SLAM!
A loud bang shattered the morning quiet.
Everyone in the ART pit garage jumped, instinctively spinning toward the source of the noise, their shoulders hunching as if a T-Rex had just appeared behind them.
A figure emerged from a side room, his hair a wild, chaotic mess. His face was flushed and his eyes were hazy, a clear sign he had just woken up.
He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and blue jeans, but the casual outfit was draped over the perfect proportions of a young athlete, all broad shoulders and narrow waist. His jeans were rolled up at the cuffs, and he was barefoot, making his grand entrance into the professional garage with a casual, untamed air, his eyes barely able to stay open.
His very presence broke every rule and convention, and in an instant, he had captured every eye in the room.
It wasn't until the roar of an engine from the pit lane outside filtered in that the ART garage realized they had all been holding their breath. They were all frozen, just staring.
It took him a full second to notice the unnatural silence. As the outside world rushed back in, he rubbed his eyes. A small smile touched his lips, as bright and clear as the first ray of sun on a summer morning, cutting through the stuffy air.
"Morning, everyone. Hope you have a great day."
With a small wave, he turned and padded away, still barefoot, disappearing in the direction of the showers.
And... that was it.
Stunned silence. Russell and Aitken were frozen, their brains and tongues tied in knots.
Even after he was gone, it took another long moment before Russell finally turned to Aitken. "That's him?"
Aitken just pursed his lips and held up his hands, as if to say, Search me.
Russell couldn't believe it. "He's just a baby."
Aitken didn't stick around. "A baby with a diaper full of cash, maybe," he said, already turning to his own workstation. He didn't care. Not about the baby, not about Russell, not about Hubert. He just needed to focus on himself. No one on this team was his rival. His only rival was himself. If he performed, the championship was his.
Russell tried to say something else, but Aitken was already gone. He turned the other way, but Hubert had also returned to his data.
Russell: ???
He was left standing alone. He let out a frustrated sigh and glanced again in the direction Kai had disappeared.
Well, we'll see on the track. The proof is in the pudding. Even Lance Stroll had to prove it on the track.
Russell shook off his annoyance, composed himself, and began his own pre-session routine. He wasn't going to let some kid ruin his race weekend. His real rival was Aitken. He couldn't lose focus.
By the time Kai returned from his shower, fully awake, the garage was buzzing. The tense, busy air of a new season was thick with the smell of new tires and hot metal. He could feel furtive glances darting his way, lingering for a second before quickly snapping away.
Kai wasn't nervous. He ignored the stares, found his workstation, and got to work, pulling up the track data.
The biggest difference between GP3 and the F3 European Series was that GP3, as an official FIA championship, ran in parallel with F2 and F1.
In other words, GP3 and F2 were the official support races for Formula 1. They were under the same spotlight, and even if the general public wasn't paying close attention, the exposure was massive. More importantly, they were racing right under the noses of the F1 team bosses.
When a new talent emerged here, the paddock would know it instantly.
This weekend was the perfect example: it was the fifth race of the F1 season, the second race for the newly-rebranded F2, and the season opener for GP3. They were all here at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, ready to battle under the Catalan sun.
Friday's schedule was packed: F1 Practice 1, F2 Practice, F1 Practice 2, F2 Qualifying, and finally, GP3 Practice.
Even though they'd been at the track since dawn, they wouldn't even get to drive until 5:50 PM.
For now, all eyes were on F1.
For Kai, everything was new, and it was all incredibly exciting. The roar, the heat, the noise... he didn't even have to move. Just being here made his blood sing.
Watching on TV, you can't truly appreciate the violence of 300 km/h. But seeing it in person, hearing that explosive crack as the cars ripped through the air, it was enough to make your heart stop.
This wasn't just "driving in circles." This was a battle between man and machine, a human adventure to the absolute limit of speed.
It was only now, standing in a real F1 paddock, that the feeling became real, as if his soul could finally touch the raw fanaticism of the sport.
But, as they say: the expert sees the details, the layman just sees the show. After a few moments, Kai's excitement settled, and he entered work mode.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. 4.655 kilometers, 16 corners. It was a track of frequent elevation changes, dominated by medium and high-speed corners that put immense lateral and longitudinal loads on the car. It was a true test of a car's performance. If your car was slow here, there was little a driver could do to make up the difference.
But did that mean the driver didn't matter?
Of course not.
The Barcelona track was a brutal test of a driver's control over their tires and the car's balance. The track temperature was terrifying, often soaring past 50°C (122°F), like driving on a hot skillet. The combination of long, high-speed corners and heavy braking zones meant that tire wear was a constant, haunting spectre.
Furthermore, the track was dominated by difficult right-hand corners, which meant the left-front tire took a an absolute beating, causing the car's balance to shift constantly as the race wore on.
So, while car performance was king, driver management was the key.
This was especially true in GP3, a spec series where all the cars were identical. With no mandatory pit stops, drivers had to make one set of tires last the entire race. How a driver managed those tires was everything. If your tires were gone by the end, you were a sitting duck.
"...Are you looking at Turns 9 and 10?"
A quiet, scholarly voice suddenly appeared next to him. Kai flinched, turning his head to find a face uncomfortably close, as if an Alien had just popped onto his shoulder. He'd been so focused, the sudden intrusion had genuinely scared him.
~~----------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters:
[email protected] / Dreamer20