LDR Ch 10

The first practice session after the summer break had ended. Leo joined the engineers checking the data and glanced to the side. The team principal, Simon, was listening to the explanation from Harrison’s race engineer, Manuel, with an expression that could not have been more serious.

“How is it?”

Leo asked Harrison quietly, and Harrison, who had been listening to the explanation with him, tilted one side of the headphones he was wearing and looked at Leo.

“Hmm?”

At his calm demeanor, Leo shook his head as if to say it was nothing, and Harrison put his headphones back on. Leo looked at the data again. His eyes were drawn more to the corner-heavy sector 2 than the almost straight sectors 1 and 3, and there was no overall speed difference with his teammate, Nathan.

But perhaps that was the problem. This year’s car was definitely better than last year’s, but Harrison’s current speed was about the same as last year’s. Of course, a practice session is literally a practice session, so speed differences can occur depending on the setup, but looking at the data, Harrison was braking earlier than usual. It was probably to get a faster corner exit, but it wasn’t enough to offset the loss from braking early.

Leo, knowing that Harrison was trying out various styles, was actually relieved, thinking he was really trying to change, but it was clear that the principal, who needed to bring in a lot of points first and foremost, was not. As proof, Simon’s expression was worried even as he listened to the explanation from the engineers.

“Leo, can we talk for a moment.”

At Simon’s eventual words, Leo moved to another spot with him.

“Have you heard anything else from Harry? This isn’t even limit driving.”

A driver had to push the car to its limit. If they were inexperienced, they would go past the limit and cause all sorts of accidents, but in any case, a good driver has a duty to push the car to its limit. In that sense, Harrison had always fulfilled his duty well. Not now, though.

Leo knew that fact as well, but Harrison had maintained a style his entire life of braking late on corner entry, enough to offset sacrificing a little corner exit speed. To change that now, he would naturally need an adaptation period.

“At least he’s not scared.”

Harrison still braked hard. When drivers lack faith in the car or don’t know its limits, they hesitate, or get scared, and brake without conviction. But although his points had changed a little early, Harrison was still braking decisively and hard, far from being scared.

“We can watch for a few more races. Nathan has improved a lot, too.”

Nathan, whom Leo had brought in as a driver when he recruited Simon as principal, was only in his third year now. He hadn’t stood out much until last season, but this season, although there was a difference with Harrison, he had been consistently earning points in his own way.

“And isn’t it better than wrecking the car?”

In Formula One, a budget cap was imposed on all teams to reduce the gap between top and bottom teams, and because of that, the number of parts they could use was also limited. If they used more than that, they had to receive a penalty. In the current situation, with the season half over, Harrison had exactly one engine left. After that, he would have to take a penalty and start from the back every time he changed an engine. If he changed his driving style a little and lowered the probability of an accident, he wouldn’t have to go to the back, so the probability of starting from the front would also increase.

“Isn’t it a given that you should be fast without wrecking the car?”

That was everyone’s dream. To make a car that good for a driver that good, and to come up with a strategy that good, was also everyone’s dream. When Leo just tilted his head once toward Harrison, Simon also looked at Harrison and let out a sigh.

“I’m saying this because I know how good Harry is. Harry is not a driver who says ‘this is good enough,’ nor is he a driver who accepts ‘this is good enough.'”

“He’s not congenitally capable of that. That guy.”

At Leo’s sudden words, Simon was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Still, I was most worried about him getting scared, but since that’s not the case for now, let’s just watch for now.”

“How’s the car?”

Leo asked on the way back to the hotel after finishing the second practice session, and Harrison, who had been looking out the window, turned his head to look at Leo.

“It’s fine.”

It was a rather subtle statement. The calm, subdued atmosphere was also like that.

“The updates?”

In F1, you had to assume that the car at the beginning of the season and the car at the end were different because they changed and improved parts as much as their resources allowed. Updates had been applied for this Grand Prix as well, and at the very least, it didn’t seem to have gotten worse.

“I think they went well. It creates good grip.”

With those words, Harrison craned his neck slightly to look at the already dark sky.

“I hope it doesn’t rain.”

At those words, Leo nodded. It was supposed to have rained today as well, but thankfully it didn’t in reality. But tomorrow and the day after, it might really rain. Spa-Francorchamps was already a high-speed circuit, and with its mountainous terrain and steep inclines, it was dangerous if it rained.

On top of that, if you made even a slight mistake or had a problem with the car while climbing the uphill Eau Rouge, you would crash into the tire wall, and most of the time, that led to the car bouncing off the wall and being exposed in the middle of the track. In the main race, that led to a chain collision and a major accident.

At least, thanks to the drivers and teams consistently raising the issue of the danger, a buffer zone was being created, but it was not at all a track to be relieved about on a rainy day.

“What if Simon fires me?”

“When I’m here?”

Harrison laughed at Leo’s words. Seeing that, Leo added.

“You’re not even that slow in the first place.”

At that, Harrison looked at the sky once more. Seeing that, Leo also checked the sky for a moment. It really shouldn’t rain.

Contrary to their wishes, it began to rain a little around the time the third practice session started. Thanks to that, the setup they had barely managed to get right became useless. Should he be glad that he at least had a chance to test the intermediate tires (tires for when it’s raining less) before qualifying, or should he be worried that it might rain tomorrow too?

But with this much of a drizzle, qualifying would proceed, and as proof, Harrison, having finished the third practice session, was now sitting in the cockpit, surrounded by mechanics, for qualifying.

Even though it was just a drizzle, the track was quite wet, so Harrison was on intermediate tires, and the situation was the same for the other teams.

Harrison had already proven several times that he was a strong driver on rainy days, but not all drivers are strong on rainy days. Even if it’s a little better in qualifying since everyone runs with some distance between them for their own records, the possibility of getting caught up in an accident still remained.

As he watched the rain, which kept starting and stopping, qualifying began during a brief pause in the rain. It varies depending on the number of participating teams, but in the current case with a total of eleven teams, in the first qualifying session, twenty-two drivers run the track to set a record, then the bottom six are eliminated. The remaining sixteen then proceed to the second qualifying session, where another six are eliminated. The remaining ten drivers then compete in the third qualifying session. The next day’s main race then starts in the order of the qualifying results.

It was obviously much better to defend a position at the front than to start from the back, so the importance of qualifying was a given. And Harrison was currently on a flying lap (a lap for breaking a record). On a rainy day, the difference in car performance is less pronounced, so it was full of variables where even mid to lower-ranked drivers could set top qualifying records.

Among them, Harrison couldn’t manage to get a purple, which signifies the fastest lap, but he was still racing around the track, lighting up green, which indicates his personal best, in each sector. His previous flying lap record had been pushed down by other drivers, and he was now in seventeenth place, so if he didn’t improve here, he would be eliminated just like that. If that happened, it would be the first Q1 elimination in Harrison’s F1 career history.

On top of that, his teammate Nathan’s record was fifth, so even the commentary team was all talking about Harrison.

— Oh! Harry pushes past his teammate Nate to take fifth place!

— Ah, oh no, he’s been caught for track limits (when the wheels go outside the track), and his lap time has been deleted!

— Harry, track limits. You have to do one more. You’re in seventeenth now.

In the midst of that, another driver pushed his rank down, so his rank dropped even further, and everyone watched the broadcast screen anxiously.

— Will Harry be able to complete one more flying lap before he gets the checkered flag? If he is eliminated here, Harry will experience the first Q1 elimination of his F1 career. What on earth is happening!

Harry barely managed to start his last flying lap before receiving the checkered flag, and on the track, a few other drivers in the same situation as Harry were pushing their speed to the limit, spraying water so much that they couldn’t even see ahead, to improve their records.

— Lorenzo Lombardi pushes past his teammate to take first place! Alfred is in third, ABW’s Nathan Morel tries his best, but unfortunately remains in seventh. Ah! A yellow flag (accident flag. drivers must slow down.) came out for a moment, who was that? Elias lost his balance for a moment, but there’s no problem. It was immediately changed to a blue flag (flag indicating no problem, race can be resumed), but the drivers who were behind him surely lost out due to that yellow flag just now. Among the drivers who have not yet received the flag, Harry Turner is currently in danger. Will Harry be able to get to Q2!

Just as he said, on the team radio display on one side of the monitor, the drivers who were behind the driver who had triggered the yellow flag were swearing up a storm. But on the headphones Leo was wearing, which allowed him to hear Harrison’s voice, there was no sound.

When he looked at the broadcast screen again, along with the image of Harrison running last, his sector times were displayed below. The first sector was green, but the second sector was yellow, worse than his personal best, because he had to slow down due to the yellow flag being triggered. Now, Harrison’s advancement to qualifying depended on the third sector he was currently running.

— He did it! Harry comes in at ninth, preserving his record of never being eliminated in Q1!

— Harry, you’re ninth. Ninth.

— Yeah.

Leo, listening to the team radio that came in alongside the broadcast, finally looked around. The mechanics who were in the garage with him finally let out the breath they had been holding. And soon, Harrison entered the pit and was moved to the garage, and immediately, Manuel approached and said something, and Harrison, listening to him, got out of the car, and the process of the mechanics checking the car continued seamlessly without interruption.

There was no accident in the second qualifying session that followed without anything that could be called a break, and Harrison, this time too, was on the verge of elimination until his last flying lap before finally finishing in seventh. And the third qualifying session followed, but perhaps because the rain was getting stronger, right around the time the drivers started their first flying lap, one of them crashed into the wall, and the session was suspended for a while.

After that, just as it seemed it would resume, this time another driver had an accident, and they had to return to the garage again and wait for the resumption. And finally, there were thirty seconds left until the resumption.

Because of the repeated accidents on flying laps, there were many drivers who had not yet been able to complete a proper flying lap, so there was already a line of cars in the pit lane, and Harrison was also among them.

As soon as permission was given to go out on the track, the cars, wanting to gain an advantage in the main race somehow, rushed out onto the track in a line.

The monitor that showed what was being said on each team’s radio was filled with a few complaints that the track was too slippery to drive on, and a lot of curses that came out because the session was suspended every time they went for a flying lap. Among them, next to Harrison’s name was written an annoyed sarcastic comment asking them to decide clearly whether he should drive or not.

After that one comment, Harrison made no complaints, but at least everyone at ABW knew it wasn’t because Harrison had no complaints, but because he was too annoyed to even speak.

And Harrison, as captured on the broadcast, drove the car as if he didn’t know it was raining, or as if it weren’t raining.

He braked as if it weren’t raining as he went through the sharp hairpin, climbed the uphill without hesitation, sprayed water as he raced down the straight that was connected to a downhill, and entered the corner-heavy sector 2 with his vision not even properly secured, coloring the sector purple as he exited.

— What place am I?

— Harry, you’re in pole position (first in qualifying) right now.

After that unbelievable flying lap ended, a cheer of celebration erupted in the garage, but the driver who came in right after pushed past Harrison’s record by a narrow margin. Leo, even though he knew what would be said on the headset next, somehow wished he wouldn’t hear that sound.

— Harry, Elias just came in 0.02 seconds faster than you. Let’s do it one more time.

It was just as he had expected. And naturally, as he also expected, Harrison ran his last flying lap as if there were no need to even answer. It was a very distant memory now, but Leo also knew what a driver’s vision was like when it rained. Simply, that you can’t see anything.

With that kind of vision, Harrison passed the long straight and entered corner 5. It was obvious that his braking was later than in the practice session, even without looking at the data. Even though it was raining. And Harrison, though he surely could see even less than usual, went around the immediately following corners 6 and 7, and then turned corner 8, which was on a downhill, without a gap. For the sake of corner 9, which was on another downhill, that would come after.

The car, running through the continuous section, rode the curb without hesitation, as if it didn’t matter that it was raining, as if it wasn’t worried about slipping at all. While other drivers only touched the curb minimally, Harrison stepped on the curb without hesitation, just as he would when it wasn’t raining, and raced down the track.

And so, Leo watched as the checkered flag symbol appeared next to the name of Harrison, who had finally pushed past Elias again and taken pole position.

— You’re on pole, Harry.

— Yeah.

The pole position won in the first race after the break was an unexpected gift that would excite everyone in the paddock and boost their morale, and even Simon, who had said to just watch for now but had been anxious because Harrison’s pace wasn’t what it used to be, had a face full of excitement.

The broadcast screen naturally showed Harrison’s face. On the radio, he had spoken calmly as if pole were nothing, but on his face, with his helmet off, a smile of joy was in full bloom.

— Congratulations, Harry! It’s your first pole position of the season, did you expect this result? How did you feel watching the rain?

— First of all, I’m even happier because it’s not just my first pole of the season, but my first pole since I came to ABW. I want to say thank you to the team first. And the result, of course I didn’t expect it. Before that, I was worried about whether I would even be able to run a flying lap at all. On top of that, I was actually hoping it wouldn’t rain. But in the end, it seems I benefited from it to some extent.

Harrison, who finished the interview with a smile, then waited for the second and third place drivers to have their short interviews, and then, as the driver who got pole position always does, he signed a small tire and shook hands with the tire manufacturer.

So very different from the blurry scenery due to the rain, Harrison’s appearance was endlessly sparkling. So much so that it hurt his eyes.

Until the start of the race, the rain continued to start and stop. There was even a prediction that the rain would get stronger in a few minutes, so in the end, instead of a dangerous standing start (starting from a standstill on the track in order according to the signal), they did a few laps in formation behind the safety car. It would be boring for the spectators, but it was a measure for safety, at least.

But during that, far from the rain getting stronger as predicted, it actually stopped altogether, and the road surface dried up surprisingly quickly. After just a few more laps with the safety car, the race was scheduled to begin. The track was still not dry enough except for the racing line where the cars were running, so it was a rolling start (starting from behind the safety car) instead of a standing start, but anyway, the safety car finally withdrew, and the race proper began.

— The race finally begins!

Even though he had gotten pole, he was worried because the cars behind him were faster than ABW’s, but thankfully, Harry led the start well and didn’t lose the lead. But he couldn’t pull away either, and after a few more laps, the team radio came on.

— Harry, come into the pit.

— Why?

— The other drivers are changing to intermediate tires.