The week before the championship finale, the System delivered unexpected news.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: POINT RECALIBRATION]
[Your rapid progression has triggered balancing adjustments]
[Previous point awards were calibrated for regional competition]
[At elite international level, point earning will be significantly reduced]
[Reasoning: Skills are powerful advantages. They should be earned through sustained excellence, not accumulated quickly.]
[NEW POINT STRUCTURE:]
[Regional Race Win: 30pts (unchanged)]
[National Race Win: 50pts (reduced from 60)]
[International/European Race Win: 60pts (reduced from 85-90)]
[Championship Victory: 75pts (reduced from 100+)]
[Podium Finishes: 25-40pts (reduced from 35-60)]
[Bonuses: Significantly reduced or removed]
[This ensures skills remain special, not routine purchases]
"You're nerfing me?" I said aloud, alone in my hotel room. "Now? Before the championship finale?"
[Not nerfing. Rebalancing. You have 8 skills. Most elite drivers your age have natural talent only.]
[The System is meant to give you advantages, not make you invincible]
[Current balance: 470 points]
[The Zone: 800 points]
[At new earning rates, reaching 800 will require sustained excellence over time]
[This is more realistic progression]
[Accept the change and adapt]
I sat on the bed, processing this. I'd been counting on accumulating points quickly, buying Master-tier skills regularly. Now that path was significantly longer.
But maybe the System was right. I'd been thinking of skills as automatic solutions rather than earned advantages. The rebalancing forced me to race for the right reasons—competition, improvement, achievement—not just point accumulation.
"Fine," I muttered. "I'll earn them the hard way."
[Mature response. This is character growth.]
[Now focus on the championship. Regardless of points earned, winning matters.]
[Current situation: 8 points behind Matteo, one race remaining]
[Simple math: Beat him and you're champion]
The final race was at the Adria Karting Raceway in Italy, a technical circuit that rewarded precision over raw speed. Perfect for my skill set, but also perfect for Matteo's home-track advantage—he'd raced here dozens of times.
Paolo gathered the team for a final briefing. Lucas, me, Matteo, Sophie (who was still in the team despite being a championship rival), and the Parolin engineers.
"This is it," Paolo said simply. "One race. Lance is eight points behind Matteo. Sophie is mathematically alive but needs a miracle. Lucas, you're racing for team pride and your own development."
He looked directly at Lucas. "No team orders. You race your race. If you're faster than Lance or Matteo, you pass them. Understood?"
Lucas nodded, relief visible on his face.
"However," Paolo continued, "if you're defending position against a non-Parolin driver and a Parolin teammate is behind you trying to win the championship, use common sense. We're a team."
[Team Orders: Sort of issued, sort of not]
[Lucas has freedom to race but subtle pressure to help]
[This could be crucial]
Qualifying was tense. Every lap mattered, every tenth of a second counted. The track was perfect, conditions ideal, pressure maximum.
My first flying lap: 1:03.8
Matteo's first lap: 1:03.7
I was one-tenth behind already. Pushed harder on my second lap, using Perfect Instinct to find every bit of available speed.
My second lap: 1:03.5
Matteo's second lap: 1:03.4
Still one-tenth behind. He was matching me improvement for improvement.
Final qualifying lap, I committed everything. Perfect entry to every corner, optimal line throughout, maximum attack.
My final lap: 1:03.2
Matteo's final lap: 1:03.2
Identical times. We'd both qualified with the exact same lap time.
[Qualifying Tiebreaker: Second-best lap time]
[Your second-best: 1:03.5]
[Matteo's second-best: 1:03.4]
[Result: Matteo on pole, you P2]
[Margins: Impossibly small]
Sophie qualified third, Oliver fourth, Erik fifth, Lucas seventh. The front of the grid was packed with championship implications.
That evening, I called home. Lawrence and Claire had flown to Italy for the finale, bringing Chloe with them. They were staying at a nearby hotel, giving me space to focus but making sure I knew they were there.
"How are you feeling?" Lawrence asked when we met for dinner.
"Nervous. Excited. Ready."
"You've had an incredible season. Second in European championship at ten years old would be remarkable."
"But I want first."
"Of course you do. But Lance, regardless of tomorrow's result, you've proven yourself at the highest level. That's what matters long-term."
Chloe was quieter than usual during dinner. After we finished, she pulled me aside.
"You're going to win tomorrow," she said with absolute certainty.
"How do you know?"
"Because I painted you winning. It's already happened in the art, so it has to happen in real life. That's how manifestation works."
I hugged her. "Thanks, Chloe. That's the best pre-race pep talk I've ever had."
"Just don't make me repaint it if you come second."
[Family Present: Supportive regardless of outcome]
[Pressure self-imposed, not external]
[This is how it should be]
Race morning brought perfect Italian weather—sunny, mild, ideal racing conditions. No rain to create chaos, no wind to add variables. Just pure racing.
The pre-race drivers' briefing was professional but you could feel the tension. Matteo and I barely made eye contact, both focused internally. Sophie looked determined to play spoiler. Oliver seemed relaxed, racing for pride without championship pressure.
Marc had flown in for the finale, consulting with Paolo on strategy. Seeing him in the paddock was grounding—a connection to my North American roots, to where this journey had started.
"Just drive your race," he said before I got in the kart. "All the skills, all the training, all the preparation—it's all there. Trust yourself."
The grid formed. Matteo on pole, me alongside in P2. Behind us, Sophie and Oliver. Behind them, the rest of the field. Forty-two drivers, but only two that really mattered for the championship.
The lights went red. Five seconds of eternity. Then green.
Perfect start from both of us—Matteo maintained the lead, I held second. Sophie tried to challenge but couldn't make it stick. Into turn one, it was Matteo-Lance-Sophie, exactly as qualifying had predicted.
[Lap 1 Complete: P2, gap 0.1 seconds]
[This is going to be twenty-five laps of pure pressure]
[Championship math: You need to beat him]
[Anything less and he's champion]
For the first ten laps, we were inseparable. Matteo led by one to two-tenths, never more, never less. I pressured constantly but he defended perfectly, using his track knowledge to position optimally.
Behind us, Sophie was five-tenths back—close enough to capitalize if we made mistakes, but not close enough to attack unless something changed.
[Lap 10: Position unchanged]
[Your tire condition: 85%]
[Matteo's tire condition: 80%]
[Slight advantage developing]
[Window to attack: Laps 15-20]
My Tire Management was giving me a small edge. Matteo's slightly more aggressive defense was costing him tire life. Not much, but in a race this close, a five-percent difference could be decisive.
Lap fifteen, I made my first serious attack. Tried the inside line into the tight chicane. Matteo defended, forced me wide, maintained position.
Lap sixteen, different corner, same result. His defense was textbook perfect.
Lap seventeen, I tried something different—positioned my kart to threaten the inside, then switched to the outside at the last moment. Matteo had committed to defending the inside, couldn't adjust.
We went through the corner side-by-side. Equal speed, equal positioning, neither with advantage.
Through the next corner, still side-by-side. The corner after that, I had a tiny edge on the inside line. Held it through the exit.
[Position: P1]
[Championship: Leading if this holds]
[Eight laps remaining]
Now Matteo was the hunter. He stayed within two-tenths, looking for opportunities, trying different approaches. The pressure was immense—not just racing pressure but championship pressure.
One mistake and I'd lose everything. One perfect lap and I'd be champion.
Lap twenty, Matteo tried the same move I'd used on him. I defended, but he was aggressive, forced me to use more tire than ideal. My advantage was shrinking.
[Tire condition: 75%]
[His tire condition: 70%]
[Advantage reduced but still present]
Lap twenty-two, he attacked again. This time in the fast sweeper, trying to carry more speed around the outside. I held my line, but we were millimeters apart through the entire corner.
[Five laps remaining]
[He's not giving up]
[Defend perfectly or lose]
Behind us, something unexpected happened. Lucas had been running seventh, steady but not spectacular. Suddenly he was faster, catching the drivers ahead.
By lap twenty-three, Lucas had passed two drivers and was running fifth. By lap twenty-four, he'd caught Oliver for fourth.
And crucially, Sophie was right behind Lucas, trying to pass him to attack Matteo and me.
[Lucas blocking Sophie]
[This is helping you and Matteo by keeping Sophie out of the battle]
[He's team-racing without explicit orders]
Final lap. Matteo threw everything at me. Tried multiple corners, multiple approaches. Each time I defended with Perfect Instinct guiding my positioning, Race Intelligence showing me his likely attacks.
Into the final chicane complex, he made one last desperate lunge. Got alongside, but I had the inside line for the following corner. We touched wheels slightly—not hard enough for a penalty, just racing contact.
Through the final corner, we were still side-by-side. The finish line was fifty meters away.
Both of us accelerated hard. Neither had an advantage. It was going to be photo finish.
We crossed the line...
[RACE COMPLETE]
[Calculating results...]
The timing screen showed the results:
Position 1: Lance Stroll - 23:45.382
Position 2: Matteo Ricci - 23:45.389
[Victory Margin: 0.007 seconds]
[EUROPEAN CHAMPION]
I'd won. By seven-thousandths of a second. The smallest possible margin that didn't require photo analysis.
[CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT:]
[Final Standings:]
[1st: Lance Stroll - 520 points]
[2nd: Matteo Ricci - 518 points]
[3rd: Sophie Dubois - 485 points]
[YOU ARE EUROPEAN CHAMPION AT AGE 10]
The podium ceremony was emotional. Matteo stood beside me in second place overall, Oliver in third place for the race. Sophie had finished fourth in the race and third in the championship.
"Congratulations," Matteo said genuinely. "You earned it. That was the best racing of my life."
"Same. You pushed me to drive perfectly. Thank you for that."
"Next year, I win. This is my motivation for the off-season."
Sophie was gracious despite missing the championship by thirty-five points. "You were consistent all season. That's what championships require."
[SEASON COMPLETE]
[European Champion - Age 10]
[Under new point structure: 50 points earned for championship race (reduced from previous system)]
[Current Balance: 520 points]
[Still far from next Master-tier skill]
[But champion regardless of points]
The celebration with family was perfect. Chloe showed me her painting—she'd somehow captured the finish line photo-finish moment before it happened. Lawrence was emotional in his quiet way. Claire cried happy tears.
"I'm so proud of you," she said. "Not just for winning, but for how you did it. With grace, with respect for your competitors, with balance in your life."
That night, Paolo called a final team meeting.
"European Champion," he said, looking at me. "Ten years old. This is special, Lance. Very special. You know what comes next?"
"Cars. Formula 4."
"Not yet. One more year in karts. Win again, dominate even more completely. Then at eleven, we discuss single-seaters." He smiled. "You're young. No rush. Build the foundation properly."
[Career Path: One more year in karts]
[Age 11: Defend European championship, possibly attempt world championship]
[Age 12: Transition to Formula 4]
[Age 14-15: Formula 3]
[Age 16-17: Formula 2]
[Age 18+: Formula 1 target]
With 520 points available and the new point structure making accumulation slower, I studied the Skills Shop strategically.
[MASTER TIER - Available Skills:]
[The Zone (800pts): Still 280 points away]
[Perfect Instinct: OWNED]
[Legendary Status (1000pts): Even further away]
[Current Skills: 8 owned, covering most bases]
[Decision: Save points for The Zone, or consider Champion tier skills?]
[CHAMPION TIER - Reminder:]
[Mental Fortress (450pts): Unbreakable focus - AFFORDABLE NOW]
[Racecraft Genius (600pts): See racing as art - Closer than Master tier]
Mental Fortress would make me immune to pressure—valuable for championship battles. Racecraft Genius would elevate my driving to artistic levels. Both were more achievable than The Zone under the new system.
"Mental Fortress," I decided. "Championships are won by drivers who don't crack under pressure. I need that edge."
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED: MENTAL FORTRESS (450 POINTS)]
[POINTS REMAINING: 70]
[INTEGRATING PSYCHOLOGICAL FORTIFICATION...]
The integration was mental, not physical. Suddenly pressure felt different—not absent, but manageable. Championship stress, which had been overwhelming, became just information. The weight of expectations, the fear of failure, the anxiety of competition—all of it was still there, but it no longer affected my performance.
I could acknowledge pressure without being controlled by it.
[INTEGRATION COMPLETE]
[You are now psychologically unbreakable in competition]
[Pressure will make you sharper, not weaker]
[This is the mentality of true champions]
[Skills Owned: 9 total]
[Points Available: 70]
[Next Goal: Save for Racecraft Genius (530 more points needed) or The Zone (730 points needed)]
[New earning rate means this will take significant time and sustained excellence]
The off-season began with media attention unprecedented for a ten-year-old. European karting journalists wanted interviews. Racing websites published profiles. Some Formula 1 teams' junior academies reached out to "monitor development."
But through it all, I maintained balance. Spent time with Chloe, caught up with Marcus via video calls, continued cooking sessions with Chef Beaumont when I returned to Canada for the winter.
"You're famous now," Marcus said during one call. "I Googled you. There are literally articles about you in Italian."
"Still the same me. Still terrible at Mario Kart."
"Good. Fame hasn't ruined you yet." He paused. "When you're in F1, will you remember us regular people?"
"Always. You keep me grounded. That's more valuable than any racing skill."
[Age: 10 years old]
[Achievement: European Karting Champion]
[Skills: 9 owned, carefully earned through sustained excellence]
[System: Rebalanced for realistic progression]
[Next Chapter: Age 11, defending champion, world championship attempt]
[Long-term Goal: Formula 1, still on track, progressing properly]
To be continued...
Author's Note: Hi everyone! I made some changes to the system so that he earns fewer points. I agree that the system was too strong, and I want the story to feel a little more realistic. I might make more adjustments to the system or the story later. If you have any problems or suggestions, just let me know!