Formula 1: The GOAT

As the car barreled down the start-finish straight, he had fully committed to the decision. Leaving him as the only one responsible for any possible outcomes, he didn’t even take a second to waver or question his choice. He lifted fifty meters before the normal braking markers and started downshifting, letting the engine do the smooth slowing of the car until he reached the normal braking marker.

He then immediately pressed heavily on the brakes, clearing the water it had accumulated and rapidly generating heat. But he didn’t keep it there for long, to avoid locking up, and so he started trail braking, which he constantly adjusted to avoid locking the slicks while he took the longer and wider entry into turn one and up Hailwoods Hill.

…..

“BY STAYING OUT, FATIH GOES TO THE TOP OF THE TIMING SCREEN AND SHOOTS TO THE LEAD, BUT IT IS GOING TO BE A NIGHTMARE TO KEEP IT ON THE TRACK! WE CAN SEE FROM HOW CAREFUL AND HOW MANY ADJUSTMENTS HE IS CONSTANTLY MAKING AS HE GOES THROUGH THE TURN-TWO HAIRPIN! AND HE IS AVOIDING THE RACING LINE LIKE A PLAGUE! IS THERE A REASON FOR THAT?”

“Yes, there is. Although in a dry session the racing line is the fastest since it has been rubbered in, when it rains, those rubbered-in bits turn into a nightmare, as they cause the car driving on top of them to lose traction.

But the parts of the track that haven’t been rubbered in and are avoided due to their abrasiveness in dry conditions turn into the best place to be, as the abrasiveness allows the tires to retain some semblance of traction.

For someone who is driving in the rain in these cars for the first time, he is quite brave to take the risk in such a monumental race for his title chase. And surprisingly, he is still teetering on the edge as he races against the clock to keep as much of the advantage he has as possible.”

“AND HIS DECISION IS CURRENTLY PROVING TO BE THE SANE ONE, AS THERE IS A TRAFFIC JAM AND CHAOS IN THE PIT LANE! CARS ARE FORCED TO STOP IN THE FAST LANE, WAITING FOR THOSE IN FRONT OF THEM TO MOVE, WHICH THEN COMPOUNDS AS EVEN THE CARS THAT HAVE COMPLETED THEIR PIT STOPS NOW CAN’T LEAVE THEIR BOXES SINCE THE SAFE RELEASE CONDITION HASN’T BEEN MET DUE TO CARS CURRENTLY STOPPING IN THE FAST LANE!”

……

{What is the outcome if he keeps it on the track?} the team principal asked on the radio as the entire team continued monitoring both him and the chaos unfolding in the pit lane.

{So long as the lap is not more than two and a half minutes, he won’t suffer negatively, position-wise. The worst position would be P8 by the time he comes out of the pit lane at the end of this lap,} the team strategist answered.

{Even if he loses more positions, it shouldn’t be a problem, as he avoided this mess,} James said as one of the cars passed him, its front wing dragging as the right-front tire slid on top of it. The situation was very chaotic.

{We have our first two people to leave the pits,} a radio call was heard, immediately bringing them back to focus on the race as the first two cars with wet tires entered the track and started chasing him.

Fatih, on the other hand, was on the long straight going downward. His onboard camera showed the stream of water that was crossing the track, the worst possible situation for a car on slicks. This caused everyone in the team to hold their breath, because if he lost traction and aquaplaned, it wouldn’t make any difference that he had gained positions if he couldn’t continue the race. Fatih, who seemed aware of it, moved all the way to the right side of the track.

Just as he arrived at the stream, he turned left, sending the car from the right side of the track to the left. This offset allowed the car to only have a single tire in the passing stream at a time, leaving him with three tires to keep control of the car. He immediately turned the steering wheel to the right once he was out of the stream, only for the rear end to snap, trying to oversteer. Fatih immediately counter-steered while downshifting, which finally allowed him to catch the car and continue with the lap.

The entire sequence nearly gave the team a heart attack as they monitored Fatih’s live telemetry, showing him constantly making micro-adjustments in reaction to the car’s response. It made it clear to everyone, seeing the data, that he was performing a balancing act on the very edge, where he could lose control at any moment if he lost focus.

{What is their pace advantage?} someone in the team asked.

{The gap is reducing by tens of seconds each sector, and they will most likely be only a few hundred meters from him by the time he finishes his lap, depending on the final sector.}

…….

“WHEN HE TOOK THE DECISION TO REMAIN OUT, IT WAS SEEN AS VERY RISKY, ONE THAT GUARANTEED A CRASH! BUT HE HAS MANAGED TO KEEP IT ON THE TRACK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE LAP, AND ALTHOUGH THE PACE WAS SECONDS OFF THE DRY PACE, IT IS STILL FAST CONSIDERING THE CONDITIONS! AND HE FINALLY ENTERS THE PIT LANE AT THE END OF HIS LAP, JUST IN TIME FOR THE PIT LANE TO BE CLEAR OF EVERYONE WHO SUFFERED FROM THE CHAOTIC STOPS!

THE TEAM IS READY, WAITING FOR HIM, AS JOHNATHAN HOGGARD AND PAAVO TONTERI ARE ON THEIR SECOND LAPS’ FINAL SECTOR! IF THEY KEEP AT THIS PACE, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO OVERTAKE HIM WHILE HE IS IN THE PITS!” Justin said as Fatih’s mechanics started the sequence, trying to finish it as fast as possible while he was already holding the clutch and revving the engine, ready for the moment the car was dropped.

…….

As he sat there revving the engine while they were changing his tires, from the corner of his eye, he could see water vapor being sent into the air as two cars overtook him, but he wasn’t the least bit worried. He knew that his gamble had paid off since he was up by four positions while also avoiding the chaotic pit lane. A few seconds later, the car was dropped, and he immediately released the clutch as the rear tires spun, sending the car out of the pit box and sliding into the fast lane.

{It is going to be tight on the exit with Sulaimán. Keep it on the right side,} James said, reminding him that there was a car that was going to be very close, meaning he should be careful and keep an eye on it and not fight it from the get-go if it wasn’t worth it.

….

“AND THE GAMBLE HAS PAID OFF, AS HE NOW COMES OUT OF THE PIT LANE JUST IN TIME WITH SULAIMAN! HE DOESN’T FIGHT IT AS HE LETS HIM PASS AND TUCKS BEHIND HIM, HEADING TOWARDS TURN ONE!

BUT HE NEVER JUST GIVES UP A POSITION, AS HE IS USING HIS CURRENT SLOW SPEED TO HIS ADVANTAGE AND DOESN’T BRAKE AT THE SAME TIME AS SULIAMAN! HE MOVES TO THE INSIDE LINE, TAKING BACK THE P3 POSITION BEFORE THE TURN, AND HE IS NOW ALREADY IN THE PODIUM POSITIONS, WHILE HIS COMPETITOR IS NOW IN P11 DUE TO THE CHAOTIC PIT LANE LOSING HIM TIME AND POSITION! AND THE CHASE FOR THE TOP OF THE PODIUM IS NOW ON!”