My Formula 1 System

[30th Lap]

At Lap 30, Luca returned to the top five by overtaking Damgaard with a very impressive maneuver that left Hungary stunned.

Still at P5, he marginally held the position with a tight grip, keeping Damgaard at bay, who was now clearly aiming to retake the position—and not just that, but also to push further away from Hank Rice.

Furthermore, Hank Rice was beginning to feel pressure from Antonio Luigi, who had regained momentum and the speed necessary to make an overtake attempt. Luca was the starting point of this new domino chain, since Dreyer remained quite far ahead of this specific part of the pack.

[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 4th Position]

[You are 3 seconds away, host.]

His eyes stayed fixed on Dreyer's Red Bull far ahead, a distant speck carrying the holographic #4 as it carved cleanly out of Turn 3 and into the straight, while he himself was just exiting the tight hairpin of Turn 1.

Luca's instincts screamed at him to push harder and close the gap with urgency, while his system buzzed constantly with data that only fueled those thoughts.

However, he found himself stuck between two crucial options—either push for Dreyer or maintain his defense against Damgaard, who clearly wasn't done with him yet. In fact, Damgaard was much closer and spread out wide in his mirrors compared to how far Dreyer was in his visors—meaning, in this dynamic, Luca was the prey.

But Luca wasn't ready to be reeled back. He wanted to keep progressing. He refused to let the threat behind anchor him. He kept the pressure rising and chose—for now at least—not to spare Damgaard a single thought.

In his mind, he visualized a late-braking move on Dreyer, likely at one of Sector 2's tighter corners or maybe even the chicane itself, his Side-by-Side King itching to cause chaos. But still, Damgaard's distinct Red Bull kept stalking in his mirrors, just seconds back, its holographic #7 gleaming with quiet menace.

[Analyzing 6th Position's distance from host and Ferrari (JRX-92B)...]

[6th Position is 1 sec away, host.]

**Luca, hold P5. Jimmy approaches—don't push Luis yet, or Jimmy'll swoop. Defend T2, block the inside!**

Luca's gut wanted Dreyer badly, but the team was right. He had to face Jimmy Damgaard and shut him down for good. If he didn't, there was a real risk of losing P5 right in the heat of concentration, should Damgaard swoop past at the worst moment.

[6th Position closing in]

"...for Bueseno Velocità, Jimmy Damgaard goes again for the top five! Luca Rennick stands as a boulder with his Ferrari. Both drivers have fresh softs, probably at their peak now—this could be another thrilling battle! DAMGAARD GOES FOR THE INSIDE...!"

[Turn type: Long Sweeping Left] [Angle: 110°] [Braking Point: 50 meters before turn-in] [Recommended Entry Speed: 150 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Mid to late apex]

Luca responded with deft sharpness, his reflexes snapping in an instant. He ignored his system's optimal apex this time, choosing instead to defend Damgaard's attempt directly. But Damgaard was actually trying to dummy him! His dive to the inside was only a feint as he suddenly veered wide to the outside.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"... BEAUTIFUL RACING—!"

Luca swore he was caught off guard. But even so, he remedied the situation immediately, cutting hard to the right to block Damgaard just as they swooped out of Turn 2 and into Turn 3.

The crowd erupted, flags waving as they exited T2, Luca still ahead, Damgaard's push thwarted.

**Brilliant, Luca! Keep him behind—watch T3, he'll try again!**

Luca powered through Turn 3, a flowing fast 45° right, his Ferrari's Aerodynamics slicing the 7m-wide corner with precision. Damgaard's Alpine shadowed him, 0.7 seconds back, its ERS humming for a strike.

Luca briefly wondered where this fraud had found the courage to overhang him and put him this on edge.

[Straightaway ahead!]

The short straight leading into Turn 4—a tight, sharp 90° left—was now looming. A perfect zone for Luca to possibly flex his system.

[Turn type: Fast Right Kink] [Angle: 45°] [Braking Point: No braking required ] [Recommended Entry Speed: 200 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Mid lane]

This was Turn 3—a fast right kink that required no braking. As Luca swooped by, accumulating speed for the next straight, Damgaard did the same with his own faster engine, the Tempesta.

But where Luca lacked in a superior car, he made up for with raw skill. He was glad the straight was here because he had smartly set up Jimmy Damgaard for a Straightaway Chopping, which he executed to perfection.

Damgaard's Red Bull twitched and staggered. His rhythm crumbled as he struggled to evade Luca's aggressive line.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"...A CLOSE CONTACT BETWEEN LUCA RENNICK AND JIMMY DAMGAARD AT THE FIRST STRAIGHT! A LIONGUARD DEFENSE FROM RENNICK—AND DAMGAARD RETREATS TO RECOVER...!"

**Good defense, Luca. P5 is yours**

[Straightaway Chopping +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 75%]

Damgaard was thrown off completely, forced to go wide in a frantic attempt to stabilize the Red Bull. His tires grazed the outer curbs, and he lost 0.2 seconds instantly—not to mention Luca's increasing speed differential.

"...LUCA RENNICK PULLS AWAY FROM JIMMY DAMGAARD INTO TURN 4...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"...JIMMY DAMGAARD SEEMS TO BE IN TROUBLE NOW! RENNICK TORE HIS RHYTHM APART—AND HANK RICE APPROACHES MENACINGLY IN THAT AUDI...!"

[Analyzing 6th Position's distance from host and Ferrari (JRX-92B)...]

[6th Position is 1.5 sec away, host.]

For now, Damgaard was no longer Luca's problem. Instead, Damgaard found himself in a precarious situation, on the brink of being swallowed by Hank Rice, who now had the momentum and was hungry to climb.

Hank Rice's Audi, now 1.2 seconds behind Damgaard in P6, gleamed in Luca's mirrors like a dark omen. Rice smelled blood and his eyes locked on the faltering Red Bull. Even Rodnick, watching from home, leaned forward as he sensed the chaos Luca's defense had unleashed.

Why was Hank Rice so determined to overtake Damgaard? The answer was simply because Antonio Luigi was breathing down his neck as well. Rice's P7 wasn't safe anymore.

Knowing he had an inferior car—nowhere close to the fastest on the grid—Hank Rice understood he had to gain at least one position to avoid sliding further down the pack.

Damgaard's Red Bull was still reeling from Luca's Straightaway Chopping when Hank Rice hit Turn 4's exit just after him. The crowd erupted again as Luigi followed only a second behind, locked into P8.

"...HANK RICE IS CHARGING FOR IBERIA GP! JIMMY DAMGAARD'S VULNERABLE—AND RICE'S AUDI IS A MISSILE. CAN HE STEAL P6 BEFORE ANTONIO LUIGI CLOSES IN?..."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

Rice pushed his ERS, closing to 0.7 seconds by Turn 5's medium-speed right. Damgaard was still fighting to stabilize even now, leading him to brake early and his tires screeched loudly with a brief puff of smoke.

Damgaard's early braking gave him the inside, while Rice countered and committed to the gap on the outside. Their chassis instantly became inches apart.

**DRS next shortway. Take him** Iberia GP urged Hank.

Having a moment of his own, Hank Rice's heart raced, especially with Luigi approaching unchallenged. His Squadra Corse livery kept flashing in the mirrors, the most feared colors of this F1 decade.

The connection between Turn 5 and 6 was too short to be called a straight, but it still favored DRS nonetheless. So, Rice ignored Luigi's looming threat for now and blasted down the connection with DRS fully open.

Jimmy Damgaard panicked as Hank Rice's Audi surged forward, also boosted by the slipstream.

"... He's got DRS, flying out of the turn with P6 in sight...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

Finally, Hank Rice nosed alongside Jimmy Damgaard, who barely managed to survive a full DRS overtake. Now he could only fend off Rice, but with the previous DRS speed, Rice had the better momentum even though Damgaard's car was superior.

Their tires grazed the wide track edges as both cars prepared to enter the chicane, which Luca was already weaving through. Luca watched their duel unfold in his mirrors. He was completely shocked that neither of them saw Luigi coming!

The Mercedes was as silent as a phantom. It didn't require any DRS to completely shrink the gap on that short connection. The FiammaVeloce sounded like a hiss rather than the usual scream, making it seem as if a missile had zoomed past you when overtaken by the AMG F1 W09.

That was exactly what Damgaard and Rice heard as Luigi threaded the needle and dived between them.

It was a breathtaking double overtake, snatching P6 and leaving Damgaard in P7, Rice in P8.

P5— Luca Rennick

P6— Antonio Luigi ↑

P7— Jimmy Damgaard ↓

P8— Hank Rice ↓

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"…OH MY GOD! ANTONIO LUIGI HAS DONE IT! A DOUBLE OVERTAKE—SQUADRA CORSE HAS STOLEN P6! DAMGAARD AND RICE ARE SHELL-SHOCKED! HUNGARY'S LOSING IT!…"

Hungaro Ring went absolutely insane as the best feat of the race had just been carried out by none other than Antonio Luigi.

**Big rival behind. Antonio. 1.5 sec**

Luca's jaw dropped at that masterstroke of an overtake. For a second, he didn't even realize that his greatest rival was behind him because he was too fascinated by what had just unfolded.

[6th Position closing in]