[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 49
Scout Lee Myung-jin from the F1 Ferrari team.
He received direct instructions from the team’s director, Mr. Mattia Binotto.
The instruction was shocking and came after a long time.
It was to scout a Korean to become Ferrari’s driver, specifically an unnamed ordinary person.
– I found out the identity of KING. The name is Yooihyun, a nineteen-year-old female student who dropped out of the Formula One Academy and currently lives in a OO officetel under the name Kang Ho-yun.
– That KING is a nineteen-year-old female student? The KING I know?
– Yes. That KING.
The chilling sensation he felt at that moment still remained vivid all over his body.
The hottest newcomer, KING, showcased a performance that reached extremes and turned out to be a girl, not a boy.
Moreover, a beautiful young high school girl who is nineteen!
“It gave me goosebumps…”
While KING’s astonishing driving technique was thrilling, the fact that he was a high school girl made Lee Myung-jin’s heart race even more.
It was only understandable, as there had never been a female driver in F1 up until now.
In fact, even in the virtual reality game Formula One, there wasn’t a single woman among the top 1000 ranks in F2.
So, motorsports, unlike other sports where women’s leagues exist, has never had a female competitor in F1.
Yet, a high school girl is participating in the fierce and wild ecosystem of F1, which is considered a male-dominated domain?
Is that high school girl none other than the mysterious master KING, who causes a stir wherever she goes?
“On the day of her debut, it’s going to be a global sensation. Especially since a rookie will be with Ferrari…”
One can sense what it means when the entire world is turned upside down.
Lee Myung-jin couldn’t help but feel excited about taking the first step toward the KING scout that would make a significant mark in F1 history.
– I’ll send you the address, so if you find her, bring her in whatever way you can. Don’t worry about the money. We absolutely need to secure her.
Binotto’s serious voice carried a determination to acquire Yooihyun.
– Understood…!
As soon as the instruction was given, Lee Myung-jin went to wait at the exit of the parking lot of the officetel where she lived.
Days passed—one day, two days, three days—and he still couldn’t catch a glimpse of her, but he continued to wait.
The belief that as a human, particularly as a driver, she would eventually come out since Formula One was under long-term inspections kept him hopeful.
On the fourth day of guarding the parking lot, eating ramen, kimbap, and jjajangmyeon in his car.
“She’s, she’s here!”
A Mercedes Benz AMG GT R with the license plate number Minotto had insisted he memorize exited the parking lot.
Kang Ho-yun had already left in another car, so Yooihyun must be in that one.
As expected, a youthful nineteen-year-old student, Yooihyun, was driving the car.
Vroom!
Lee Myung-jin started the engine and followed her.
It was practically stalking, but his desire to discover a tremendous star, in other words, his ambition, drove him on.
The final destination she stopped at was the Yeongam Circuit.
Following her down, he thought, “Indeed, KING is KING.”
When she was selected as a participant for the event upon entering the circuit, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Out of all these people, how in the world did KING get chosen…”
The event race ended predictably with Yooihyun finishing in overwhelming first place.
While the race was dull due to speed limits, watching Yooihyun’s driving was exquisite.
After exiting the circuit, she opened her car door.
Lee Myung-jin steadied his racing heart and approached her to talk.
“Are you Yooihyun?”
That was the first meeting between Ferrari and KING, KING and Ferrari.
*
*
*
“I apologize for being rude, but this was the only way for us to speak with you, Ms. Yooihyun, KING. If it has upset you, I sincerely apologize a hundred times.”
Lee Myung-jin bowed repeatedly and crouched down.
Knowing that I am KING and that he tracked me down from Seoul to Yeongam Circuit didn’t feel great either.
However, not Mercedes Benz, not Red Bull, but Ferrari.
The team that I, Jin Hyun-woo, existed with as a driver at all moments.
A team more like home than my hometown, where I spent three championship seasons.
Perhaps Jin Hyun-woo was Ferrari, and Ferrari was Jin Hyun-woo…
Yes, it was Ferrari.
“It’s fine, Scout Lee Myung-jin.”
When I gestured him not to bow too low, he returned to being a gentleman.
“I have many personal topics I want to discuss with you, Ms. Yooihyun, as well as an official proposal from Ferrari. Is this a good time for you?”
“Sure. Shall we go to a café to talk?”
Though it’s Ferrari instead of Ferrari, there’s no reason not to.
“Considering you came all the way from Seoul, it seems you’ve booked a place to stay, so it would be convenient to talk nearby. I’ll follow you.”
Being part of Ferrari, he displayed a polite and gentlemanly demeanor.
I nodded and drove toward the hotel.
I parked the car in the Starbucks parking area at the front of the hotel.
After confirming that Lee Myung-jin’s car followed in, I entered first and secured a spot.
Seeing the crowd at this time confirms that Yeongam is indeed a global tourist destination.
Just as someone was leaving, we each ordered an Americano and quickly sat down.
“Forgive me for saying this, but honestly, I never imagined KING would be a woman.”
“That’s understandable. There hasn’t been a single female user in F2.”
It’s completely reasonable.
No, it’s unavoidable.
Lee Myung-jin, who has personally experienced how fierce Formula One is as a member of F1, knows that in a fierce competition among 20 selected monsters worldwide, women, who are comparatively disadvantaged in physical abilities like reaction time and spatial awareness, have no room to compete.
That’s not discrimination; it is a clear fact.
I was well aware of this, as I initially created KING as a private account to take full advantage of it.
I had no reason to feel bad.
Now that the condition of skill had been fulfilled.
Being a woman would not be a curse but a blessing as the only pink dot driver.
Vroom! Vroom-!
A text arrived indicating that the drinks were ready, and he quickly got up and placed the coffee in front of me.
“As a fan, I have many questions, but let’s save that for later. Since I am here today as a spokesperson for Ferrari, let me first share our proposal.”
He pulled up a contract on his phone and handed it to me.
Leaving aside the complicated details regarding the contract amount, the simple summary was as follows:
1. You will be hired as Ferrari’s second driver.
2. With a three-year contract term, based on performance, you will be promoted to the main driver.
3. In case the above contractor wishes to be hired as the main driver, a contract extension of at least three years must be executed.
At a glance, this was an overly generous offer for someone like me, who has no credibility in official F1.
If one were to say, “Isn’t that just a wingman?” then the idea of being promoted to a main driver is even more nonsensical.
The important parts are 2 and 3, rather than 1.
Those were clauses that expressed the intention to appoint me as the main driver.
“Ferrari recognizes and has expectations for your potential to that extent, Ms. Lee Hyun. This is not a hollow clause.”
It cannot be a lie.
If that item were a falsehood, there would be no reason to come looking for me to this extent.
Lee Myung-jin must be speaking the truth.
“We will match your desired salary as much as possible. If there are any clauses you would like to modify, I can contact the upper management and create an updated version.”
“Hmm…”
This is too good.
If I am a budding flower, Ferrari would be the flower stand that supports me as I bloom.
It would be wonderful if I could bloom on this flower stand named Ferrari in this life as well.
However,
“Everything is great, but…”
Why does this prestigious and elegant Ferrari come off so humble?
Especially to an ordinary driver like KING.
I understand that some of my skills have been recognized, but I am still an unproven driver.
As that question arose, I suddenly realized I hadn’t researched the rankings of other teams in F1 besides knowing that Benz was first.
Just how high is Ferrari ranked in this world?
“By the way, what was Ferrari’s ranking last year? Both the driver and constructor standings.”
“Here’s the thing…”
For the first time, Lee Myung-jin, who had never shown a disheveled appearance, hesitated at the end of his sentence.
“The driver rankings were 15th and 16th, and the constructor ranking was 8th.”
“Ferrari was 15th and 16th? The team ranking was 8th?”
“Yes… It’s embarrassing, but that’s correct.”
His head bowed like a guilty person.
I felt uneasy and, as expected, they were indeed struggling.
How could even the parallel world’s Ferrari be declining?
The reasons for poor performance in F1 can be broadly narrowed down to two possibilities.
Either the driver is the problem, or the race car is the problem.
However, a global conglomerate like Ferrari shouldn’t have funding issues, so the likelihood of the issue lying with the race car is high.
In the worst-case scenario, it could be both.
Since someone in front of me knows the definite answer to that question, I might as well ask.
“What’s the reason?”
“As you might expect, the engine performance issue is significant. The entire team is striving to improve, but it’s not an easy task…”
“I see.”
After a moment of silence, Lee Myung-jin seemed to have resolved to show me the shameful reality of his team and began to speak with a determined expression.
“Ferrari used to symbolize a glorious team in F1, but that’s a thing of the past. Capable drivers no longer look at Ferrari. The engine has fallen behind, and victory is distant now…”
Yes.
No driver wants to board a sinking ship, no matter how much prestige, honor, and pride the team holds.
The utmost honor for a driver comes from winning grand prix, winning seasons,
It certainly doesn’t come from the name of the team.
“We’re experiencing a chain reaction of decline from engine issues to driver performance. With the F1 schedule only two months away, and engine development taking longer than that, the idea of recruiting a rookie driver to turn the atmosphere around is Director Mattia Binotto’s intention.”
“Are you referring to Mr. Mattia Binotto?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Wow… This guy is still the director of Ferrari?
I wonder if his curly hair is still the same…
Mattia Binotto would refer to the Ferrari director, Mattia Binotto, in my world.
The only good thing he had done while being in charge of Ferrari was selecting me.
Of course, it became a godsend that led Ferrari to achieve three consecutive driver and constructor championships.
“In fact, the second driver position is also vacant. Fernando Alonso suddenly declared his retirement, saying he can no longer race for Ferrari…”
“…”
It truly seems like a total crisis.
Just how messed up is my hometown team, Ferrari?
A headache is starting to set in.