//------------------------------// // Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying (updated) // Story: Formula Shy // by RushingWind-01 //------------------------------// FORMULA 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2022 - Round 1 - Qualifying 1 "Welcome to Melbourne. Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix should begin any moment now." "Soon, we're going to see what these new cars are capable of. What can we expect in the upcoming Qualifying?" "I think we all agree that the package that Ferrari and Red Bull created is going to be very powerful today, but I wouldn't completely write off Mercedes and McLaren right now. We know that they have the talent and the resources to get done with all problems. They may be starting off slower, but I expect them to get in some big updates for the first or second race in Europe." QUALIFYING 1 Fluttershy sat down in the car, ready to take on Qualifying. "Okay, now we're getting real for the first time.", Rushing Wind said over the radio, "Are you excited, Flutty?" "I sure am, Rush!", Fluttershy responded. "If there are any last minute changes we should put to the setup, tell me now, because once you drive out, we have to roll with it. The Parc Fermé rules say so.", Jeff said. Fluttershy knew about that. Once the car takes to the track for the first time in Qualifying, major setup changes are restricted. Thanks to the Practice sessions, Fluttershy was able to tell what could be done to get the absolute power out of the AlphaTauri. And now, she was ready to take on the first hotlap at the full limit of the car. "I'm ready. Let's get out there and show them what we got!", Fluttershy said, quite determined. "Okay. Take one outlap to warm up the tires and brakes, and then give it all you got!", Jeff said. The AlphaTauri with the number 26 was lowered to the tires, and then, Fluttershy drove out. She made sure to first get the car to temperature. The tires were cold, but due to the tire blanket regs, it made sense, so she needed to take a few corners aggressively to get the heat into the tires and brakes. She managed to do it well, and before she hit the final straight, she turned on Hotlap mode, and started her first lap. The car sure felt different from Practice - it had a very low fuel load, the fuel mix was different, giving the maximum amount of power, hence the MAX mix, and the acceleration and speed was insane. "I'm sure Rainbow Dash would enjoy being in F1. Those cars are truly fast.", Fluttershy thought as she raced over the track. In the DRS zones, a speed of 320 km/h was not at all impossible, and it truly showed. Already the first lap was really quick, with a 1:20.185 to her name. Back in the pits, Fluttershy took a look at the standings. She was 13th, and she was close to the drop zone. Of course, dropping out in Q1 wouldn't be the standard for an AlphaTauri, but 16th would also be neat for a rookie in her first race. However, Fluttershy wanted to go for more. When the track was clear, she said: "Hey, can you give me a new set of Softs? I want to try for a second lap." "Copy, 26. We're on it.", Jeff said. A fresh set of Softs was fitted to Fluttershy's vehicle, and then, she was sent back out to the track. Thanks to a bit of rubber on the track, Fluttershy was able to use it to her advantage to run a much faster lap than before. The car felt way better out of turns, and it does what she tells it to, turning in at just the perfect angles so she could race over the Albert Park with true grace. Her second lap in Q1 resulted in a sub-1:20 laptime. "Okay, your best lap is a 1:19.7. Good work out there. Come on home into the pits.", Jeff said. Back in the pits, Fluttershy decided to stop and take a chance. As the first session in Qualifying came to a close, a few drivers improved, but not enough drivers improved to send Fluttershy into the drop zone! "Very good. You're in 14th, Fluttershy.", Rushing Wind said, "And that means, we're moving on to Q2." "Yes!", Fluttershy said, punching her fist into the air. She had no idea that she could get into Q2 on her first Qualifying session of the season. The next session will be about trying to get to 10th, but someone like Pierre sure was tough to beat if both were in the same car, and he was more used to it than she was. However, Fluttershy was happy that she advanced into Q2, meaning she could try to get a good position for the race. And maybe, just maybe, she can actually get into Q3... QUALIFYING 2 Back in the car, Fluttershy wanted to get going when Jeff suddenly radioed in. "Okay, I know you're eager to get out, but you need to be patient for a few minutes. We're trying to zero in on an oil leak.", he said. An oil leak was never a good thing. If this happened in the race, Fluttershy would suffer a terminal engine failure for sure. And a mechanical failure in the first race is never a good thing. Thankfully, the issue in the lubrication system was quickly fixed, and Fluttershy could now head out to the track, even if she now was the last one to start a lap. After warming up her last fresh set of Soft tires, Fluttershy began her lap. It went pretty good, even though there was a slight mishap close to the end of the first sector. Suddenly, Jeff radioed in: "Red flag, 26. Drive back to the garage." Another red flag, so Fluttershy knew that something awful must have happened. "What happened?", she asked. "Looks like an Alpine lost it in 11 and slammed into the wall.", Rushing Wind said over the radio. "Oh my... I hope he's okay.", Fluttershy said. "He looks okay. Just taking some time to get out of the car.", Rushing Wind said. As Fluttershy went through said turn, she saw the blue and pink car with the number 14 in the wall. She also made sure to save her tires as much as possible so that wear would be lower. Back in the garage, looking at the replay, Fluttershy saw that it was Fernando Alonso who lost it. She knew from Rushing Wind that Alonso was a really good driver, so the crash confused her. Such an experienced driver, and he crashes in Qualifying. Something must have gone horribly wrong with his car, it seemed. A few minutes later, the session was underway again. And then, Fluttershy went for a big risk. "Hey, can you fit me the second set of Softs from Q1?", Fluttershy asked. "Sure. Why though, 26?", Jeff asked. "If we don't make it into Q3, at least the current Q2 set will have lower wear.", Fluttershy said. "Smart thinking. Alright, let's try it.", Rushing Wind said. The second set of Q1 Softs was fitted to Fluttershy's car, and after that, she went out again. Of course, the used set of Soft tires had less cornering grip thanks to the wear. However, with a more offensive approach on some turns, she was able to get in a really quick time for tires like these - a 1:19.183. "You do know that even if you get into Q3, you got the free choice of tires. The latest regulations removed the restriction to use the Q2 tires on the start if you qualified in the top 10.", Jeff said. "Oh, I didn't know. Maybe we can get another lap in on the Mediums.", Fluttershy said, certainly unaware about the new rule. When she used to play F1 2020 at Rushing Wind's home, the case always was that the tire set used to get into Q3 had to be used at the start. "Better hurry it up, then. Time is running out.", Rushing Wind said. Fluttershy quickly got back into the pits. Then, she got the Medium compound tires fitted to her car before she was sent out again. Time was running out - she could maybe get one last hotlap in before time is up, so it was all up to her. Unfortunately, as Fluttershy ran over the track on her outlap, she already knew that a better time wasn't happening - the Mediums had less grip, therefore resulting in slower acceleration. Cornering felt better, that was obvious, but she was overall slightly slower. The second lap ended with a 1:19.290. No improvement could be found, and time ran out during her hotlap, so the session was now over. "Okay 26, time is up. That is P12, P12.", Jeff said. "Whew. I got into Q2 at least.", Fluttershy said. "True, and you got a good time to put you into 12th.", Rushing Wind said, "Come back into the pits, and then we can watch Pierre as he fights for a position better than 10th." Fluttershy did as she was told. And back in the garage, she, Rush, Jeff, and the mechanics watched the third Qualifying session, in which Charles Leclerc manages to get pole position, ahead of Perez, Verstappen and Hamilton. Pierre, however, was not so lucky, with an awful time of 1:19.329, slightly worse than Fluttershy's time in Q2, and it gave him P10. P10 and P12. Points were definetly in range for both cars, that was certain. And for Fluttershy, finishing her F1 debut with a points finish would be a great way to start her journey in the merciless world of Formula 1.