Kristensen didn't waste time hitting his throttle once his six-second pit was over. He could see Luca and his team were done, and Luca had already made it out of his pit box.
P1 was slipping out of his grasp, and Kristensen wasn't going to allow it. His tires spun and rotated as he leapt out, accelerating to a speed that overshot the pit lane speed limit so he could catch up.
The crowd noticed Kristensen's surge past 60 km/h in pursuit of Luca as if they were on a normal racing lane.
"...Did he push past the speed limit?!"
The scowl from Trampos' garage answered that question because, even with the naked eye, one could tell when a driver exceeded 60 km/h in the pit lane.
Luca heard Kristensen's tires screech when he launched out of his box. He looked at his side mirror to see him rolling past Legrasse and approaching at 67 km/h—Luca was able to analyze his car since it was in the required range for system analysis.
"What does he have in mind, risking a penalty for himself?" Luca asked aloud. He was already meters from the exit, and there was Kristensen, trying to keep up, deftly placing his speed not too far from 60 km/h as if that would soothe the stewards.
"...Race Control is watching! Did he get away with that?"
Luca's problem at the moment wasn't Kristensen. He was confident that the pit exit was designed for a single car to merge at a time. No matter how much speed Kristensen had gained, there was no outmuscling the structure of the track itself.
Luca's concern was that Max and Aaronson were rolling down fast into Turn 1. If he and Kristensen rejoined the race in a queue, it'd be four-star F2 drivers on a single lane, even if only for a second.
"...some of the biggest names in Formula 2 about to converge in the same piece of tarmac! Luca and Kristensen are rejoining just as Max Addams and Sean Aaronson come flying down into Turn 1...!"
Luca's instincts told him that Max and Aaronson would never ease off or adjust their speed to make his reentry smoother.
According to FIA regulations, in situations —where a driver is merging back onto the track—any potential collision would primarily be blamed on the rejoining driver rather than those already on the racing line.
This was because the drivers already on the racing line had the right of way, maintaining their trajectory and speed as expected.
The merging driver, on the other hand, was responsible for ensuring a safe and controlled reentry without causing disruptions or forcing oncoming cars to react suddenly.
Any miscalculation in timing or positioning could be deemed as unsafe rejoining, leading to penalties or even race-ending consequences.
First, because of this. Second, Luca knew he would be vulnerable, fresh out of the pits, facing rivals already at full race speed.
He had no intention of becoming easy prey, so he timed his reentry precisely, slipping in just as Max and Aaronson blasted past with Aaronson glued to Max's rear wing.
"...Max Addams in P1!"
"...Sean Aaronson in P2!"
"...Luca Rennick in P3!"
"...Oliver Kristensen in P4!"
Luca and Kristensen remained unfazed. They knew Max and Aaronson would have to pit soon, and when they did, the fight for P1 and P2 would be wide open.
But Kristensen's confidence took a hit when his engineers relayed the dreaded news over the radio.
**Oliver, we've been handed a five-second penalty for pitlane speeding**
"...It was always going to be a risk! He pushed past 60 km/h in the pitlane, and Race Control isn't letting it slide!"
"....A five-second penalty! That's massive at this stage of the race for Retona Racing, for Oliver Kristensen..."
These were the kind of openings Trampos wanted. **Great!** Mr. Ruben exclaimed over the radio. **Now he will lag behind just like the others and P1 will be free to grab**
Luca gripped his wheel tighter into Turn 1, aware of Kristensen lurking behind, most likely with a bitter heart after receiving the penalty that could jeopardize his race.
[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]
[Analyzing 4th Position's distance from host and Dallara (F2 04)...]
[4th Position is 1 sec away, host.]
[Analyzing Dallara (F2 04) and host's distance from 2nd Position]
[You are 2 seconds away, host.]
Kristensen wasn't waiting. Penalty or not, he was still in this fight, and Luca was his immediate target.
A small kick of Spatial Awareness alerted Luca of Kristensen's lunge for him and he responded with a defensive shift, automatically accepting the duel at the exit of Turn 1.
Luca took the racing line into Turn 2, planting his front left onto the apex while carefully managing his cold tires unlike Kristensen, who charged into the corner aggressively.
He braked later than Luca, forcing his car to squirm as it struggled for grip with his own cold tires.
"...Kristensen is attacking immediately! He knows he needs to clear Luca quickly if he wants any chance at the win...!"
**Furious, penalized, desperate. That's what he is. Be conservative, Luca**
Luca heard his engineers and he wished he could keep listening, because the moment he became conservative, Kristensen inched closer to his rear, breathing down his neck as they powered out of Turn 2.
Turn 3's sweep instantly appeared with no head's up, forcing Luca to focus on adapting to its steepness rather than defending against Kristensen. This approach to Turn 3 saw Kristensen pull alongside Luca, momentarily nosing ahead on the slopy inside.
In that brief moment, Luca's cockpit tilted slightly, his view slanting downward. He looked to his right where Kristensen was there, staring back up at him from that violet helmet.
Luca had never considered Kristensen a serious rival in the F2 Championship, but now? The Dutchman was making a damn strong proposal to be on that list.