My Formula 1 System-Chapter 368: S2 Hungarian Grand Prix. 6

"...Race Control Warning: Car 4, Luca Rennick, cited for unsafe driving and aggressive overtaking attempts on Car 3, Davide DiMarco..."

The duel between Luca and DiMarco had gotten so fierce that they had made contact not once, not twice, but four times already. The touches weren't race-ending collisions, but they were sharp, staggering rubs that occasionally jolted them off-balance mid-corner.

Three out of those four clashes had actually harmed DiMarco more than Luca, because Luca, with his sharper Reflexes, superior Handling, and cold Agility, could correct faster and recover from snap moments. Ironically, it was those same three contacts that were DiMarco's own doing, as he kept squeezing back in whenever Luca snatched P3, desperate to maintain the fight and take it back.

At the start of Lap 11, into Turn 1's brutal hairpin—

"...OH IT'S A SLIGHT RUB BETWEEN RENNICK AND DIMARCO AS THEY LEAD THE PACK INTO LAP 11—AND THEY'RE NOT GIVING AN INCH...!!"

"WOOOOHH!"

**Luca, stay sharp! Tires are good—keep your line, don't let the rubs mess your exit!**

Then, into Sector 2's Turn 10 on Lap 12—

Luca lunged, this time clean and decisive, and took the position, making the duel even more a memorable one.

"... WHAT AND EXHILARATING PERFORMANCE HERE IN HUNGARY! RENNICK TAKES P3....!"

P3— Luca Rennick ↑

P4— Davide DiMarco ↓

"...BUT AT WHAT COST?! CONTACT AGAIN AS DIMARCO REFUSES TO YIELD! BOTH CARS SLIDE—LUCA HOLDS ON—MY GOODNESS, HE HOLDS ON...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

**Good job, Luca, you held it! Damage minimal—keep pushing, keep pushing! He's still behind, focus ahead!**

At Turn 1 again, where DiMarco launched yet another desperate attempt to retake P3—this time, the contact was the most disorienting of them all for Luca.

His rear tires clicked sideways from the brutal jolt, but he managed to grip the car back under him, clinging to the track with the massive momentum he had carried down from the home straight.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

[Gripper +1]

[Downforce +1]

[Handling +1]

[Ding!]

[Downforce at (30)]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 37%]

Jackson Racing's pit wall erupted, slamming fists and yelling, demanding why no penalty had been given to DiMarco after such a savage contact.

Even DiMarco himself had taken visible damage, causing a slightly battered front wing, and of course, Velocità were quick to use that as their stronghold to argue in defense of their driver.

However, Race Control clarified that both drivers had flushed out of the home straight carrying sonic-level momentum, and it was Luca who had deliberately cut across into DiMarco's racing line, trying to resume defensive positioning as fast as possible.

Truthfully, DiMarco could have remedied that momentum. It was possible for him to lift slightly and avoid the clash, but in that split-second, that primal instincts of his took over, and he decided if he couldn't pass clean, then he would scar this afternoon into Luca's memory.

It deeply annoyed Luca, because that was how DiMarco had retaken the position. It was a raw, ugly blow for him and Jackson Racing to accept then, because they had to merge focus on not just chasing back, but also monitoring the car's integrity after the hit.

P3— Davide DiMarco ↑

P4— Luca Rennick ↓

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

**Car's OK for now, Luca, car's OK. Front's stable, no critical damage. Keep focus, we'll manage it!**

And the most recent touch—Luca's own fault—and a near carbon-copy of the third incident, left Luca even more stunned, because when his Race Engineer radioed in, it was to tell him he was being warned.

**Luca—Race Control have issued a warning. Unsafe driving, Turn 12. No penalty yet, but another incident and they'll hit us. Just breathe, stay precise**

Sometimes, Luca seriously wondered if the FIA President was secretly Mr. Marchetti, because almost every damn marshal decision this season seemed hell-bent on never going in his favor.

How could DiMarco touch him three good times—with the third hit so brutal it actually won him the position—and still not get penalized? Not even a warning?!

But the moment Luca himself decided to risk it after the third straight and barely gave a rub, suddenly the marshals remembered how to sit up straight and pay attention!

Grinding his teeth, Luca flicked a glance down at his real-time display.

[DATA DISPLAYED IN REAL-TIME:

-Speed: 260 km/h

-Heart Rate: 110 bpm

-Stamina: 65% (Fair)

-Breathing: Calm & Steady

-Distance covered: 65000m

-Time: 25 min. ]

The long, terminal duel had taken a heavy toll on Luca's car, the tires especially, despite the recent improvements.

[Tire Wear Management +1]

A wave of regret passed through him and he suddenly wished he hadn't pushed so hard in the duel. He should have conserved more chassis strength, more tire life, more energy, because now, he was just informed by the engineers that DiMarco would be pitting soon.

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This just stripped the entire worth out of the duel, just like that,

because Luca would inherit P3 anyway.

After all that fighting! After all that grinding and scraping!

Luca realized if he hadn't wasted so much of the Ferrari's resources, he could have capitalized on this inheritance—pushed hard with fresher tires, built a gap, and rejoined the race in a much stronger position when it came time for his pit stop later.

But now, the team had scheduled his pit for four laps from now. That was very near, simply no much difference.

"Shit... I should be thinking much, much, much more ahead..."

Luca reckoned this must be one of those "useless" duels in history where two drivers fought like hell, sliced up their tires, sacrificed their cars' health, threw themselves at every corner like maniacs, only for one of them to pit a few laps later, making the whole thing feel meaningless.

And deep down, maybe Luca knew the duel was heading nowhere due to its earliness. And

he knew DiMarco knew as well.

So, it was definitely pride that didn't let either of them back down. Luca wanted to defeat DiMarco, and DiMarco didn't want to be defeated by Luca. Pretty simple.

[22nd Lap]

**Davide's boxing this lap, Luca! Box, box! You're clear to take P3—stay clean, stay clean!**

"...AND THERE IT IS—AFTER ALL THAT WILD BATTLING, DIMARCO PEELS INTO THE PITLANE, AND LUCA RENNICK INHERITS P3...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

The crowd erupted, not just for Luca's gain, but also for the action unfolding up front—Antonio Luigi had finally snatched P1 from Jimmy Damgaard as the pit stop cycles kicked off.

P1— Antonio Luigi ↑

P2— Jimmy Damgaard ↓

P3— Luca Rennick ↑