[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 5
Paul Ricard Circuit.
It is a high-speed circuit with a total length of 5.842 km, featuring a 1.8 km straight that corresponds to an average speed of 226 km/h.
A high-speed circuit with 15 corners and two DRS* zones.
*Drag Reduction System. When DRS is activated, speed increases by approximately 15 km/h.
DRS.
It is a function that temporarily increases speed by tilting the angle of the rear wing to horizontal, smoothing the airflow.
While it is a system for overtaking that provides thrilling moments for drivers and viewers alike, there are many restrictions on its use.
First, it can only be used in DRS zones designated by the FIA.
Second, the gap to the car in front, including backmarkers, must be less than one second to activate it.
Third, the leader cannot use it, but it can be used if they are within one second of a backmarker.
Fourth, it cannot be used for two laps after the race, and it is disabled if the race is determined to be dangerous.
“I’ll try to maximize my speed in the DRS zone.”
While it is a system for overtaking, it comes with many constraints that prevent free use…
[In For One, there are no restrictions regarding DRS.]
“No restrictions at all?”
[Yes. We have removed the restrictions on DRS zones and usage conditions to make racing even more exciting.]
The lack of restrictions on DRS indicates that the driver’s ability to manage all systems, including DRS, with the button on the steering wheel is incredibly important.
While it is advantageous on straights, using DRS to its maximum potential in corners requires constant thoughts and calculations during the race, making it a demanding task for drivers.
In conclusion, it means not only handling, paddle shifting, and managing acceleration and braking become more challenging.
It’s a call for drivers, as well as vehicles, to push their abilities to the limit.
Race start!
Vroom!!!
Kuaaa!!
When the formation lap ended and the actual race started, I immediately activated DRS and floored it.
The rear wing opened horizontally, reducing drag, and the engine roared at high RPM.
Grrr!!!
Normally, the start of a race—where accidents are most likely due to F1’s open-wheel nature—would be a method I would never choose, as a single accident can cause multiple retirements.
Moreover, not knowing the tendencies of the drivers I’m racing with makes it an even worse choice.
But there was something I wanted to see.
What happens when an accident occurs?
Do I retire from the race immediately? Or can I restart since it’s a virtual reality?
I know F1 well, but I don’t know For One well.
Regardless of how much For One is based on F1, it incorporates the characteristics of games and virtual reality, so I felt like a newbie regarding For One.
Still, I had confidence that even if an accident occurred, the race could be resumed.
“Because it’s virtual reality.”
With faith and confidence in myself, I darted between the race cars.
Every time I found a gap, competitors aggressively closed in on both sides of my car.
“Not a chance.”
I was rolling in the world’s best championship, where only 20 are chosen in F1.
With god-like moves, I narrowly avoided their cars and kept overtaking.
Thus, before reaching the first corner, I had already moved from 20th to 16th place.
Considering that overtaking is hard in F1, this was an astounding rise in rank.
Soon, vehicles in front began to decelerate.
That would mean we had reached the first corner.
Grrm! Grrr……
Screech!!
The problem isn’t the straight; it’s the corner.
In corners, frequent blocking and mental contests occur for overtaking or preventing it.
Race cars transform into their most selfish and rational forms to find their own preferred racing line.
Especially in the first corner of the race, which is most congested, retirements occur the most.
“Ah, why are they already decelerating? They could push a bit more.”
I was just frustrated.
Why decelerate at such an early timing?
To become the best F1 driver, one must understand limits and push forward.
If they’re decelerating from such a distance just because a corner is coming up, why even race in F1? They might as well go to public roads and just obey the signals.
Let me make one thing clear: I am absolutely not an old-school driver.
Absolutely not.
With a mindset of trying to push for a crash, I entered the corner without slowing down.
If I was going to crash anyway, I wouldn’t go down alone. I aimed to take someone down with me.
Kwah!!
My car collided with a blue vehicle speeding through the corner.
Since cars that were decelerating were tangled up, the accident between me and the blue vehicle quickly triggered a chain reaction, escalating into a major crash.
Crunch!
Screech!
Bang! Bang!
Damaged cars slid off the track beyond the curb.
A tire puncture occurred, and both the front and rear wings were smashed, rendering the vehicles unfit for proper racing. A total of seven people were involved in the accident.
“Sorry, guys.”
I felt regret, but if recovery could be achieved after causing the accident, it was a strategic move that had to be confirmed.
“…1 second.”
An Jae-hyuk (Entire): Ah, what the hell are you doing!?
Kim Hye-won (Entire): Is there even any thought in your mind? Why are you being greedy in the first corner!?
Yoo Ji-won (Entire): No, Mr. Yooihyun. It’s just practice. Please, let’s all perform to our abilities without causing trouble.
Seeing my friend Yoo Ji-won point the finger at me, it seemed I was the one who crashed into that blue vehicle.
“4 seconds…”
The public opinion was poor, so I immediately apologized.
Yooihyun (Entire): I’m sorry, everyone. I miscalculated the timing of deceleration…
Yoo Ji-won (Entire): Be careful. Be careful.
Soon, the accident vehicles floated in the air, repaired, and were placed at the corner entrance in the order they were in before the crash.
“10 seconds.”
The time taken from the accident to recovery and re-starting was 10 seconds.
In F1, where times are measured to 0.0001 seconds, 10 seconds is a considerable amount of time.
Normally, an accident would lead to a race abandonment, but it was overlooked for this 10-second penalty.
[Yooihyun, you receive a further 5-second penalty for intentional collision.]
“Looks like I can’t exploit it.”
As the waiting time ended, vehicles started to launch again from the front, and I too took a corrected route through the corner.
Back to 20th.
Though the other vehicles appeared far away, I was confident I could catch up.
“Let’s race properly.”
Grrrr!!!
The engine began to roar aggressively.
*
*
*
Yang Jin-sol: There was an accident behind?
Joo Young-hwan: Whoa… seven got caught up? Who’s the idiot who caused the crash?
Yang Jin-sol: Mr. Yooihyun just crashed into them.
Song Dan-g*n: Idiots.
The ace of Class 2A, Song Dan-g*n, had maintained first place from the race start through to lap 4.
While not yet at peak performance, the results he showed despite being new to F1 were quite remarkable.
Both teachers and friends praised him for his talent, giving him an inflated sense of pride.
Thus, Song Dan-g*n believed there were no rivals in his class and thought of himself as always the first.
His only flaw, he thought, was that he always placed second in theory exams.
The one who kept him in second place was none other than Yooihyun, labeled as the worst talent in the academy, possessing nicknames like “caterpillar,” “snail,” and “turtle.”
She was, without much competition, 30 seconds behind him in every circuit.
Having disdained and looked down upon her as inferior…!
But then…!
Name / Time / Lap
① Song Dan-g*n 2:02:398 6/20
② Yooihyun 1:55:578 6/20
③ Jihyun Lee 2:02:899 6/20
:
:
In the 6th lap, despite starting in last place and receiving a 15-second penalty due to the earlier accident, Yooihyun was now chasing closely behind Song Dan-g*n.
“sh*t, what the hell. How is she already in 2nd place despite the accident?!”
Yooihyun, in just six laps, surged into 2nd place and recorded a lap time nearly 7 seconds faster than his own best.
7 seconds.
Yes, 7 seconds.
In F1, a difference of 7 seconds is an indicator of a significant disparity in performance.
Moreover, Yooihyun was consistently breaking her own records with every lap.
On the 7th lap.
Activating DRS, Yooihyun quickly closed in on his rear on the straight and used the slipstream to take the racing line in the next corner and overtook him.
“No way……. What kind of trick did she pull, d*mn it! Don’t lie to me!”
Song Dan-g*n’s mental state was quickly crumbling.
*
*
*
“Wait up, Song Dan-g*n.”
The circuit turned into a clear track after the accident, becoming a stage just for me. Like Guan Yu riding a red stallion, I soared.
Grrr!!!
【 DRS Activated 】
Click!
【 6 – 7 Gear ↑ 】
Activating DRS, I quickly shifted up to the maximum gear of 7 and charged through the circuit.
Even among classmates, performance differences became evident, and the gaps between the vehicles would continue to widen.
【 DRS Deactivated 】
Right before the first corner, I turned off DRS to increase downforce, and at the latest braking point, I slammed on the brakes.
In an instant, my speed dropped from 350 km/h to 110 km/h.
Entering the corner faster than usual, I gradually released the brakes as soon as I was in.
Turning the steering wheel, I continued to ease the brakes in accordance with the turning radius while maintaining speed and grip stability.
As I entered the apex, I finished decelerating and pressed the accelerator from 10% to 20%.
I stomped on the accelerator harder on the exit until traction reached a point where it could withstand the engine’s power, then floored it to exit the corner.
Shoosh!!!
By properly balancing the vehicle’s weight distribution while maintaining grip while both braking and turning, I could delay my braking point while naturally keeping the vehicle’s weight movement fluid, maximizing grip.
The advanced technique of simultaneous braking and turning: trail braking.
Kuaaa!!
Using an exquisite sense of just how far the tires could withstand the chassis, I pushed the performance of the race car to 100%.
After clearing the first corner, it was entirely my world.
I activated DRS on all segments except the corners, continuing risky yet stable driving.
In gently curving corners, I repeatedly toggled DRS on and off up to the point where tire traction reached its limit, maximizing time gains.
In chicanes*, I attacked the corner while decelerating at the highest speed that I could maintain.
*A chicane is a sequence of S-shaped corners appearing in the middle or end of a straight section, which restricts top speed.
With flawless commands translated into the shortest race line, my driving line shown on the mini-map appeared like Venus’s beautiful curves, depicting the most ideal racing line in an airfoil shape.
⑪ Yooihyun 2:11:921 3/20
As each lap passed, the gap narrowed and my ranking rose.
⑦ Yooihyun 2:05:338 4/20
About 6 seconds per lap.
④ Yooihyun 2:00:001 5/20
:
:
:
② Yooihyun 1:55:578 6/20
When lap 6 ended, I smoothly overtook Jihyun Lee in 2nd place and got right behind Song Dan-g*n.
“Gotcha!”
Now it was time to deliver despair.
To provoke Song Dan-g*n, I sent a voice message.
Yooihyun: You’re so slow, my grandma would go faster than that.
Song Dan-g*n: What? You b*stard who grew up without parents!
Yooihyun: The one without parents seems to be you, by the way you speak.
Song Dan-g*n: You crazy b*tch…!
Entering lap 7 and utilizing DRS and the slipstream on the straight, I surged ahead before he could even block me.
① Yooihyun 1:50:210 7/20
Yooihyun: I’m going ahead, Dan-g*n. Why don’t you try to keep up? Oh, can you even keep up?
Song Dan-g*n: You’re nothing… Let’s see who wins today.
I’m sorry, Dan-g*n. But right now, I’m not just Yooihyun.
I’m the F1 champion, Jin Hyun-woo.
As I reached first place with a clear path ahead of me on the circuit, there was no one to stop my solo run.
Racing and racing, the moment I crossed the finish line receiving the checker flag, that marked the end of the race.
① Yooihyun 1:23:129 🏁
Having taken first place, I set an astounding record with a fastest lap of 1:23:129, about a 5-lap lead over second-place Song Dan-g*n, and an average 6-7 lap lead over the others, overwhelmingly finishing the race.
Now it’s time to gloat over Dan-g*n.
Yooihyun: You’re dirt, no, dog dirt.
Song Dan-g*n: sh*t… After the race, we’ll see.
Grrr….. Thud thud.
There were still racers going on, so I parked the race car in the pit.
After taking off my helmet and exiting the cockpit, I wondered why it had to be so hot.
“Phew, it’s hot. Hot.”
The temperature in the cockpit usually exceeds 50 degrees, resembling a sauna, and my whole body was drenched in sweat.
After taking off my fireproof suit and opening my wardrobe to choose a cool tank top and dolphin shorts, a refreshing breeze flowed and made it a bit more bearable.
As I lay back in my chair to rest, I noticed my tires were worn out. With such severe wear, they would’ve definitely burst if I had driven just a little longer.
“Thank you for holding on.”
Just as I turned my eyes to the ceiling, someone walked into the pit.
The pit is a personal space for drivers, and ordinary participants can’t enter without the driver’s permission, so it must’ve been the camp leader, the teacher.
“Hyun-a…”
“Yes, teacher.”
In just 2 minutes and 30 seconds, Yooihyun reduced their time to a remarkable 1 minute and 20 seconds.
Whether through a hack or bug, it was certainly a situation suspicious enough.
As I was brainstorming what explanation to offer, the teacher asked with a look of admiration.
“How about participating in the For One Korea Representative Selection?”
For One Korea Representative?
Are they talking about being an official F1 driver?
“The Korea Representative Selection?”
“Yes. Representing Korea in international sports events like the Olympics for For One.”
To the teacher, it seemed the reason behind my dramatic improvement in skill didn’t matter.
Only the fact that I, Yooihyun, achieved what might be the best record of 1 minute and 20 seconds seemed important.
“There are many benefits to becoming the Korean representative. You’ll gain money, of course, and you can train and learn from Korea’s top F1 drivers. You’re smart, so you must already know that.”
Yeah, that’s probably right. With so many people using For One.
But the prospect of money and players didn’t really entice me.
I’m confident that in this world, no one can race better than I can in F1.
My abilities won’t go anywhere, so money and fame are just things I can acquire anytime.
“I’ll think about it. It seems too early for me to make that decision.”
Moreover, saying that there are many benefits also implies that there are many restrictions.
As I still don’t know any information, I didn’t want to make a rash decision.
There’s no harm in gradually finding out and planning for the future.
“Uh? Y-yeah. Let me know when you’ve made a decision.”
The teacher seemed to expect my acceptance and stumbled over his words.
I lowered my head and thought to myself.
I’m sorry, teacher, but there’s no one better than me.
Bring them on.
Apart from Jin Hyun-woo, there’s no one else, is there?
*
*
*
As the race for 20th place ended, we were summoned back to the opening area, which had an unobstructed view of the circuit.
As I appeared, all class members, including the teacher, turned to look at me.
A mix of admiration, awe, respect, shock, suspicion, and scorn.
Some looked at me as an object of envy, while others saw me as a target of sin.
I stood tall.
No foul play involved, just a clear demonstration of skill.
The absolute truth with no lies made me stand confidently.
Becoming strong.
Being able to face others confidently is achieved like this.
“Song Dan-g*n.”
I walked up to him, extending my hand while wearing a relaxed smile.
“Good race.”
“……!”
With the teacher watching, he glared at me with his eyes, then swatted my hand away.
Still, this world is probably one where those without skills have a strong sense of pride.
The teacher soon revealed the rankings once more.
Name / Time
① Yooihyun 1:23:129
② Song Dan-g*n 2:01:847 +38.718
③ Jihyun Lee 2:01:991 +38.862
:
:
The gap between 1st and 2nd was an astonishing 38 seconds.
Everyone was left speechless at the shocking result.
Jihyun Lee: Yooihyun… what happened to you?
Yooihyun: I just… happened to pull it off.
How should I explain it to my roommate Jihyun Lee?
My head began to ache.
*
*
*
“Hey! Yooihyun! You d*mn b*tch. What did you do? Otherwise, how did you set that record?”
Right after class ended.
In the capsule room after the teacher left, Song Dan-g*n and his crew surrounded me.
“What did I do? If I really did something, the system would’ve caught it. Do you think For One security is that lax?”
Though I had no idea, I guessed that a game on the scale of For One would have good systems in place to block hacks, and it seemed I struck a chord.
“Don’t be too down. I did well, not because you all did poorly.”
Considering she’s a girl, I didn’t think she would hit me, so I pretended to feel sorry and provoked them.
But my assumption was wrong.
I should’ve considered that Song Dan-g*n was the kind of sc*m who would openly insult me in front of his friends.
“You think you can talk back, you b*tch!”
At the moment Song Dan-g*n’s fist was flying toward my face,
“Ah, why are you making such a fuss? What year are you in?”
The door of the corner capsule opened, revealing someone with a deep voice.