My Formula 1 System-Chapter 432: S2 Spanish Grand Prix

A/N: Almost forgot that Top Driver Bundle is supposed to further unlock 4 more Skills.

*****

[Ding!]

[You have unlocked 4 Car Skills:

-DRS Boost: 5

-Wet Grip Mastery: 5

-Side-by-Side Balance: 5

-Spatial Sensors: 5]

"You haven't even described them yet, but I can already see Repetitions," Luca pointed out, noticing immediately how skill replication was a very pesky unfortunateness that had constantly limited the number of Skills he was truly meant to possess.

[Ding!

[System has detected skill overlap.]

— Wet Grip Mastery → Converted to Slipsense & Rainborne

— Side-by-Side Balance→ Converted to Side-by-Side King

— Spatial Sensors → Spatial Awareness ]

[Optimizing...]

[Optimization successful.]

Ding!

[You have gained EXP:]

— Slipsense & Rainborne +10

— Side-by-Side King +10

— Spatial Awareness +10 ]

"If I'm correct, this +10 addition pretty much completes all three Skills, right?"

"Spatial Awareness and Side-by-Side King were both at 15, while Slipsense & Rainborne was at 12 before this, so that means they're all completed. Damn. That's excellent!"

"Before describing DRS Boost, System, show me their values, just to be sure."

[Certainly, host.]

[—Slipsense & Rainborne: 20 (+2)

—Side-by-Side King: 20 (+5)

—Spatial Awareness: 20 (+5) ]

[You have received

(1) Catalyst ]

[New Car Skill Accumulating 2/3]

[New Car Skill Accumulating 3/3]

[New Car Skill Accumulating 1/3]

[Ding!]

[You have unlocked a new Car Skill!]

"Oh! This too?!"

Luca was thrown back because he had completely forgotten about the Accumulation that changes completed Self Skills into a Car Skill. It had been 1/3 since the Brazilian Grand Prix where he had unlocked Yaw Flex through this very same medium, and now he had completed another round.

"It better not be another repetition."

[You have unlocked a new Skill:

— Night Vision Systems: 5]

Luca almost fell to his knees, ready to yell to the heavens in pure agony. Another duplication pricked him really hard because he had truly believed that his silent, intuitive theory that Skills unlocked through the Accumulating medium would never be duplicates, was true.

It turned out the theory was not correct at all, and now another version of Night Mastery had been unlocked.

[System has detected skill overlap.]

— Night Vision Systems → Converted to Night Mastery]

"Will it be completed?"

[Optimizing...]

[Optimization successful.]

Ding!

[You have gained EXP:]

— Night Mastery

+10 ] fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"At this stage, I might have just completed all my Self Skills…"

[Unfortunately, host, Night Mastery requires one more point (19).]

[There are only 2 Self Skills left to complete: Straightaway Chopping and Night Mastery! And both hover at (19) points!]

"That's wonderful. Show me the entire panel."

[Generating...]

[Skills & Techniques: S-Grade

Reflexes: 20 (+4)

Overtaking Skill: 20 (+6)

Track Awareness: 20 (+3)

Pitstop Prodigy: 20 (+4)

Corner Chopping: 20

Straightaway Chopping: 19

Spatial Awareness : 20 (+5)

Side-by-Side King: 20 (+5)

Slipsense & Rainborne: 20 (+2)]

Others (Locked) ]

Seeing all of this, Luca could confidently say that he had reached a level that only a select few in the world could even dream of. Every skill, every technique was honed to near perfection, his mind and body shaped into the sharpest edge possible

Now he understood what the system meant by he wouldn't just be driving the car, but becoming it, turning every subtle movement of the wheel and every tap of the brake pedal into an extension of himself.

Others might say he grew fast, but to Luca, this felt like decades of training and improvement because he actually had a purpose and time couldn't go any slower. From night racing's darkness to the tightest, most hair-raising side-by-side battles, he had achieved adeptness. He had gathered every point like treasures and made the best of it.

He was even graded (S) now by the system. And Luca felt like he was currently where he dreamt he would be the moment he attained the system.

But it didn't completely feel as such.

He wanted the gold, the trophy, the celebration, the privilege to mock the enemies instead of being mocked. That was what mattered here in F1, not even the billion dollar investments, income and expenditure happening backstage.

"How will DRS Boost help.....?"

"Mandalora now has a pretty long home straight with two more of equalling lengths and a few other alleyways. Having an amplified DRS window would truly help even though I'd be entering this race with just (5)."

"But still, system. Go ahead and state the description so I won't miss a thing."

[This Car Skill optimizes the Drag Reduction System (DRS) functionality by refining the timing of its deployment and maximizing its aerodynamic efficiency. By reducing drag by up to 25%, it significantly increases the car's top speed during DRS zones. Perfect for executing overtakes or extending leads, especially on tracks with long straights.]

[DRS Boost positively influences...]

[—Aerodynamics ]

[DRS Boost also supports Self Skills]

[—Overtaking

—Slipstream Mastery

—Side-by-side King]

Even though he'd be starting with (5), Luca could already see the promise in DRS Boost. It had the potential to significantly ease overtaking efforts and provide that extra edge when he needed it most. The idea of harnessing a boost that was so precise and powerful excited him deeply, he could almost taste the moment when he'd flick the switch and feel the car surge forward, tearing past a rival down the straight.

This greatly boosted his morale for the Spanish Grand Prix, and he arrived with an uplifted spirit, knowing that he would also start at pole.

"...Welcome, motorsport fans, to the Circuit de Barca-Raval for the Spanish Grand Prix! This is round 15—yes, the 15th race of the season, and it's one of the most iconic events in motorsport history. Here in the heart of Barcelona, nearly half a million fans have packed into the circuit, their roars echoing across every corner of this legendary track, while millions more around the world are glued to their screens, ready to witness the drama unfold....!"

"...this is the first of the concluding months of the year, and with only five rounds to go, the tension in the championship battle is at an all-time high. Today's race marks the true turning point of the season....!"

"...Rennick stands on pole, eager to maintain his edge and stamp his authority as the greatest youngest driver he's proven to be. Meanwhile, Davide DiMarco—after a crash in qualifying—finds himself at the very back of the grid, starting in P19 and P20 alongside Lockwood and Mikhail Petrov, who also crashed out. From last to glory? Or will Luca's dominance be untouchable..?

"..WHATEVER HAPPENS, EXPECT FIREWORKS, WHEEL-TO-WHEEL BATTLES, AND PURE RACING SPIRIT..!"

"...Que empiece la carrera...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

****

Luca and Rodnick officially don't speak anymore, and they kept this new tradition when they geared up for the race.

Rodnick's own reason for this no-contact tradition was because he took Luca as a threat, no longer the teammate he could hector into submission or manipulate into his shadow. Instead, he saw a real rival, a force that could and would challenge everything he had once held uncontested. Rodnick wasn't willing to share that space anymore, not with someone as driven and unstoppable as Luca had become.

However, Luca's own reason was entirely different; he genuinely believed Rodnick was becoming… mad. And in Luca's mind, 'mad' didn't just mean angry or reckless, it was something deeper. He saw a flicker of real mental damage, like a glitch in Rodnick's psyche that made him unpredictable, dangerous even, as if every moment he held his helmet or climbed into his car, he was waging a battle in his own mind. That scared Luca.

So, for his own sake, and for the sake of whatever remained of their team harmony, Luca decided to let the silence speak for them both.

"...P1, Luca Rennick...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"...P9, Marcellus Rodnick..!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

Whenever Luca glanced at Rodnick, it wasn't only pity for whatever mental health he was in, but also he had qualified poorly, and it was only the 97's and ThunderKat's prowess that assisted him to make P9.

Even Ansel qualified above him in P7, Ferrari engineering already doing wonders for Trampos and the German.

Maybe the race would be nothing like the qualifiers, and Rodnick would return to peak performance, Ansel to the bottom as well.

[SYNCHRONIZING HOST....]

[SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]

[Host is now synched with Ferrari (JRX-97)]

**Alright gentlemen, this is the final check before the race start. If you can hear me, please acknowledge. Let's get in sync, please cooperate with the formation instructions. Lights out in two minutes – everyone be sharp. We're counting on you both to handle this grid cleanly**