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My Formula 1 System-Chapter 362: Stallion Down. 2
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When the accident happened, it was just less than a week to go to the Hungarian Grand Prix. Time was of the essence, and Rodnick's injury had already set back a lot of the technical progress Jackson had been building towards.
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There was no use sugar-coating it—the wrist was bad. A clean fracture to the scaphoid and radius area, sustained when the steering column jolted violently on impact. The swelling alone was enough to prevent proper hand movement, and any pressure or torque on the joint sent sharp pain running up his forearm.
If he forced himself into the cockpit, the team doctors explained that he could risk permanent damage. He wouldn't be able to rotate properly through corners, he wouldn't have the grip strength for high-speed braking, and in a worst-case scenario, might lose full wrist mobility.
Jackson accepted the grim truth. Rodnick's injury was too severe, would need real time to heal, and would have him miss the race in Budapest.
The announcement to the public was made just a day and a half after, especially since videos of the crowded Turn 2 had already spread from the phones of the few fans who'd been present. Footage of the impact, the chaos, and even fragments of the extraction had gone viral by morning.
The news was received by the FIA, who logged the incident officially into their private safety database, noting the details of the crash, the cause, and the injury for internal review. However, no penalties or investigations were issued, as it was a private team training session and no foul play had been involved.
Jackson Racing took the news with heavy hearts. The garage had gone quiet, and the mood of all fans now somber. Of course it was going to be this way because Rodnick was their top star driver, and the thought of heading into Hungary without him left a heavy cloud over the team.
They released a statement wishing him a smooth recovery and thanked the medics and marshals who responded so quickly.
On the other hand, other teams were selfish and were quietly pleased to hear the news—especially Squadra fans, who made no effort to hide their excitement. To them, it was one less Jackson driver to worry about in Budapest, and that alone was cause for celebration.
The reigning champion would not race for one round, maybe two, Luca was sure Squadra weren't even the only ones happy with this sad news.
For example drivers like Dreyer, Ailbeart and Rice would be ecstatic because Rodnick's absence meant they would inevitably surpass him in the standings. So, Hungary would guarantee them a rise from one position toward title glory.
And then, we have Velocità, who were likely just happy that Rodnick was injured and nothing else.
Luca himself didn't even know what to do, other than to console Rodnick who had been weeping ever since. He wondered why Rodnick had decided to go for that redemption lap to prove his superiority. Perhaps if he hadn't, nothing of this sort would have happened.
It was in this state that Luca realized that he was actually Rodnick's closest teammate, even Rodnick was surprised to see the reality.
Because as soon as it was clear that Rodnick was not fit for driving, Di Renzo had fired up like it was his moment at last. Since he was usually benched and scarcely mentioned in key race discussions, suddenly becoming the center of attention in Jackson's garage was exhilarating.
He was already in full gear before the engineers even finished updating the strategy board. He smiled when no one else did. And he didn't try to hide the spark in his eyes when they said, "You'll be on the grid at Hungary."
Rodnick fumed when a crew member told him about Di Renzo's eagerness for F1 action. With teary eyed and a wrapped wrist, he muttered curses of disbelief and bitterness. Luca and Di Renzo were going to drive in Hungary, and to Rodnick, it felt as if Di Renzo was waiting for his downfall.
With no one else to blame, Rodnick decided to rewind back to the origin of everything. When he did, he found the perfect blame and it was Luca.
Rodnick believed if Luca had not set that blistering lap time, pushing him to chase perfection, none of this would have happened. The pressure to outdo Luca had eaten away at him, driving him to take unnecessary risks during that training session.
If only Luca hadn't pushed him to that place of recklessness. He would never admit it out loud, but deep down, it was easier for him to channel his anger at his teammate than accept that it was his own ambition that had failed him.
Luckily, Luca wasn't around to feel any bad energy emanating from Rodnick. They'd left him in England to the care of his family, giving him the space to heal, both physically and mentally. While Rodnick remained in recovery, Luca and the rest of the team headed to Hungary for the race, their minds preoccupied with the upcoming Grand Prix rather than the tension that lingered with Rodnick's absence.
So while Rodnick was ranting and murmuring to himself, back in England with his arm in a brace and frustration in his voice, Luca was feeling the soft breeze of Budapest brushing past his cheeks. It reminded him of last year—especially the Danube Embankment, where he had completed a jog for one of his Daily Quests.
Now, he was in Hungary with the same purpose—to set a fast lap in Qualifiers and win pole.
There had been quiet talks in the management about letting Luca take the second JRX-97 for this eighth round. It was tempting. The chassis was newer, more refined, and had the same features that could boost performance, especially with a second ThunderKat integrated into its system. But after a brief internal debate, Jackson decided against it.
There were only two units of the 97 ever built. One was now a mangled wreck thanks to Rodnick's crash, and the other was sitting pristine in the shadows of the Jackson garage. They'd decided it best not to risk it, not until the wrecked one had been rebuilt.
Using both now would mean having no spare, which was a logistical nightmare they didn't want to entertain. It'd be a disaster if both got wrecked and Jackson had none left to compete with in later rounds.
So Luca would stick with his faithful 92B for the Hungarian GP, and Di Renzo would be rejoining the grid as well, filling in the second Jackson seat with the same chassis.
Obviously, a part of Luca couldn't deny he wished Jackson had gone through with letting him pilot the 97—just this once. Even if it would slightly mess up with his progress rhythm and confuse his system when he'd have to return to the 92B after Rodnick healed, he still wanted to feel it. Wanted to taste the raw output of the 97. Feel the ThunderKat snarl behind and below him.
But what if he handled the 97 better than Rodnick ever could?
Would Jackson then reconsider their current lineup? Would they rethink who really deserved to sit in the cockpit of the Ferrari JRX-97? The idea was fully entertained in Luca's mind as he stared across the paddock.
[Generating track layout...]
[... successfully generated]
[...
┌T1┐
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T3---------T4-----T5
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└T2┘
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┌ T7 ---T6
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T8---T9----T10┐
T14--T13---T12---------------- T11.
...]
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