[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 77

The sunlight filtered in through the curtains, casting a refreshing veil that woke me up.

“Get up. It’s time to wake up…”

Monday morning, 7 AM.

Despite being jobless with barely a concept of days, the start of the week always feels miserable for some reason.

When you think about it, there’s not much time left until I become a driver, so I can’t really call myself jobless.

Moreover, with only two months left until the season starts and the Grand Prix begins, I had to build a solid body to withstand the harsh races.

“I should eat and head to the gym.”

I couldn’t afford to waste even a day.

Starting with exercise, then moving on to ranking matches and events.

I also needed to analyze the characteristics of all the F1 teams’ race cars, including Ferrari, and the tendencies of the drivers.

I could easily get well-organized data if I asked Myung-jin or Minoto, but there’s a significant difference between looking at summarized documents prepared by others and verifying things myself with my own eyes.

This is a procedure that I cannot skip, stemming from my belief that “seeing is believing.” No matter how much time it takes, I must go through it.

“It would be better if I could race with them…”

Of course, the benefits would be greater if I could actually race on the circuit together rather than just observe.

Before the season starts, there’s only one way to drive with them.

That’s through For One.

Current F1 drivers also connect to For One for training and maintenance of their skills, practicing in private rooms or participating in ranking matches.

Once I reach the top tier of F2 or enter the highest rank of F1, I will naturally meet them in ranking matches.

“I think it will take about a month…”

However, as someone ranked 799th in F2 right now, I can’t match them.

To meet them regularly, I need to be at least in the top 50, and considering my current workload, it seems like a long climb ahead.

For now, I should be satisfied that I’ve raced with Manuel, Lando, Charles, and Max.

After all, they are faces I will see repeatedly once I achieve F1, and when the season starts, I will race in 22 Grand Prix together, so there’s no need to rush.

Opponent analysis is primarily a secondary goal; understanding and improving myself is the primary objective.

“I should just focus on my own tasks.”

Whatever situation I face on the circuit, or whatever driver I compete with for ranking,

I need to develop my skills to rise to 1st place on the podium, aiming for the championship.

“Ugh… this tastes terrible.”

So, I have to eat this terribly tasteless chicken breast three times a day.

Just in case, I took a stroll around the villa complex.

It turned out to be a luxurious officetel disguised as a studio room, and the gym was conveniently located just a three-minute walk from my home.

No additional procedures were needed; as long as I was registered as a resident, I could use it for free anytime, with plenty of space and almost all the equipment I needed, so there was no need to look elsewhere.

“Please use your iris recognition to enter. When you exit, you can simply leave.”

I went through the simple procedure of iris recognition and was able to enter the gym.

As expected, Monday mornings really felt like Monday mornings.

Excluding a couple of people running on the treadmills, it was absolutely empty.

“This is better. It’s more comfortable to work out.”

Rather than a situation where I have to wait for equipment because there are too many people, this is much more efficient.

Moreover, if I went to a place with even a few people, I would inevitably be aware that I was Yooihyun, KING.

On the day my identity is discovered, I might have to move not just the gym but my entire home.

That’s why I pulled my cap low and wore a mask to cover my face perfectly.

I quickly glanced around the gym and moved to start my workout.

Since my home was right in front, I left in workout clothes and had no need to change or leave any belongings in a locker.

Rather than saying I had nothing, it would be more accurate to say that I made sure I had nothing.

Since my physical structure is female, using the women’s locker room wouldn’t be an issue, but my mind was Hyun-woo.

Thinking “Using the locker room would be convenient,” a purely logical and universal thought, still made me feel guilty somehow.

To be honest… it would be a lie to say that there are no unavoidable desires that arise from being male.

I shook my head vigorously to clear my mind and was about to start my workout when…

“Hello. I guess you’re new here?”

A rather sleazy-looking guy approached me.

With a well-built body, it was highly probable that he was a trainer at this resident gym.

There was no need to be dismissive, but after having been hit on by countless men while living as Yooihyun, a defensive posture instinctively came out.

“Ah, yes.”

“I see. I’m the trainer here, Han Dongmin.”

Despite my reaction being somewhat cold, he kept smiling brightly and continued talking, proving he really was a trainer.

“It looks like this is your first time at a gym, do you have any thoughts on personal training?”

“Personal training?”

A recommendation for personal training.

Even I can tell that I really should undergo PT with this body.

But after countless experiences as an F1 driver, I know which body parts to work on with which exercises.

I don’t need to pay for PT.

“No, I’ll do it by myself.”

I said it flatly and started my workout, but he persistently followed me around.

It’s known that he’s good-looking…

*

*

*

Exercise.

Whenever I am asked about what is most important for an F1 driver,

I have never failed to mention, “Exercise. Consistent self-management is the most important.”

So, as I sweat profusely doing strength training with Yooihyun’s frail body, or pushing to do pull-ups on a body that feels like a dry rag twisted until it has no more strength left,

I knew the importance of exercise for a driver, so I managed to push through.

People who know little might say, “An F1 driver just needs to drive well; what’s with the exercise?”

If they aren’t genuinely ignorant, that is the dumbest question there could be.

Driving an F1 race car itself is exercise, or rather, torture.

Do you not understand?

Think back to how you felt when you rode a Viking ship or roller coaster at an amusement park.

In the moment of vertical descent, your neck is thrown back, and the force of gravity pressing down on you takes your breath away.

Have you recalled the overwhelming pressure that is exhausting to resist?

If you’ve succeeded in that recollection, you’re halfway there.

Now, imagine yourself in a race car that travels at speeds of 350 km/h within seconds.

Imagine yourself decelerating from 350 km/h to 80 km/h in just three seconds while enduring 3-4 times the force of gravity with each deceleration.

Did you envision yourself doing this over a thousand times for an hour and thirty minutes?

“Huff… huff! Last set…!”

Most people usually understand after hearing this much, thinking, “I was short-sighted.”

However, whether they fail to comprehend it or refuse to, some keep asking again.

For those persistent questioners, I memorized the specs of the T-Express, which is the most famous ride in Everland.

The T-Express has a maximum gravitational acceleration of 4.5 G, a maximum speed of 104 km/h, 12 drops, a drop angle of 77 degrees, a perceived speed for riders between 200 km/h and 250 km/h, with a ride time of 3 minutes and 12 seconds.

In contrast, a race car has a maximum gravitational acceleration of 7 G, a maximum speed of over 350 km/h, at least 12 corners, and a perceived speed that is meaningless to quantify because it’s so fast.

So, think of it as riding the T-Express, which is three times faster, continuously for 30 times.

After pouring all this out, they usually stop asking additional questions out of sheer exhaustion.

Of course, the reality doesn’t stop there.

There is a significant difference between riding a roller coaster and driving a race car.

Control.

A roller coaster is merely ridden but not controlled by the passengers.

A race car must be controlled with precision by the driver from start to finish, which multiplies the difficulty.

Throughout the race, I endure 35 KG of pressure with my neck muscles.

During cornering, I have to turn the rigid steering wheel, which becomes extremely heavy due to downforce and centrifugal force, using only my arm strength.

The brakes need to be pressed with 80 KG of force, which isn’t just slamming down but must be controlled, requiring me to press it 1500 times…

It’s absolutely exhausting.

I might manage a few laps somehow, but the endurance required for dozens of laps, roughly 300 km in total, makes exercise indispensable.

Moreover, I prioritize exercise way more than my fellow drivers, undertaking high-intensity workouts.

Just as tires lose performance with wear, driver concentration tends to diminish in the latter part of the race.

Concentration stems from not getting tired, so I rigorously train to maintain optimal condition from the race start to the checker flag.

To follow in the footsteps of Hyunwoo, being in a female body now means I’ll need to put in even more effort.

“Huff…”

After finishing the last set, I collapsed onto the floor, utterly drained, unable to speak.

Seeing that I had barely done half the usual workout量 and had reached my limit, I foresaw a rough path ahead.

“I… I want to go home…”

My arms and legs shook as though trembling from a aspen tree.

It took me ten minutes to return home, which was only a three-minute walk—a secret just for us.

*

*

*

The innocent Spanish youth, Enrique Tinko, was dumbfounded.

Why was Mattia Binotto, the director of Ferrari, in his shabby repair shop?

What’s more, why was he asking him, a low-level engineer and mechanic at Ferrari, to take on such an important role?

“Are you joking? Is this some hidden camera kind of thing? Are you picking an engineer from a backwoods repair shop?”

What were the odds of an F1 Ferrari director personally coming to recruit a mechanic with no experience from a local repair shop?

Enrique couldn’t comprehend this nonsensical situation at all.

However, seeing Binotto’s secretary reciting his personal details made it clear this was no joke.

“You graduated top of your class from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in automotive engineering, right? And you inherited this repair shop from your father.”

“How did you…”

The serious look in Mattia Binotto’s eyes was sincere enough to earn him an Oscar for Best Actor if it were acting.

Binotto slowly handed Enrique a contract he had received from his secretary and spoke.

“I see potential in you, Enrique Tinko, and I’m offering this opportunity. If you want, we can depart for Italy as soon as tomorrow.”

Upon receiving the contract, Enrique finally realized this wasn’t a dream.

“But…”

“But…?”

“It seems Ferrari has either gone too far or come to a point where they can place someone with no experience in such an important position?”

His words hit hard!

Mattia dealt with his bubbling frustration and asked again.

“So, are you not going?”

“Ah… Ferrari is a bit…”

The young rookie had deeply trampled Mattia’s pride.

“Then don’t go.”

“Wait! Just a moment!”

In just a second, the glorious atmosphere turned into a comedic scene.