[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 186

9th lap.

I spoke to Yooihyun, who was overtaken by Norris on the first straight after Turn 3.

“Now it’s just the beginning. Let’s do well until the end.”

– Right. Ricciardo will come chasing with fire in his eyes.

Even though she had given up a hard-earned position, her voice was calm.

It wasn’t that she deliberately lowered her tone, considering Yooihyun might be disheartened.

Even though she had lost a position, the fact that Yooihyun had held Norris off for 9 laps was simply incredible.

Given the performance difference of the race cars, it wouldn’t have been surprising to lose her position at any moment.

It was merely a matter of time. There was no way Yooihyun would be disheartened over that.

Perhaps because of that, I didn’t have any feelings of regret.

All that filled my mind was the thought of how amazing Yooihyun was and endless doubt about whether I was worthy of being her race engineer.

Yooihyun’s performance, which was utterly incomprehensible, never failed to leave me speechless. Standing in front of her, the word ‘race engineer’ felt overwhelmingly undeserved, and it was burdensome.

“Does Yooihyun need a partner?”

Really, does Yooihyun need a partner in any form?

A driver so perfect that no assistance would suffice.

Yooihyun is not a human of overwhelming talent. She is already a finished product and, moreover, a person who relentlessly runs toward infinite perfection, breaking through what has already been completed.

By endlessly running toward an unattainable perfection, she herself has become a kind of ‘perfection.’

It’s not just me who feels this way. Everyone looking at her feels the same, and everyone on the F1 Ferrari team would agree.

They just don’t express it directly.

The images that come to mind when thinking of Yooihyun would likely be quite similar.

Savior, hope, light, sun, reliable ally, an army of a thousand… all different expressions, but in terms of meaning, they all fall into the category of positivity.

I don’t know how such an atmosphere emanates from that small and delicate girl, who, if she were attending school, would only be a senior in high school. However, the emotions we feel and share are an undeniable truth.

In the process of researching and developing race cars, sometimes facing dead ends, and sometimes experiencing discord due to differing opinions, we have all been saved by Yooihyun at least once.

She quietly opened the path of possibilities with her own being and always reconciled and united the team with the best answers and solutions from a neutral position.

At that level, Yooihyun was a remarkably mature and solid person for her age.

Even the brilliant genius Leclerc, who is a few years ahead as a driver, seeks her advice and follows the paths and goals she pursues.

To prove that, Leclerc was showing bolder, more aggressive, and creative driving in the real Grand Prix that would be recorded in his career, continuing his efforts for change.

A Yooihyun MK2, you might say. You could see Yooihyun’s essence in him, awkward but clearly evident.

– Thanks to Valtteri holding things together, the tires are okay.

“Yeah. The tire condition is higher than expected, even considering the contact from the early stages.”

– It’s okay to push since we’re going for a two-stop anyway. Plus, trying to save tires for a one-stop in this weather doesn’t make sense.

“The temperature won’t change as we talked about initially. I’ll call the pit stop considering lap time. If the pace drops significantly, I need to change quickly.”

Even though her position was compromised due to external factors like the race car’s performance difference, Yooihyun calmly moved toward the next plan.

I was left speechless by her chillingly composed attitude in judging the situation.

‘She knows everything to do herself, what in the world should I advise her…?’

Honestly, I thought the best strategy might be to just let her do it on her own. Sometimes, I felt miserable because I seemed so incompetent.

Sometimes, it felt like not just sometimes…

Anyway, as long as I was sitting here, I needed to find a way to be useful and keep moving.

“Let me know if you need any information. I’ll brief you on information from Red Bull myself.”

The second defense had begun.

*

*

*

Whether the speakers were good or the commentators had strong voices.

[Leclerc has finally pulled one of the two McLaren flags down!]

[Leclerc is handling his teammate’s frustration brilliantly! What an amazing overtake!!!]

Even though I was wearing in-ear plugs that served as ear protection, the voice announcing my victory broke through the gaps.

‘I did it…’

Having diligently seized the opportunity and created variables to overtake Steven King, the overwhelming emotion surged within me but wouldn’t escape outward, so I silently cheered.

The race was far from over; it was only the 9th lap.

‘I took a step on the path that Yooihyun walks.’

The fact that I, who had relied on and respected Yooihyun, had taken a step on the path she walks made my heart warm.

It might be dismissed by the public as simply a flashy overtake, but for me, who had put in countless efforts to overtake, it was an invaluable first experience.

– Leclerc, you did it!

Today, my race engineer, Jules Bianchi, who expressed concerns about the dramatically changed driving style, was also sharing in that emotion.

I was filled with the impulse to shout out loud right away, but I calmed my trembling heart and responded with composure.

I shouldn’t be swept away by emotion on the circuit.

“Thank you. But we’re still far from the end.”

– Right. We haven’t even completed 10 laps yet. Let’s hold on till the end and celebrate.

It didn’t mean I was referring to the lap count specifically, but Bianchi was right, so I had to give it my all.

10th place; while I didn’t need to worry about the rear in that position separating strong teams from weak ones.

9th place; now that I had Steven King trailing behind, I needed to pay attention to both offense and defense.

With 40 laps left and plenty of time for ranks to flip, if I didn’t stay focused and hold my position, I’d likely have to give it back to McLaren.

Even now, having barely succeeded in my overtake, Steven was eager to jab me in the side.

‘I need to time this right. When I see an opening with Perez, while my defense is solid. That will be the critical moment.’

Trying to overtake Perez with a back situation continuously exposing attack points would be madness.

Steven, with the race car’s performance on his side, would likely jump at the chance to take my spot.

Even if I couldn’t create it, I had to seize that perfect timing that would undoubtedly come during the remaining laps.

Only then could I possibly gain one more position and earn one more point.

From now on, I had to hide myself thoroughly in the underbrush. It would seem I was hiding my aggression, but I needed to move secretly and strategically to strike down my opponent at any time.

‘Still a long way to go. I must keep up.’

I needed to keep running until Yooihyun came into view.

That was the only path.

*

*

*

The engine sound was noble and heavy.

Vroooom!!!

The race car was crossing the Bahrain Circuit faster than anyone.

The black and silver race car of Mercedes Benz shone with its glossy finish as it moved leisurely.

The front was clear. It had long since cleared the sight of enemies alongside its master.

In the overwhelmingly incredible scene that hardly felt like a Grand Prix, Hamilton spoke.

“9th lap… truly amazing…”

– I agree. If Yooihyun were driving a Renault-grade race car, it would have been genuinely scary.

It was a conversation between Hamilton and his race engineer regarding the news of Yooihyun’s fall.

Hamilton reflected on the recent news.

‘There are many drivers who can draw out the full potential of a race car.’

Many drivers in the upper-tier teams, including her teammate Leclerc, had such talent naturally that they had reached this point.

‘But Yooihyun…’

However, it was the first time that a race car’s performance failed to keep up with a driver’s abilities.

While the V-1 might fall at least one to two classes compared to upper-tier teams, that only meant it was relatively weaker. The V-1 was not a car that was easily outmatched.

Yet with Yooihyun driving, the V-1 appeared endlessly lacking. Even the engineers observing her were left with a thirst for performance improvement, watching the miracle lap times she produced as the pilot’s skills seemed to overshadow the machine.

In fact, because of this, all the Ferrari engineers felt a sense of guilt toward Yooihyun.

For Hamilton, the multi-champion in F1, the sound of the V-1’s engine felt as if it was wailing in agony because it didn’t meet its master’s expectations.

Hamilton smiled leisurely.

“I wonder how far she can go.”

With those words, Hamilton was gauging Yooihyun’s maximum ranking.

However, despite having such a high appraisal, neither he nor his teammate Max Verstappen was even a consideration. Such was the confidence and assurance of a champion.

And

– Fastest lap has been reset again.

There was basis and it was developing.

Even now, Benz was pulling one step further away from Ferrari.