norris overtakes Yui-hyun!]

[Ah, he finally surpasses him on the 9th lap.]

[The force with which McLaren’s race car pushes ahead is tremendous.]

The pure performance difference of the engine.

The fundamental and most essential power differential in racing was firmly imprinted in the minds of the commentators, the audience, and the two drivers.

It was bestowing Yui-hyun an inevitable defeat while granting Norris a well-deserved victory.

However.

[This is the right outcome. Right now, this formation is natural.]

[To put it coldly, the previous competitive structure was abnormal.]

In a situation where it was certain that Yui-hyun could not beat Norris due to an absolute performance difference,

Did Yui-hyun despair over losing to Norris?

Did Norris celebrate his victory over Yui-hyun?

Not at all.

That was simply the way things were.

Unless there was no performance gap between the race cars by class, once there was a difference of more than one class, winning and losing became a natural occurrence.

Of course, depending on who the driver was, the situation might change completely.

However, the possibility and differentiation created by the race car are undeniably greater than the possibilities crafted purely through the driver’s skills.

Occasionally, very occasionally, a driver’s skill would overwhelm other possibilities to create a miraculous result.

But that was literally a miracle. It rarely happens, and that’s why it is called a miracle.

And Yui-hyun had already shown two miracles yesterday and today.

Her achievement of starting from the 6th grid under the Ferrari name was the first miracle.

Although she relinquished the position, maintaining 5th place until the 9th lap was the second miracle.

The commentators, who understood very well how remarkable Yui-hyun’s achievements were as a driver, nodded in agreement.

[It’s unfortunate. Still, Yui-hyun has held onto 5th place well.]

[Yes. While regaining the position is nearly impossible now, today Yui-hyun has shown that there is still hope for Ferrari, right?]

[The strategy at the start was simply incredible. I never imagined a rookie would make such a bold choice in their first season, first Grand Prix.]

[Honestly, being in 6th place now could be considered beyond what Ferrari could achieve.]

Supporting their words, the comprehensive stats of the McLaren and Ferrari race cars appeared on the massive screen.

The analysis showed McLaren’s overall pace was over 10% higher than Ferrari’s pace.

A simple calculation indicated that while Ferrari would take 10 seconds to cover a certain distance, McLaren could do it in just 9 seconds.

“Go! Yui-hyun! Go! Ferrari!”

“Run! Run to the end!”

The Tifosi, who couldn’t hide their disappointment as Yui-hyun was overtaken by Norris, began to cheer even more passionately upon seeing the results displayed on the screen.

From them, there was not a hint of feeling let down by Yui-hyun.

They were well aware of her situation. In fact, the more they understood, the more they sympathized.

Ironically, these were everyday people who had driven countless times.

They experienced riding race cars that are basically indistinguishable from reality thanks to For One becoming a global game, racing on circuits.

Thus, they had a background that enabled them to understand the dynamics of F1 at an exceptional level.

[Now, the battle for 6th place intensifies again. This time behind Ferrari’s Yui-hyun, it’s not McLaren’s Norris but AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo chasing her!]

Though a thrilling contest had passed, it was just a small battle that unfolded over a mere 9 laps in a long fight of 57 laps.

There were still 42 laps left in the race.

Only the opponents had changed; there were still those being chased and those chasing until the end.

Thus, Yui-hyun’s race car showed no signs of any emotional disturbance upon being overtaken.

She was simply immersed in her own race.