My Formula 1 System-Chapter 411: Saudi Arabian GP
Luca's suspicions were confirmed at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where the super drivers held their grip on the race without mercy. It was proven once more that the super drivers now were simply in a league of their own, their dominance impossible to ignore.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix had come and gone like a flash of lightning right at the start of August, mostly because August had three races to host. And so far, it was an event that Luca wished to forget as soon as possible.
The Riyadh Zenith Circuit came alive once again, almost exactly one year since F1 had last visited. The Saudi Arabian GP was held on August 15 last year, but this season's edition came earlier, scheduled one week prior, on August 7.
Just like the Canadian Grand Prix, the race unfolded as another showcase of power and precision by the super drivers, and hierarchy was clearer than ever, even in the dark shadows of Riyadh's night.
Previously, it was a 72-lap race, but since they had managed to increase the track length by incorporating more parts of the metropolis into the layout, it had been reduced to 68 laps. Still big though, regardless.
Even with the lengthy laps, other drivers still couldn't find a way to undercut Ailbeart Moireach, Marcellus Rodnick, and Davide DiMarco. It was simply a battlefield ruled by them from start to finish, though there were certain implicants that turned the race into a controversial one.
With two factors like poor visibility and the occasional tight street turns, crashes and DNFs were always bound to come into play, and they hit Iberia and Outback hard, as both their bigger drivers met the barriers with immense street-racing momentum. It was their fault, though. They had been trying to muscle against DiMarco and Rodnick, a feat Luca had long decided to abandon back at the shores of St. Lawrence.
Even during the first pitstop phase, where Dreyer had boxed right before Rodnick, tension ran high. Although Rodnick's car took a longer time than usual to service, he still had relatively the same pit time as Dreyer, since Outback Performance's pit crew weren't as precise or sharp as Jackson Racing's.
Because of this, an unsafe pit release occurred as Dreyer was let go into the path of Rodnick. No one could be truly sure if it was done on purpose or simply the result of the pitlane heat and urgency, but a major contact followed and Rodnick lost his front wings while Dreyer escaped with nothing. Rodnick, who had just boxed, was now forced to pit again. Perhaps that was exactly why he ended up targeting Dreyer later on in the race.
Another severe, though not race-ending, contact occurred during the third quarter of the Grand Prix. This one stirred a surge of nostalgia in Luca's chest as he vividly remembered what had transpired here on August 14th last year. It was the exact same thing that had plagued him and Ansel back in Trampos: a team order violation. And this time, it unfolded between Damgaard and DiMarco.
**Jimmy, Davide is faster. I repeat—Davide is faster. We need to let his car through. You are currently holding him up**
**…he can go if he's faster**
Damgaard had an understandable reason though. Since DiMarco now had an immensely superior chassis, why didn't he just overtake him instead of forcing Damgaard to drop momentum—no matter how slight—just to let him through?
Jimmy Damgaard stood firmly by his reasoning, which was also backed by a quiet envy of DiMarco. He wasn't going to give up his position unless DiMarco overtook him the real way—on track, with pace—not by request.
**Jimmy, this is not a request. I repeat—let Davide through. Do it now**
DiMarco, irritated, was like "Who does this brat think he is?" before doing exactly what Damgaard demanded—overtaking him. But DiMarco didn't do it safely or respectfully. He pulled off a move so aggressive that it nearly ended his teammate's race, brushing Damgaard's side roughly and triggering an outburst of swearing and fury from the Dane, who swore on top of his life to get payback, no matter the cost.
DiMarco would later go on to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, raising the Italian flag high in a country miles away. And later, during the post-race engagements, DiMarco and Damgaard ended up shoving each other inside the Velocità garage.
----
Final Race Standings – Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
🏁 Top 10 Finishers:
P1 – Davide DiMarco 🇮🇹 (Bueseno Velocità)
🏆 +25pts
P2 – Marcellus Rodnick 🇺🇸 (Jackson Racing) +18pts. (+1FL)
P3 – Ailbeart Moireach 🇬🇧 (Haddock Racing) +15pts
P4 – Antonio Luigi 🇮🇹
(Squadra Corse) +12pts
P5 – Luca Rennick 🇮🇹 (Jackson Racing) +10pts
P6 – Javier Montez 🇪🇸 (Outback Performance) +8pts
P7 – Elias Nyström 🇸🇪 (Nordvind Racing) +6pts
P8 – Jimmy Damgaard 🇩🇰 (Bueseno Velocità) +4pts
P9 – Marko Ignatova 🇷🇸 (Squadra Corse)
+2pts
P10 – Mark Derfflinger 🇩🇪 (Haddock Racing) +1pt
▾Remaining Finishers:
P11 – Ansel Hahn 🇩🇪 (Trampos Racing)
P12 – James Lockwood 🇬🇧 (Nordvind Racing)
P13 – Mikhail Petrov 🇷🇺 (Iberia Grand Prix)
P14 – Józef Konarski 🇵🇱 (Alpine Swiss F1)
P15 – Erik Haas 🇩🇪 (Trampos Racing)
P16 – Desmond Lloyd 🇬🇧 (Velox Hispania)
P17 – Yokouchi Yūichirō 🇯🇵 (Alpine Swiss F1)
P18 – Alejandro Vasquez 🇪🇸 (Velox Hispania)
⨉ DNF (Did Not Finish):
P19 – Hank Rice 🇬🇧 (Iberia Grand Prix) – Crash
P20 – Luis Dreyer 🇪🇸 (Outback Performance) – Crash
----- frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Coincidentally, almost the exact same results from P5 to P10 in Canada repeated themselves in Saudi Arabia, and Luca walked away with 10 points again in the 12th round. He was furious not just at the outcome, but because it felt like this was going to be the new, permanent setup from now on.
The way Ailbeart Moireach overtook him four times during the race, without Luca even being able to mount any real defense, genuinely disturbed him. He had only been able to generate 25% of Sync Buff from start to finish, and for the second time in a row, he would be saving that untouched stash of Catalysts and Wrenches.
What stung more was how Jackson Racing felt genuinely pleased with the race results. That really pained Luca, making him wonder if they weren't seeing the clear pattern beginning to unfold in Formula 1. From the look of things, Luca might soon see himself become the Driver B at Jackson Racing… if he wasn't already being viewed as such.
Jackson Racing could go on claiming they were a balanced team with no favoritism between drivers, but stats never lied. Luca was as good as a Driver B here, and it would only be a matter of time before the whole world came to accept that as truth.
Higher salary — Rodnick
More wins and titles — Rodnick
Higher merchandise sales — Rodnick
Better machinery — Rodnick
Deeper familiarity with the team — Rodnick
It was becoming painfully clear that Jackson Racing had no intention of funding another HiCE. So Luca wasn't getting his own anytime soon, he would have to create it himself with the system. And by the time he did, the Driver B label would be stamped on him so hard, it might not even matter anymore.
PROVISIONAL DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP10)
Position | Team
| Points
----------------------------------------
1.
| Luca Rennick
|
159
2.
| Antonio Luigi
|
153
3.
| Davide DiMarco
|
149
4.
| Ailbeart Moireach
|
130
5.
| Marcellus Rodnick
|
109
(+1) ↑
6.
| Luis Dreyer
|
99
7.
| Hank Rice
|
94
8.
| Marko Ignatova
|
94
9.
| Elias Nyström
|
80
10.
| Jimmy Damgaard
|
62
PROVISIONAL CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (ALL 10)
Position | Team
| Points
-----------------------------------------
1.
| Jackson Racing
|
281
2.
| Squadra Corse
|
246
3.
| Bueseno Velocità
|
209
4.
| Haddock Racing
|
145
5.
| Outback Perf.
|
126
6.
| Iberia Grand Prix
|
116
7.
| Nordvind Racing
|
81
8.
| Velox Hispania
|
8
9.
| Alpine Swiss F1
|
2.
10.
| Trampos Racing
|
1
Rodnick had made it back into the top five, Velocità had now joined the ranks of the 200+ points teams, and Elias Nyström had totally lost his cool, yelling and ranting at his teammate, Lockwood, for being completely useless to him. Out of Nordvind Racing's 81 total points, Nyström had contributed 80, while Lockwood? Just a single point.
It was fair to say frustration, boiling rage, and bitter disappointment defined the emotions of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Everyone felt it, from the backmarkers to the midfield, to even some at the front. The race had pulled out the worst in tempers, and Luca felt the influence creeping into him too.
The entire trip to and from Saudi Arabia had been frustrating, starting from the race itself to even the unexpected call he received from Ansel, who had reached out through Manuela, inviting him to a little party he had organised to celebrate his promotion to now using a Ferrari machine. Luca rudely shut Ansel down and told him not to call again, because he knew exactly what Ansel was trying to do, using the celebration as a medium to reconcile things.
Let's not forget this was the same Saudi Arabia, the same Riyadh Zenith Circuit, where Ansel had almost shattered Luca's ribs. So, Ansel thinking a little meet-up in that same atmosphere could help fix things? Not a chance. Luca made sure he spoke on the phone in a tone that left no room for hope, and no space for the request to be entertained again.
The only time he sounded calm on the phone was whenever Isabella called, just to keep him updated on the unprecedented issue that had suddenly risen within Ferrari.
Even though she explained it comprehensively, Luca still couldn't fully grasp the deeper lore behind it. But what he did understand was enough that Ferrari had just developed some form of strife with Jackson Racing and Trampos. Not even a full month had passed, and already, sibling conflict had poked its head.
