Formula 1: The GOAT
Chapter 33: Race Weekend | Saturday | The Group of Death

Chapter 33: Race Weekend | Saturday | The Group of Death

"Good luck out there," Burak said as the pitlane exit finally opened, signaling the start of Group A’s first free practice session.

"Thanks," Fatih replied, pressing his foot on the accelerator. He drove out onto the Ankara Karting Park circuit for the first time, his mind already working to reconcile the real-world tarmac with the track photos he had studied over the past month.

As if afraid of being left behind, Selçuk blasted past him in the pitlane, a blur of aggressive intent as he rushed to be the first driver on track.

To ensure fairness, TOSFED, the championship organizers, used a random assignment program for each race weekend’s groups. This time, it seemed the program had a sense of humor, as it had placed Fatih, Selçuk, and Jackson—the top three contenders—all in the same group. They would be racing against each other in every single session throughout the weekend.

Jackson, in contrast to Selçuk, remained calm, maintaining a moderate speed as he followed Fatih onto the circuit.

......

"This is going to be a very interesting weekend, ladies and gentlemen," the main commentator’s voice boomed across the facility. "Here at the Ankara Karting track, as luck would have it, the top three in the championship are all in the same group! This gives us the opportunity to see them compete directly at least six times this weekend: two practice sessions, one qualifying, two qualifying heats, and of course, the Final race. It should prove once and for all who is the best of the three this weekend."

On track, Fatih weaved left and right. While the effect on tire temperature was minimal in this category of karting, he was applying all the knowledge he’d gained from Apollo over the last month. Every fraction of an advantage needed to be chased. He quickly brought the tires into their optimum operating window and immediately took off to begin scouting the track in earnest.

"And Selçuk throws the first elbow!" Zakir observed. "He overtook Fatih in the pitlane to be the first on track and is now already a quarter of a lap ahead, showing his competitiveness even in a practice session. Fatih, as usual, remains calm, not getting baited by Selçuk’s antics and sticking to his own pace. And surprisingly, unlike last weekend, Jackson is keeping a close distance to Fatih, as if using this opportunity to observe him, to see how he drives. Being overtaken on the final lap of the last race couldn’t have been a good feeling for the defending champion." The screen showed Fatih’s kart, and moments later, as if a clone had appeared, Jackson’s kart materialized behind and slightly to the side, making no attempt to overtake, just watching.

........

Fatih drove at a measured pace, his mind a flurry of calculations. He used his memory of the track map and his visual observations to approximate the perfect racing line, constantly adjusting based on the grip levels of the bare, gripless tarmac. With this being the first session of the weekend, track evolution had yet to begin. A few drivers in a hurry even overtook him, but he paid them no mind. Jackson, however, remained glued to his rear, mimicking his every move.

’This track is really up my alley,’ Fatih said to Apollo with a smile as he navigated the complex triple hairpin section of T5, T6, and T7.

’For you, it is. For the rest, it is terrifying,’ Apollo replied with a chuckle.

’Yes, it’s very demanding and a high-speed circuit,’ Fatih mused. ’I’m sure they deliberately designed it to test the courage of young drivers, but isn’t it a bit dangerous for six-year-olds?’ As an adult in a child’s body, he found it difficult to gauge the normal level of fear for his age group and wondered if the track’s demands might create a dangerous situation.

’It is on the edge of that,’ Apollo confirmed. ’That is why they are reducing the number of drivers in the Final to thirty this weekend, unlike the forty from the last race. The tire barriers at the end of the high-speed sections are also designed to bring them to a halt with only minor injuries, should they go plowing into the wall. But that is unlikely.’

’Shouldn’t you start your hot laps now?’ Apollo added as Fatih exited the T8 hairpin.

’I planned on a third reconnaissance lap, but you’re right. I should at least test one hot lap and see if my approximations are correct,’ Fatih decided. He got hard on the power as he exited T8, keeping his foot down and taking T9 flat-out.

For the out-lap, drivers used a bypass that skipped the final three corners—T10, T11, and T12—and fed them directly onto the main straight. This allowed them to build maximum speed for their first flying lap. Thanks to this shortcut, Fatih was already at the kart’s absolute limit as he blasted across the start-finish line, his head tucked forward to induce the mini-DRS effect.

He was rapidly approaching the braking zone for Turn 1. Having already judged the optimal braking point during his reconnaissance laps, he braked heavily, got off the pedal, and turned in hard for the T1 left-hander. He hit the middle apex perfectly, the left rear tire lifting slightly from the tarmac before settling back down. He got back on the power, deliberately running wide on the exit to prepare for the very tight T2 left-hand hairpin.

He braked hard again, rotating the kart sharply and hitting a late apex to maximize his exit speed. He flowed immediately into the gentle T3 slight right-hander, which he took flat-out, before a quick lift of the throttle to navigate the T4 small right-hander. This sequence felt more like a high-speed chicane, and he exited it carrying immense speed onto the long back straight.

This straight led to the track’s signature feature: the triple hairpin complex. He stayed on the power until he was just meters from T5, where he braked hard for the third time in the lap, turning in sharply for the left-hand hairpin. His left rear tire lifted again as he hit the early apex, running wide to the right side of the track on exit. He immediately moved to the opposite side to attack the T6 right-hand hairpin, hitting the middle apex and powering through the short straight. He then set up for the T7 right-hand corner, a faster bend that he took with just a slight lift, before braking again for the final part of the complex, the T8 left-hand hairpin. He hit a late apex, prioritizing his exit speed onto the next straight.

He exited T8 and got back on the power, not lifting as he took the fast, sweeping T9 left-hander flat-out. He entered the medium straight before braking for the final time as he set up for the T10 left-hander, hitting an early apex. He made an S-line, hugging the right side for a moment before moving left to take the T11 right-hander. He got on the power for the final time, taking the sweeping T12 left-hander flat-out and rocketing across the start-finish line to complete his first flying lap.