My Formula 1 System-Chapter 394: History Is A Rumour In The Making

Post the British GP, the days that followed were a mixture of rain and sunshine, yet the atmosphere remained steadily reflective throughout. A lot of strong words were uttered by team principals, especially Mr. Matthews, who firmly assured his rivals that his star driver would be present in South Africa, fully charged and ready to help the team defend its title. Other team principals voiced their own strategies and intentions, creating a constant buzz across TVs in London and beyond.

Eventually, the country of England slowly emptied itself of the visiting teams and foreigners who had come to witness the race in person. Meanwhile, Jackson and Haddock Racing were left to pule over their ninth-round performance, which had veered completely afield from what was initially schemed.

Haddock Racing didn't quite know where to begin sorting things out, but as long as they still clung to 4th Place in the Constructor's Championship Standings—just above Iberia in 5th—they chose to treat the British GP as nothing more than a temporary setback.

As usual with Jackson Racing, losses, lapses, disappointments, and setbacks were always taken in stride, keeping the team upbeat and sanguine in anticipation of better outcomes. Di Renzo's DNF was generally addressed to the entire team as simply unfortunate. It wasn't due to any crew or car blunder, nor was it a question of Di Renzo's capability. It was just one of those accursed incidents in F1, one of those moments that reminded everyone exactly why the sport was built on risk.

Luca, on the other hand, was praised for his impressive faculty during the race, having catapulted himself from the depths of what looked like total failure for the Silver Stallions to a solid P4 finish. With the 12 points he secured, he managed to keep the team afloat in the standings. He received a remark to "please keep it up."

Inside Di Renzo, it was like an erupting volcano, yet his exterior expression remained composed. He portrayed just a deep, uninterested stare aimed at Luca as the team's debriefing carried on.

Rodnick was present as well, and Di Renzo's eyes moved to him in succession. The reality of knowing he wouldn't be racing again for who knows how long, rendered him mute, his bones melting under the heat of rage silently whirling within him.

The South African Grand Prix was a new race, the first ever to be held on the African continent. And truly, which F1 driver wouldn't want to be part of history, to race in such a tectonic motorsport event?

In fact, the RSA Grand Prix and the KGP Circuit could very well go down as the first race and track to host a car running with a HiCE.

It was still a speculation though, but the news had broadly spread that Velocità were the first team making the fastest progress toward ushering in The Unrestricted Power Era with their HiCE unit named <Tempesta MkII>. The "MkII" signified "Mark 2," a widely used engineering naming convention for improved versions, implying the original Tempesta still existed.

Bueseno Velocità had yet to release an official statement, but they would have to soon enough. Regulations required them to notify the grid before using it, declaring what they now had in their arsenal; the capabilities of this engine, and the new chassis that would house it.

Rumour or not, Jackson Racing had already begun preliminary discussions, because a threat from Velocità wasn't just a threat to the podium, it was a threat to their very existence as an F1 team.

Management, however, assured everyone that they would bare their own set of canines soon enough, and Velocità would not be the only team with the upper hand in the coming battles for success.

Luca was highly emotionally intelligent. From the moment the entire crew was assured that the ThunderKat 2.0 would make its debut soon enough, he sensed a significant shift in the atmosphere.

It was quiet and telepathic, but Luca could tell that he and Rodnick had silently entered a war of thought, both contemplating whether the team had made any adjustments regarding who would pilot you-know-what.

Would it be Luca?

Would it be Rodnick?

Luca only entertained the thought as a faint possibility, but he didn't dwell on it. Deep down, he already knew Rodnick had it in the bag; he'd be the first to drive whatever breakthrough came next for Jackson Racing. After all, it was practically baked into his contract, Rodnick was the team's "designated premier driver", quoted from the contract. In Luca's interpretation, it should be a term for a competitor automatically positioned at the forefront of any technological evolution the team pushed forward.

So, Luca let the thought slide, freeing his mind to stay sharp and focused for the challenges still ahead. The season was only halfway through, and yet he was at the top of the standings, something he could also tell quietly irked and disturbed Rodnick.

Besides, if Rodnick was going to be the one behind the new chassis and engine, it meant the 97 would be free for him, wouldn't it?

Either way, stagnation wasn't Luca's fate here. And that's exactly what he liked.

A huge fog still clouded Luca's head and he sought for mediums to vacuum everything. Fatedly, he received a call from a long time friend now, Kendall the footballer. Kendall's voice filled the inside of Luca's car, boosted by the Bluetooth speakers while he drove Isabella to the Custard Factory, a routine for him.

"My gee! Where are you headed?!"

"Taking Isabella... out," Luca replied after a brief thought.

"Isabella? Who's that?!"

Luca glanced at Isabella, who was already intrigued by the conversation, then returned his gaze to the road. "Are you serious right now? I've told you about her like, ten times. Don't you re—"

"OHHH! Isabella!" Kendall suddenly yelled, his voice bursting with excitement as it finally clicked. "Yo—hey Isabella!"

Isabella laughed from the passenger seat as Luca mouthed to her who was on the line.

"Hello, Mr. Kendall," she responded warmly.

"Alright! Cool! Cool! It's even better with the both of you. I'm hitting the greens tomorrow at the West Midlands Pines Golf Course. Don't ask where it is, just bring your relaxed clothes and let's swing some clubs!"

Luca already knew where West Midlands Pines Golf Course was, and honestly, golfing sounded like a great idea. Isabella didn't hesitate to accept either. She said she could skip one day of studying—just one—for another shot at her dream school entrance exams later, all just to swing some clubs like Kendall said.

On the day, Luca and Isabella donned standard casual golfing attire as they walked into the course, their hands interlocked. They both admired the place; the trimmed greens, the smooth stone pathways, polished wooden bungalows with open verandas, and the modern clubhouse sitting grandly in the distance with glass-panel walls gleaming under the sun.

Naturally, they compared the stretch of the golf course to the plains in Luca's villa.

Isabella claimed Luca's villa had wider land, but Luca disagreed, saying the golf course was larger. He knew it wasn't. He just liked watching her go off, launching into a passionate and dramatic explanation to prove him wrong.

While Isabella turbulently explained her point as they walked towards the nearest golf bungalow, Luca suddenly heard someone shriek his name so loudly it startled some birds into the sky.

"MR. LUCAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

It sounded like a little child's voice, and indeed, it belonged to a little child. Emma—Ansel's niece—was sprinting toward Luca and Isabella with so much vigour that Luca's initial startle quickly shifted to fear she might trip and bruise herself.

"Who's the girl?" Isabella asked as Emma came to a halt in front of them, gripping her small-sized golf club like a knight's sword. She was fully geared for golf.

"Mr. Kendall's daughter?" Isabella asked again, genuinely confused by the random nature of the encounter.

"No. She's a fellow racer's child—or niece—whichever you prefer," Luca replied, giving Emma a light fistbump. "And if she's here..." he continued, trailing off as his eyes lifted, scanning the tops of the plains in search of Ansel.

What he was looking for was already standing at the edge of the nearest tee box, elevated just slightly above the putting range. Ansel, Laura, and Kendall had been watching the scene unfold from the moment Emma screamed his name.

Fuuuccccking bastard, Luca hissed internally as he finally realized Ken's real intention behind setting up this occasion.

Luca had no other option than to approach them with Isabella and the runaway child. When they arrived, Kendall immediately squeezed him into a hug and praised Isabella's gorgeousness afterward. Isabella was then introduced to everyone else, and greetings were passed around—including between Luca and Ansel. It was formal and casual at the same time; both were men, and not children, of course.

During the interaction, Luca's eyes drifted down to Laura's tummy. The protrusion was subtle, yet obvious at the same time. He closed his eyes with a soft smile and congratulated Ansel afterwards.

"He's going to be the future generation's Maldonado," Luca remarked, and everyone laughed. He couldn't believe the same Ansel from yesterday was going to be a pops soon, and little Emma would finally have someone to play with.

Without wasting the good vibes and cool atmosphere, Ken swiftly organised a friendly round of golf—a mini family competition. He grouped them team-against-team: 'Dates' versus 'Diapers' as he humorously named it. Clubs were distributed, the course was set, and the game was on.

Luca wasn't good at golfing, but he did his best. He was just happy that Isabella seemed to be exceptionally good at it! She was basically a pro. Which made sense, of course because having a father like Mr. Schafer, who had spent most of his prime mingling with tycoons, Isabella had gotten a lot of golfing experience when she was little.

With her 80% effort, Luca managed 20%, and together they beat Ansel and Laura at the end of it. Luca couldn't believe he was actually yearning for the day to end, because throughout the whole game, Ansel had been making these small, steady efforts to spark a long-lasting and meaningful conversation—something Luca often shut down, subtly and in the right way. Still, it made Luca uncomfortable over time. He was grateful to have Isabella on his team; her presence and skill made it a quick, clean sweep win.

During ice cream time before their departure, Emma, as usual, walked up to Luca and said her mind. She claimed, with a face showing no hint of untruth or deceit, that her uncle had been feeling bad for many months now and would like to be his friend again.

Luca couldn't say he didn't see this coming. He knew Emma wasn't bluffing, and Ansel had indeed been showing signs that he wanted to set things right after what happened last year.

But Luca didn't want things adjusted more than how they were now. In his opinion, this was the best kind of arrangement for the both of them, especially since they were now rivals in different teams. In fact, save for the possibility of Trampos eventually joining Ferrari like the rumors claimed, Luca even felt like today's casual activity with a rival team's driver was already a small act of betrayal to Jackson Racing.

So, no. Luca's answer to any friendship recalibration was a flat-out no. And he made sure to say the word "no" to little Emma firmly, so she'd understand he was serious about it and wouldn't bring it up again.