[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 57
**5th Kiwitch 1-on-1 Tournament**
The long-awaited final is held at Circuit Blue Bull Ring.
The sun shines brightly on the track, heating it up under clear skies without a single cloud.
The current track temperature is 30 degrees.
The wind, which should feel cool, instead blows hot like a heater.
Though clouds might roll in, if things continue like this, the track temperature will rise further.
Super Soft tires are completely unmanageable, so I had to choose between Soft and Medium.
There were no clouds detected on the satellite radar provided by For One.
This means that the weather is likely to keep getting hotter for now.
“Tires… let’s go with Medium.”
[Tires will be changed to Medium tires.]
Choosing Soft is not feasible.
There is the advantage of running faster than Medium at the start to take the lead, but this isn’t a race with 20 participants—it’s a 1-on-1 match.
There’s no need to choose the less durable Soft tire and risk rapid deterioration of tire condition or punctures to secure first place.
After all, any overtaking or pit in during a 1-on-1 situation loses its meaning.
It’s ideal to maintain tire performance slowly, using them efficiently until they run out of grip and then changing them.
I was thinking of finishing the race with a 2-stop strategy, which is another reason for choosing the relatively stable Medium.
However…
[Current temperature: 31 degrees ↑ rising]
It’s hard to predict how much worse the track conditions could get, but if it gets really bad, I might have to consider a 3-stop strategy.
“Thanks to the weather, the viewers will have a more exciting time.”
[Hahaha, if you’re feeling wronged, you can just watch!]
[Let’s burst Max’s tires with wheel-to-wheel action. Or destroy his suspension.]
[31 degrees? The path to the throne is treacherous.]
[Medium tires? Not very KING-like!! Give me Super Soft!]
[Wah! Baby KING viewer says ‘give me SS’]
[Those wanting SS in this weather must be crazy?]
[Choosing M seems like the right decision. It might actually be better than Soft since it’ll just melt on the track.]
[By the way, what’s up with Max’s tires?]
After checking the weather again and entering the cockpit, I received a voice message from Kang Ho-yun, who was acting as my informant.
One Man Show: Max is starting on Soft. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but it looks like he’s planning a 3-stop strategy starting on Soft in this weather.
KING: Soft, huh… He either thinks the weather will improve or believes that going Soft will ultimately give him a better lap time even with 3 stops. It’s one or the other.
Considering Max’s personality and driving skills, the latter seems more likely.
He is a highly skilled driver who could contest 1st and 2nd places in F1, so his confidence in his abilities is solid.
He’s probably thinking of leading the race with high tempo using Soft tires.
Max’s choice feels like a kind of pressure directed at me.
Despite the heavy burden of tire management in this weather, Max’s mindset can be interpreted in two ways.
The first is that he feels confident enough to win despite any risks involved due to my weakness.
The second is to elevate the overall race pace to gauge my skills.
If Max has watched even one of my races, he wouldn’t miss assessing my capabilities, so the second reason makes sense.
In other words… he wants a real challenge.
He aims to make me feel greater pressure as I watch the race car pull away from me, creating a high-stakes situation.
In critical situations, the true nature of human beings is revealed, and he intends to make me pour everything into this race.
However, I am not one to be swayed by such shallow psychological tactics.
“I’m sticking with tires as is.”
I chose to maintain Medium tires.
[Starting to diverge right from the beginning.]
[Smooth Max and stiff KING…? Can’t stand it for real hahaha.]
[Stiff? Is that soft? This outcome is supposed to be winning, right?]
[From the start, a stiff attack, heh.]
[What on earth is going on in these guys’ heads?]
[The weather is the key factor.]
[Why does this miserable weather keep intervening in the race? It’s supposed to be just skill vs. skill.]
[In F1, luck is also a kind of skill.]
[KING, I love you!]
I disregarded the chaos in the chat room and started the race car’s engine.
kiwitch*: In 3 minutes, we will go through the formation lap and the race will begin. Please wait at the starting grid.
It took a long time to get here.
After going through more than 10 qualification rounds from 1024 down to the semifinals.
Reflecting on how many races I’ve participated in and how many different drivers I’ve met.
The finals.
Looking back on the path I’ve taken to stand here feels too distant.
“To the grid.”
[Race waiting room, heading to the grid. KING’s grid is on the left, first position.]
Now it’s truly time to put a long journey to an end.
***
*
-Two players are finally on the grid to decorate the finals at Circuit Blue Bull Ring!
-On the left is KING, and on the right is Max Verstappen. KING’s red race car and Max’s silver race car are already glaring at each other.
-Even before the formation lap, there’s an exhilarating atmosphere worthy of the finals!
The moment KING and Max step onto the grid, the total viewer count surpasses 300 million.
The 5th Kiwitch Championship has garnered global attention.
In previous tournaments, not a single ordinary person made it to the finals, let alone the Top 16.
This time, a mysterious rookie driver named KING has pulled off an incredible performance to reach the finals.
That alone is a sufficient reason to watch the final, and the opponent is Max Verstappen from Benz, the next F1 champion.
This matchup is something that no one who enjoys For One would want to miss.
With the world’s attention focused, it is no exaggeration to say that all 70 million citizens of Korea are watching the finals.
Does that make sense?
While it might not be the case for other countries, it is possible for Korea.
Who is KING?
He’s their proud Korean representative.
KING is indeed a proud Taegeuk warrior wearing the Taeguk mark while promoting national prestige on a global stage!
In reality, he had no patriotic spirit or the Taeguk mark on his fire-retardant suit, but the truth didn’t matter to Koreans.
For this reason.
In restaurants, bars, schools, and offices.
Kiwitch final videos were playing everywhere.
Restaurants provided free drinks, while bars offered unlimited alcohol.
At schools, which typically had empty spaces during evening study sessions, students and even the principal gathered in the auditorium to watch the game without missing a single member.
Workers who had volunteered for overtime at companies were all sitting in the conference room from interns to CEOs, cheering while ordering delivery food like chicken and pizza as if celebrating a festival.
The advance of a Korean into the Kiwitch finals was an unprecedented and glorious event in South Korea, a land which was devoid of F1 players!
Such a level of excitement for just a game in one nation is a testament to the considerable global influence For One has garnered.
For One has developed into a culture that has penetrated the entire world by now.
Excited commentators at the end of the tournament were hoarse but were squeezing their voices to proclaim the precious privilege of narrating this match.
-Currently at 31 degrees, KING has chosen Medium, and Max has chosen Soft tires!
-Max’s choice is quite provocative! I’m excited to see how he will manage the race on Soft tires, especially considering that the Blue Bull Ring exhausts not just the tires but the chassis as well!
-That’s right… I just heard breaking news that in KING’s home country of Korea, Kiwitch’s viewership has reached an astonishing 99%.
-There’s word that a festival has erupted in the Netherlands, Max Verstappen’s homeland. Both players’ countries must be in complete celebratory mood!
While the commentators chatted, time continued to flow towards the grid.
Bruuuum-!
Vroom!!!
The formation lap to warm up the cars for the actual race finally began.
Due to the high track temperature, Max and KING did not weave left and right unnecessarily to raise tire temperatures.
They simply followed the safety car, making low growling sounds like leopards eyeing their prey.
In the eerie silence of the formation lap.
A chilly tension, like the calm before the storm, hung between the two race cars.
Growl…!
Rumble…!
The race cars lined up on the left and right starting grids.
The prelude for the main event has ended.
-Finally… the main event is about to begin!
-Right now, one of the two drivers will be crowned the champion of the 5th Kiwitch 1-on-1 Tournament.
-The signal is starting to come in!
Even the commentators swallowed nervously as the tension mounted.
The signals started to drop.
🔴 ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
One for tension.
🔴 🔴 ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Two for anticipation.
🔴 🔴 🔴 ⚫ ⚫
Three for awe.
🔴 🔴 🔴 🔴 ⚫
Four for respect.
🔴 🔴 🔴 🔴 🔴
And five for tremor.
Lastly,
⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Race start.
Rumble!!!
-The race begins!!!
The race cars, carrying all the emotions of this world, launch into the final sprint toward the championship.
***
Kwahh!!!
Finally, the last race has begun.
The start occurred almost at the same time, but Max, equipped with Soft tires, naturally took the lead into the first corner.
It was not unexpected, so I calmly yielded the entry priority without panic.
The weather is still on my side, so there’s no need to rush to catch up.
The moment Max’s tires begin to wear and lose functionality will be my opportunity.
What I need to do now is to steadily complete laps to raise my feel and design a racing line suited for the current situation without missing that opportunity.
Zoom!!!
Due to the difference in tire grip, Max’s race car was slowly but surely pulling away from me with each corner.
I focused solely on my race, erasing him from my sight.
“Push to the extreme, Yooihyun…”
No matter how much the tires and race car scream today, I have no intention of taking it easy.
Sorry, but today’s racing concept is SM.
With the race car pleading for mercy, I would hit it hard with just enough force not to k*ll it.
I carve the corners.
I sketch an artistic line that flows flexibly and is the shortest.
I floor it on the straight.
Without lifting my foot off the pedal for even 0.1 seconds, I quickly push through the stifling air.
Driving infused with my soul is as beautifully eerie and astonishing as a sculptor’s obsession.
My boundless desire for a new realm outweighs the fear of the unknown, like an explorer’s adventurous spirit.
Name / Time / Laps
① Max Verstappen 0:52:433 2/71
② KING 0:55:667 +3.234 2/71
Finally, Lap 1.
Today I race towards art and desire.
I dedicate my soul to this race.
That is the reason I have been given life once more.
It’s the existence value of KING that I must prove moving forward.