My Formula 1 System-Chapter 377: S2 Hungarian Grand Prix. 15

[INFUSING....]

[Strength: 31 »»»» 50

Stamina: 32 »»»» 50

Endurance: 31 »»»» 50

Agility: 31 »»»» 50

Intelligence: 30 »»»» 50 ]

[You can only select three skills]

[Reflexes/ Overtaking Skill/ Track Awareness/ Pitstop Prodigy/Corner Chopping/Straightaway Chopping/Spatial Awareness/ Night Mastery/ Grid Launch/ Slipstream Mastery/ Side-by-Side King/ Slipsense & Rainborne]

"..."

[Aerodynamics: 23 »»»» 50

Downforce: 30 »»»» 50

Braking Efficiency: 26 »»»» 50

Handling: 24 »»»» 50

Tire Wear Management: 22 »»»» 50 ]

[Sync Buff is detecting A-level (Ferrari Turbo-Hybrid 056)...]

[High-Speed Dominance: 14 »»»» 50

-Heat Management: 23 »»»» 50

-Longevity: 18 »»»» 50 ]

[You have only two Skills so both of them are up for selection]

[Gripper: 15 »»»» 50

Yaw Flex: 9 »»»» 50]

Luca quickly made his choices. His selections for the Self Skills were based on the reason some Skills remained uncompleted—because they weren't maxed out yet. And since Sync Buff actively increases their EXP rate, it made sense to target those ones first.

He picked Side-by-Side King, Spatial Awareness, and Night Mastery. The Hungarian Grand Prix was practically a night race now. The floodlights were on, the sky deep blue with a now fading orange rim, and the asphalt reflected each beam like a mirror. Night races always brought their own vivid features—bright glares, deeper shadows, cooler air, and reduced visibility.

Luca had just heard the engineers say Di Renzo was complaining about poor sight in the dark. They were even checking in with him to see if he had the same problem.

Side-by-Side King: 10 »»»» 50

Spatial Awareness: 9 »»»» 50 ]

[INFUSION SUCCESSFUL!]

[You have 2 min. 10 sec left for Sync Buff]

Luca hadn't been with Jackson Racing for long, but it already felt like the fans had taken a liking to him. Or maybe, it wasn't so much about loving Luca as it was about not loving Di Renzo—making Luca believe his reception was warmer than it truly was. Or perhaps it was Rodnick's absence stirring the shift. As always, when the top driver was out, the spotlight naturally drifted to the next best.

Either way, all eyes from the Silver Stallions were locked onto Luca's Ferrari, watching with bated breath for that one decisive move on Damgaard's P3. They were itching for it.

So when Luca's car started to flash that rare-as-hell Sync Buff momentum, the Hungaroring lit up like a firecracker. In perfect synchrony, Jackson Racing fans rose to their feet in a roaring wave, cheering with everything they had, waiting for the moment Luca would zip past Damgaard and claim what looked inevitable.

But Damgaard seemed to be chasing a purpose of his own. And while Luca was aiming for him, Hank Rice was under siege from another Velocità driver entirely. His P2 was crumbling just as fast as his P1 had earlier.

Luca knew he had to close the gap faster. He needed to shut Damgaard down now. It made more sense to pass Damgaard and challenge Hank Rice after, than to get past Hank first and risk dealing with Damgaard all over again.

But Jimmy Damgaard was already at the peak, Hank Rice unable to hold him back any longer.

At the end of Sector 2, Damgaard had lined up the perfect exit. His traction out of the chicane was smooth, controlled, and built entirely on confidence. He hugged the inside line, stayed patient on the throttle, then opened it up with just ERS boost to start crawling up alongside Hank's rear wing.

Rice tried to cover the inside before Turn 12, but Damgaard had already committed and was there, fully locked in.

Their tires kissed the opposite curbs. The side pods came dangerously close. And for a brief moment, they were locked in a gritty wheel-to-wheel battle. But Damgaard edged ahead, not from "racing better," but because in that scenario, he simply had the better car.

At least the overtake wasn't aggressive. But no matter how clean it was, Iberia GP and Hank Rice had been struck again. Now sitting in P3, Rice still wasn't safe. The podium was under threat, and the vultures were circling.

P2— Jimmy Damgaard ↑

P3— Hank Rice ↓

Luca saw it all. And now, he had no choice. He had to take them both.

There was no way he could sit back and watch both Bueseno Velocità drivers dominate with P1 and P2. That was outrageous. If the race ended like this, Velocità would walk away with a full 43 points.

And with those 43 points, they'd instantly lock themselves into 3rd Place in the Constructors' standings, officially entering the fight with Squadra and Jackson Racing.

Luca couldn't let that happen on his watch. Especially not when it was DiMarco sitting happily in P1. Twenty-five points would catapult him from 7th place in the Drivers' standings straight into the top three. This race was everything the Italian had needed, and he was minutes away from claiming it.

A fire of determination surged through Luca. He wouldn't let this setup stand. He was going to shatter it, no matter what it took, and stop Bueseno Velocità from snatching maximum points here in Hungary.

He did feel a flicker of sympathy for Hank Rice, but that didn't change the facts. There was no way to reach Damgaard without first overtaking Hank. So with his entire racing physicality buffed while piloting a similarly buffed 92B—grip perfect, visibility sharpened—Luca pushed the required modes and flung himself into the attack.

"...AND THERE GOES RENNICK ON THE ATTACK FOR THE PODIUM WITH JUST 8 LAPS TO GO HERE IN HUNGARY! MY GOODNESS! LOOK AT THAT SPEED—"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"...HANK RICE TRIES TO COVER IT, BUT THERE'S JUST NO ANSWER TO THAT KIND OF PACE...!" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

[DRS Engaged!]

"...This is tough to watch for Iberia GP. Hank Rice was leading this race not too long ago, and now—he's down to P4. It's been a brutal fall...!"

P3— Luca Rennick↑

P4— Hank Rice ↓

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

**Yes, Luca! That's how we do it, mate! Brilliant move on Hank, absolutely brilliant!**

[3rd Position]

**You're in P3 now! Keep your head down, same rhythm. The car looks great, you look even better**

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

[4th Position is 0.8 sec away, host]

Luca reckoned it was almost impossible for Hank Rice to rechallenge him, so the top three was solid. Up next was Jimmy as they entered the 63rd Lap; Luca put all focus on offence and nothing else.

[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 2nd Position]

[You are 1.2 seconds away, host.]

**Jimmy, heads up—Luca's coming. He's cleared Hank and he's pushing hard**

**If he gets you, it compromises our points. Davide needs you holding P2**

**Think big picture, Jimmy. Maximum points are on the line. Hold this position**

Silence settled in Damgaard's cockpit after the relay, the hum of the Tempesta the only sound in his ears.

Velocità rarely centered anything around him because DiMarco was always the major. But now, they'd handed him something that mattered. They had just tasked him with not just holding a position, but preserving their path to maximum points.

Something stirred deep and quiet in him. Damgaard thought it was the sense of urgency that came with this, but he realized it was the sense of... relevance.

"Ha...." left his lips as he realized the team didn't need him as backup now, but the anchor. Finally, the spotlight was on him even though he was not in P1!

Damgaard gripped his wheel tighter and his eyes moved to his mirrors. He caught the reflection of Luca's Ferrari swoop through the previous corner so smoothly as if it was controlled by a remote elsewhere. "Alright then... come try you fuck."

[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 2nd Position]

[You are 0.9 seconds away, host.]

[Slipstream Status: ENGAGING]

Car <— Approaching Slipstream (Minimal aerodynamic effect)

Car <<— Partial Lock (Drag reduction increasing)

Car <<<— LOCKED IN (Maximum slipstream advantage)

[Overtake Window: Optimal]

"...THIS IS THE PERFECT MOMENT FOR THE STRIKE FOR LUCA RENNICK AS THEY ENTER TURN 3...!"

With every passing millisecond, Damgaard's #2 holographic number, glowing like the moon in the night, loomed closer. To Luca, it didn't even feel like he was advancing, it was more like the Red Bull itself was drawing back, demanding confrontation.

[Yaw Flex +1]

[Night Mastery +1]

[Level-up failed!]

[Sync Buff currently in use]

[You have 1 min. 01 sec left for Sync Buff]

[Straightaway ahead]

Luca had just a minute left before the Sync Buff ran out. That meant now or never. If he was going to overtake Damgaard—who clearly wasn't planning to make it easy—this had to be the moment.

The straight ahead wasn't the longest, neither was it the widest, but Luca felt he could still manage it. He'd done worse under tighter conditions.

Thanks to his maxed-out Slipstream Mastery, the moment his Ferrari tucked in, the boost kicked instantly. The slipstream speed gain was sharp, and drag reduction did its thing. Before Luca knew it, he was already inside DRS range.

"Don't be foolish now," Luca warned Damgaard calmly as the straight opened wide.

"...Here it comes! DRS is open! This is the attack we've been waiting for...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

**Jimmy—cover the straight—cover the inside! Do not let him line it up!**

[High-speed Dominance +3]

[Spatial Awareness +1]

[Level-up failed!]

[Sync Buff currently in use]

While accelerating to 250km/h and above, Damgaard dove to the inside the moment he heard the call. He dragged his Red Bull across the track to block off the lane before Luca could sneak through.

In some way, Luca was reading him! Boosted by the razor-edge precision of the Sync Buff, his reflexes flared with unnatural sharpness. At the very last moment, Luca twitched the wheel left—inhumanly quick—and snapped the Ferrari across the track to the outside with unexplainable agility.

The quick move was so fast that it was barely seen by some. And at that moment, Luca saw the precious small gap of dark asphalt Damgaard abandoned for defence.

"Let's goo!"

Damgaard's eyes inflated open when he realized that Luca had cut back. He wanted to ask himself how, but he reserved that question for later. Now, he just realized Luca had open ground to take P2!

"No, no, NO—!"

He panicked and yanked the Red Bull left to defend again—too late.

Luca saw the contact before it happened as Spatial Awareness spiked even far greater than Luigi's chiseled wing threat in Belgium. "You fucking idiot!" he yelled as their front wings collided.