Jack Doohan harus mengendarai sebaik dan secepat mungkin, sedangkan Fatih hanya perlu lebih cepat dari Jack, yang telah ia buktikan mampu dilakukan berulang kali dengan memimpin sesi-sesi sebelumnya. Hal itu juga dibantu oleh posisi Fatih sebagai pengejar, bukan yang dikejar, seperti biasa, sehingga memberinya ketenangan pikiran, karena mengambil alih posisi dari seseorang lebih mudah daripada mempertahankan posisi yang sudah dimiliki.
Kita bisa melihat jarak antara kedua pengemudi kini terus berkurang saat Fatih memanfaatkan posisinya sebagai pengejar dan menempel di slipstream Jack Doohan, yang sangat ampuh untuk mobil tanpa DRS saat memasuki tikungan Stowe.
Namun, sepertinya Fatih tidak puas mengakhiri seperti itu, karena ia keluar dari slipstream untuk melancarkan serangan di luar tikungan Stowe, memaksa Jack Doohan bergerak secara defensif. Ternyata itu hanya umpan, karena Fatih mengubah lintasannya ke dalam, mengurangi jarak beberapa persepuluh detik di belakang hingga memasuki tikungan hampir bersebelahan dengan Jack, memegang jalur dalam keluar Stowe.
Manuver magnifik yang mengubah pengejoran menjadi balapan drag bersebelahan menuju chikane Vale. Di lintasan panjang itu, siapa yang akan rem paling akhir? Jack Doohan masih memiliki keunggulan singkat dibanding Fatih, dengan jalur luar yang dipaksakan kini berubah menjadi jalur dalam menuju chikane, sementara Fatih lebih percaya diri pada mengemudi dan rem terlambatnya.
OH, MEREKA REM HAMPIR BERSAMAAN! JACK DOOHAN MENDORONG FATIH KE LUAR SAAT MASUK CHIKANE, TAPI FATIH BERTAHAN DI POSISINYA KARENA BERHASIL MEMUTAR MOBILNYA! TAPI GERAKAN ITU MALAH MERUGIKAN JACK KARENA JALUR LUAR FATIH MASUK TIKUNGAN KINI MENJADI JALUR DALAM KELUAR CHIKANE, DAN JACK KELEWATAN KECEPATAN DAN MELONCAT KE LUAR LINTASAN! FATIH LOLOS KE DEPAN MENDAPATKAN KEPEMIMPINAN! PERTARUNGAN TIMBAL BALIK YANG TIDAK TERDUGA ANTARA KEDUA PENGEMUDI!
JACK MEMPERLIHATKAN KEBERANIAN DAN NIAT UNTUK BERTEMPUR, SEMENTARA FATIH MEMPERLIHATKAN MENGEMUDI TEKNIS DAN MENUNGGU WAKTU YANG TEPAT, SERTAMENYA MEMAKSA LAWAN UNTUK BERSALAH DAN MEMANFAATKAN KESALAHAN TERSEBUT DENGAN MEMPERSIAPKAN SERANGAN SEJAK JAUH HARI. TUAN-TUAN, KITA MUNGKIN MENYAKSI TITIK AWAL PENGEMUDI HEBAT, JADI UKIR MOMEN-MOMEN INI KE DALAM OTAK KALIAN!
Adapun Fatih, yang kini akhirnya memimpin sebelum akhir lap pertama, sepertinya akan menjadi pengulangan balapan sebelumnya, karena ia sudah mengunci keunggulannya dengan jarak lebih dari lima persepuluh detik dari Jack Doohan, yang kini harus waspada terhadap Dennis Hauger, yang telah mengejar jarak berkat Jack kehilangan waktu saat meloncat ke luar lintasan...
Saat komentator pilihan sendiri itu terus berbicara panjang lebar, para mekanik dan semua yang menonton di lintasan, yang tadi fokus penuh ke televisi, akhirnya mendapat momen untuk bersantai dan menarik napas. Mereka berada dalam fokus dan ketegangan penuh sejak awal lap, saat Fatih memulai serangannya, dan tidak diberi jeda istirahat sedikit pun antara Fatih start dari posisi ketiga hingga muncul di depan. Serangannya tampak tak berbeda dengan pengemudi profesional yang menakuti-nakuti pemula dengan menggunakan pengalamannya sebagai keuntungan, tapi semua orang di sini tahu kalau soal pengalaman berbasis waktu lintasan, kedua lawan itu memiliki lebih dari sepuluh kali lipat pengalaman Fatih. Tapi di lintasan, kalau dikatakan sebaliknya, tidak ada yang akan membantah, karena serangannya kejam dan kesalahan yang dipaksakannya ke lawan bersifat strategis, semuanya berujung pada dia sebagai yang untung, meski tidak segera, tapi beberapa tikungan kemudian.
"Kalau tidak ada safety car, tidak mungkin mereka mengejar dia, jadi serahkan uangnya," kata salah satu mekanik Fatih, menepuk temannya sambil mengulurkan tangan, ingin hadiah taruhannya. Mekanik masing-masing pengemudi percaya pengemudinya akan menang balapan final ini karena Fatih dikirim ke belakang grid dan tidak punya keuntungan udara bersih dari awal, jadi supaya lebih seru, mereka bahkan bertaruh antar satu sama lain.
"Aku tidak akan bertaruh lawan kamu lagi," kata temannya sambil mencoba menjangkau sakunya, baru ingat dia tidak bawa uang karena pakai overall tahan api. Saat menatap kembali temannya yang tertawa melihat kesalahan canggungnya, dia menepuk tangan yang diulurkan sambil berkata, "Belum beres sebelum bendera finis dikibarkan, dan siapa tahu, mungkin ada safety car."
Saat menyebut safety car, dia ingat agar safety car keluar, harus ada kecelakaan, jadi berarti lebih banyak kerja untuk mereka. Dia menarik kata-katanya, "atau cuma bendera kuning karena benda asing di lintasan, siapa tahu."
"Jadikan ini pelajaran untuk tidak bertaruh lawan Fatih," kata temannya sambil mengusap tangannya yang ditepuk.
......
Fatih, kini kembali di depan, tetap mempertahankan fokus penuh pada mobil saat memasuki mode pacing, mencoba mengeluarkan kecepatan cukup untuk mempertahankan kecepatan sama hingga lap terakhir.
Tidak ada keuntungan mencatat lap tercepat satu demi satu jika ban akan habis beberapa lap sebelum balapan berakhir, karena kerugian di periode itu cukup untuk kehilangan tidak hanya keuntungan yang didapat tapi bahkan lebih jika lawan menjaga ban mereka.
Tapi sebaliknya juga sama, karena tidak perlu ban punya grip tambahan saat balapan berakhir, karena tidak akan dipakai lagi. Terlalu lembut pada ban hanya akan mengakibatkan kehilangan waktu sia-sia, jadi ia harus mendorong cukup agar saat melewati garis finis, seluruh grip ban habis. Tapi menyetel hal itu butuh waktu lebih lama; tetap, perjalanan seribu mil dimulai dengan satu langkah.
Namun, meski terlihat dalam mode konservasi bukan mode shootout, pacunya tetap kompetitif dibanding dua pengemudi lain saat ia mengikuti nasihat Apollo dari masa karting-nya secara ketal. Nasihat yang diterima saat ia terus beroperasi pada kapasitas seratus persen, lap demi lap, selalu di tepi.
Apollo berkata padanya, "Pengemudi hebat tidak beroperasi pada kapasitas seratus persen terus-menerus, karena cukup bagi mereka beroperasi sekitar delapan puluh persen dengan kecepatan sama, kalau tidak lebih baik, dari pengemudi baik yang beroperasi pada maksimumnya. Beroperasi delapan puluh persen memberi buffer tapi juga opsi untuk langsung naik ke maksimal saat diperlukan, yang membuatnya lebih efektif dan tidak menimbulkan tekanan berlebih pada tubuh dan pikiran. Saat ini, kamu bisa mengatasinya dengan mudah, tapi semakin tinggi naikmu dan semakin banyak hal yang harus dipertimbangkan, semakin penting memasang diri sendiri."
Nasihat panjang lebar itu, tapi Fatih simpan di hati dan mempertahankan tingkat operasi tujuh puluh lima persen, yang sendiri sudah cukup mempertahankan keunggulannya, dan ia belum didorong lebih jauh dari delapan puluh persen.
Namun, untuk mencegah kapasitas operasi tujuh puluh hingga delapan puluh persen itu menjadi batas aktualnya karena pengulangan konstan, di latihan simulasi ia mempertahankan tingkat operasi pada kapasitas maksimum. Berkat itu, ia sangat baik dalam memasang diri dan performanya dari kecepatan lap tunggal fokus penuh ke kecepatan balapan karena ia tahu batas tertinggi mungkin dan bisa memasang diri terhadap batas itu sambil punya buffer.
......
"Großartig," kata Helmut, "magnificent" dalam bahasa Jerman, saat melihat Fathi menyiapkan dan mengeksekusi serangan kedua yang membawanya ke pemimpinan balap, mengukuhkan penilaian tingginya sudah setara dengan Verstappen.
"Sayang sekali," tambahnya, membuat pria yang menemaninya ke pertemuan negosiasi dengan ibu Fatih mendekat dan bertanya, "Apa yang sayang?"
"Kalau tidak ada super lisensi baru, kita bisa sekali lagi memecahkan rekor itu," kata Helmut dengan ekspresi serius.
"Kamu pikir dia siap F1?" tanya pria itu, cukup terkejut dengan pernyataan itu, karena Fathi belum debut di F4.
"Belum siap sepenuhnya, tapi cara berpikirnya sudah di sana, jadi kalau diperbolehkan, kita bisa urus sisanya untuk tahun depan dan bawa dia ke F1 saat usia enam belas, tapi sayang tidak akan terjadi."
Mendengar itu, pria itu terdiam. Ungkapan menghancurkan bahwa Helmut menganggap anak berusia empat belas tahun sebagai calon pemecah rekor pengemudi termuda kalau memungkinkan. Dia sekali lagi menatap layar dan memperhatikan mobil Fathi, yang kini jadi fokus sutradara TV, menampilkan dia melewati tikungan Copse, sebelum berbisik, "Syukurlah ada regulasi itu."
Dia tahu meski banyak orang akan gembira rekor pecah kalau memungkinkan, dia melihatnya sebaliknya karena tekanan yang dihadapi pengemudi akan cukup jadi bottleneck dan membuatnya tidak sampai setengah potensinya.
Jadi dia bersyukur regulasi mencegah Helmut melempar pengemudi lain ke serigala karena di F1, kecepatan saja tidak cukup, dan semua pengemudi berpengalaman akan gunakan itu untuk memecahkannya. Dia mungkin tidak bertahan di sisi lain dan terpaksa meninggalkan olahraga saat baru mulai hidupkan mimpinya dan punya sisa hidup untuk memikirkannya, yang kemungkinan besar berdekade.
Tapi penilaian itu saja cukup mengungkap betapa besarnya pentingnya Fathi di pikiran Helmut sekarang, yang berarti baik dan buruk bagi Fathi tapi situasi lebih buruk lagi bagi dua pengemudi akademi mereka yang lain, karena kini mereka punya gunung pengemudi tak teratasi di kelas mereka yang selalu jadi pembanding dan pengingat.
"Jack Doohan needs to drive as perfectly and as fast as he possibly can, while Fatih only has to drive faster than Jack, which he has shown he is capable of doing repeatedly by topping the previous sessions. It is also aided by Fatih being in the chasing position and not the one being chased, as usual, so it gives him peace of mind, as it is easier to take from someone than to protect what you have.
We can see the distance between the two drivers is now being continuously reduced as Fatih takes advantage of being the chasing driver and tucks into Jack Doohan’s slipstream, which is very powerful for the cars without DRS as they head into Stowe corner.
However, it looks like Fatih is not content with ending it like that, as he moves out of the slipstream to mount an attack on the outside into Stowe corner, forcing Jack Doohan to move defensively. But it was a feint, as Fatih changes his line to the inside, reducing that gap from a few tenths behind to taking the corner almost side-by-side with him, having the inside line out of Stowe.
A magnificent move that turns the chase into a side-by-side drag race into the Vale chicane. On the long straight, who is going to be last on the brakes? Jack Doohan still has a short lead compared to Fatih, with his forced outside line now turning into the inside line leading into the chicane, while Fatih has more confidence in his driving and late braking.
OH, THEY BRAKE NEARLY AT THE SAME TIME! JACK DOOHAN PUSHES FATIH WIDE AS THEY ENTER THE CHICANE, BUT FATIH STAYS HIS GROUND AS HE MANAGES TO ROTATE THE CAR! BUT THE MOVE TURNS OUT TO BE COSTLY FOR JACK AS FATIH’S OUTSIDE LINE INTO THE CORNER NOW TURNS INTO THE INSIDE LINE OUT OF THE CHICANE, AND JACK OVERSHOOTS HIS SPEED AND GOES OFF THE TRACK! FATIH GETS THROUGH INTO THE LEAD! UNBELIEVABLE BACK-AND-FORTH BATTLE BETWEEN THE TWO DRIVERS!
JACK SHOWED BRAVERY AND INTENT TO FIGHT, WHILE FATİH SHOWED TECHNICAL DRIVING AND BIDDING HIS TIME, WHILE FORCING THE OTHER DRIVER INTO MAKING MISTAKES AND CAPITALIZING ON THEM BY SETTING UP THE ATTACK AHEAD OF TIME. GENTLEMEN, WE MIGHT BE WITNESSING THE STARTING POINT FOR GREAT DRIVERS, SO ETCH THESE MOMENTS INTO YOUR BRAINS!
As for Fatih, who has now finally taken the lead before the end of the first lap, it looks like it is going to be a repeat of the previous race, as he has now already cemented his lead by having more than five-tenths of a second between him and Jack Doohan, who now has to be wary of Dennis Hauger, who has narrowed the distance thanks to Jack losing time by going off the track..."
As the self-chosen commentator went on and on, the mechanics and everyone watching on the track, who had been fully focused on the television, finally had a moment to relax and take a breather. They had been in full focus and tension from the start of the lap, the moment Fatih started initiating his attacks, and weren’t allowed a moment of respite between Fatih starting from third to him emerging in the lead. His attacks looked no different than a professional driver bullying beginners by using his experience as an advantage, but everyone here knew that if it was experience based on track time, then the other two had more than ten times what Fatih had. But on the track, if you said it was the opposite, no one would argue against you, as the attacks were ruthless and the mistakes he forced the other side to make were strategic, all culminating in him being the person who benefited from them, even if it was not immediately, but a few corners later.
"Unless there is a safety car, there is no way they are catching up to him, so hand over the money," one of Fatih’s mechanics said, tapping his friend while stretching his hand, wanting his betting winnings. The mechanics of each driver believed their driver was going to win this final race because Fatih was being sent to the rear of the grid and wouldn’t have the clean air advantage from the get-go, so to make it more fun for each other, they had even bet between one another.
"I’m never betting against you again," his friend said as he tried to reach into his pockets, only to remember that he was not carrying money since he was in his fireproof overall. When he looked back at his friend, who was laughing at the clumsy mistake he made, he slapped the extended hand as he said, "It’s not over until the checkered flag is waived, and who knows, there might be a safety car."
Just as he mentioned a safety car, he remembered that for one to come out, a crash had to happen, so it meant that it would be more work for them. He took his words back, "or just a yellow flag for foreign material on the track, who knows."
"Let this be a lesson to not bet against Fatih," his friend said as he massaged his slapped hand.
......
Fatih, now finally back in the lead, still retained his full focus on the car as he now entered pacing mode, trying to extract only enough pace out of the car to maintain the same speed all the way to the final lap.
There was no advantage in setting one fastest lap after another if the tires were going to be cooked a few laps before the end of the race, as the amount he would lose in that time period would be enough to lose not only the advantage he had gained but even more if the other drivers conserved their tires.
But the opposite was also the same, as there was no need for the tires to have any more additional grip by the time the race ended, since they wouldn’t be used again. Being too gentle on them would just result in needlessly losing time, so he needed to push just enough that by the time he passed the finish line, all the grip on the tires would be gone. But fine-tuning that was going to take a bit longer; still, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
However, although he looked to be in conservation mode instead of a shootout mode, his pace was still competitive compared to the other two drivers as he followed Apollo’s advice from his karting days to the letter. It was advice he had received when he kept operating at one hundred percent capacity, lap after lap, and always being on the edge.
Apollo had told him, "Great drivers don’t operate at one hundred percent capacity all the time, as it is enough for them to operate at about eighty percent with the same, if not better pace than good drivers operating at their maximum. Operating at eighty percent gives you a buffer but also an option to immediately ramp it up to the max at a moment’s notice, which makes it both more effective and doesn’t put too much needless pressure on your body and mind. At the moment, you can handle it easily, but the higher you move and the more things you now have to take into consideration, the more important it will be to pace yourself."
It was a long-winded piece of advice, but Fatih had taken it to heart and maintained a seventy-five percent operation level, which in itself was still enough to maintain his lead, and he had yet to be pushed any further than eighty percent.
However, to prevent that seventy to eighty percent operation capacity from becoming his actual limit due to constant repetition, in his simulation training, he maintained his operation level at maximum capacity. Thanks to that, he was very good at pacing both himself and his performance from a fully focused single-lap pace to race pace since he knew what the highest possible limit was and could pace himself against that while having a buffer.
......
"Großartig," Helmut said, "magnificent" in German, when he saw Fatih set up and execute the second attack that propelled him into the race lead, cementing his already high evaluation of him to the same level he had for Verstappen.
"What a shame," he added, prompting the man who had accompanied him to the negotiation meeting with Fatih’s mother to lean in and ask, "What is a shame?"
"If it weren’t for the new super license, we could have once again broken that record," Helmut said with a serious expression.
"You think he is F1 ready?" the man asked, quite surprised at the statement, as Fatih hadn’t even debuted in F4.
"Not quite ready yet, but his way of thinking is already there, so if it was permissible, we could have handled the rest for the next year and had him in F1 while he is sixteen, but a shame that it won’t happen."
Upon hearing that, the man was speechless. It was a devastating revelation that Helmut had deemed a fourteen-year-old to be a possible candidate to break the record of the youngest driver if it was possible. He once again turned to face the screen and take a good look at Fatih’s car, which was now the focus of the TV director, showing him going through Copse corner, before he whispered, "Thank God for the regulation."
He knew that although many people would be thrilled by the record being broken if it was possible, he saw it as the opposite because the amount of pressure the driver would face would be enough to act as a bottleneck and have him not even live up to half his potential.
So he was thankful that the regulations prevented Helmut from throwing another driver to the wolves because in F1, pace alone was not enough, and all of the experienced drivers would use that to their advantage to break him. He might not survive on the other side and might even be forced to leave the sport when he had just started to live his dream and would have the rest of his life to think about it, which was most likely decades.
But that assessment alone was enough to reveal the amount of importance Helmut had now placed Fatih in his mind, which meant it was both a good and bad thing for Fatih but an even worse situation for the other two academy drivers of theirs, as they now had an insurmountable mountain of a driver in their class who they would always be compared against and be reminded of.
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