My Formula 1 System-Chapter 604: S3 Chinese Grand Prix

Chapter 604: S3 Chinese Grand Prix
Q1 frankly belonged to Jimmy Damgaard before the session could find any true tempo. The Norwegian made his mark in China, literally leaving tire marks in every sector he carved through.
Rival engineers shook their heads, and rival drivers were unnerved.
By Q2, his momentum became more unreal. The qualifying commentators exclaimed with in-booth applause after Jimmy set three successive FL benchmarks for three successive flying laps.
Other rivals with capable machinery came close, but each time anyone did, Jimmy’s number flashed on the board. Luca chuckled at this spunk act. On the other hand, Luigi felt dejected.
Those were two utterly opposite reactions to Jimmy’s conquest in China.
However, Q3 was different from the man in the Red Bull.
The air grew thicker, the sun no longer crowned the top of the stands, and suddenly, the field around him became way less compliant.
The final qualifying round struck back hard, revealing teeth Jimmy had underestimated—or rather, thought he was better than. Surely, he didn’t expect to cruise from Q1 to Q3 and win pole so easily?
The rebellion took shape the moment Q3 went green. The rebelling drivers were Moireach, Di Renzo, and, of course, Luca. Once they had the qualifying spotlight, none of them intended to play supporting roles for the juggernaut.
Ailbeart Moireach was the most openly callous toward Jimmy, but it was Luca who emerged as Damgaard’s true threat. He had the most consistency that narrowed the timing room Jimmy once enjoyed.
As for Di Renzo, he was a mix of brilliance and chaos. Of all drivers, Di Renzo recorded the most acceleration out of medium-speed corners. Regularly, this placed him ahead of Luca on the sector times, only for a late-corner wobble or overcommitment to steal the advantage back.
1, 2, 3, 4 of them held the pace. 5 and 6 were Squadra Corse. They slacked slightly, but not out of the equation. Luigi seemed to be losing momentum in spirit, and that could be affecting his racing prowess.
Could it be he was disturbed by the news of DiMarco’s return?
If he was having problems Grand Prix after Grand Prix with this current grid, then what happens when his old rival, Captain Italy, returns to the circuit?
The session ended with an overhauled timing board from what it once was.
Luca climbed out of his car, tugging off his helmet with a satisfied exhale as his crew attended to him. Across the lane, Jimmy stripped his own helmet off and pulled down his sock to his mouth, his eyes like a viper, fixed on Ailbeart and Luca.
In a booth, Davide DiMarco watched it all while clapping delightedly. "Bravo, bravo, Jimmy," he murmured.
1. Luca Rennick ⬩ 1:28.655 (+0.000)
2. Ailbeart Moireach ⬩ (+0.445)
3. Jimmy Damgaard ⬩ (+0.889)
4. Buoso Di Renzo ⬩ (+1.061)
5. Antonio Luigi ⬩ (+1.164)
[You have received: 1.2 T]
[Congratulations, you have acquired Pole Position]
[NB: Three more to accomplish 20 Career Pole Positions]
~~~~~~~
Jimmy Damgaard became the laughingstock of the Chinese Grand Prix week. Everyone joked and made memes about his P3 qualifying.
To be fair, there was nothing laughable about a P3. It was respectable, especially given Shanghai Circuit’s volatility and the overall competitiveness of this era in F1.
However, the mockery thrived because the narrative framed him as "shunned." He had wanted pole badly. His ambitions were crushed by Luca and Moireach in Q3 after flaunting world-class pace in the sessions before. And people liked it when the mighty were humbled.
Jimmy had wanted to use recent racing opportunities to stack good performances so Velocita would have no choice but to keep him as main driver. So, to him, this was a bruise in his purpose, even if Velocita’s board didn’t see it as a setback at all.
DiMarco definitely did. It was another tick in the column proving Jimmy could be pushed aside.
Later in the paddock lounge, Luca overheard Victor laughing along with a mechanic’s joke at Jimmy’s expense.
"And what did you qualify, Vic?" Luca asked his teammate coolly.
Victor didn’t answer, of course. He had qualified P15. Another round, another bad start to it. Maybe with these poor results, it wasn’t wise for him to joke about a matadori star like Jimmy.
The race was here, the tension so high in the championship, reputations hung in the balance. For Luca, it was going to be another solo battlefield for him, fighting for the team points alone, since Victor truly needed time before attaining competence.
Squadra Corse, Jackson Racing, Haddock Racing, Velocita; Luca was indeed surrounded by sharks on all sides, a grid dense with predators. He doubted he could hold P1 for two laps.
And while his mind never strayed far from his bitterest rivals, of late, Luca had gotten wary of the Silver Stallions, Di Renzo and Derstappen.
They moved like a dyad of hunters seeking great glory from nothing. After they shared the podium with him in Sao Paulo, Luca knew that was proof they could accomplish more together.
[SYNCHRONIZING HOST....]
[SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]
[Host is now synced with Ferrari (Scuderia Z24)]
"WOOOOOOOOHHHHH!"
"...Hello and welcome, everyone, to the Chinese Grand Prix! The thirteenth race of this electrifying season, coming to you from the iconic 5.5-kilometer Shanghai International Circuit...!"
"...It was right here that Silvio Maldonado clinched his second Formula 1 world title! What a moment in history to remember...!"
"WOOOOOOOOHHHHH!"
"...a special acknowledgement as well to the President of the People’s Republic. The grandstands are full, the five yellow stars fluttering high here in Shanghai! What an electric atmosphere...!"
The Chinese Grand Prix. Luca remembered vividly the last time he was here in this same energetic circuit.
But it was a stained memory. Luca never finished that race. It was his first DNF in Formula 1, all because of a malicious, targeted crash from DiMarco, taking them both out, and ending his run at the zenith of the race.
Luca was young then. The race was his second in F1 after the Monaco Grand Prix he won, and DiMarco had decided to welcome him in his own special way.
Not like his presence would’ve changed anything, but since DiMarco was absent, that meant Luca was actually finishing this Chinese Grand Prix. No crash attempts, no vendetta-driven divebombs.
For the better half of this season, it had just been racing, and that was good. There was no need for fights on the track while moving at top speeds.
"...P3, Jimmy Damgaard..."
"WOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!"
"...P2, Ailbeart Moireach..."
"WOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!"
As Luca prepared for grid lineup and lights out in a couple of minutes, his system flashed in front of him, revealing an unexpected notification.
[Ding!]
[Daily Quest has been Issued!]