Formula 1: The GOAT

In a show of complete calmness and control, Fatih retained the same lap time for the next four laps, despite James updating him on the constantly increasing gap to the lead in each sector, just as he had requested.

{Gap to lead: 5 seconds.}

{What is the update from Performance? I think it is fine, and I can push again.}

{Their thinking remains the same; they think an additional lap for monitoring and a safety margin is still better, but you have control and can push.}

{One more lap for control, then,} Fatih said. From his feed, seen live on the pit wall, he could be seen finally adjusting the brake bias back to the front. He planned on testing if he could return to the previous arrangement or if he had to continue pushing under the limitation. James, who hadn’t even asked Fatih to do that, just watched in silence, feeling immense pride in Fatih’s decisiveness and clear confidence in his actions. A normal driver would have asked if he could use this as a practice lap, but Fatih didn’t even bother to ask and went ahead with it.

Keeping up with his decision, he didn’t push too much, but the data showed him gaining time in places where he usually lost it during the holding laps. As he approached the final hairpin corner, James, who was in the middle of a conversation with the performance engineer, finally connected to Fatih and said, {Performance says the situation is green. You can go for a push. I repeat, you can go for a push. Gap to lead is 5.1 seconds, six laps remaining at the current pace.}

{Understood,} is the only thing Fatih said before he took the hairpin. The corner that had forced him into a limited delta now started a new one, one that was no longer limited. He could fully push to the limit of what the car and the tire grip could handle. Unlike his initial plan of using these tires for both Race 2 and 3, they would no longer have enough grip for a completely new race, so he was planning on extracting every bit of grip that could be taken from the tires before the end of this one.

……..

“He has now been given the green light to go for the pace he wanted, so now we will see if it is going to match his Race 1 pace,” Brad said as the feed shifted to Fatih, who was at the end of the start-finish straight heading into turn one. To make it very clear that this was a race within the race, graphics showed the gap between Fatih and Ayrton Simmons. At every corner, the time continued to drop by tenths, showing that he was reducing the gap rapidly.

{Gap is down to four seconds,} James’s radio played on the feed as Fatih started a new lap.

“He took an entire second out of Ayrton’s lap time in a single lap, and he looks like he is still hoping to increase the pace.”

{Gap, 2.5 seconds.}

“A second and a half has been eaten from Ayrton’s lead, and he seems to have no response because he has cooked his tires trying to push for the gap when Fatih was constrained.” For the new people watching, they were wondering why the feed was focusing on the seemingly boring chase and rarely cutting to other drivers in the middle of overtakes. But for hardcore lovers of motorsports, this was the most exhilarating thing in the race, because of the story behind the chase.

{Gap, 1.9 seconds.}

“It is as if he is driving a car that has a booster while Ayrton’s has a parachute slowing him down. If it were not for the investigation earlier that led to him being given a new engine, it seems like the inspection was a blessing in disguise. This pace would have resulted in the same inspection if it was not done earlier, and it would have meant he was going to lose the chance to participate in the third race of the weekend.”

{Gap, 0.9 seconds.}

“He is now in range to start benefiting from the slipstream, but also to suffer from the dirty air of Ayrton Simmons, and there are still two laps remaining.”

{Gap is 0.4. One more lap remaining.}

“The improvements have slowed down, but he is now in striking range as he starts the penultimate lap. He tries going on the outside line, and Ayrton responds by leaving that door open, daring him to take that line, which Fatih obliges. His attacking style is always fluid, meaning he is ready for all possible realistic outcomes of his move. If it had been covered, he could have turned it into a feint and dive-bombed the inside like he did on the opening lap.

But Ayrton, having been informed about that, has decided to leave the outside line open on the run to turn one. This compromises Fatih’s entry into the corner but blocks any opportunity for a dive bomb. Ayrton manages to go wide into the corner, forcing Fatih to slow down more than he would have wanted to avoid a crash, allowing Ayrton to keep his position.

Fatih tucks himself back in to benefit from the slipstream and live to fight for another corner. As they go through the Hawthorne chicane, Fatih makes another move on the inside, trying to catch Ayrton by surprise. It is discovered and defended against, as Ayrton moves to cover the inside line.

Fatih responds by returning to the outside as they approach the next chicane that can be taken flat out. It looks like he has given up on his attack, but by taking the wider line, he exits the chicane with higher speed than Ayrton. As he tucks himself behind Ayrton to benefit from the slipstream, Ayrton is frantically trying to break the tow. The gap is shrinking with each passing second. He could make his move now, but no! He decides against it, even lifting partially to remain behind Ayrton for the remainder of the straight.

As they arrive at Tower Bend, he finally moves to the side the moment Ayrton starts braking, braking later than him and turning wide into the corner. But Ayrton also goes wide through his turn, forcing Fatih to remain on the outside line of the corner and take the longest route. They exit the corner side-by-side into the next straight, with no one having an advantage.

But Fatih is slowly losing ground as he has been pushed to the dirty side of the track. Though the disadvantage is small, he is still keeping his car next to Ayrton’s as they approach the Jim Clark Esses. One of them has to sacrifice and lift, because it has never been taken side-by-side for the entire weekend, but it looks like none of them plans on doing that!

They go through the Esses side-by-side, showing great bravery and fair racing as they leave each other enough space. Into the second half of the straight, with the triple right-hander coming at them, they are still side-by-side. Their tires bump for a moment as Ayrton tries to push Fatih wide to open his car up for the turn, but Fatih holds his ground as they still go through Barcroft side-by-side. The first of the triple is done, but the second is coming, and this one requires them to brake.

Fatih, from the outside line, experiences the slingshot advantage of going the longer route, giving him a speed advantage. HE BRAKES EARLY AS AYRTON ENDS UP BRAKING LATER AND LOCKS UP! HIS CAR MOVES STRAIGHT AND DOESN’T TURN!!!!!!