[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 3rd Position]
[You are 1 seconds away, host.]
**Luca, you are 1 sec from P3—1 sec from P3 I repeat**
**Overtake is optimal. You are right on Davide**
"...out of the chicane go Luca Rennick and Davide DiMarco into Turn 8! Rennick's just a second behind now, and Davide DiMarco will do anything to prevent that DRS from activating for Rennick..!"
Luca's pace surged, suddenly sharper and faster. His eyes stayed locked on the Red Bull just ahead, carving its path out of the heart of Sector 2 and charging toward Sector 3.
Sector 3 was made up of Turns 10 to 14—most of them fast-speed corners that rewarded exceptionally quick rhythm and flow. Only Turn 13 broke that rhythm. It was a slim, tricky hairpin to the left that demanded sharp braking and tight control.
DiMarco grew more cautious with every glance in his mirrors. He could feel Luca's approach closing in. Given Sector 3's layout with its high-speed bends, it was very possible for a driver with better momentum to close gaps quickly, and Luca had been steadily cutting it down lap after lap.
However, DiMarco knew you could never truly shut down a threat until you actually shut down the threat. He bet Luca to follow him and then he'd show him the power of Red Bull's engineering.
At Turn 9, Luca could see that the gap had shrunk by just a millisecond, more than enough now. A surge of adrenaline punched through his chest, a boost urging him to commit soon.
**Turn 10 ahead. Gaps less than a second. All focus**
[Turn type: Fast Right Kink] [Angle: 45°] [Braking Point: No braking required ] [Recommended Entry Speed: 200 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Mid lane]
DiMarco swept through Turn 10 like a blur, streaking past the grandstands with a rush of air trailing behind him as a ripple of speed that passed almost too fast for the eye to track.
He took Turn 10 cleanly, carrying just around 200 km/h after navigating the moderately tight layout of Turn 9.
But Luca, he swooped through faster, clocking 210 km/h.
It wasn't because his Ferrari had more raw speed. No—thr Red Bull was faster.
It's just that, Luca simply chose to press harder on the throttle, pushing past the margin that DiMarco, driving cautiously but fast, had calculated for optimal safety.
Luca had the confidence here.
He just knew—instinctively—when and how far to stretch the limits of his car, trusting that his Skill and refined Attributes would correct any mistake or catch any overreach.
If everything fell into place, and most times it did, the reward was always the same: a crucial cut in lap time.
Now he was just half a second behind, practically feeling the heat pouring from the Red Bull's rear diffuser.
"...They're practically glued together now! No room to breathe between Luca Rennick and Davide DiMarco...!"
[Analyzing Ferrari (JRX-92B) and host's distance from 3rd Position]
[You are 0.5 seconds away, host.]
**Sector 3 straight is coming up after Turn 11. DRS zone confirmed—get ready to strike!**
**Use Turn 11 exit to set it up. Keep DRS range steady. Push ERS deployment if needed!**
**This is your best shot to launch the overtake, Luca. This lap—make it count!**
[Turn type: High-speed Left] [Angle: 80°] [Braking Point: 30 metres before turn-in] [Recommended Entry Speed: 210 km/h] [Optimal Apex: Late apex]
[Slipstream Status: ENGAGING]
Car <— Approaching Slipstream (Minimal aerodynamic effect)
Car <<— Partial Lock (Drag reduction increasing)
Car <<<— LOCKED IN (Maximum slipstream advantage)
[Overtake Window: Optimal]
"...AND HERE COMES LUCA—HE'S RIGHT ON HIM NOW—!!! THEY'RE COMING OUT OF TURN 11, SENSATIONAL SPEED THROUGH SECTOR 3, MY GOODNESS, LOOK AT THE GAP—IT'S VANISHING—!!"
"...IT'S A HIGH-SPEED LEFT, ONE OF THE BRAVEST CORNERS ON THE TRACK—AND LOOK AT THE COMMITMENT FROM LUCA RENNICK!! HE'S NOT LIFTING—HE'S FLAT—HE'S FLAT THROUGH IT—!!!"
"...HE'S IN THE SLIPSTREAM NOW—LOOK—LOOK—CLOSING IN—!!!"
"Tch!" DiMarco spat under his breath, a hiss of pure defiance.
A driver catching your tow and reaping the benefit of your drag didn't automatically guarantee a successful pass. DiMarco still clung to the belief he could wriggle his way out, defend hard, and somehow retain P3 until the first pit window opened.
**DRS, DRS, DRS!! You are clear—Push!!**
"...THERE IT IS—THERE IT IS!!! DRS FLAP OPEN—LOOK AT THAT FERRARI—THE WING IS DOWN, THE WING IS DOWN—HE'S GOT A MASSIVE SPEED ADVANTAGE NOW.. !!"
As soon as Luca felt the violent punch of reduced drag hit him—the Ferrari slicing the air even sharper thanks to DRS—and combined it with the tight, suffocating pull of DiMarco's slipstream that he had already been locked into, he knew this was it.
He jerked left, diving out from DiMarco's wake like a missile breaking free, claiming space beside the RBioL in a blink.
Luca chuckled deep in his mind, a victorious laugh, as he soared past with an explosion of speed—and he hadn't even touched his ERS yet. He grinned mentally at the fact he was able to conserve the FiveSix's energy system, knowing he'd need every drop later in the war that was still going to come in this race.
"...LUCA RENNICK IS THROUGH—HE'S THROUGH—HE'S IN P3—HE'S DONE IT CLEAN AS YOU LIKE—WHAT A MOVE—WHAT A STATEMENT FROM THE SILVER STALLIONS...!"
**YESSS!! That's P3, Luca—beautiful work, beautiful work! Stay sharp—head down—stay sharp**
"...Luca Rennick in P3, Davide DiMarco in P4...!"
The thousands packed into the Hungaroring were roaring—oh, they were roaring alright—but for very different reasons!
And the roaring you could hear now? Ha! It definitely wasn't coming from Jackson Racing fans.
Bueseno Velocità's sections had gone absolutely wild. Their flags and banners swirled violently, fists pumped in the air, horns blared—the sheer outrage at Luca's overtake boiled over in every direction.
Bueseno's loyalists hated Luca Rennick with a special kind of venom as we know, and seeing him overtake DiMarco felt like an insult. Why would he keep winning?!
Hungary, though not geographically neighboring Italy, was emotionally and culturally far closer to it than most realized.
In motorsport terms, it was practically a home turf extension for the passionate Italian racing faithful. Another stronghold, another frontline of pride against anything Jackson Racing stood for—and Luca Rennick was very much enemy number one today.
And yet... as Luca hurtled down the straight towards Turn 12, basking in the chaos he'd caused, he could swear he heard a few scattered cheers here and there, faint and hidden in the roar.
Whether real or imagined, he soaked it in anyway, savoring the small taste of triumph.
All he had to do now was hold P3. Having overtaken DiMarco cleanly down the straight, Luca knew it would take Davide a moment to recover his rhythm. Not only had Luca used the full cocktail of slipstream and DRS to blast by, but he'd also sliced directly in front of the Red Bull, killing DiMarco's air and line just enough to throw off any immediate counterattack.
However, Luca did not know that Bueseno Velocità's Tempesta and the RBioL were practically the best engine and chassis combo on the grid when used perfectly...