Luca wondered how Oliver Kristensen felt about starting at pole, being the first driver to lunge into action.
As all drivers sat on the grid, with drivers P18 to P30 still lining up behind, Luca studied those ahead and the track that wound like spaghetti into the abyss of the evening sky.
This was a very peculiar grid for a peculiar race—the last race of the season. Kristensen would begin the race once the five lights disappeared, followed by strange faces like Taubert and Legrasse.
From the view of the grandstands of Tribuna Centrale, any spectator wouldn't see powerful colors until P4, where Albert Derstappen, in Squadra Jnr's black and gold livery, sat confidently and menacingly.
The competition grew the more one's eyes moved to the left.
Dani Walding followed in his blue Dallara, and Miles Bellingham sat in P6, right before Luca, the sharp angles and shape of his car painted the same colors as Derstappen's.
Luca hated seeing Miles' gearbox.
The only rival still in title contention in front of him on the grid. Luca planned on using Grid Launch to make their positions only grid-temporary.
And then, for the first few laps, Miles could fight with Max and Aaronson while he looked for more openings.
The toughest opponents occupied P4 to P10. Luca's objective was to escape this throng and move farther up the pack, where drivers he could easily dominate were.
He needed to escape his rivals as early as possible. A line of Aaronson, Max, Luca, and Miles prophesied nothing but danger.
"...Here we go! The grid is set, the final race of the season, the Italian Mega Prix, and this is where it all comes down! Oliver Kristensen, for the first time, starts on pole! Benjamin Taubert alongside him in P2, and James Legrasse in P3—can they hold their ground into Turn One?"
"... Midfield is packed! That is where all eyes would be, awaiting their launch in order!"
Everyone in Trampos had taken their positions in the paddock or the telemetry room. Mr. Ruben, Colt, and Mr. Moritz made some quick checks with Luca and Haas as the lights were set to flash on any second now.
**Track temp is holding at 39 degrees. So, we might focus a lot on tire warm-up for some time**
"Oh, ok— okay. Got it," Luca replied, thinking. "It must be getting cold out there, right?"
**Yes. Soft wind** Mr. Ruben informed, taking in a deep breath of the cool air that had just rushed in from the paddock and into the garage, filling everyone's lungs with calm. **In fact, tailwind into Turn 6, crosswind into its chicane. Could unsettle braking**
**Tire wear is assured regardless of an early push or not. So, we push early and make it count**
Luca nodded and gripped his wheel tighter. The first light had just flashed on!
Luca gripped his wheel tighter as the second light flashed on. The heat from his car gradually spread through his body, and the heat from the opponents rippled the air.
Luca's mind flicked back to the Daily Quest his system had issued right before the grid lineup.
[-·-CRASH ONE RIVAL IN THIS 75-LAP RACE-·-]
This felt like a very absurd Daily Quest to Luca and he couldn't understand why his system would issue such.
"You... you must be kidding, right?" he had asked the system and it replied negatively.
[Critical moments demand decisive action.] the System repeated as its explanation.
Luca sighed in his cockpit, now forced to contemplate who he'd have to victimize to accomplish this ridiculous task.
Crashing an opponent legally was already difficult—too difficult. If the system had granted him a Skill for that kind of a thing, maybe he'd consider it. But without that? Executing something so outright mischievous was practically a gamble.
And if the target was a top rival like Aaronson, Max, or Miles? That made things even harder. They were too good at defending. Any aggressive move would immediately look like a DNF attempt. And it was something the stewards would catch onto for screening and penalize him in a heartbeat.
Luca thought about crashing other drivers on the grid. Other drivers that weren't in championship contention. Maybe he could drop back down the pack purposefully just to victimize one unlucky fellow.
But doing that would just be total malevolence and wickedness. And climbing back up might be another task.
In fact, Luca wondered if he even had to complete this Daily Quest. He had expected it to be [-·-EMERGE FIRST OUT OF THIS 75-LAP RACE-·-]. Instead, it was something else. How does crashing one rival assure he wins the race?
Maybe it's the Rewards, Luca thought. But I still don't know why you want me to cause someone to crash.
Luca remembered the Rewards the system had listed for him. He also tried to remember if there was a punishment attached.
[-·-CRASH ONE RIVAL IN THIS 75-LAP RACE-·-]
[Eliminating a rival will significantly increase your chances of winning this race and securing the F2 Championship as a whole.]
[Reward for Completing Saturday's Daily Quest: (EXP)
[Consequence for Failing Saturday Daily Quest: Punishment
Luca asked his system what this Tuning Upgrade meant. But it responded with no real details about it, saying he'd have to acquire it first before having access to its information. However, the system mentioned it was a feature just like how Sync Buff was.
Sync Buff had been great to Luca so far, the major reason for his race wins. So, if this Tuning Upgrade was a feature just like Sync Buff, then it meant it'd be as useful or even more considering it came later to him than Sync Buff.
Still, Luca wasn't sure about risking the life of a rival to acquire a new feature.
If he failed, he'd get red sores! How horrible is that?!
So, if even if he won the race without accomplishing the quest, he'd be celebrating the F2 Championship trophy with red, itchy skin?!
Luca decided he'd attempt it. After all, he was able to even do it twice in Le Castellet without getting a penalty. One to John Roberts, and one to Max Addams.
All five lights were bright and clear now, piercing through the evening atmosphere.
The crowd silenced themselves and lowered their flags.
"...And now, all five lights are on… the engines are roaring, the tension is unbearable! Every driver locked in, eyes fixed ahead, fingers twitching over the clutch paddles. One final breath before the chaos erupts!"
All SomberCores growled in unison, creating a deep sonorous sound that stretched gradually across the grid.
The smell of burning rubber and high-octane fuel saturated the air. It was thick and intoxicating, but smelt different to Luca and the other drivers. For them, it was fuel to their veins.
Aaronson flexed his hand on his wheel. So did Max, Luca and Miles, their pulse steady and intense as they locked their eyes on the red lights waiting for the moment the columns go blank.