The new Vallotton–Grant administration could pat themselves on the back after savoring 25 points from the Hungarian Grand Prix. Now, their focus shifted to accumulating better numbers over the remaining course of the season.
The team had one and a half weeks to prepare for the eighth round of the season: the Spanish Grand Prix. As Luca had reflected the other day, the Spanish Grand Prix was one of the most important and popular races on the calendar. Teams often approached it with the mindset that losing in this GP could leave a lasting stain, given how memorable Mandalora GPs tended to be.
Either way, Mr. Grant and his deputy aimed for a decisive and confident win in Barcelona. They planned to make effective use of the training days before the day in July. Mr. Grant's approach involved a series of rigorous drills, including telemetry analysis and high-pressure pit stop simulations designed to shave precious milliseconds off their stop times.
He also focused on refining his drivers' precision with tailored sessions to perfect their cornering speeds in high-degradation zones. These sessions simulated Barcelona's challenging Circuito del Barca–Raval layout, with its demanding turns, such as the infamous Turn 8 and the final chicane.
The plan for Mr. Grant and any other astute Team Principal was to leave nothing to chance, ensuring their drivers dominated the circuit while meeting Mandalora's high standards. With Circuito del Barca–Raval featuring 72 Laps, it was crucial and important for drivers to endure the long period of racing rather than spend both physical and engine energy on duels and unnecessary speeding. And to accomplish this, the best way was to hold a commanding lead from start to finish.
Mr. Grant and Ms. Val could've easily aligned the team's training scheme ahead of the GP to a more definite and comfortable strategy, just like Mr. Grant had done throughout the first half of the season. By knowing where their drivers would start on the grid a week before the race, they could effortlessly craft a beneficial strategy and basic moves to help solidify or improve performance on the track.
But now, it was different. The grid positions would be determined by Sprint Races or any other qualifying activity the Federation decided upon. Either way, all teams' management would be unable to discern their drivers' positions until two or three days before the race, which was relatively little time to make significant changes.
This posed a tough challenge for Mr. Grant and Ms. Val, but they believed they could overcome it. After all, this was the usual grid-determining routine every year.
The problem, however, was that the stakes were higher now. Bueseno Velocità Jnr was so close to Trampos Racing in the standings that even a single position ahead could totally change the team's standings, which currently looked :
PROVISIONAL TEAMS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP5) Scroll for more.
Position | Team | Points
-----------------------------------------
1. | Trampos Racing | 206
2. | Bueseno Velocità Jnr. | 181
3. | Squadra Corse Jnr | 104
4. | Hatcherk Motorsport | 94
5. | Retona Racing | 45
At the moment, the standings were shaping up to be one of those seasons that promised anything but a peaceful ending. Normally in Formula 2, the leader would have a solid 70 to 100-point advantage, with second place holding a similar gap over third. This time, though, things were much tighter.
With both Ansel and Miles failing to finish their races, Trampos' comfortable lead had shrunk significantly, and Squadra's aggressive chase to overtake Velocità had slowed down, leaving them at a bit of a stalemate. Retona Racing seemed unlikely to compete for the top three, and it appeared that this was yet another season where they failed to be an elite team.
Hatcherk, on the other hand, had experienced as many humiliating moments as they had moments of glory. Sean Aaronson would likely love to burn his tires for whatever qualifying activity would be set up. The fight wasn't over for him.
It was all these accumulating details that troubled Mr. Grant and Ms. Vallotton. Anyone—even an APX driver—might manage to claim a podium with this new structure of the grid. At this point in the season, other drivers had the opportunity to sparkle if they played their cards right and secured a satisfying grid position. This was precisely why Mr. Grant and other top Team Principals had wanted their drivers to amass massive points at the start of the season.
Trampos had more personnel than ever, increasing the number of figures in the headquarters' premises per training session. The atmosphere was lively, with everyone chatting and warming up for the day ahead. Luca found it surprising that no one mentioned a word about the new contract proposal that had been offered to him—not even Mr. Grant. Either only a few people knew, or the whole thing was strictly confidential and handled officially.
Luca had kicked off his day with a long session with Amir, expecting to gain at least one additional point to his Strength attribute, which he had focused on. But there was none. He pushed through all exercises and activities without receiving a single system notification.
When he was through with his private assessment, Luca planned to head out to the track where two cars were zipping through. He had expected them to be Ansel and Haas, but it was Haas and Victor, as he learned that Ansel had yet to arrive for the day.
Luca found that odd because Ansel wasn't one to be late. He wondered if Ansel's tardiness had anything to do with his current mood regarding the recent results that hadn't gone in his favor. Luca hoped his teammate could recover, shake it off, and focus on the tasks ahead. After all, Trampos was still leading, and all hope wasn't lost.
After suiting up in the uniform room, Luca stepped outside, stretching his arms and hopping into the air every few strides to loosen up. The crisp air hit him as he wandered toward the track, his focus momentarily distracted by the rumble of engines growing louder.
Before he could react, Haas and Victor's cars screamed past him on either side, roaring down the track at breakneck speed. The force of their passage nearly knocked him off balance, leaving his ears ringing and his footing unsteady.
Luca froze for a moment, his scattered hair falling into his eyes, before brushing it back into place. The crew on the other side erupted into cheers and laughter at his near-miss. He shook his head, half amused and half frightened, before carefully crossing the track, weaving between the lingering exhaust trails to join them.