Formula 1: The GOAT

A 1:24.453, the time flashed on the screen as Fatih passed through the start-finish line, going for his second lap.

”23 seconds; he has beaten last year’s fastest lap by 23 seconds! Last year’s Turkish Grand Prix was like driving on an ice rink due to the track being newly surfaced, and it still had oil and bitumen on top of it. Still, the track has now been washed by high-pressure water, removing all of that oil that had made it an ice rink and turning it into sandpaper, giving Fatih grip that was not there in last year’s Grand Prix.

Still, it is also the unofficial fastest lap ever recorded on this track. He is in the middle of his second push lap. What do you think, Murat?” the commentator said excitedly as the on-screen graphics showed the second-fastest lap being from Juan Pablo Montoya, set in 2005.

”Although it is not an official session, I believe it is good news for the track since the cars will be even faster during the actual Grand Prix this year, considering the current lap is set on an inferior car compared to this year and on tires that aren’t as grippy as the ones that will be used for the actual Grand Prix here.

But this is still going to be very close to the competitive times,” Murat answered as the feed continued showing Fatih going around the track, still pushing. But the tire temperature was giving a very different reading than what should have been, causing Murat to answer those questions while still focused on the screen showing Fatih’s drive.

”Is something wrong happening on Fatih’s drive, Mr. Murat?” the commentator, clocking this, asked immediately, not wanting to lose the opportunity.

”I’m wondering if the tire temperature data we are getting is correct because they shouldn’t be at that temperature, considering they have just finished a push lap and are currently in the middle of one,” Murat answered as he pointed at the screen.

”I’m being told that this is the live temperature data,” the commentator said with his hand on his ear before he added, ”What exactly is wrong, and what could possibly be the reason?”

”Well, from my knowledge, tires need a cooldown lap before they can be pushed again at that pace, or else they will lose grip, or they will blister and deform due to excess temperature. But Fatih’s tire temperature data is showing no signs of the tires being overheated, without much loss of lap time from the car, and he looks on pace to put in the same lap time, if not better,” Murat said with a look of surprise still on his face. He knew what he was seeing was either a miracle or something incredible, and due to the unbelievability of the second, he was still leaning on the first one.

That same question was being raised by the technically capable and knowledgeable people in F1 who were watching the live stream of the session. Just as Fatih crossed the start-finish line for the second time, he finally slowed down, due to the amount of fuel remaining being only enough to bring him back to the pit lane if he drove slowly and not at hot-lap pace. But for everyone, their attention was on the lap time set by his second push lap: 1:24.523, only a tenth of a second slower than his previous fastest lap when a loss of up to half a second was expected, considering the temperature the tires had been in at the end of the first push lap.

....

”HAHAHAHAHA, I told you, Horner, he is the real deal. If it had been up to me, I would have sent him to Red Bull from the get-go,” Helmut said while he laughed heartily, as if he was not there when the MOU was signed.

Had Horner been there, he would have argued back, but since he was not, Helmut was left alone to enjoy himself, as he was happy that his gamble had worked very well for him, providing them with a very talented monster on their team.

”Now show us what you can do on the long run,” he said as Fatih came to a stop in front of the garage. The mechanics raised the car and dragged it back into the garage, immediately starting to fuel it, with Fatih remaining in the car as one of the mechanics lowered a screen in front of him, and he started going through the data.

He was now looking forward to the performance Fatih would put on for them in the next 57-lap race simulation.

.....

”It is the final seconds before we get the chance to see him being set loose under a full race trim, and he has to do it for a full 57 laps at a competitive pace under the observation of the FIA official, meaning even if he is alone on the track, he still needs to push the car to be at, if not close to, the F1 race pace to get a pass.

Even I, who am sitting here in the studio, am nervous. I wonder how he is remaining this calm,” Mehmet said as the TV director put Fatih’s live heart rate, which was gathered and broadcast through his safety gloves, on the screen. It showed his heart rate, which had risen during his qualifying pace, was currently no different from that of someone who was resting.

”You need to have a heart and nerves of steel to be able to get in the car, but even with that, I don’t think I was ever this calm before any of my races. I wonder if this is the difference,” Murat said, as Fatih’s heart rate still remained steady. Even on the camera feed that zoomed in on him with his visor open as he talked with the female mechanic who was leaning on the Halo.

After ten minutes in the garage, finally there was some movement as Lisa, his chief mechanic, walked back and the mechanics dropped the car and cleared the way before she gave him a thumbs-up. He slowly left the garage, sliding slightly before counter-steering as he entered the fast lane with his brand-spanking-new tires.

”LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE ON OUR FORMATION LAP AROUND THE TRACK AND A FEW MINUTES AWAY FROM LIGHTS OUT FOR THE 57 LAPS AROUND THIS TRACK. THIS IS THE FINAL AND MOST IMPORTANT HURDLE FOR FATIH ON HIS WAY TO GETTING HIS SUPER LICENSE TO ENSURE HE GETS INSIDE F1 NEXT WEEK IN MONACO...” Mehmet said excitedly as the helicopter followed him during the entire formation lap sequence as he swerved left and right, did some burnouts, and went through all the other procedures he needed to. Soon, he finally went around the track before coming to a stop in the P1 position, aggressively angling the car towards the P2 position as if he were actually racing.

The feed immediately changed from a helicopter camera to an in-helmet view, showing exactly what Fatih was seeing under the helmet, and it showed him looking at his rear-view mirrors for a moment before finally focusing on the lights.

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep..