Formula 1: The GOAT

“Ten seconds! That is the gap between Fatih in the lead and Selçuk, who is relentlessly chasing him down!” Süleyman’s voice was a mix of awe and excitement. “Selçuk has been gaining on every lap, both in position and in time! A fast pit stop from his crew gained him more than ten positions, putting him in fifth by the time he exited the pitlane. He then overtook the front five in a single lap, unlapped himself by closing a twenty-second gap to Fatih, and has been taking out chunks of time ever since! And now, by the eighth lap since the rain started, only ten seconds remain between the two of them, with at least three laps left in this race! This is going to be a fascinating fight to the finish!”

“I have to commend Fatih,” Zakir added, his tone filled with professional respect. “His gamble to stay out on slicks is turning out to be a masterstroke, even if he doesn’t win the race. He has managed to keep the kart on the track in treacherous conditions when some of those on wet tires couldn’t. He’s been driving as if he has wets himself. But now that Selçuk is barreling down on him, I can’t lie, I too am looking forward to this battle. And the gap has now been cut to seven seconds in just three corners! It seems they both know the final confrontation is coming. They are both pushing to their absolute limits, but the continuously falling rain is favoring Selçuk, who is on the right tires for these conditions.”

Both he and the viewers—minus Fatih’s anxious family and his coach—were on the edge of their seats, anticipating the battle that would most likely start in the final sector of this very lap. The camera showed Selçuk coming out of a corner, getting on the power far earlier than Fatih could, his wet tires digging into the soaked tarmac and launching him forward.

…..

Mmh… Mhh… Mhh…

The sound of his own steady breathing was the only thing audible within Fatih’s helmet, a metronome for his actions, which were now coming from pure instinct. He was acting before he was thinking, his mind in a state of deep, singular focus, trying to gauge the constantly evolving track, the grip areas shifting with every fresh wave of rain. Everything other than the track in front of him was being discarded by his brain as irrelevant data.

But that intense focus was momentarily shattered. He felt a sharp tap on his rear bumper, a distinct push that sent his kart into a slight, twitching slide before he instinctively corrected it. The jolt immediately made him realize: Selçuk had finally caught him.

With his concentration broken, the sounds of the race rushed back in, and he could clearly hear the angry buzz of the kart right behind him. He knew instantly it was Selçuk’s.

’He already caught up to me?’ he wondered, a flicker of genuine surprise cutting through his focus.

’What do you mean, “already”? You have been driving for eight laps in the rain,’ a voice, tinged with surprise, came unexpectedly from Apollo, before it trailed off, the volume decreasing as if he had caught himself starting a conversation mid-race.

’Eight laps have already gone by?’ Fatih said to himself, a wave of disorientation washing over him. He had no clear recollection of driving those eight laps. The last thing he remembered was narrowing his focus on the track, pushing to the absolute maximum… and then the tap that had brought him back to the present.

’Focus on the race first, think about it later,’ he commanded himself. He braked earlier than usual for the next corner but deliberately let the kart understeer, pushing both himself and Selçuk, who was on the outside, wider than Selçuk would have wanted. The move disrupted his rival’s rhythm and forced a concertina effect, allowing Fatih to get on the power first and preventing Selçuk from using his superior grip to complete an easy overtake.

……..

“And as they come out of the final hairpin, they are nose-to-tail!” Süleyman shouted. “Fatih takes his usual off-racing line that he’s been using since the rain started, leaving the original, rubbered-in racing line for Selçuk! With his wet tires, Selçuk closes the gap and completes the hunt he has been on for more than eight laps! He uses his wet tires to their maximum potential and regains the lead on the main straight! Fatih tucks in behind him as they head into the corner… AND OOOOOOOH! FATIH COMPLETES A PERFECT SWITCHBACK INTO TURN ONE, CATCHING SELÇUK COMPLETELY OFF GUARD! HE’S NOW SQUEEZING HIM TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE TRACK AS THEY TAKE TURN TWO AND THREE! Selçuk keeps up with him, and as they take the wide Turn 4, Selçuk takes the outside line, and with his superior grip, he completes the overtake as Fatih’s inside line turns into the outside line for the T5 hairpin! But his outside line now returns to being the inside line once again, and he regains the position! But it doesn’t last long! Selçuk blocks his attempt to take the inside line for the next corner and completes the overtake at the start of Turn 7! Does Fatih have a chance to fight back? YESSSSSS! HE COMPLETES ANOTHER SWITCHBACK AS THEY DRAG RACE ON THE SHORT STRAIGHT! Ooh, Fatih has to counter-steer a slide, allowing Selçuk to once again catch up to him into Turn 8! AND HE DIVE-BOMBS INTO THE CORNER, BUT FATIH WAITS IT OUT AND RETAKES HIS POSITION AS SELÇUK GOES WIDE! HE REGAINS HIS LEAD INTO TURN NINE AS THE GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE CONTINUES ONTO THE STRAIGHT! SELÇUK HAS THE ADVANTAGE, ALLOWING HIM TO ONCE AGAIN CLOSE THE DISTANCE, BUT THIS TIME, FATIH IS MORE CAREFUL! HE KEEPS HIS MOVE TO THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND, ALLOWING HIM TO KEEP HIS POSITION ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FINAL CORNERS AND INTO THE START OF THE NEXT LAP! AND WE STILL HAVE TWO MORE LAPS OF THIS ON THE BOARD! This is going to be very interesting!”

“But we have a caution! Yellow flag on the straight for a spun driver at the back of the pack!” Zakir announced. “This forces them to slow down and not fight through the straight, which benefits Fatih heavily! They see the marshals waving a green flag past the caution area, and they are now back to chasing each other! Who will come out in front? But there are a few backmarkers ahead! OH MY GOD! They overtake the lapped kart as if it wasn’t even there, one on each side, not wanting it to be an obstacle in their battle for supremacy! Will the more technical Fatih come out on top, or will the aggressive and better-equipped Selçuk win this by the end of the race?!”

The back-and-forth of exchanging positions continued, the track now covered by both the sound of the karts and the roar of the crowd, which was outpacing even the sound of the pouring rain. They cheered on the incredible fight, which kept giving them exciting moment after exciting moment as the two drivers changed positions every two corners, and sometimes multiple times in a single long corner. And before anyone realized it, the final lap had already begun, with only a few corners remaining to the end of the race.

“Coming out of Turn 9, Fatih keeps the lead he had taken back on Turn 7!” Süleyman’s voice was raw with tension. “They now barrel towards the second-longest straight, leading to Turn 10! These are the only few remaining chances! Who will be the first to brake?! It seems they are both wondering the same thing, as no one lifts, and the distance keeps shrinking! And it’s Selçuk who brakes first! He’s attempting a switchback! And it might wor—OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! THEY ARE BOTH OUT OF THE RACE! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD! Selçuk took both of them out! He clipped Fatih’s rear tire attempting a switchback! They are now sent sliding into the pitlane wall and are out of the race! It seems the impact caused the front tire rubber for Selçuk and the left rear for Fatih to be dislodged from the rims, making it impossible for them to continue! And neither of them looks the very least bit calm about the situation! Fatih is now directly facing Selçuk, not moving after raising his hand to signal that he is fine, his head tracking Selçuk’s every move!”

“I would be angry as well,” Zakir said, his voice a mix of shock and resignation. “This is the second time that Selçuk has ended his chances in a session, the first being the heats which resulted in him having to participate in the Pre-Finals. And now, after Fatih recovered from having to start from last due to the chassis damage caused by the initial collision from Selçuk, he is now taken out once again, a few corners from finishing in the lead or second. Based on how they were fighting, I’m surprised the crash came this late, to be honest.”

“It seems like Selçuk thinks the same as well, as he is rushing towards Fatih!” Süleyman shouted as the screen showed Selçuk trying to get out of his kart, his attempts thwarted by one of the marshals who had rushed to the scene. “This weekend keeps giving us constant drama, but this one tops it all!” Selçuk was moving his legs, trying to cause the marshal holding him to release him so he could go and jump on Fatih, who just remained in his kart, looking at him through his helmet, his posture radiating a cold, controlled anger.

The scene immediately cut to a replay of the crash, which showed the whole sequence: Selçuk braking first, trying to attempt a switchback, before his right front tire hit the left rear of Fatih’s kart, flexing it with enough force for both of their tire beads to break, sending them both sliding into the pitlane wall.

“I think this falls fully on Selçuk,” Süleyman said. “There was nothing Fatih could do that would have prevented that accident from happening.”

“I agree with you, but it looks like Selçuk thinks differently and sees it as Fatih’s fault,” Zakir replied. “Which I’m hoping is something that will be dispelled once he sees the replay, but I don’t think so. The situation between them has already deteriorated, since this is at least the third time where Fatih and Selçuk have collided, and it is always Selçuk on the giving and Fatih on the receiving end of these hits.”

“But that is something we have to focus on later, as the race continues!” Süleyman announced, his voice shifting back to the ongoing race. “And having started third, after a very good qualifying lap and a good performance in the heats, his reliable driving has allowed him to keep his position! And as they say, no matter how fast you drive, you need to finish the race for it to matter! And in the third round of the championship, the weekend that was filled with controversy, for the first time in his career, HUZEYFA TAŞKIN WINS THE RACE, reminding everybody that there are more than three racers on this track! Jackson takes second place, followed by Ayşe Yılmaz, completing the podium!”