[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 58
Max continued to pull away.
With each corner and each lap that passed, he steadily increased the gap between us.
It wasn’t just a matter of soft or medium tires.
Unlike the Max I knew, the driving of this world’s Max was much more delicate and refined.
“It’s faster than I expected…”
While I was muttering meaninglessly, I recalled an important fact that I had overlooked.
It was, of course, For One.
In this world, not only F1 drivers but also ordinary people can practice driving freely at any time through the game For One, without any risk.
That explains it!!!
I could somewhat understand the incredible techniques of Max, who was disappearing into the distance.
I had also tried and honed various techniques countless times in For One as Yooihyun, which I couldn’t attempt in reality.
How much time must Max, who was born in this world, have spent here?
Of course, his innate genius couldn’t be overlooked, but when combined with the time he has spent in hard work and effort, it makes a difference.
Name / Time / Laps
① Max Verstappen 0:52:411 5/71
② KING 0:55:347 +2.936 5/71
An unbelievable result appears from Max Verstappen, a seasoned veteran combining equipment and Guan Yu.
Fortunately, the gap for the fastest lap was decreasing as my medium tires became sufficiently heated on the surface, but the total gap was still over 10 seconds, quite far.
However, it wasn’t something to worry too much about.
[Current Temperature: 32 degrees ↑ Rising]
It was inevitable due to the tires, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of the temperature dropping, so Max would likely feel the pressure of tire management.
As skilled as Max might be, there is no perfect person in this world, nor is there a perfect driver.
If he makes even one mistake with the control in this weather, the rough track and aggressive corners of Red Bull Ring would devour his tires in an instant.
Since I could not escape that either, I was concentrating all my nerves on tire management and optimizing the racing line.
“Let’s be a bit more daring…”
By the time I reached lap 5, the tires began to stick to the surface.
That meant the tires could fully handle the rough demands of the engine, which was eagerly urging more power.
Kigigigig!!!
Chiriririk-!
Before I knew it, the carbon brakes were glowing red, ready to perform their role.
Once all the parts were prepped and ready to run, it was time for the last component of the race car.
All that was left was for the driver, the final piece that completes the race car, to unleash its true potential.
Clack! Click-!
【 6 → 7 Gear ↑ 】/ 【 DRS Activation 】
From now on, it’s not a fight against Max.
A true battle begins: a constant confrontation with my own limits as I doubt and push the boundaries of the race car and myself.
Shooosh!!
I power through the straight, pushing off the hot surface towards the corner in the distance.
What seemed far away quickly closed in as the race car, at speeds exceeding 300 km/h, approached it.
I envision a personalized racing line, optimizing my design tailored to today’s conditions at the Red Bull Ring, taking into account weather, tires, brakes, and aiming for the most basic yet ideal cornering line of out-in-out.
Just before entering the corner.
The carbon brakes scream horrifically.
Chiiiiiik-!!!
At 300 km/h, the race car’s speed drops fearfully.
To secure downforce and exit the corner quickly, I deactivate DRS and just before crossing a critical point, I enter the corner.
Next is trail braking.
Before reaching the apex of the corner, I carefully apply the brakes to maintain grip while minimizing speed loss.
The worn tires, which seemed like they would lock up, continue to rotate and turn the chassis.
Quack!
After passing the apex, I tap into the delicate balance between the grip of the rear tires and the acceleration pedal, re-accelerating.
Similarly, I either aggressively or smoothly press the throttle with precise control to ensure the back doesn’t slip.
This process relies on sensation while allowing no room for even the slightest mistake.
The angle of the steering wheel, the force and timing of pressing and releasing the pedal—everything must be precise.
If expressed numerically, it involves the extreme micro-control of fluctuating between 0.001 to 0.002.
These are realms of sensation that can’t even be calculated.
Shooosh!!!
The race car exits perfectly along the racing line envisioned in my head.
Due to minimal deceleration when entering and re-accelerating when exiting, the maximum preserved speed allowed it to charge down the straight in an instant.
“Let’s keep going like this.”
The way I approached the previous corner was, even to me, breathtakingly beautiful technique.
But there’s still a long way to go.
66 laps remain.
Since there are 10 corners at Red Bull Ring, I must perfectly navigate 660 corners ahead, just as I did this time.
Out of the 710 corners, I have only tackled 50 so far.
“I must stay focused until the end.”
The race truly is a game that gnaws at both body and mind.
It’s a harsh and brutal game that sacrifices everything for lap times.
Only those prepared to sacrifice can claim their place on the podium.
And I am ready.
*
*
*
“It looks like the gap is widening due to the tires, but considering the time wasted on pit stops, it’s not a huge difference. KING will have two pit stops, while Max will have three, so the pressure will be greater on Max. As confidently as he chose the soft tires, he must show the reason for it in every lap.”
[Wow, when BK chose soft tires, it was like betting everything, but Max is different, right?]
[Really, tire management is a disaster… it’s still early, but the tire condition looks disastrous.]
[Seriously… this is a big deal, KING!!!]
[The time loss from a pit stop is roughly 30 seconds, and even considering that, he has already closed the gap by 16 seconds.]
[As expected, the next F1 champion is different.]
[What if KING drives on super softs at the end?]
[Could Max also design a three-stop strategy and comfortably use SS at the end? lol]
[Something… something I can’t explain, but it feels like I’m falling behind.]
[If you only look at the numbers, it’s a slight disadvantage at parity, but Max’s force is definitely overwhelming.]
Kang Ho-yun was smoothly commenting while leading over a million viewers.
As Yooihyun was fully immersed in the driving, it seemed the rain audio alone had to manage it.
“It’s really intense…”
The race was so fiercely competitive that I couldn’t take my eyes off it, and the viewers didn’t pause chatting with their impressions.
Moreover, there were so many points to highlight for both KING and Max that Kang Ho-yun was sweating over which points to select for commentary.
He was analyzing and commenting on the rapidly changing situations and the fierce race…
“Was Max at this level? His form today is unbelievable…”
Even if there was a gap, considering factors like tires, it was clear that KING and Max were on equal footing.
However, like the viewers feeling a sense of unease, Kang Ho-yun also felt something from Max that transcended mere numbers.
It was completely different from the unease felt back then with the hacker.
While that unease came from abnormal performance metrics like speed or downforce, this time it was Max Verstappen.
Unlike performance that could be expressed numerically, this was an area of sensation that could not be articulated—Max Verstappen was starting to emerge.
Shukaah!!
Max Verstappen, after completing the 7th lap, began the 8th lap.
“Max has updated the fastest lap again on this 7th lap. We’re just entering lap 8, and it’s already the third time he’s set the shortest record.”
[Today, Max is not human. After missing the championship by 10 points last year, he has come back sharp this year.]
[Wow, this is incredibly entertaining. I made a good choice ordering chicken.]
[Did KING finally pass?]
[Haha, where did all the guys saying KING would win go? Did they think Max was a joke?]
[Honestly, isn’t it amazing that an ordinary person has come this far?]
[Even if he loses, he has taken out Manuel, Lando, and Charles from the round of 16 to the semifinals. Just that alone is phenomenal.]
[Right? Haha, no matter whether Max wins or loses, what’s important is he just eliminated a current F1 driver as if it’s nothing.]
[These KING fans are really losing the key points.]
[This race seems tough to win.]
Kang Ho-yun observed the driving of Max and Yooihyun closely while watching the increasingly negative chat.
He was trying to find what Yooihyun was missing compared to Max and what made Max superior to her.
But he couldn’t find anything.
KING was navigating the race with perfect and beautiful technique as KING would, while Max was dominating the race with a ruthless charge that pushed both himself and his opponent.
Both were continuing the race delivering optimal results in their respective ways.
Yet despite there being no one who couldn’t drive, the feeling that Max had the upper hand couldn’t be erased.
It couldn’t be articulated.
Kang Ho-yun just felt there was something he couldn’t see at his level.
“F1 is unpredictable until the end. It’s still early in the laps, so we’ll have to wait until the first pit stop.”
He spoke positively as KING’s partner, but the phrase “you never know until the end” laid the groundwork for a pessimistic scenario.
Thus, in the back of Kang Ho-yun’s mind, there was an unconscious belief that KING was likely to lose.
As Kang Ho-yun reflected on his words, he soon found himself startled.
“Yooihyun, KING might lose… Really?”
Having intimately observed her racing and driving and personally learned from her, Kang Ho-yun understood KING’s potential better than anyone.
Standing in front of her felt like facing an insurmountable wall.
From behind, there was a chilling fear of when he might be overtaken.
Every time that memory surfaced, he felt there would be no driver capable of defeating her.
In reality, even as she advanced to the finals by defeating Manuel, Lando, and Charles, that thought remained unchanged.
To be fair, the deeper he reflected upon Yooihyun’s history, there was no way he could think she would lose.
But now…
Name / Time / Laps
① Max Verstappen 0:51:999 11/71
② KING 0:55:138 +3.139 10/71
[Wow, what the hell? 51 seconds??? Is sub-1 minute possible?]
[OMG, I’m dead…]
[Haha, bring a person to show us!! A monster is driving!!!]
[Max is inhuman.]
[What the hell is a 51 second lap?]
[Me]
[Rock]
[Even with 0.999 seconds, a 51 second time is insane;;]
[Me]
[Switching to Max’s broadcast^^..beep beep…]
[Rock]
“51 seconds…”
Before the miraculous record of 51 seconds, even the faith that had been steadfast crumbled.