My Formula 1 System-Chapter 369: S2 Hungarian Grand Prix. 7

Luca's own pitstop came at the 26th Lap. By then, just before he boxed, he had climbed up to P2 after Jimmy Damgaard, who had left for the pits earlier, abandoned his post. Jimmy had no real fight left in him the moment DiMarco—now running P5—announced he had the right tire warmth and momentum to push hard.

At P2, Luca entertained the thought that maybe, just maybe, he could snatch P1 if Luigi decided to pit or leave the track any moment now. But it turned out Squadra Corse had been planning their strategy well, or perhaps it was just coincidence that they had scheduled Luigi for a pitstop on the same window as Luca.

And so, three solid seconds ahead, Luigi peeled into the pitlane at the start of Lap 26, and Luca followed after, clinging to the tiny hope of beating him out first with a perfect execution of Pitstop Prodigy.

[System Update: Pitlane Entry Detected]

[Speed Limit: 80 km/h]

[System's prediction: 11 sec—13 sec]

With both Luca and Luigi exiting the race temporarily for tire changes—plus a rear wing replacement in Luca's case—Marko Ignatova, who had boxed much earlier and was 4.5 seconds behind when Luca entered the pitlane, swept into P1.

Hot on his tail was Ailbeart Moireach, now flying with a fresh set of softs and a Renault that gleamed under the lowering sun, polished and aggressive.

"...Marko Ignatova now leads in P1, Ailbeart Moireach chasing in P2...!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

The race had flipped on its head. New names, new leaders were up front now, reshuffling the order, while Luca and Luigi scrambled to return to the fray.

And seated comfortably in P3 was a certain familiar name:

P3— Davide DiMarco

"Fast pit, fast pit! You're clean Luca—full push on exit!**

[System's prediction: 11 sec—13 sec]

[Host's pitlane Entry and Exit: 10.4 sec]

[You've received (1) Aerodynamics EXP]

[Aerodynamics +1]

Even though Luca's pitstop was lightning fast, he still didn't beat Luigi out of the pitlane. Honestly, it was never going to happen unless someone had bolted a rocket to Luca's newly installed rear wing.

Luigi already had a solid three-second head start before they even entered the pitlane. And on top of that, Squadra Corse's pitcrew was just as sharp and deadly efficient as Jackson Racing's.

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At the end of it all, Luca ended up trailing Luigi closely as they rejoined the intersection.

But while they had been busy in the pitlane, Dreyer and Damgaard had already snatched up P4 and P5 respectively, forcing Luigi and Luca to slot into the next available spots.

P6— Antonio Luigi ←

P7— Luca Rennick ←

"...Would you look at that! The former race leaders—Antonio Luigi, who was in P1 just a lap ago, and Luca Rennick—have both dropped all the way down to P6 and P7! Absolutely unbelievable...!"

[7th Position]

Luca almost laughed when he realized he was sitting right there again—P7. Just like at the Australian Grand Prix.

It really seemed Australia was nowhere near his turf, considering it had hosted his most significant worst finishes of his career.

[8th closing in]

After quickly scanning the leaderboard and getting confirmation from his engineers, Luca registered that it was Hank Rice sitting behind him in P8.

[Analyzing 8th Position's distance from host and Ferrari (JRX-92B)...]

[8th Position is 1.8 sec away, host.]

Luca immediately understood that since he was still building up tire warmth and momentum, Hank Rice and his extremely inferior Audi could actually pose a legitimate threat. If Luca wasn't sharp to act right now, he could get thrown one position down without even a real fight.

[Front Left: 85°C → 78°C ❌]

[Front Right: 89°C → 75°C ❌]

[Rear Left: 90°C → 77°C ❌]

[Rear Right: 84°C → 78°C ❌]

Luca noticed how warming up the tires after the pitlane was becoming faster compared to earlier races. He glanced up at Luigi's car ahead and skillfully analyzed the same progress of his rival.

"Wow... they're still nowhere near ready for good grip and acceleration..."

Meanwhile, his own tires, just seconds after leaving the pitlane, had built enough temperature to give him at least decent confidence in corner diving.

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

[You are 0.5 seconds away, host.]

Luca knew right away that there was absolutely no reason to hold back. If he could overtake Luigi here and now, it would give him critical breathing room from Hank Rice, who was pushing hard with warm softs and growing momentum.

**Luca, Antonio's struggling—your tires are coming in strong and fast! Go for it! Don't wait around! Push now!**

"...and Luca Rennick seems to be all over Antonio Luigi's back! He's long been within striking distance, but now it looks like he's finally committing—he's abandoned the pursuit for grip and he's going for it!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"...he's pulling alongside! Antonio Luigi is struggling massively with tire grip, you can see the rear end sliding!"

"...into Turn 3—Luca Rennick dives in late on the brakes! Luigi tries to cover but can't hold him!"

Luigi's face twisted in frustration at the brief, one-sided duel. "Overcooked fucking prodigy! Why don't you face me when I'm all ready, HEH?!"

But Luca had done that before this season. And won. Hadn't he?

P6— Luca Rennick ↑

P7— Antonio Luigi ↓

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"...and he's through! Luca Rennick seizes P6 away from Antonio Luigi with a sharp, clinical move into the first straight...!"

[6th Position]

"...brilliant driving from the man in the Ferrari! Absolutely ruthless when it mattered most!"

[Gripper +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 50%]

"So many Gripper points this race... looks like Gripper's basically carrying the system's whole progression now," Luca muttered under his breath thoughtfully.

**Good move, Luca. Keep focus, keep building**

Luca was actually grateful to Luigi, who gave it one more shot down the straightforward run into Turn 4.

But Luca was ready—he showed him the true strength of his skills with a sharp, controlled defense that left Luigi scrambling. By the time they exited the corner, Luigi was completely thrown off balance, vulnerable—and ripe—for Hank Rice to reap without even breaking a sweat.

[Straightaway Chopping +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 62.5%]

"...ohhh no—Antonio Luigi's failed rechallenge just left the door wide open! Hank Rice is storming through at Turn 4!"

While powering through the exit of Turn 5, Luca couldn't resist stealing a glance at his mirrors, just in time to catch the action.

Hank Rice, low and mean in that Audi, had already pounced, nailing the apex of Turn 4 and completing the overtake.

P6— Luca Rennick

P7— Hank Rice ↑

P8— Antonio Luigi ↓

P9— Buoso Di Renzo

P10— Desmond Lloyd

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

"...Hank Rice is through! Hank Rice up to P7 after that textbook move! LUIGI FALLS TO P8...!"