[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 188

Ricciardo was eagerly pounding on my back.

He aggressively invaded my line with the performance of his race car, performing slightly reckless maneuvers one after another.

His movements were quite bothersome, not quite crossing the line, akin to a foul, but I remained focused until the end.

By lap 10, I actually used his movements to my advantage. I deliberately left a gap he couldn’t resist, leading him to move as I predicted. If I was going to face pressure anyway, it was better to guide it in a way that I could respond most effectively.

Thus, the racing between Ricciardo and me was exceptionally fierce. Dozens of intangible battles of wits unfolded before the corner, and once on the straight, an urgent standoff ignited between those trying to escape and those trying to block.

Ricciardo aimed to gain an advantage by selecting the most critical moves from countless options. I predicted those chosen moves and assumed the most ideal defensive stance.

At first glance, it looked like I was passively defending against Ricciardo’s actively attacking movements.

However, the reality was different. All attacks failed, and all defenses succeeded.

In summary, I was in control of this fight from the very beginning.

‘Left.’

I guided him to the left with movements so plausible and valid that even a veteran driver like Ricciardo wouldn’t notice. He set a strategy to pry into the gaps without me realizing.

It was, in other words, a deception. A battleground filled with tricks aimed at delivering fatal blows to each other.

He was racking his brain to read my moves. I was doing the same to read his. I tried to figure out the origins of his actions based on the behavior I observed.

If you read it, you win; if you don’t, you lose. While focusing on my tasks and reducing my lap time was important, reading the opponent’s intentions was equally essential. Ultimately, the outcome was about whether I could win against my opponent.

One might question the importance of such trivial movements. However, even the tiniest movements and subtle signs of future actions can lead to hundreds of situations in a professional battle, even in a single course.

As the number of possibilities increases, so does the number of outcomes, and those recognized as ‘pros’ in any sport are masters of what they can execute.

From lap 9 to lap 15, I won every battle of wits exchanged with Ricciardo. I drew his moves into a predictable range and threw out irresistible baits that he couldn’t refuse, avoiding danger.

“I think he knows those tires are a weakness. He keeps pushing in.”

– Indeed… Ricciardo is overusing his tires. He must be convinced that we have a greater pressure in terms of consumption speed.

“Don’t worry. In a mud fight like this, I can’t save tires anyway.”

– What do you plan to do?

“If he’s coming at me like that, I have to reciprocate just as much. I need to make him push harder than I am.”

I not only avoided danger but also realized he was trying to draw me into aggressive movements and used that to counteract him.

Even if I fail to analyze why the tire consumption speed is a weakness, I figured out somehow that its speed was a vulnerability.

Thus, I was not unprepared. I carefully considered Ferrari’s weaknesses and Ricciardo’s strategies that would exploit those weaknesses to execute the best possible movements.

Right now, it wasn’t about reducing lap times, so I moved accordingly.

That’s why, riding a race car with relatively poorer performance, I still maintained sixth place and could run ahead of him. From lap 9 to lap 15, I could win hundreds of battles in just six laps.

McLaren had a significant performance advantage, and driver Norris was at the peak of his form, nearing his prime. No matter what I did, there was absolutely no way to catch up to the current Ferrari in a normal manner.

The fact that Leclerc surpassed a McLaren means that Steven King’s capabilities were far below that of the race car, and it also indicates that Leclerc has made a significant leap forward.

This case can be seen as a delicate outcome composed of adverse and favorable factors.

Therefore, unless some extraordinary incident occurs among the leading pack, I wouldn’t have to contend with Norris, which means that my most critical task in this race is simply to block Ricciardo.

Thus, I had to become a massive wall to stop Ricciardo.

And in the process, I could expand the application of what I decided to call ‘Gyeongji’.

‘Not just offense, but defense… and this can be applied regardless of external causality.’

Until now, I realized I had been too simplistic in my thinking about this lofty ‘Gyeongji’ related to the laws and principles. I thought it could only be used to reduce lap times and increase speed. I had an overwhelming experience when I first reached Gyeongji, during a practice match against the Blue Bull Duo, starting from the last position and climbing to first place, and the lap time I achieved then was exceptionally dominant.

So I could not help but associate Gyeongji with high speed. ‘By aligning with laws and principles, one gains acceleration.’

However, Gyeongji was not something so simple to categorize.

Gyeongji can be said to be an ‘action’ where reactions akin to moving currents precede, followed by secondary phenomena like acceleration.

If we exclude accompanying phenomena in defining it, we could say it’s ‘exceedingly natural movement.’

If Gyeongji is rooted in action, it means it can be applied anywhere.

Whether it’s reducing lap times, attacking, or defending, I can utilize Gyeongji for whatever I aim to do.

Moreover, even if unnatural movements like Ricciardo’s aggressive attacks come into play, if I have reached the lofty state of Gyeongji, I can maintain that flow regardless of human will.

Of course, this presents a challenge at a different level compared to running in an environment where only pure natural phenomena, such as reducing lap times, exist. For someone like me, with obstacles being world-class drivers, it was even harder to tackle.

So since the practice with the Blue Bull Duo, I had not entered the state of Gyeongji, and naturally, I had not been able to test my hypotheses.

I merely reflected on the process that occurred when I first entered Gyeongji, retaining it in my mind based on truth and outcomes.

Then, another opportunity for entry into Gyeongji arose.

No, a situation necessitating me to enter Gyeongji had emerged.

– Here it comes, focus!

Lap 15. Ricciardo, determined to break through me, was approaching with an aura that could only be described as menacing.

Tire conditions, the race – nothing mattered. His movements were filled with the resolve to definitely overtake me on this lap 15.

His movements were not just aggressive but violent, dangerously reckless. Running like someone betting everything on a single lap, Ricciardo was that threatening.

I instinctively felt it.

‘If I lose this, there will be no next time.’

This sprint would severely deplete Ricciardo’s tires, but that would apply to me too. I, who consumed them faster, would find myself at a disadvantage, leading to a situation where I wouldn’t be able to overtake him nor even keep up.

Even if my tires were fine, the race car would hold me back. Right now, maximizing the single advantage of being in the lead only barely blocked Blue Bull’s B-31. If I gave up my position, I would face the daunting challenge of needing to overtake him solely with my skills and the V-1’s performance.

‘I absolutely must not lose this.’

I could not allow myself to lose the lead.

And

‘I cannot even defend.’

I could not defend either.

So what was I to do?

There was only one answer.

‘I will attack.’

Attack. More precisely, a combination of attack and defense utilizing the offense.

They say the best defense is offense. It has a slightly different meaning than being used to say eliminate the source of threat by attacking the enemy… I planned to simultaneously shake off Ricciardo and block any potential super play of his with an aggressive stance.

If I could shake him off, that would be the best-case scenario, but Ricciardo was a driver with his own unique something.

It wouldn’t be easy.

Using offense as defense was a kind of insurance. I had to pray that such a moment wouldn’t arise.

Vroom!!!

The B-31 of Ricciardo came charging in with a fierceness unlike any other.

“Phew…!”

I sensed that the time had come.