My Formula 1 System-Chapter 568: Sudden Improvement

Chapter 568: Sudden Improvement
Two days later.
It had been over two days since Luca finally got what he had longed for, but the memory dawdled so vividly it might as well have been last night.
Martin’s powdery scent stuck to him in thought, so strong he sometimes swore he could still breathe it in while asleep.
But Luca knew his excitement was dangerous.
Too much, too soon, and he could startle Laura and the child away.
So, Luca restrained himself, deciding to wait at least a week before reaching out again.
In the meantime, he forced his focus back onto what was most daunting—this F1 campaign.
There were twenty-one races on the calendar, and with only eight completed, the ninth looming ahead, Luca was reminded just how much ground was left to cover in the season.
The championship was far from decided, and if his suspicions were right, this could be a multi-team race to the finale.
Trampos Racing, Squadra Corse, Haddock Racing, Bueseno Velocità, Outback Performance.
Each of these five teams had a real shot at the title. None of them could afford mistakes.
If one fell, it would fuel the success of another. Hence, this balance was dangerous.
PROVISIONAL CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (ALL 10)
Position | Team | Points
--------------------------------------
1. | Squadra Corse | 177 ↑
2. | Trampos Racing | 156 ↓
3. | Haddock Racing | 145
4. | Bueseno Velocità | 124
5. | Outback Performance | 100
6. | Jackson Racing | 58
7. | Nordvind Racing | 19
8. | Iberia Grand Prix | 15
9. | Velox Hispania | 2
10. | Alpine Swiss F1 | 2
At Trampos, the internal board had already begun briefing on solutions to the lack of points from their Driver B.
The most obvious solution was simply to sign a stronger driver for the next season, since their reserves showed no promise of being any better.
A second option would be to put their current Driver B through a platinum training program to sharpen his craft.
But such projects could take up to a year, and so, reverting to signing a better driver remained the safer bet.
Victor was doing his best, and the team recognized his efforts.
But it was clear he wasn’t yet ready for the intensity of a championship fight.
Truthfully, the team itself wasn’t prepared either—fate had thrust the spotlight on them through Luca’s brilliance.
They knew adjustments had to be made, because sometimes readiness isn’t a luxury you wait for; it’s usually forged when the moment arrives and leaves you no choice but to rise.
Trampos Racing wanted to make the absolute best use of Luca Rennick’s prime years, and pairing him with a low-ranked driver like Victor wasn’t going to do anyone—including Luca—any good.
Ineptness at the other seat could easily bleed into Luca’s momentum, dragging down his performances and even shortening his prime window.
The team could collapse just as quickly as it had risen.
What Trampos needed was stability, and relying solely on Luca’s solo points weekend after weekend wasn’t a viable path for any outfit chasing a championship.
The downside was that no immediate change could be made, as any signing would have to wait until the end of the season.
So, for now, it was Victor or nothing. This German team had no one else to lean on alongside Luca.
If they managed to pull off a championship with this duo, then perfect.
If not, they would do what was necessary and bounce back the next campaign with a determined Luca paired with a reliable backup.
The Saudi Arabia Grand Prix was next on the calendar, and Trampos Racing believed they would reclaim the top of the standings from Squadra Corse, resetting the balance of the championship in their favor!
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Date: Jun. 3
Time: 7 PM
Track: Riyadh Zenith Circuit
Track Length: 6 km
Total Laps: 50
Track Type: Street circuit
Lap Record: Antonio Luigi 1:42.446
~~~~~
After team drills, Luca felt Mr. Grant deserved to hear about his recent success in reconnecting with Ansel’s child.
He and Mr. Grant had spoken a few times about it before—team principal to driver—reflecting on the driver they’d lost, and the old man had shared in Luca’s sorrow when Laura made it clear she wanted no personal interference.
Now, though, it was different.
It was good news, and for the first time in a long while, the gaffer’s face broke into a wide, unrestrained smile.
Mr. Grant even suggested that Luca bring the child to headquarters, to officially welcome him as the youngest Trampos fan, giving him a chance to see firsthand the team his father once proudly raced for.
Luca loved that idea very, very much, and he promised Mr. Grant he’d let Laura know and see if she would agree.
It was a Thursday, and before leaving HQ, he sat down in his usual spot in the uniform room, right after finishing an important discussion with Victor.
Recollection, silence, and a calm mind were very needed in that moment.
Seconds later, he summoned his system to check if he had accomplished a goal he had been tracking.
[All Modes:
—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24)
[POWER & PERFORMANCE:
—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 300% »»»
[AERODYNAMICS & CHASSIS:
—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 275% »»»
[HANDLING & DYNAMICS:
—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 100% »»»
[ENDURANCE & RELIABILITY:
—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 90% «««
[TECHNOLOGICAL INTEGRATION:
—Ferrari (Scuderia Z24): 92%««« ]
’There it is,’ Luca thought with a deep sigh of accomplishment. ’I just took my engine from A to S.’
Luca checked the status category to see if there’d been changes regarding this.
[Engine Features: (S) Rating
-Heat-Electricity Recycling: MAX
-Navigable ERS Deployment: MAX
-Zero Drag: MAX]
As Luca stared at the system’s interface, he wondered what could possibly stop him from winning the F1 Driver’s World Championship.
With these plus his skills and attributes, Luca knew it was possible to finish P1 from now to November.
If he could turn himself into a robot that executed flawlessly regardless of circumstances, Luca didn’t see how this wasn’t possible.
But every driver faced mentality challenges regularly, affecting their driving even if subtly.
If Luca wasn’t careful, what could be granting him happiness in his personal life, could cause him grief in his career.
[You have received:
—(4) Catalysts
—(2) Wrenches]
Checking Inventory...
[Current Inventory:
—Catalysts: 10
—Wrenches: 4
—Tokens: 3.0]
These tools wouldn’t do any good just wasting away in his inventory, and Luca knew he had to apply them soon enough in-race for Sync Buff.
As for the tokens, he grew curious, realizing he had totally neglected them for a while.
He remembered what Tokens were designed for, so Luca decided he’d test it out for the first time.
Create or Edit?
Editing something in the system seemed much safer for now, since he didn’t want to end up disliking a creation later on.
To create, he’d have to think carefully to avoid mistakes, and Luca bet creations would be far more costly than edits—so, for now, he chose to edit.
[Administrative Access Granted]
[Welcome, Luca. You have entered the System’s Administrative Layer.]
Luca scrolled through mentally, his eyes studying every function and the mechanics of the system laid out like a sophisticated blueprint.
There were millions of items, all categorized and sub-categorized into neat, easy-to-spot groups, and Luca had full control to alter their workings.
But it seemed there were limits to what he could touch, because some sections were greyed out.
Luca believed it was fair, because if everything were changeable, the system could lose its essence entirely.
"I’m Editing this," Luca said, selecting a category.
Reading the metrics and functions, he decided it was worth it.
[Category Selected: Tokens]
[Description: Tokens are the core currency of the System, primarily used for Creating or Editing features within the Administrative Layer. Tokens are currently earned by achieving the Fastest Lap in a racing event, granting 0.2 Tokens per fastest lap.]
[Editable Parameters:
—Condition of Attainment
—Token Value Attained
—Usage of Tokens ]
For the first editable parameter, Luca could change the condition of getting Tokens from fastest lap, to Race Win, Podium Finish, Race Participation, etc.
Anything, as long as it was selectable!
If he did change it to Race Win, then each race he won would give him 0.2 Tokens!
If he did change it to Race Participation, then each race he merely participated in would grant him 0.2 Tokens!
’Awesome,’ Luca thought.
He was searching for a way to get more Tokens over time.
Not considering "Usage of Tokens," Luca only focused on the first two.
"Token Value Attained" defined how many Tokens would be granted each time the conditions were met.
Currently, Luca earned 0.2 Tokens anytime he attained the fastest lap.
Here, he could adjust that value higher or lower.
Could he take it to 0.8? 1.0? 1.4? 2.0?
His current stash of 3.0 Tokens would speak for him how much he could Edit here.
*Inhale exhale.
Selecting "Token Value Attained," Luca was met with a new prompt.
[Editable Parameter Selected: Token Value Attained]
[Current Value: 0.2 Tokens per qualifying condition]
[(–) 0.2 (+)]
Luca mentally tapped on the (+) button.
[(–) 0.4 (+)]
He tapped again.
[(–) 0.6 (+)]
After three more anxious taps...
[(–) 1.2 (+)]
Selecting "Confirm," another set of prompts followed.
[Are you sure you want to proceed with this Administrative Edit?]
[Administrative Cost: 2.8 Tokens]