Formula 1: The GOAT

Although the Sky Sports commentators were excited, that excitement didn’t match the level of excitement being felt by everyone in Turkey, and the ones who expressed it the most were the Turkish commentators, who had been shouting since the start of the race.

But compared to the level of shouting and excitement expressed at the start of the 78th lap, everything before that felt like it was just a build-up leading to this.

”YÜRÜ, EY TÜRK OĞLU, ARKANDAN GENÇLİK YÜRÜSÜN!

SEN ARKANA BAKMA, YOLUN AÇIK, UFKUN AYDINLIK OLSUN!

(MARCH ON, O SON OF THE TURK, LET THE YOUTH MARCH BEHIND YOU!

NEVER LOOK BACK; MAY YOUR PATH BE CLEAR AND YOUR HORIZON BRIGHT!)” Serhan Acar, the Turkish commentator, shouted the patriotic slogan just as Fatih started the 78th and final lap of the Monaco Grand Prix.

”When our people spoke these words, they certainly did not have a Formula 1 race in mind! But Fatih engraved these words into his heart; he came all by himself into this sport where we have never had a single trace of our history, he carried the star-and-crescent flag on his shoulders, and he has brought this world to its knees!

A Turkish storm is blowing through the streets of Monaco. Lewis Hamilton is helpless behind; Max Verstappen is in pursuit, but it is all in vain! Fatih Yıldırım is like a bulletproof wall today!

As he approached the swimming pool chicane, a poem by Arif Nihat Asya comes to mind from the Fetih Marşı (The Conquest March), which talks about Fatih’s namesake, Fatih the Conqueror, and Istanbul.

Delikanlım, işaret aldığın gün atandan,

Yürüyeceksin, millet yürüyecek arkandan!

Sana selam getirdim Ulubatlı Hasan’dan...

Elde sensin, dilde sen, gönüldesin, baştasın...

My brave youth, on the day you receive the sign from your ancestors,

you shall march, and the nation shall march right behind you!

I have brought you greetings from Ulubatlı Hasan...

You are the one in our hands, on our tongues, in our hearts, and on our minds...

AND AS HE COMES OUT OF THE FINAL CORNER, ANTONY NOGHÈS, THE FINAL SENTENCE OF THE STANZA COMES TO MIND; IT FITS THE SITUATION PERFECTLY: FATİH’İN İSTANBUL’U FETHETTİĞİ YAŞTASIN! (YOU ARE AT THE EXACT AGE WHEN FATİH CONQUERED ISTANBUL!)

VE FATİH’İN FETHİ TAMAMLANIYOR!!! MONAKO’DA ZAFER ADI GİBİ BİR FATİH’İN OLUYOR! (AND FATİH’S CONQUEST IS COMPLETE!!! THE VICTORY IN MONACO BELONGS TO A FATIH (CONQUEROR), LIVING UP TO HIS NAME!)

THE SON OF A TURK, FATIH YILDIRIM, ON HIS ARRIVAL, DELIVERS THE SINGLE MOST IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE A RACING DRIVER CAN PUT ON IN A WEEKEND: A GRAND SLAM.

NE MUTLU TÜRK’ÜM DİYENE!!! NE MUTLU TÜRK’ÜM DİYENE!!! NE MUTLU TÜRK’ÜM DİYENE!!! (HOW HAPPY IS THE ONE WHO SAYS ”I AM A TURK!!!)” Serhan Acar shouted at the top of his lungs, as the second and assistant commentators who were in the studio with him could be heard shouting in the background as if children had just learned they were going to an amusement park.

The nation celebrated with him as if they were the ones who won it.

.............

{YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH, YOU DID IT; YOU DID IT, FATIH, YEAHHHHH!} James shouted on the radio as the camera feed showed the AlphaTauri garage was empty, as everyone was at the start-finish straight barrier, having headed there when he was still leading at the start of the final lap.

{YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, WE DID IT!} Fatih shouted back on the radio at the top of his lungs before he added, {VENI, VIDI, VICI!} at the top of his lungs as the live feed showed Fatih going uphill slowly while pumping his fist and using his left hand to move the car to the left side of the track to allow those behind him to overtake.

Max moved side by side with Fatih, matching his speed as he pumped his fist and gave him a thumbs-up before accelerating once Fatih acknowledged and reciprocated it.

Then came Sainz, who did the same; Lando, Perez, Gasly, Hamilton, Stroll, Raikkonen, and every other driver still on the track moved side by side with the slow-moving Fatih, congratulating him on his win before overtaking him, leaving him to enjoy his first victory.

.............

After a whole two and a half minutes, Fatih finally returned to the start-finish straight and came to a stop in front of the number 1 board in the middle of the track, flanked on both sides by Verstappen and Sainz, who had already stopped.

”What a drive that was, and as Caesar said, he came to Formula 1, he saw the legends in it, and he conquered the Grand Prix. It might have sounded arrogant, but for what he had accomplished on his arrival, it is nothing but deserved for the eighteen-year-old, and it looks like the youngest winner and pole-sitter record is now finally put to rest, never to be broken again unless some incredible driver is allowed to race before he becomes eighteen,” David Croft said as he watched Fatih, who, despite having come to a stop, remained inside his car with his hands on his helmet as a few fingers went through the slightly open visor.

”I too would cry with emotion if that is what I managed to do on my debut...” Martin Brundle said when it was clear to anyone that Fatih was crying.

Max, who was now out of his car, approached Fatih’s car and tapped his head. When Fatih raised his head, they shook hands, and Sainz did the same a moment before the AlphaTauri mechanics arrived to put the cooling fans on the car while the rest of the mechanics were currently being held back by the Monaco marshal barrier.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, got out of the cockpit, and stood on top of the monocoque before he shouted at the top of his lungs, ”WUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!” as a dream had come true. He then jumped down from the car and rushed towards the wall of marshals holding back the AlphaTauri mechanics, jumping up to them as they cheered in the gap between two marshals. The mechanics hugged him and pulled him into the crowd.

The chaos lasted for more than thirty seconds before they let him down. Fatih reached out to hold hands with the mechanics from the sides, and to his surprise, even some Red Bull mechanics tapped him on the shoulder when he was near them.

Finally, following the celebration, he walked to his assigned box and took off his helmet and HANS device before finally taking off his balaclava, revealing his face and hair that were wet from sweating throughout the entire race. After refreshing himself with the pre-prepared cold water and drying his face and neck, he finally put on the sponsored watch and team cap before heading to where the interviews were being held.

”It was a great race, and I would like to congratulate Fatih on his historic debut...” Carlos Sainz said, already in the middle of his interview as the final podium finisher.

When he was done, the crowd in the surrounding area and grandstands cheered as he waved at them before cheering even harder when Max started being interviewed.

”When Charles failed to start, we felt it was going to be an opportunity, but Fatih mounted a great defense at the race start and controlled the race from there, so any chances of a race win were thrown out of the window after Turn 1.”

”Records are made to be broken, but this is one of those that I didn’t expect would be broken so soon, considering the roadblocks on the way to breaking it. But it was a mega drive from Fatih, and he fully deserved it, considering the mighty lap he had delivered yesterday to secure his pole position.”

”He might be a challenger on a few tracks, but their car at the moment is tied for third fastest with Ferrari and McLaren, so I think I will be seeing him at the front, but during those races, I should be able to mount a fight and not be helpless like it was here.”

”Although I didn’t take the lead of the championship, I think I still benefited massively from it, since I’m now only two points behind Lewis...” Max said as he finally finished his interview before he walked away in the direction of Fatih to give him a side hug.

For the other two, they had been cheered, but when Fatih, with his wide smile, started his interview, a mixture of cheers and boos could be heard from the crowds. For Fatih, it didn’t matter at all as he was still enjoying the thrill of winning his first-ever Grand Prix, imagining all of the multiplier effects he had triggered by having a Grand Slam on his debut.

”It is very unreal. I mean, I dreamed of doing this and imagined myself doing this countless times before reaching here, but finally arriving and finding myself in the position to make all those fantasies a reality, I couldn’t help but go for it. After all, I wanted to dedicate the win to my new younger brother and sister, and it is even better now that it is a Grand Slam.”

”It is something that I was thinking about since yesterday after securing the pole position. I knew I would start on the medium tires due to the Q2 mishap, and the best way to exploit them was to use their long endurance and durability to my advantage. But knowing that it was all dependent on how Turn 1 unfolded at the race opening, I couldn’t bring it to my team, and with Charles not being able to start, it gave me the distance to neutralize the soft tires’ starting advantage into Turn 1. From there, the rest is how everything unfolded.”

”Yes, this is one of those proof moments I talked about in the press conference yesterday...” Fatih answered as he referenced what he had said about proving all the doubters wrong again and again until they had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Once the interview was over, he finally headed to the race debrief room with his helmet and immediately changed into a new and fresher race suit, replacing the sweat-covered one.

..........

”Ahhh, that annoyed me,” Max said, sitting to the right of Fatih as they watched the race highlight that finally showed Fatih slowing down the group and starting to drive in a convoy.

”I knew you and Hamilton were going to look for an opportunity to go for the fastest lap, so I had to remove it,” Fatih answered with a smile on his face as Carlos was mostly silent during the conversation. Finally, the podium celebration time arrived.

Carlos was called, much to the cheers of the attendees, then followed by Max, before finally, Fatih was called to the podium, standing at the top.

Following the distribution of the trophies from different dignitaries and Fatih receiving his from the Prince of Monaco and a medal from the FIA representative, amidst cheers and boos, the Turkish national anthem was played by the Monaco Band.

Uncaring of all the boos, Fatih was captured smiling with his eyes closed as he listened to the Turkish national anthem.