My Formula 1 System

Qualifiers Day. Thursday. May 13th

On Qualifiers Day, the team departed from their designated base at Carrico Performance Center for the fifth round of the season. The air was cool, maybe a bit chilly, and the sunless sky cast a mild, grayish hue over everything.

All five coach buses and seven trucks were lined up and ready to roll, though the trucks had taken a two-hour head start to ensure everything arrived at the circuit on time.

Luca stepped onto the bus, immediately feeling cosy and snug. Maybe it was the weather—the crisp air compelling him to bundle up.

He was wrapped in a thick windproof winter jacket, branded for Jackson Racing, with thick gloves, thick socks tucked inside his shoes, and a nose mask that warmed his face with each breath.

The Jackson Racing crew moved with quiet purpose, filing into their seats efficiently due to constant practice of doing this. All the buses filled up quickly, leaving little room to spare.

Luca casually sank into a window seat, pulled off his mask, and exhaled deeply, a breath filled with satisfaction, relief, and anticipation, all woven into one.

The relief and satisfaction came from knowing Jackson had confirmed he would race on Sunday, securing his participation in today's Qualifiers. The anticipation, however, stemmed from the weight of expectations—not just for today, but for race day as well.

Luca was well aware that his consistent selection was beginning to irritate Di Renzo, but he didn't mind. Di Renzo had only competed in one Grand Prix this season, while Luca was now heading into his fourth.

That had to sting. To have someone suddenly emerge out of nowhere and snatch the number two seat you had barely been holding onto must feel demeaning for the fellow Italian.

But as said, Luca didn't mind. He now understood success always came at someone else's expense, and he had no intention of slowing down. Especially now he was greedy and hungry for points.

As expected of the weather at this time of year, rain had fallen the night before and even on the very day of everyone's arrival.

The roads of São Paulo were slick and glistening, drenched from the persistent showers. Jackson's convoy speared through the mist, the tires of all vehicles tearing through the residue water and puddles on the roads.

Luca could still see the wonderful city despite how raindrops clung stubbornly to the windows, especially his own.

The roads were dark, the city and houses were subdued, making the traffic lights seem more brighter than they were meant to be. Luca noticed Brazil didn't advertise the race as much as other countries do. He was expecting more banners and posters, but what filled São Paulo was simply suburban spirit and street vendors.

The roads leading to the circuit grew wider and smoother, no more hasty motorcyclists and slow-moving cars in front of them.

Every now and then, they'd pass a group of people in raincoats who were likely headed to the circuit on foot. The people would wave happily to their convoy as they rolled past.

This made Luca wonder which F1 team the country of Brazil was in most support for.

The strongest contenders in his opinion were Velox Hispania and Iberia Grand Prix, both being very old F1 teams. With both teams having deep ties to Spain and Portugal, it was natural for Brazil to feel a connection to them.

Velox Hispania, in particular, carried the Spanish racing legacy with pride, while Iberia Grand Prix represented both Spanish and Portuguese motorsport heritage. So, Luca's best guess was Iberia GP.

To be sure, he paused his music and googled it. He was right.

Iberia Grand Prix was indeed the team with the strongest Brazilian support. They had been founded quite early in Formula racing to establish an Iberian presence in Formula 1.

Over the decades, their drivers, many of whom had ties to Portugal, naturally drew in Brazilian fans, given the deep historical connection between Brazil and Portugal.

Luca wondered if they liked Hank Rice.

They arrived at the circuit—Autódromo José Carlos Pace—and disembarked the bus.

It was a very vast circuit, extremely wide and big that Luca felt small standing on the wet asphalt of the team's parking lot. The sunlight struggling to break through from the cloud clover gave beauty to the place.

The circuit was blended with nature. They were plains all around, hills around the track, green slopes falling and rising!

One could barely see the track from a certain angle. If someone stood at the back of one of the slopes, he might think this was some forgotten farmland somewhere in the Netherlands.

The grandstands didn't even seem like they would contain 200,000 spectators like it was said it would. This illusion was created by the enormity of the surrounding landscape, where the track and stands looked minuscule compared to the expansive dark green that surrounded them.

Even the massive facilities, all towering structures in the venue felt dwarfed by the immense backdrop of nature, as if they were just a tiny piece of something far greater.

Just like the Hollywood sign in Las Vegas, there was a massive sign proudly displaying "Autódromo José Carlos Pace" perched high above the circuit on one of the hills.

One of the crew members had told Luca that if the race were held at night, the sign would glow, illuminating the entire circuit from that angle.

Luca retired his headphones and stashed them into his duffel bag before gripping the handle and joining the rest of the team. As he walked, his eyes caught sight of a few fans scattered on one of the nearby hills, making him wonder just how porous the security at Interlagos really was.

There definitely was no way to fully secure the circuit, was there? The track was nestled between two lakes, easily accessible to anyone, and the hills surrounding it offered countless vantage points for spectators. He couldn't help but think how simple it might be for someone to sneak through.

The landscape was an open invite to anyone. Since almost a thousand were already wandering about on qualifiers, on race day, the Brazilian Grand Prix would have more than just that 200k spectators.

Four out of ten teams had already arrived—Outback Performance, Nordvind Racing, Haddock and Alpine. Jackson made the fifth attendance.

They took to their garage where the equipment workers had already unloaded everything and designed the garage to their theme taste.

[Generating track layout....]

[Successfully generated.]

[Total distance: 4 km]

A very small track, hence its huge number of laps—70

[...

┌T15┐

T1┘ └─T14─T13─T12

\\ |

T2 T11

\\ |

T3 ┌T6┐ T10

\\ | | └T9

└─T4─T5─T7── T8┘ ...]