My Formula 1 System-Chapter 488: Austrian Conclusion

Unbelievable. That was the only word that could truly capture what had just unfolded in Spielberg. After a race packed with crashes, controversy, and tactical chaos, it was Ailbeart Moireach who crossed the line first!

It was still insane to process that Ailbeart stole the victory from Antonio Luigi in a pulse-pounding, last-corner move that would be replayed and studied around the world for days to come. The Scottish driver had waited with the patience of a sniper for the perfect moment, and when it came, he assaulted the Italian without hesitation or mercy. Thus, he claimed not only his first win of the season, but claimed it by toppling the reigning force in front of a roaring crowd of over 100,000!

And as for Antonio Luigi... once again, P2. Less than a second behind. Two races for him, and in both, he’s come away with silver. Even though he wasn’t nearly as close to Luca in Bahrain as he was to Ailbeart here in Austria, P2 was still P2, and it offered him the same frustrating spot on the podium.

Both Luca and Moireach had stood center-stage on their respective weekends, holding up the Grand Prix trophies with triumphant waves. Meanwhile, Luigi had stood just to the side, on that P2 step, wondering if fate had begun to toy with him this early in the season.

Currently, in the Driver’s Standings, Luca held the lead with 41 points, followed closely by Ailbeart who had just raised his own tally to 40. Luigi, on the other hand, stood at 37 points. It should have been 36, but his phenomenal flyers during his recovery from the midfield had earned him the fastest lap of the race, granting an extra point.

The racing community quickly picked up on his sour mood, and the press wasted no time in arranging a post-race interview, eager to extract the thoughts of a man who had just watched all 25 points snatched from his grasp.

"Antonio... two races in a row, both times P2, both times inches from victory. Just how are you feeling right now?"

The reporter could tell immediately that Luigi wasn’t interested, and his responses would be cold, clipped, and possibly laced with irritation, but she pressed on.

"...It’s not how I wanted it to go."

"There was a lot of buzz about the strategy call during the Safety Car phase. Do you think the team pitted too early?"

With a pause, Luigi weighed his words before he spoke.

"Track was clear. We were told four laps. Our esteemed stewards changed that. That’s not on me."

"Do you think the early call cost you the win today?"

A foul expression crawled all over his face.

"...What do you think?"

"Ailbeart’s move in the final corner—did you see it coming?"

Before Luigi could respond to that one, a sudden burst of commotion erupted meters behind the canopy where he stood. The ruckus clearly came from the pitlane, and Luigi could easily recognize the raised voices of engineers and crew members.

A stack of spare tires had been knocked over and the loud clatter immediately drew everyone’s attention. Luigi wasn’t the only one; glances turned and necks craned. People beyond the press area were now alert and murmuring.

Without a word, Luigi jogged to the disturbance that had caught the attention of the entire circuit, the commentary were going crazy about it!

Glancing back, Luigi saw crew members from different teams marked by their varying colours, gathering in a flurry at the pitlane.

It turned out to be a short hassle though because by the time Luigi arrived, most people had already begun to subtly disperse themselves and broke off from the scene.

As expected—it was a fight.

The last fight that occurred on the pitlane was between two drivers; Luca Rennick and Jimmy Damgaard, and that was back in the Hungarian Grand Prix last year.

This time, it was two completely different drivers, and their fight wasn’t nearly as tense as Luca and Damgaard’s. It was merely an exchange of angry words that quickly evolved into a heated argument, with both of their team crews stepping in to back them up.

"...Ohhh we’ve got scenes now in the pitlane! There’s movement—there’s shouting—there’s colour, there’s passion...!"

P7 — Buoso Di Renzo

Di Renzo was not satisfied with his P7 finish. And that was understandable because every driver aimed for P1 no matter what odds were stacked against them.

Six points from him were at least enough to keep his team, Jackson Racing, alive. But what truly made him angry was how those six points shouldn’t have been the only points they left Spielberg with if Albert Derstappen hadn’t DNFed. With both of them piloting the ThunderKat and the 97, they were supposed to be an unstoppable force, fully capable of ruling the top five. All they needed was to become more consistent, more evolved—better drivers.

So, when Di Renzo exited his cockpit at the end of the race, his eyes locked onto the very peasant that was responsible for his teammate’s crash—Matteo Bianchi.

Di Renzo stomped his way over and confronted him sternly, using his full 5’11 frame to impose over the 5’9 young man. He wanted to scold him for being too careless as a rookie, too aspiring and audacious when he should have stayed calm and measured. And more than that, he wanted to warn him: he wasn’t welcome here to compete. He was just DiMarco’s placeholder. That was all. Nothing more.

Unfortunately for Di Renzo, his admonition fell on deaf, stubborn ears because Matteo stood up for himself. He talked back!

This was how the loud, no-physical-contact argument began. And before they knew it, their respective crew members had swarmed to the scene. Voices rose, arms stretched out to fully separate the two young men, and uniforms of black, silver, and blue flooded the space as they crashed into each other like waves.

The pitlane crowd had only just begun to thin out after the race, but it swelled again. All eyes turned as the chaos rolled itself toward Trampos’ garage. Mechanics, engineers, and even junior staff tried to form a barrier, but the argument rippled through the paddock like a storm.

Trampos, who had been silently celebrating their 15 points, were stunned to see a colony of shadows eclipse their pitwall and loud voices following close behind. Quickly, Victor came out to help stop the disorder, and by instinct, since he was a rookie too, he naturally took Matteo’s side.

In the middle of the mess, Victor wondered why Jimmy Damgaard wasn’t here defending his teammate like any "senior" would. Little did he know, Jimmy didn’t even fancy Matteo Bianchi. He was, in fact, quite annoyed by the rookie driving Matteo had exhibited during the Austrian Grand Prix.

So, only Velocità crew members came to Matteo’s aid, while the silver Stallions backed up Di Renzo, but also did their best to restrain him before it went too far.

The chaos had only lasted for 45 seconds before Luca himself stepped out with a wet face to see what the heck was going on. The Trampos crew, who had gathered to assist even their rivals in calming the scuffle, instantly cleared a path as they saw Luca emerging from the garage.

"Wait. Wait."

A calm voice cut through the noise. A calm palm, too, as a signal for the entire charade to stop instantly.

Di Renzo turned away from Matteo, eyes falling on the composed figure that calmly groveled his way into the eye of the storm. Luca had his left hand slightly raised to stomach level, and just like that, the entire community froze.

The Silver Stallions stared at their former driver as he effortlessly brought the chaos to a halt. Luca recognized every single one of them, but he didn’t react to any of it. Instead, his eyes fixed straight on Di Renzo, delivering a silent message: back off. And if he really wanted to continue, then he would continue—with him.

With jaw clenched and lips tight, Di Renzo didn’t say a word. He took one long look at Luca’s perfectly built frame before slowly and reluctantly turning away, allowing his team’s arms to swallow him up.

Matteo and Velocità gave one last glare to their rivals before stepping aside, tension thick in the air. They waited for Jackson to peel off completely before their own crew turned back for the garage, muttering quiet instructions to Matteo, whose expression remained sharp and tense.

One by one, the crowd dissolved. There was no more shouting, but only whispers, sideways glances, and murmurs of admiration for how effortlessly Luca had calmed the storm.

When Luigi arrived, he didn’t even need to be told who was responsible. He could already see Luca’s buzz-cut head at the edge of the dispersion.

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Final Race Standings – Austrian Grand Prix

🏁 Top 10 Finishers:

P1 – Ailbeart Moireach 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing) 🏆 +25pts

P2 – Antonio Luigi 🇮🇹 (Squadra Corse) +18pts (+1FL)

P3 – Luca Rennick 🇮🇹 (Trampos Racing) +15pts

P4 – Marko Ignatova 🇷🇸 (Squadra Corse) +12pts ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

P5 – Jimmy Damgaard 🇩🇰 (Bueseno Velocità) +10pts

P6 – Denko Rutherford 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing) +8pts

P7 – Buoso Di Renzo 🇮🇹 (Jackson Racing) +6pts

P8 – Luis Dreyer 🇪🇸 (Outback Performance) +4pts

P9 – Max Addams 🇨🇦 (Outback Performance) +2pts

P10 – Mikhail Petrov 🇷🇺 (Iberia Grand Prix) +1pt

▾Remaining Finishers:

P11 – Hank Rice 🇬🇧 (Iberia Grand Prix)

P12 – Yokouchi Yūichirō 🇯🇵 (Alpine Swiss F1)

P13 – Victor Surmann 🇩🇪 (Trampos Racing)

P14 – Józef Konarski 🇵🇱 (Alpine Swiss F1)

P15 – Desmond Lloyd 🇬🇧 (Velox Hispania)

P16 – James Lockwood 🇬🇧 (Nordvind Racing)

P17 – Alejandro Vasquez 🇪🇸 (Velox Hispania)

P18 – Matteo Bianchi 🇮🇹 (Bueseno Velocità)

⨉ DNF (Did Not Finish):

P19 – Albert Derstappen 🇳🇱 (Jackson Racing) – Crash

P20 – Elias Nyström 🇸🇪 (Nordvind Racing) – Crash

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