[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 72
Once the physical desire of hunger is satisfied, there are no longer any tasks to handle in reality.
My only friend, Ji-hyun, has been busy studying hard after changing her career, and even the landlord, who used to be my conversation partner, is not around.
[Starting connections to Formula One, For One, F1.]
It’s For One again.
Again, I wear the bright red fire-retardant suit, sit in the race car, dash around the circuit, and ascend the podium.
This seemingly endless series of processes continues, just like running numerous laps on the same circuit.
The only thing that communicates with me is the race car.
Once, when I was Jin Hyun-woo, someone asked if it wasn’t boring or lonely to pour all my time into F1.
Every time such a question arose, I answered sincerely, without a hint of falsehood.
“Not at all.”
On the surface, this monotonous and intensely lonely infinite loop appears to be the opposite when you look deeper.
While the only thing that speaks to me on the circuit is clearly the race car, controlling a race car, which is extremely sensitive and expresses immediate emotions without reservation, is akin to handling a wild horse that will never be tamed.
Thus, no matter how much time is spent together, it cannot help but be an intriguing presence.
The race car shows dramatic reactions even to the slightest changes.
Drivers must always maintain tension.
As if every gesture, expression, action, and tone of the upper-ups requires full attention.
They must respond meticulously to the degree of wear on the four different sets of tires that change in real time, as well as the responses of the brake and acceleration.
When running for nearly two hours, tuning in to such unpredictable changes in the race car, there is not a moment of boredom.
“Yeah. This eventually all becomes skill, skill.”
I’ve expressed my thoughts at my own comfort.
So, this might just be a rationalization of my all-day gaming habits.
SHUUUUUUUUU!!!!!
Once the race starts, the complicated problems that once entangled my mind disappear.
The only remaining sensations at speeds exceeding 300 km/h are the scenery rushing by and the throbbing sound of the engine; only the present, the race, exists.
“Soft tires.”
[Changing the tires to soft tires.]
With the sound of the drill spinning vigorously, the race car dons new shoes.
VRRRRROOOOOOMMMM!!
It was time to reclaim the first place I had briefly yielded for the pit stop.
I deliberately didn’t turn on the broadcast.
What does the race mean to me? What is F1? What are the fundamentals?
Thinking of such abstract concepts made me want to indulge in some contemplation after a long time.
By the way, I do enjoy contemplation.
I liked those ironic moments when thoughts entwine systematically and sentimentally.
It felt like all the thoughts and information swirling inside me were automatically sorted into branches of classification.
So, what was the topic to organize today?
The fundamental qualities required to race. And the basics of running.
It was precisely the fundamentals.
After finishing the pit stop, I faced the long straight section of the circuit.
Contemplation begins here.
At first, it’s the simplest question.
How does one race on a straight?
I press the accelerator.
How much do I press the accelerator?
To the extent the driver judges, I press it to the maximum.
How do I define the maximum?
I determine it by considering various variables such as weather, tires, the situation ahead, and the next section.
What is the answer to responding to variables?
Experience and judgment. Knowledge. Since the answers on the circuit change in real time, there is no definitive answer.
If there is no answer, how do I prove that I am going in the right direction?
First place. The only proof a driver can have on the circuit is being faster than others. First place only.
……As I keep asking myself, I end up back at the beginning.
“How do I achieve first place?”
The multitude of questions that continue in a loop ultimately leads to “What must I do to run fast?”
This evolutionary cyclical structure, when confronted with an approaching corner, instinctively throws the question again.
How do I navigate a corner?
I answered that endless question as I navigated the corner.
The other user’s race car, hesitating ahead, was in my way.
Of course, that user is likely doing their best from their position, but.
“That’s annoying…”
Slow is slow.
It must be said they are quite off from the answer.
I stuck closely to their rear at the corner exit.
The exit speed, preserved as my own answer to “How do I navigate a corner,” was higher than my opponent’s despite not using DRS at all.
SQUEEAAAK!
VRRRRROOOOOOOM!!!
As soon as I pressed the accelerator, the forcefully responsive acceleration sucked in the air from the car ahead, and I dashed through the outside.
This is slipstreaming.
It can be considered a slightly deepened concept from the basics.
“5 seconds…”
In the distance, I can see the race cars in first and second place.
With a stance that explores the fundamentals, I am utilizing only the accelerator, brake, and steering wheel without using DRS.
The more sections we pass, the closer they get.
The only difference between them and me is DRS, so the reason I’m getting closer must be due to their lack of fundamentals.
Inside the race car, traveling at 350 km/h, I feel no tremor of tension and slip back into the world of contemplation.
What was I up to…
“Oh, the corner…”
Name / Time
① KING 1:11:039 🏁
② Atlas 1:16:998 +5.959
③ Leginald 1:17:001 +5.962
“How many times have I played, 7th or 8th?”
I lost track of how many ranking matches this was.
Once I dipped my feet into the swamp of thought after a long time, I had no sense of how much time had passed.
Atlas (All): Fighting, the ultimate beautiful girl Yooihyun!
Leginald (All): KING, you seem to have improved after the tournament. I can’t keep up with you around the corners…
Noname (All): Just about to do the last round, and I meet KING. If I hadn’t, my family would have regretted it for three generations.
Supercar (All): KING, I’m Supercar streaming from North American Kiwich. If it’s okay with you, anytime as a guest…
When I regained consciousness, I was on the podium surrounded by the 19 drivers who raced with me in this round.
Sudden fatigue struck me, and I left with a brief greeting.
I had enjoyed enough of today’s contemplation, so I should let my thought processes cool down.
“Information window.”
[KING#16007 – F2 / Rank 799]
Name: Yooihyun.
Age: 13.10.21
Appearance: Public.
Race history.
General race counts: 0 – 1st: 0, 2nd: 0, 3rd: 0.
Ranking race counts: 129 – 1st: 121, 2nd: 8, 3rd: 0.
I had played two rounds this morning and seven successive rounds now.
That made a total of nine races.
All nine races added to my record with a 1st place finish.
“It’s good to be in a tournament, otherwise, anyone would think it’s a hack.”
Though I’ve never cared about my record while racing, each time I see this absurd record, I am amazed.
I thought my astonishing win rate would break once I entered F2, but quite the opposite happened.
Users have become very gentle.
In fact, the eight records where I finished in second place while climbing up were truly unavoidable.
Maybe it was because at that time, I was a suspicious master, a notorious and heroic figure in For One, holding both honorable and infamous titles.
There wasn’t a single match without trolls during the climb.
K Jammin (All): Hey? Is that KING? Looking at the record, it seems like it. Let’s go break KING’s record!
Scholar (All): Jammin, play with manners.
K Jammin (All): What’s that supposed to mean?
Sometimes there were one, two, three, or even more than ten trolls among users.
Some spun to target me, and others put their target on me just out of chance!
When they gave up their rankings and deliberately hit me, I had no means to deal with their frenzied driving.
Once, there was a match where all 19 people except me were trolls, and it was rather that 19 people targeted me from the beginning, as boring as it was.
Creating waves.
One eel can muddy the waters.
Jot High Schooler (All): Hey f*ck, it’s KING! Get that guy down! Brothers, help!
3D500 (All): Oh, that’s really KING, right? Look at that notorious record.
Under Armour (All): Let’s educate the notorious player!
When one person recognizes me and starts to create waves, the other 18 all get swept up as well.
Of course, such occurrences were extremely rare.
“Well, it’s commendable you managed to come in second in that.”
Looking back on those past records, the current one feels significantly more impressive.
Smiling bitterly, I shifted my focus to the ranking.
Overall rank 799.
There’s still a long way to go.
I need to climb 779 more stairs to reach F1.
If things keep rising, I expect it won’t be long.
“At least not today…”
[Logging out.]
I’ve raced enough for today.
*
*
*
At Ferrari’s headquarters located in Maranello, Italy.
The F1 team at the headquarters was working day and night to prepare for the upcoming season.
Everyone on the team, mechanics, engineers, and drivers, was united with the singular ambition toward first place.
Even if the sun set and the sky darkened, their lights would never extinguish.
THUMP-THUMP-!!!
Their goal was singular.
The improvement of engine technology, which had long sent Ferrari into decline.
Having finished the meeting with Yooihyun, Ferrari’s director Mattia Binotto was out in the field without a moment to adjust to the time difference.
He was observing an engine operating at high RPM along with engineers, all connected to various advanced equipment.
“How’s the engine output?”
“We’re running it with the same settings as the Monaco circuit for 30 minutes, and so far it’s stable.”
Though the engine was still functioning well, considering the fluctuating race time of around 1 hour and 30 to 50 minutes, it brought no reassurance.
The current engine also had its limits set because it failed to solve the efficiency issues that sharply decline from mid-race.
In one sense, that could be described as despair.
About ten minutes later.
WHOOOOOOOOSH- WHOOOOOOOOSH…
Ultimately, the engine broke down in the area where it had to accelerate at high RPM.
“What, why is this happening again?”
“The cooling system is fine… It seems to be an issue with the powertrain.”
“Sigh… What’s wrong now?”
Binotto helplessly gazed at the engine that was struggling and turned his gaze away.
Amidst the barrage of disheartening news, his secretary rushed in, panting.
“Gasp, gasp… Director, I have two good pieces of news.”
“What is it?”
The secretary caught their breath and continued.
“For the Ferrari test, only Yooihyun and KING are participating.”
“No other participants?”
“And I’ve also found out about Enrique Tilko, whom you asked me to look for. He’s running a small auto repair shop in Spain. What should we do?”
“What… Is there really someone like that? And, also an auto mechanic?”
Those two pieces of news were truly unbelievable in common sense.