Formula 1: The GOAT

“….”

Fatih stood there silently listening to the verdict. It effectively put him away for forty percent of the British F4 competition, six more races than he would have initially missed if he had to wait to reach the minimum age required for a license. If it was looked at in isolation, it could be seen as a very brutal punishment, as it set him aside for twelve races that other drivers would be competing in and winning points for while he remained at the bottom of the standings.

However, nothing is ever looked at in isolation, and for Fatih, who understood what the worst possible outcome was, it looked no different than mercy. The punishment went from potentially banning him from being eligible to earn Super License points for two years to him just missing twelve races, with no ban on Super License points or any additional punishment other than the penalty points on his license, which had yet to even be issued.

As for the penalty points, they were more restrictive in his point of view than even the twelve-race ban, as they would place him under a microscope. The moment he got another six points within a year from today, he would be banned for one race weekend and also receive a three-month suspension.

Rümeysa looked at Fatih, who didn’t seem to have any negative reaction, making her wonder if he was really not affected by it or if he was playing it off very well. But since she was not next to him, she couldn’t really ask him at the moment and had to wait until after they left the hearing room.

As for her personal reaction, it was tame, but she was not happy about it since her son was being punished heavily for something he didn’t have a hand in other than following the given instructions.

It did nothing but reinforce her decision to increase their influence in the motorsports scene and have everything they could do in-house done in-house, as it was the only place that she could guarantee the highest quality for Fatih. Because the best outcome for him would always be in their favor, unlike with the team, where, due to always-changing circumstances, what was best for the team might not be good for Fatih.

From the side of Team Arden, they reacted normally since it was something they were experienced with, but also because the monetary penalty would be borne by Red Bull, who didn’t have anyone from their side present in the hearing, as they were not in any way implicated in the situation.

The remaining proceedings went off rapidly since they were not planning on arguing or appealing the verdict, so the hearing came to an end five minutes after the verdict was announced, and they were finally allowed to leave.

……

“Don’t worry too much, you will still have eighteen races of the season to compete in,” Elena, sitting in the front seat, said while looking at Fatih, who was sitting in the rear of the car with his mother, looking out of the window, making her think that he was not taking the verdict well.

“I’m not really stuck on it, so it is not that much of a problem. I can now fully focus on the upcoming GCSE exams,” Fatih said, but he knew deep down that he was just consoling himself. Although he understood the reason and the unavoidability of it, it still stung him a bit that he wasn’t going to be able to race for six more races that he would have initially missed if he had been reminded that he needed to wait for the mandated minimum age requirement.

Thanks to his Sponge-brain being at the Ultimate level, his brain was capable of both memorizing information and digesting it completely at a very rapid rate, so long as he put in some effort, which he had been consistently doing with the help of tutors in preparation for it. There was no need for additional preparations that would have been made easier by him being suspended and having more time.

The other two could feel the undertone of his words, but there was no reason to poke an open wound that would bring no benefit to any of them, so they let it pass. But Rümeysa made a mental note that she needed to keep an eye on him for the next few days and see how he digested the verdict and if she would need to intervene. They resumed their conversations with small talk while deliberately avoiding bringing up the verdict topic for the remainder of their journey.

……..

“HAHAHAHA,” Helmut laughed with his hoarse throat in a slow, heavy laugh as he read the report regarding the verdict. It was more than he ideally wanted, but it was a good outcome nonetheless, as it would definitely put Fatih under pressure when he returned twelve races into the competition.

He knew very well that depending on how he positioned his reaction when Fatih was dealing with the pressure, it would reshape their relationship, which could also act as a possible counterbalance to the Verstappens, who continuously gained influence the better Max performed. But since his F1 debut was at least three or four years away, this idea was just a minority, a gamble that had no downside for him and only upsides if it worked.

But for that to happen, Fatih needed to be under pressure, and what better pressure than both missing twelve races of a season and having someone in his seat scoring points consistently for the duration he was away before he returned to replace him. Everything he would be doing upon his return would be compared against that driver’s performance, and Arden had given him the perfect opportunity.

Along with the summary report of the hearing and verdict, there was also a request to allow for Fatih’s car to be used by another driver so that they could earn points and not have an idle car.

It was something they had no choice but to ask permission from Red Bull for, because they had paid for the seat for the entirety of the season and had control over what could be done with it. It would be within Red Bull’s right to deny the request if they did, and no financial harm would be suffered by Team Arden, but if they allowed it, they would be earning additional income for that duration.

He didn’t think about it for too long and just approved the document under the condition that he had the final approval over who that driver could be. If he was going to approve it, he knew the driver needed to be able to consistently score points for it to work in his favor.

…..

[Red Bull’s Karting Pro Has a Messy Start in Single-Seaters.]

[“12 Race Ban” Given to Fatih YILDIRIM, Red Bull Academy’s Young Verstappen]

[Red Bull Academy Driver Out for 40% of His First Single-Seater Season]

[6 License Penalty Points Before Red Bull’s Prodigy Could Even Gain a Legitimate License]

[Turkish Prodigy Nuked at the Starting Line]

[TOSFED Silent About the Verdict of Their Turkish Prodigy]

Article after article was written by motorsports news companies, constantly released as each one of them focused on something they knew would attract the attention of fans. Some focused on the Red Bull angle, trying to paint it as Red Bull’s culture filtering into their driver academy.

Some focused on how a famous Turkish prodigy got impatient to wait to meet the minimum age and made a drastic mistake, or they focused on the TOSFED angle, painting it as something TOSFED endorsed, as he was their most prized driver, by highlighting the testing license that they had given, which was something rarely given to such young drivers.

As a result, both Fatih and TOSFED released their own statements separately regarding the situation and didn’t give it any additional attention. But the surprising thing was Red Bull’s silence, which did nothing but fan the flames, stoking the seed of speculation among the fans, which just incentivized more articles about the situation to keep being written.

After a few rounds, they started weirdly focusing solely on Fatih and Red Bull, as discussions on whether it was Fatih’s side that forced it or Red Bull’s side that did started surfacing and spreading, with Fatih’s side being the one mostly focused on.

When viewed from outside the motorsports circle, it would be seen as just a small situation, but it was completely different when viewed within the circle. Although it was just about a young driver, which should have resulted in it fizzling out rapidly, the circumstances surrounding him, being a Red Bull driver, a driver fully backed by his home ASN, and a driver who dominated his entire karting career, all culminated in it becoming massive, which was not helped by Red Bull fanning the flames by not clarifying the situation.

Fatih silently continued with his daily life at home, and thanks to his Invictus, the effects of it didn’t influence his on-track situation negatively, as seen in the simulation, but it still acted as an enraging motivator, which he dumped all of it into practice. And while in the middle of it, the GCSE exam period finally arrived.