Formula 1: The GOAT-Chapter 46: Race Weekend | Saturday | A New Contender

"With seven minutes left in the Group C qualifying round, there are only nineteen drivers remaining on the track, all attempting to set faster qualifying times in these final laps," Süleyman’s voice echoed through the speakers at the İzmit circuit. "The group and overall championship leader, Fatih Yıldırım, returned to the pit lane several minutes ago and remains there, having already set the fastest lap time of qualifying overall. A strategic move to save his tires for the latter sessions."

"It is an exceptionally smart move from the championship leader," Zakir took over, his tone analytical as the screen showed Fatih sitting patiently in his kart in the pitlane, fully kitted out and ready to go at a moment’s notice, his hands resting on the steering wheel. "Per the TOSFED regulations for this championship, drivers are only allowed 1.5 sets of slick tires and 1 set of wet tires for an entire race weekend. Saving as much of that tire life as possible for the Final race is a crucial strategy. He’s already set the fastest lap, ahead of both Selçuk and Jackson who set their times in the earlier groups, so he’s benefiting from the track evolution caused by their running. That’s the inherent fairness and challenge of the random group distribution each race weekend."

"I know it might sound like a normal talking point for us, Zakir, but what does ’1.5 sets of slicks’ even mean for someone attending for the first time?" Süleyman asked, voicing a question many new spectators might have.

"Oh, true. An excellent question," Zakir acknowledged. "It means that for the entire weekend, each driver has only six slick tires to use: three front tires and three rear tires. This rule is in place to limit costs for privateer teams and to prevent well-funded academies from simply bolting on new tires for every single session. It also teaches these young drivers the critical importance of tire management from an early age, leveling the field by giving everyone the same allocation. So, any driver who can save their tires now will have a significant advantage in the Final race."

As Zakir explained, the camera shifted back to the track. Drivers were completing their laps, and while none were coming close to Fatih’s time, the times were steadily improving as more rubber was laid down on the circuit.

"And with two minutes and thirty seconds left on the clock, we have a driver on the charge of his life!" Süleyman’s voice suddenly boomed with excitement. "As he comes out of the final corner, a right-hand hairpin, he’s sliding for a moment, trying to get on the power as early as possible! He enters the final and longest straight of the circuit, barreling towards the start-finish line! Is it enough?! YEEEEESSSSSSS! HUZEYFA TAŞKIN GOES TO PROVISIONAL POLE POSITION! He drops Fatih down to P2 and is the first person to break the monopoly of the top three in any session across the previous championship rounds! There are only two minutes remaining on the clock, still enough time for one more lap! Will Fatih go out and respond, or will he remain content with P2 and fight for pole position during the qualifying heats? And it looks like we have an answer! Fatih is seen heading to the pit exit, raising his hand to indicate that he is rejoining the track!"

Fatih re-entered the circuit just before Turn 11, looking left to ensure a safe gap behind him. He immediately started weaving left and right, aggressively trying to put as much heat as possible back into his cooling tires. He took the T12 left-hand hairpin and went wide, setting himself up for the final corner, the T13 right-hand hairpin, before getting on the power and starting his charge towards the start-finish line. With a minute and a half still on the clock, he began what would most likely be his final, decisive lap. "If he doesn’t make a mistake here, this will be it! Please, Zakir, take us through it!" Süleyman said, handing over the commentary.

"This is another high-speed track in this championship," Zakir began, his voice focused and intense. "If you drive it well, you will touch the brakes very few times. As Fatih takes the T1 left-hander, he doesn’t have to brake at all, just a slight lift as he hits the middle apex and goes wide on the exit. For the T2 left-hander, you can take it flat-out, and if you thread the needle perfectly, you can connect it with the T3 slight right-hander as if it doesn’t even exist! And he manages to do it! He barrels towards the second widest turn of the track, the T4 wide left-hander, hugging the right-hand side of the track while remaining on power all the way through the corner! He brakes heavily before taking the T5 right-hand hairpin, gets on the power at the apex, and remains that way through the T6 slight left-hander, connecting it to the widest turn on the track, the T7 wide right-hander! He hugs the left side of the track while remaining on full power throughout the turn and the straight that follows!"

Zakir paused for a quick breath before continuing, his voice filled with admiration as he described Fatih’s flawless execution. "Now that the most technical part of the track is over, the more manageable part is coming next. All you have to do is brake in the right spots. You can flow through the T8 slight right-hander and the T9 slight left-hander before meeting the next heavy braking zone. You need to bleed all of the speed you’ve gathered before you take the T10 left-hander and the following T11 left-hand hairpin. Then, you connect it to the final T12 hairpin before entering the main straight, putting your foot on the accelerator and keeping it there until the end of the lap!" The moment he finished, Süleyman took over, his voice a roar.

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"AND HE SHOWS WHY HE IS LEADING THE CHAMPIONSHIP! HE BREAKS THE LAP RECORD FOR HIS CATEGORY BY A WHOLE SECOND AND EXTENDS HIS POLE LAP TO THE SECOND-PLACE DRIVER BY MORE THAN 1.2 SECONDS! THAT IS THE MARK OF GREATNESS! HE SHOWS WHY HE DIDN’T HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE HIS LAP, WHEN HE CAN JUST COME OUT AT THE END OF THE SESSION, WHEN THE TRACK EVOLUTION IS THE HIGHEST IT WILL EVER BE, AND LOCK IN HIS POLE POSITION!" Süleyman shouted as the screen showed Fatih driving his cool-down lap, a mandatory requirement since the pitlane entry was at the end of the circuit.

"We need to congratulate Huzeyfa as well," Zakir said, his tone shifting to one of professional respect. "He managed to force Fatih back onto the track by becoming a new threat. He has been pretty consistent, and while the top three have kept the majority of the attention, he has quietly risen and maintained his fourth position in the championship standings. If the top three keep fighting and end up taking each other out of a race, he will be there to pick up the scraps. He might even rise into the top three if this intense fight at the front continues." Zakir’s praise was validated as the camera showed Huzeyfa pumping his fist as if he had gotten pole himself, having realized he was now P2 on the combined qualifying list.

"I look forward to tomorrow," Süleyman concluded. "A new contender appearing means more entertainment for us neutral watchers. It’s going to be a full-on push through the qualifying heats and the Final race."

"And with rain also being a possibility before or during the race tomorrow, it makes it even more interesting," Zakir added. "But for today, we are done with all the sessions. We’ll see you tomorrow."

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