My Formula 1 System-Chapter 387: S2 British GP. 2

"...Oh, it seems some drivers are not on greens today. A surprising decision to start on softs for a few drivers, and I must admit, it's rather shocking to see them take such a risk in these conditions."

"...Indeed, this could either be a stroke of genius or a disaster. The track is drying up fast, but with that drying comes the potential for a lot of instability. Those on soft tires might have a temporary advantage—better grip early on, quicker acceleration, but once the track truly dries out, those softs will degrade at an alarming rate. This could really throw a wrench in their strategies as the race progresses, especially if the track continues to dry out quicker than expected."

The drivers not currently on intermediates were Ailbeart Moireach, Javier Montez, Mikhail Petrov, Jimmy Damgaard, and Elias Nyström. All fifteen others were running with the expected intermediates, just like Luca.

Haddock Racing and Outback must have had the same thinking when setting out Ailbeart and Montez with softs. Both had started from further down the grid, P20 and P17 respectively. It was clear their teams were hoping to gamble on the slick track and the soft compounds to gain an initial burst of acceleration. The risk here was significant, but they needed that jump to make up places quickly and enter the real competition for points.

And, true to form, Ailbeart Moireach was already in P16, and Javier Montez had moved up to P14. Although their teams didn't anticipate the drying track being this favorable, the conditions had already turned in their favor, and they were set to reap the benefits.

P11— Marko Ignatova ↑

P12— Hank Rice ↑

P13— James Lockwood ↓

P14— Javier Montez ↑

P15— Desmond Lloyd ↓

P16— Ailbeart Moireach ↑

P17— Ansel Hahn ↓

P18— Alejandro Vasquez ↓

P19— Józef Kornaski ↓

P20— Erik Haas ↓

However, moving over to Mikhail Petrov, Jimmy Damgaard, and Elias Nyström... the reasons for starting on softs were starkly different and more versatile.

First, for Nyström, he had urged his team to let him start on softs if it wasn't particularly raining on race day. He was longing for points, believing he had been left out from competitive talks, and being able to run on softs while others moved on intermediates would be a subtle but impactful difference.

So, when the team arrived on the slick track of Stadhaven, but under a clear sky, they decided to support Nyström.

Mikhail Petrov and Jimmy Damgaard had similar reasons to each other. Iberia and Velocità were simply looking forward to testing out different secondary strategies, especially since both teams performed Tiered Pursuit.

They wanted to test out—while being safe—certain combinations for success. So while their Driver As—Rice and DiMarco—remained safe on intermediates at the start of the race, they rushed their Driver Bs—Petrov and Damgaard—to start on softs. If the track did dry up like it just did now, they would capitalize.

So while Haddock and Outback hadn't expected this but benefited, Nordvind, Iberia, and Velocità had anticipated it in at least one of their nets, and the dice just happened to land on six.

[DATA DISPLAYED IN REAL-TIME:

-Car Speed: 210 km/h

-Heart Rate: 110 bpm

-Operational Status: 60% (Fair)

-Breathing: Calm & Steady

-Distance covered: 55000m

-Time: 15 min.]

Just the wearing tires had totally reduced the general Operational Status of the car. All around the grid, the fifteen drivers on intermediates had begun to make stops one by one. It was a bit tragic, and swear words were flying to and fro across the radio waves. Garages were now active as softs were brought out for change—some even hards.

Luca was definitely going to be among the later pitters, as his Gripper Skill and slight increase in Tire Wear Management had helped him stay out this long.

[Tire Wear Management +1]

[Gripper +1]

[SYNC BAR: [][][][] 12.5%]

[ALERT: Intermediate Compound Degradation Level—78%]

[Alerting drop in lateral grip. Rolling friction increased. Corner exit acceleration down by -0.03]

[Traction at 61%. DRS gain less effective in zones]

[Current lap performance efficiency: 72% and falling...]

P9— Buoso Di Renzo →

Di Renzo wasn't as good at managing his tires as Luca, so he was early to visit the pits, the compound sabotage crisis hitting him very hard. He had started the race in P8, but when the deterioration began, Mikhail Petrov—despite having an inferior chassis but blessed with those softs—stole his position with a sly overtake.

Now, as Di Renzo dove into the garage, exiting the track in P9, Damgaard—another soft runner and spammer—swiftly inherited his position without delay, charging ahead with the confidence that "this is gonna be easy."

"...And there it is! This is definitely swinging in favor of the drivers who took the bold risk to start on softs. What looked like madness just a few laps ago is now unfolding into sheer brilliance. Damgaard, Petrov, Montez, Ailbeart—they're picking off the inter runners like low-hanging fruit! It's a total reversal of fortunes!"

The Pit Panic Phase stretched on for seven laps, and just as the commentators said, the drivers who did not pit were easily gaining positions like crazy. Ailbeart Moireach was unbelievably in P9 now, Nyström had broken into the top five, closely followed by his advancing siblings.

**Alright, Luca. Box this lap. Box this lap. We're ready for you. Pit lane's clear and the crew's standing by**

**We've monitored tire temps and wear, and we're right on the edge. We don't want to lose any more time out there**

[16th Lap]

[System Update: Pitlane Entry Detected]

[Speed Limit: 80 km/h]

[System's prediction: 13 sec—16 sec]

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

[2nd Position is 6.3 sec away, host]

Luca quickly analyzed who had taken P2. With the leaderboard shifting so erratically between laps, he knew he likely had a new immediate chaser.

P1 — Luca Rennick

P2 — Antonio Luigi

P3 — Elias Nyström

P4 — Luis Dreyer

P5 — Jimmy Damgaard

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"

Luca was stunned to see that Luigi had climbed to second. He hadn't expected to see the Mercedes there, but checking his mirrors, there was still no silver machine in sight. Regardless, Luigi, who had just exited the pits with fresh tires, wouldn't be able to resist the sheer charge coming from Nyström. Dreyer, who had dropped further, looked to be struggling as well to Damgaard's ferociousness.

Luca clenched his teeth as he barreled toward the garage entry. These drivers weren't just moving up, they were beginning to look like real threats. If he didn't act fast, and with precise calculations, they could shove him down the order in the blink of an eye.