Luckily, with the help of his system, Luca was able to fully anticipate Aaronson's approach and the speed of his own Dallara leaving the pitlane to rejoin the race.
He made necessary adjustments when merging, whisking into the farther left side of the track instead of the inner right like everyone expected. The crowd awed as Aaronson joined Luca with terrifying speed on that lane, speed that was enough to send one car skidding if contact had occurred.
"...And look at that speed from Sean Aaronson! He came flying down the track, any slight contact would have sent one of them skidding off...!"
"...But Luca escapes! He rejoins cleanly, wasting not a fraction of a second...!"
"...That was razor-sharp decision-making from Rennick, adjusting his reentry, and veering to the far left to switch lanes, completely catching Aaronson off guard!"
Aaronson was bummed that he wasn't fast enough to get Luca and eliminate one driver in this finale. Even though he might be handed a stern penalty, let's say 30 seconds, Aaronson was confident he could make it up with the 50+ laps to go in this Italian Mega Prix.
After the feat performed by Luca, Turn 1 quickly opened, and Aaronson went for the inside, leaving Luca to round out at his peripheral vision.
"Insecurity and paranoia, you say," Aaronson muttered under his breath, stealing a blurry glance at Luca. "I invite you to a dogfight, pal. Let's see how you'll fare with cold tires."
Sometimes Luca wished Pitstop Prodigy also affected the condition he'd leave the pits with. Cold tires were a nightmare. Without optimal temperature, they lacked grip, making acceleration sluggish, braking unpredictable, and cornering a problem.
If Pitstop Prodigy also helped him leave the pitlane with hot new tires, ready for grip, then that'd be much better.
Where Serpeggiare was a track designed for turns, Luca's cold tires wouldn't get him anywhere if he didn't take it steady at least until the last straight.
Taking it steady with a wild-card rival beside him would be no easy feat. Aaronson would look for any hesitation in Luca's braking, pushing him to misjudge a turn and run wide. He could feint a divebomb, forcing Luca into a defensive line that would only worsen his cold-tire struggles.
Luca gritted his teeth. He didn't plan on dropping back or losing any bit of momentum. James Legrasse had entered his system's radius and was distanced at 2 seconds.
Luca deployed Side-by-Side King as best as he could to fight back and gain the upper hand.
Turn 2 came fast, and both drivers naturally switched trajectory due to track structure, crisscrossing their paths. Luca's cold tires twitched under braking, but he held firm. It was difficult to fully execute Side-by-Side King in an unstable track like a chicane, and his cold tires made the feat more difficult.
[Side-by-Side King failed due to cold tires]
[Estimated Time for Optimal Tire Temperature: 2.5 laps under standard racing conditions—1 Lap for host.]
[Acceleration and cornering compromised until 85% heat threshold is reached]
[Recommendation: Gradual weight transfer through turns to generate heat efficiently]
Aaronson, relentless, edged closer, trying to muscle Luca off the ideal racing line. His front wing lurked dangerously near Luca's sidepod, threatening a wheel-to-wheel clash.
Luca's rear skated as he tried to balance throttle and steering, but Aaronson wasn't backing down. He crowded Luca into the narrowest possible exit, making sure any attempt to accelerate would be a risk.
"Damn it!" Luca muttered. He had to find a way to push back, but Turn 3 was already looming ahead. If Aaronson boxed him in here, Luca might not even make it through unscathed.
"...Hot driving from Aaronson! He's absolutely muscling Luca off the racing line, refusing to give an inch through Turn 2...!"
"... Rennick is struggling on those cold tires, and Aaronson knows it, he's piling on the pressure, forcing him wide! This is aggressive driving, Steve..."
**Don't panic-brake, Luca. Hold your position. You're still in the fight. Temps should reach manageable condition in a few more corners**
"Turn 3, I won't survive."
Just then, an announcement was made once Luca and Aaronson drove into Curva Grande, his grip nowhere near stable.
"...AVVERTIMENTO ALLA VETTURA #09, SEAN AARONSON, PER GUIDA AGGRESSIVA. MANTIENI UNA CONDOTTA DI GARA CORRETTA..."
"...WARNING TO CAR #09, SEAN AARONSON, FOR AGGRESSIVE DRIVING. MAINTAIN RACING CONDUCT..."
**Aaronson's been warned, Luca. Race control's on him now. He might ease off, so keep your line steady**
Luca exhaled sharply, hands gripping the wheel as he fought to stabilize his car. He wondered if the word "might" meant Aaronson still had the choice.
If he successfully forced Luca to a DNF, Luca wondered if a thirty seconds penalty would be even termed justice.
"....And there it is! A well-deserved warning for Aaronson—he's been pushing Luca dangerously through these turns. We've seen him muscle competitors before, but that squeeze at Turn 2 was right on the edge of what's acceptable. Race control stepping in was the right call...!"
It seemed the majority of fans were not impressed by the judgement, and they were anticipating Luca's downfall after he left the pitlane.
Aaronson clenched his jaw, eyes flicking to the race tower as the warning flashed across his dashboard. He wanted to press on, to force Luca into a mistake, but the risk was too high now. Another move like that, and he could be staring at a penalty.
He was still in championship contention, he didn't have to compromise that now. There were still many laps to come in this race, and he was sure he could catch Luca again.
He growled audibly to his engineers and backed off slightly as both drivers reached the steep apex of Turn 3.
Luca wasn't going to take any chances. He despised traction issues because without it, he was just a canoe drifting on a river. Nearly all his Skills relied on grip: Chopping Skills, Side-by-Side King, Overtaking, even Reflexes. Without traction, he couldn't execute them properly.
Approaching Curva Grande, he analyzed the slanted structure of the turn. The tarmac leaned slightly toward the curbs, offering minimal assistance. In that moment, he understood exactly what Dani Walding must have seen in that split second when he miscalculated here.
[Track Span Analysis: 2.5 meters wide (inside lane available)] [Optimal Racing Line Calculated: 1.8 meters]
[Car Width: 1.9 meters] [Margin for Error: 0.3 meters (0.15 meters on each side)]
Luca decided to take the runoff area instead of forcing his way through the bottleneck. His tires were still far from optimal, and he couldn't risk a full-throttle commitment through Curva Grande, not with Aaronson lurking like a vulture, ready to capitalize on the slightest mistake.
As he veered toward the escape road, his hands worked fast, counter-steering to keep the Dallara stable. Suddenly, the rougher surface of the runoff area rumbled beneath him. It was a sharp, strangely soothing difference to the smooth racing line of the turns he had just abandoned.
[Deviation Detected: Runoff Path Engaged]
[Grip Adjustment: 67% Efficiency]
[Exit Projection: Time Loss Estimated – 1.2 seconds]
"...Luca Rennick takes the runoff at Curva Grande! He's opting for the escape road instead of forcing the issue through that tightening bottleneck..!"
"...Smart decision from him. He'll lose some time, but at least he avoids a potential spin or worse...!"
"Coward," Aaronson huffed, catching a glimpse of Luca through the heat haze, both their cars blurring at the edges.
For a brief moment, their paths ran parallel, until Turn 3's final curvature forced Aaronson outward, splitting their trajectories like the diverging arms of a slanted "K," the holographic number 5 hovering over his chassis.
[Time Loss Estimated – 1.1 seconds]