[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 204

“……There must be a reason for you acting this way.”

“What reason are you talking about? If you are a junior, you should fulfill your duties as one, right?”

“What does age matter? If you perform better than me, you are older… no, you are a sister.”

Outside the circuit, two Blue Bull drivers surrounded the weak me.

Yes, I was in a very awkward situation.

‘These people are not just lacking in spite; have they thrown away their pride completely!’

Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Pérez. Despite having experienced an embarrassing defeat today against Leclerc and me, the two drivers had no hesitation in starting a conversation. Rather, they approached me in a playful tone, lowering themselves down casually.

It wasn’t easy for them, being older and more experienced than me, to take such a humble approach, but I couldn’t completely dislike it. Regardless of the method, they must be acting this way because they hold some affection towards me.

Feeling that the teasing disguised as fun wouldn’t end unless I accepted it, I feigned a serious expression and said.

“Well, junior drivers these days are very polite. You’re promising! Right, Leclerc?”

“……”

Leclerc, who was sipping champagne beside me, looked at me and the two drivers alternately with a very displeased expression.

Why? What are you going to do about it? You should have helped earlier.

“Ahem…!”

Clearing my throat, I again put on my polite demeanor. Perhaps thinking that they had teased me enough, the Blue Bull Duo returned to normal.

“Thanks to you, I really learned a lot today.”

“Oh, we learned much more. There’s no need to be so humble. Confidence is 90% of this game!”

That’s just a polite statement. Confidence is already overflowing, overwhelming.

“Did we really teach you? You were running too well on your own for that…”

“Haha. That can’t be. If it weren’t for you seniors, I wouldn’t have run that well.”

Since I ran pretty much on my own in the latter half, that’s half right and half wrong. It seems I’ve realized more while driving alone?

As we exchanged such formalities, alcohol started to flow, and as the party atmosphere matured, we gradually began to talk more seriously.

With just the right amount of alcohol in his system, Ricciardo asked me with an exceedingly serious gaze. Both Pérez and Leclerc were focusing on him.

“By the way… I don’t know if I should ask this, but how did you do it?”

“What do you mean?”

“On the straight section in the middle of the race, I planned to overtake you.”

“Yes, that was the case.”

So! Ricciardo exclaimed dramatically and continued speaking.

“Objectively, without any subjectivity, the Ferrari race car cannot be faster than the Blue Bull race car. The difference in engine quality is too severe. There are many other reasons as well. It’s not an issue of skill. If it sounded unpleasant at all, I’m sorry. I had no intention of belittling.”

“It’s okay; it’s a public fact. Everyone in the media is talking about it, so I can’t be upset about it.”

I laughed off his words. I wasn’t pretending to not be upset; I knew, and he knew, and everyone knew the level difference between Ferrari and Blue Bull. What is there to be upset about? It’s a fact.

Moreover, this could be considered a compliment. Despite the performance gap proven and analyzed by the world, Ferrari had managed to secure victories against Blue Bull.

Although the whole world denied it, Ferrari overcame the denial and achieved victory! Ferrari, which denied the world itself and established the single proposition of ‘victory’!

What a heartwarming story it is.

I pondered Ricciardo’s words. There was something that bothered me.

‘There’s no room for skill to come into play…’

Is that really the case? Isn’t today’s result denying that? Isn’t the one who achieved that sitting right in front of you? Aren’t the ones who accomplished what you deemed impossible sitting in front of you?

What could be the reason behind Ricciardo’s statement? Is it that he wants naive me to make a verbal slip and reveal Ferrari’s secrets, or is he desperately seeking answers stemming from a profound longing for improvement?

I looked into his eyes. The answer must be within them.

‘Clear. Transparent.’

The answer was the latter. His longing for higher-level driving had, rudely, provoked him to speak such words.

I felt pure admiration.

“Yes. F1 is a place where only these kinds of people gather. A place where all facade is thrown away, and those who can do anything to pursue a higher level gather…”

Before the race, the Blue Bull Duo approached me first. They wanted to race against me and to learn through me. They came to me, who is their junior, bowing their heads and acknowledging their defeat while questioning me about the reason behind it.

This might seem easy to say in words, but it’s not at all simple. First is recognizing one’s own deficiencies, and second is admitting that one is inferior to their juniors, and lastly is putting down all authority and pride to seek teaching from me.

For example, it’s like an elderly man nearing the end of his days asking advice from a child who isn’t even ten years old yet.

Most people will spend their entire lives not wanting to acknowledge that they have problems. How could this possibly be easy?

For them, pride is something they can throw away at any time. For those who have reached the peak, pride is merely a poison that will lead to their downfall if they keep holding onto it. Pride is not something to be built but something to be bent down towards the ground as it naturally rises. If there is something to learn, there must be a willingness to receive teachings even from the ground.

The achievements built upon that teaching will then set their pride straight.

And.

‘That’s how pride is ultimately established. Only when you personally bend and break it, can the foundation truly be set.’

Pride isn’t built by oneself. True pride is established only when there is recognition from others.

None of those at the top have ever called themselves the peak. It is society’s evaluation that calls them the peak, and that is precisely why they are at the peak.

And when that time comes, pride will transform into a name not of pride but of ‘status.’

I answered pleasantly.

“No matter how senior you are, there’s no way I can tell you trade secrets…”

“Oh, come on, what’s a secret among us?”

Ricciardo leaned back in his chair, revealing his neat teeth. It meant he knew I would tell him.

I was already planning to tell him. I’m not asking for Ferrari’s confidential information; besides, even if I shared it, it wouldn’t lead to any results. Ascending to a higher level and achieving enlightenment is never gained through words.

Deep understanding. It’s something that can only be reached through personal depth of feeling and experience.

Even the talented Leclerc took quite a long time to understand my words, and the process was extremely arduous. It might have been impossible. While that doesn’t mean Ricciardo is any less capable, I can’t guarantee that most drivers, including him, can pass through that additional door. Enlightenment is truly like a shooting star that could come at any time, anywhere, and in any way.

Once that fleeting moment is missed, there is nothing left but to wait endlessly.

“Um… what happened back then was…”

“Yes, yes! What was it?”

Ricciardo and Pérez leaned forward. I smiled and took a sip of champagne before starting to speak.

“It follows the principle.”

“Principle? What do you mean?”

“The principles of nature, something like that?”

I nodded. After that, I began to speak with words completely opposite to the topic.

“It starts from precisely understanding my abilities and limits, as well as the characteristics and limits of the race car.”

To flow according to the principle, both ‘me’ and ‘the race car,’ being parts and byproducts of nature and principles, must be perfectly understood. Since it is the starting point of manipulation and needs to move by itself, an accurate understanding of it must accompany that.

That is the beginning and the foundation. Even if we entrust ourselves to the principle, we must utilize whatever we can while following it. Therefore, understanding what we have takes precedence.

“Up to this point, everyone should have no problem. You all likely know it; even if not, F1 drivers are the type to manage it if they set their minds to it.”

This is also not easy. But they are those who have the talent to be F1 drivers. If they just put in the effort, they can do it.

However, if that’s all there is, anyone could be driving beyond the limits of a race car.

“The problem is the next one.”

The real problem is the next one.