The European season's second half brought pressure unlike anything I'd experienced. Matteo extended his championship lead with a dominant double victory, while Sophie and Oliver traded wins, keeping the top four separated by only sixty points with four races remaining.
"You need to win consistently," Paolo told me before the eighth round. "Second place in championship is good, but Parolin expects victories. Matteo has four wins. You have one. This must change."
Lucas was struggling with the European intensity. He'd shown flashes of brilliance but consistency eluded him. After a DNF caused by contact with another driver, he sat with me in the team hospitality area, frustration evident.
"I don't understand," Lucas said. "In South America, I dominated. In North America, I was competitive. Here? I'm fighting for top ten."
"The level is higher. Everyone here has won championships somewhere."
"You're winning. You adapted."
"I had advantages you don't." The System, the skills, the supernatural help I couldn't mention. "But you're talented, Lucas. You're just thinking too much. Trust your instincts."
He looked at me curiously. "That's what Paolo keeps saying. But how do you just... stop thinking?"
"Practice. Repetition until it's automatic. The more you overthink, the slower you are."
[Lucas: Struggling with adaptation]
[Your success might be hurting his confidence]
[Teammate dynamics becoming complicated]
Race eight was at the Genk circuit in Belgium, known for being physically demanding with long straights and high-speed corners. My Physical Peak skill would be crucial here—many drivers faded late in races from fatigue.
Qualifying was intense. Matteo took pole by one-tenth. I qualified second. Sophie third. A new threat emerged: a Swedish driver named Erik Andersson who'd been fast all season but unlucky. He qualified fourth, his best of the season.
[Erik Andersson: Age 12, Swedish, extremely fast in high-speed corners]
[Has podium speed but hasn't had clean races]
[If he gets a clear run, could win]
The final race was twenty-five laps—longer than usual, testing both driver and equipment. The start was clean, Matteo leading from pole, me second, Sophie third, Erik fourth.
For fifteen laps, Matteo and I were locked together, never more than three-tenths apart. Sophie stayed close in third, waiting for either of us to make mistakes. Erik was falling back slightly, his pace not quite matching the front three.
Lap sixteen, I felt it through Perfect Instinct—Matteo's front tires were starting to fade. Not dramatically, but enough. My Tire Management confirmed it: his fronts at seventy percent grip, mine at eighty percent.
[Opportunity window: Next 5 laps]
[After that, tire advantage disappears as both wear evenly]
[Attack now or miss the chance]
Lap seventeen, I tried the hairpin. Matteo defended perfectly. Lap eighteen, I tried the chicane. Again, his defense was flawless despite the tire disadvantage.
Lap nineteen, I changed approach. Instead of attacking where he expected, I set up a pass two corners in advance. Stayed closer through turn six than normal, got better exit, had momentum down the straight to turn seven.
He defended turn seven, but I'd planned for that. His defense compromised his entry to turn eight. I stayed tight, carried more speed, got alongside through turn eight and nine.
We exited turn nine side-by-side. Into turn ten, I had the inside line and fresher tires. Made it stick.
[Position: P1]
[Six laps remaining]
[Hold this for victory and crucial championship points]
Matteo didn't give up. He stayed within four-tenths, pressuring every lap. But his tires were done, and my Physical Peak kept me sharp while he began showing signs of fatigue.
Checkered flag. Victory. Second European win.
[RACE COMPLETE - VICTORY]
[Points Earned: 85]
[Current Balance: 380 points]
[Championship Gap: Now only 30 points behind Matteo]
Matteo was gracious despite the disappointment. "You managed tires better than me. Deserved victory."
"Your pace was incredible. Made me work for every meter."
"This is good racing. Close championship is exciting." He smiled. "But I still plan to beat you next race."
Sophie finished third, extending her own championship challenge. Oliver had mechanical issues, finishing eighth. Lucas managed ninth, his best result in weeks.
[Championship Standings - 4 Races Remaining:]
[Matteo Ricci: 350 points]
[Lance Stroll: 320 points]
[Sophie Dubois: 305 points]
[Oliver Hayes: 280 points]
The championship was tightening. Paolo increased pressure on both Lucas and me during the next test sessions.
"Four races left. Matteo is vulnerable—only thirty points ahead. You need two victories minimum to have a chance." He looked at Lucas. "And you need consistent top-five finishes to help team championship."
Lucas nodded, but I could see the weight on him. Being the slower teammate was affecting his confidence.
After the test, I found him sitting alone, staring at data sheets.
"Don't compare yourself to me," I said. "Compare yourself to yesterday's version of yourself. Are you improving?"
"Slowly. But everyone else is improving faster."
"That's European racing. But you're still here, still competitive. That counts."
[Lucas: Self-doubt increasing]
[Team pressure mounting]
[Friendship strained by performance gap]
Race nine was at the Lonato circuit where I'd first tested with Parolin. Home advantage, familiar track, everything aligned for a strong result.
Then it rained.
The wet qualifying session became a demonstration of skill diversity. My Wet Weather Expert was valuable, but so was Sophie's natural wet-weather aggression. We both qualified ahead of Matteo, who was brilliant in the dry but merely good in the wet.
Qualifying order: Sophie pole, me second, Oliver third, Matteo fourth, Erik fifth, Lucas tenth.
[Wet race: Advantage Sophie and me]
[Matteo vulnerable]
[Championship opportunity if I can beat both Sophie and Matteo]
The final was tactical warfare in variable conditions. The track was drying, creating a narrow optimal line with grip. Stray off that line and you'd be on slippery surface, losing seconds.
Sophie led aggressively, using the wet conditions to create a gap. I stayed close, knowing her aggressive style would burn tires faster in these conditions. Matteo was stuck behind Oliver, both fighting for third.
Lap eight, Sophie's aggression caught up with her. She went slightly wide in turn six, onto the damp surface, slid, recovered but lost momentum. I stayed tight on the dry line, got alongside, completed the pass into turn seven.
[Position: P1]
[Sophie falling back to third behind Oliver]
[Matteo still fourth]
[If this holds, major championship swing]
Oliver was fast in the changing conditions, but not quite fast enough. I managed the gap, controlled the race, and won by two seconds.
Sophie recovered to second after passing Oliver late. Matteo finished fourth behind Oliver, a disappointing result that cost him championship points.
[RACE COMPLETE - VICTORY]
[Third European win]
[Points Earned: 90]
[Current Balance: 470 points]
[Championship: Now leading by 5 points!]
The championship standings flip shocked everyone. I'd gone from thirty points behind to five points ahead in one race, thanks to Matteo's fourth place.
[Championship Standings - 3 Races Remaining:]
[Lance Stroll: 410 points]
[Matteo Ricci: 405 points]
[Sophie Dubois: 370 points]
[Oliver Hayes: 350 points]
"You're leading," Paolo said, stating the obvious. "But Matteo will come back hard. Three races, all of them crucial. No mistakes allowed."
That night, I video-called Chloe, who'd been following the results religiously.
"You're winning!" she shouted before I could even greet her. "Leading the European championship! Do you know how cool that is?"
"It's close. Only five points."
"Still leading! My brother is beating European drivers in Europe! Wait until I tell people at school!"
Her enthusiasm was infectious. "How's your art program?"
"Good! We're doing portraits now. I painted Mom and Dad. They look like aliens but the teacher says I'm capturing their 'essence.'" She grinned. "When you win the championship, I'm painting you holding the trophy."
"What if I don't win?"
"Then I paint you holding second place trophy. Either way, I'm documenting it." Her expression turned serious. "Lance, I miss you. When are you coming home?"
"Three more races, then off-season. Two months, maybe."
"That's forever."
"I know. But I'm doing this for us. For the family. For the dream."
"I know. I'm proud of you. Just... don't forget about us while you're being a champion."
[Family connection: Strained by distance but still strong]
[Chloe documenting everything]
[Success coming at cost of presence]
Race ten was where everything intensified. Matteo was determined to reclaim the championship lead. Sophie was close enough to win if both Matteo and I had problems. Oliver was the dangerous outsider who could steal victories.
I qualified third behind Matteo (pole) and Sophie. Oliver fourth, Erik fifth, Lucas eighth.
The race was aggressive from lap one. Matteo led, Sophie and I battled for second, everyone pushing at maximum intensity.
Lap six, Sophie and I made contact fighting for position. Nothing major, but enough to let Matteo build a three-second gap. Sophie got past me in the exchange, dropping me to third.
[Position: P3]
[Matteo pulling away]
[Sophie between us]
[Need to pass Sophie and catch Matteo]
My Race Intelligence calculated scenarios. Third place would lose me the championship lead. Second place would extend it by three points. First place would extend it significantly.
I needed to pass Sophie and catch Matteo. With fifteen laps remaining, it was possible but required perfect execution.
Lap ten, I finally got past Sophie with a clean move into the chicane. She fought back hard but I had better tire management. Second place secured.
The gap to Matteo: 2.8 seconds. Ten laps remaining. Possible if I was significantly faster.
[Gap analysis: Closing 0.2 seconds per lap]
[Will catch him with 1-2 laps remaining]
[Close battle guaranteed]
I pushed hard, using every skill available. Perfect Instinct handled the driving, Race Intelligence planned the strategy, Tire Management preserved grip, Physical Peak kept me sharp.
Lap eighteen, the gap was 0.8 seconds. Lap nineteen, 0.4 seconds. Final lap, I was on his gearbox.
Into the final chicane complex, I tried everything. Matteo defended brilliantly, positioning perfectly, using all his experience advantage. We crossed the line inches apart.
Matteo won. I finished second, 0.05 seconds behind.
[RACE COMPLETE]
[Final Position: P2]
[Margin: 0.05 seconds]
[So close to victory]
[Points Earned: 60]
[Championship: Lead reduced to 2 points]
Sophie finished third. Oliver fourth. The championship was now absurdly close.
[Championship Standings - 2 Races Remaining:]
[Lance Stroll: 470 points]
[Matteo Ricci: 468 points]
[Sophie Dubois: 435 points]
[Oliver Hayes: 415 points]
Two points. The championship lead was effectively nonexistent. Two races remained, and any of the top three could realistically win it.
"This is what champions face," Paolo said during the team meeting. "Pressure. Close competition. Everything on the line. How you handle these two races will define your career."
Lucas sat quietly during the meeting. He'd finished tenth, respectable but not championship-contending. The gap between us was now obvious to everyone.
After the meeting, he approached me. "I'm holding you back, aren't I? Team orders might come into play."
"What do you mean?"
"If I'm between you and Matteo, if I can help you win the championship..." He looked uncomfortable. "Paolo might ask me to let you past. Or block Matteo. Team tactics."
"Has he said that?"
"Not yet. But it's coming. And I don't know how I feel about it."
[Team Orders: Potential complication]
[Lucas's pride vs team success]
[This could get messy]
The penultimate race was at a Spanish track that favored aggressive drivers. Sophie's home turf, metaphorically speaking.
Qualifying: Sophie pole, Matteo second, me third. The championship contenders locked together at the front.
The race became a three-way battle that had the entire paddock watching. We traded positions lap after lap—Sophie leading, then Matteo, then me, then Sophie again. The racing was hard but fair, three champions-in-training pushing each other to the limit.
Lap fifteen, Matteo and Sophie made contact fighting for the lead. Both continued but Sophie dropped to fourth behind Oliver who'd been lurking. Matteo led, I was second, Oliver third, Sophie fourth recovering.
[Five laps remaining]
[Matteo leading]
[If this holds, he leads championship]
[Must pass him]
I threw everything at Matteo. Tried different corners, different approaches, different strategies. He defended brilliantly, using every meter of track, racing with the experience of someone who'd been doing this longer.
Final lap. One last chance. Into the hairpin, I sent it up the inside, forcing Matteo to defend. We went side-by-side through the corner, touching wheels slightly, both fighting for position.
Out of the corner, we were still side-by-side. The finish line was three corners away.
Through turn two, neither gave ground. Through turn three, we were millimeters apart. Final corner, I had a tiny advantage on the inside.
We crossed the line...
Photo finish.
The timing screens showed: Matteo by 0.008 seconds.
[RACE COMPLETE]
[Final Position: P2]
[Lost by 0.008 seconds]
[Championship: Matteo now leads by 8 points]
[One race remaining]
[Everything comes down to the finale]
To be continued...
Author's Note: Chapter 19 shows the intense European championship battle. Lance won races 8 and 9 to take championship lead, then fought closely with Matteo in races 10 and 11, losing both by tiny margins. Currently 8 points behind with one race remaining. Lucas struggling with being slower teammate. Earned 235 points this chapter (85+90+60 from three races), current balance 470 points. Championship finale set up for next chapter.