My Formula 1 System-Chapter 287: S2 Monaco Grand Prix. 7

P7— Luca Rennick ↑

P8— Luis Dreyer ↓

[Turn type: Tight Right-hander] [Angle: 90°] [Braking Point: 100 meters before turn-in] [Recommended Entry Speed: 180 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Inside curb]

Luca quickly ceased his celebrations of P7 and returned his focus back to the track as Street Turn 1 loomed ahead.

The moment he committed to the system's recommendations and his car swung into the right-hander, his eyes locked onto an orange figure up ahead.

A Haddock Racing Renault, either piloted by Ailbeart Moireach or Mark Derfflinger.

Luca glanced at the dashboard's leaderboard display for confirmation. Once verified, he acknowledged Derfflinger as the driver ahead.

Derfflinger had started the race at P4, right behind his teammate Ailbeart Moireach.

But it was clear his qualifying position had been a bit of an overreach, as the big guns were gradually pushing him further away from maximum points.

Luca supposed it was his turn to push him even further.

[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 6th Position]

[You are 1.2 seconds away, host.]

The German, Derfflinger, had just come out of the pits and was carrying only a fraction of the momentum Luca currently possessed.

Cutting the delta wasn't a difficult task, and Luca found himself grinning as they delved deeper into the streets.

**Derfflinger is on cold tires, so he'll struggle for grip these next few turns**

That was music to Luca's ears!

He stayed tight to the racing lines, keeping a steady throttle to ensure he didn't overshoot the turns in his enthusiasm to overtake.

Derfflinger, on the other hand, was wrestling his car to find the ideal traction needed for professional F1 racing. His fresh soft rubber still lacked the bite necessary to accelerate and round turns with confidence.

At some point, Derfflinger nearly faltered, prompting a roar from the crowd as they witnessed him almost crash.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

It was as if the pressure from the Ferrari behind had sent an invisible force to cloud his judgment.

Mark Derfflinger had to be careful. Where there were no cages, the walls of Circuit de l'Étoile were painted with black streaks from countless brushes with disaster.

He might be another name on that list tonight as Luca closed the gap assertively.

The first straight was approaching, and Luca hoped to be in P6 before it, or while on it—but not after.

**You're gaining, Luca. He might have some heat now**

Mr. Berry was right. Derfflinger had begun warming up his tires.

Luca never wanted him to make it this far, but the track's narrowness gave him crash concerns.

Derfflinger started to weave, something he hadn't been doing before. Now, he was making a real effort to cover Luca's line and recover from his feints.

[Straightaway ahead!]

[Turn type: Hairpin] [Angle: 170°] [Braking Point: 200 meters before turn-in] [Recommended Entry Speed: 90 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Outside Late]

Luca took a big risk and edged close to the curbs, since there were no cages or walls at the hairpin.

This positioned him in a slanted stance, a daring defining position that didn't escape Derfflinger's notice, or anyone else's.

"...LUCA RENNICK GOES WIDE AND DIVES IN WITH THAT FERRARI!"

"WOOOOHH!"

The right tires wore pretty bad after that move, but at least now, Luca was occupying the same space of track as Derfflinger.

Surprisingly, Luca received an unexpected notification.

[Gripper +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 62.5%]

It turned out that after nearly thirty minutes of racing, the borderline driving he had just executed had boosted Gripper's EXP.

Now, he had gone from (6) to (7).

"Wait… Car Skills also fill up the Sync Bar?"

[Affirmative, host]

[Sync Buff is a feature that affects the synchronization between host and car]

[Both host and car can contribute to Sync Bar progression more frequently than ever before]

Luca recalled the night at the gym when he had used the Wrench to level up Gripper from (5) to (6).

"Ah, dammit! Had I known!"

Using the Wrench mid-race would have been a clever advantage.

If he had known that leveling up car skills contributed to the Sync Bar, he would have spent the Wrench during this race. The Sync Bar would be at 75% now, much closer to 100%.

It wasn't worth dwelling on, so Luca let it slide—just as he slid ahead of Derfflinger before the straight's stretch.

Derfflinger gritted his teeth and fought to hold his position, but he was compromised as Luca powered forward.

**P6 Secured. Good job!**

"Fuckkkkkk!" Derfflinger's voice exploded over the team radio.

Battling with unstable traction and a rival was always going to be a frustration fuel for any driver. Luca couldn't blame him.

"...MARK DERFFLINGER OF HADDOCK RACING COULDN'T DEFEND P6 ANYMORE AS LUCA RENNICK TAKES IT...!"

"...ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE TOP FIVE FOR THE YOUNG ITALIAN...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

[6th Position]

P5— Marcellus Rodnick

P6— Luca Rennick ↑

P7— Mark Derfflinger ↓

After taking a good look at the leaderboard, Luca just realized he was right below Rodnick.

So, he took his gaze up in search of the green holographic number 5.

There it was. How far away? Not too far, surely.

[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 5th Position]

[You are 2 seconds away, host.]

Two seconds might be quite the great gap for a circuit like Stellar, but that didn't change the fact that Luca was behind Rodnick in the pack.

So, that meant Rodnick was his next target now.

Hmmm....

**Luca, pace is good. Rodnick ahead, less than two seconds**

"I know I see him."

**Copy. Stay alert**

Luca was still thinking about this when the foundations of Monaco's buildings shook to the roar of the crowd.

A wave of cheers that rippled the air itself followed, and the distant echo of the commentary kept resonating nonstop!

Luca's heart skipped a beat. His eyes darted to his dashboard to know what was happening.

Surely, someone must have hit the barricades, the cages or walls, or there was some spectacular overtake.

P1— Marko Ignatova ↑

P2— Antonio Luigi ↓

"Impossible," Luca whispered. He had always thought Luigi to be untouchable by his own teammate, and only top rivals actually gave him a tough time.

But it seemed Marko really did some outstanding driving, because Luca could see the increasing time delta between them.

Did Luigi hit somewhere and slow down?

"...THIS IS MERCEDES VERSUS MERCEDES! THE DOMINANT TEAM AT WAR WITH ITSELF...!"

"...WHAT A MOVE! WHAT A MOVE FROM MARKO IGNATOVA...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

Luca's fingers tightened around the wheel as his mind gradually raced away from the Marko situation.

Two teammates, he thought. Two top drivers. A great team. A great car manufacturer.

Was this what was waiting for him and Rodnick?

Maybe he and his new teammate could put on an even greater duel than Marko and Luigi's.

Rodnick received the red flash arrow on his dashboard.

He looked down at the cam to see a familiar Ferrari trailing steadily.