//------------------------------// // FORMULA 1 Rolex Australian GP 2022 (updated) // Story: Formula Shy // by RushingWind-01 //------------------------------// FORMULA 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2022 - Round 1 - Melbourne "No more testing, no more practice, this is the real deal, and it's make or break, here in the Albert Park in Melbourne, home to the Australian Grand Prix since 1996, and host to Round 1 of this year's FORMULA 1 World Championship." "We'll be racing today in the State of Victoria, and our drivers await 16 corners, a track length of 3.3 miles, and an average lap speed of 120 miles per hour. Accidents are almost inevitable thanks to the close proximity of the barriers, and recent history shows us that a Safety Car is not at all out of the question." "Here we go then, it's 2022, and this will be a fantastic year to behold. Lewis Hamilton is seeking to improve his record of championship titles even further, with now eight titles to his book after the dramatic finale of Abu Dhabi, in which Max Verstappen lost his title chance, and almost his life, when a severe engine failure caused the car to explode. And speaking of teams, Aston Martin are looking for a fresh start after that horrible last year, Ferrari going in as a team that went out strong in Practice, and Williams and Haas also look pretty powerful out there today, so maybe we get to see one or two point finishes from those teams. Anthony Davidson is with me to bring you the lowdown before the first race, it's great to have you here." "Thank you, Crofty. I can't wait to see these new cars in action. The latest regulation changes bring a lot of interesting new chances for all teams. Judging by their performance, Ferrari and Red Bull look pretty strong out there, Mercedes are trying to get to grips with the new regs, and the fight for the middle field can also be quite interesting, with AlphaTauri and Alpine looking to challenge McLaren, but also the backmarkers shouldn't be counted out, especially Haas, who also hope for a better year than the last one. But the main thing we're here for, is pure racing action, and I expect to see every driver go to the absolute limit until the checkered flag comes down." STARTING GRID "Off the back of a fantastic qualifying session, here's how our starting grid looks for today's race. 1. An immense lap from Charles Leclerc yesterday puts him on pole position... 2. With Sergio Perez alongside. Moving on to the rest of the grid, we have: 3. Verstappen... 4. Hamilton... 5. Lando Norris... 6. ...and Sainz. 7. Russell... 8. Ricciardo... 9. Ocon... 10. ...and Pierre Gasly. 11. Alonso... 12. Fluttershy... 13. Valtteri Bottas... 14. ...and Stroll. 15. Magnussen... 16. Zhou... 17. Alexander Albon... 18. ...and Nico Hulkenberg. 19. Mick Schumacher... 20. ...and Nicholas Latifi. It's almost time for the lights to go out, so let's head down to the track and get this grand prix underway." STARTING LINE Fluttershy is in her car, sat in P12, two positions behind her teammate Pierre Gasly. As she prepared her mind and body for the start, Rushing Wind radioed in. "Okay, here we go, Flutty. Your first race in Formula 1. How do you feel?", he asked. "Nervous... and a bit hot, to be honest.", Fluttershy said. "Don't worry. It's common in this sport. Those overalls you wear are meant to be fireproof, and that's why they feel a bit hot on your body. Just don't forget to drink! You have a water bottle in your car that should last until the end of the race, so get a sip of it every now and then.", Rushing Wind explained. "I will, Rush.", Fluttershy said. "60 seconds to the Formation Lap.", Jeff radioed in. "Now, you should know, your teammate is always the first benchmark of your performance, and since he's not too far ahead of you, try to catch him before the race ends.", Rushing Wind said. "I'll do my best. He won't know what a young blood like me can be capable of...", Fluttershy said. "30 seconds to the Formation Lap.", Jeff said. Everyone moved away from the grid, only the cars remained. Fluttershy looked to her right, and into her right mirror. She was in 12th, and Pierre was just up ahead. She knew that a good start can be a good first step to beating her teammate in her first ever F1 race. As the light turned green, the polesitter drove off, and following him, everyone else did so too. Fluttershy carefully watched, and when she saw Alonso drive off, she hit the clutch, brought the revs up, and accelerated also. "Okay, how was the pull away? You'll have a bit more grip at the start, but now we need to get the tires up to temperature. Don't forget to warm up the brakes as well.", Jeff said. Fluttershy did as she was told - she attempted weaving left and right, just like the other drivers did, and it worked - the tires got warmer and warmer as everyone moved around the track behind the polesitter, Charles Leclerc. About two minutes later, Fluttershy arrived back at the starting grid and placed her car in position for the start of the race. "The rest of the grid is forming up. Be patient and watch for the lights.", Jeff said. Fluttershy looked into her mirror. Everyone else lined up, and then, the starting light sequence began... LAP 1/29 As the first light came on, Fluttershy hit the clutch and tried to keep the revs in an optimal window so that she would get a great start off the line. Once all five lights were on, Fluttershy watched them carefully, her heart beating quickly from excitement and tension... And as the lights went out, Fluttershy released the clutch! The car leapt off the line and already caught the Alpine of Fernando Alonso, who looked like he got a terrible launch, and Pierre Gasly ahead of her also got off to a great launch. As she raced behind her French teammate, she was now in P11, she already made up one position off the start, and was now looking to get past her teammate, who was right in front of her. "Great start, 26. Let's keep up the momentum.", Jeff said. LAP 3/29 Not much happened on the first few laps, save for a few overtakes. As she raced over the track, she knew that Pierre was already pulling away a bit, so beating him won't be easy. However, she still needed to get used to the car when fueled up. The car felt a bit heavier, obviously, but it wasn't too bad. She managed to keep up with Pierre. "Okay, let's try to close the gap to Pierre. You got this.", Rushing Wind said. "On it, Rush.", Fluttershy said, filled with determination. This determination made her go a little bit faster. She couldn't wait to finally get past Pierre and beat him in her first race in Formula 1. LAP 5/29 Fluttershy got a little bit closer to Pierre, even if it was just about a tenth in those two laps. Pierre sure was a powerful teammate, and he wouldn't want to lose against someone who is just in her first race. "It's still early in the race, so anything can still happen.", Fluttershy thought, knowing she can match with Pierre if she kept going fast like that. Near the end of the lap, Jeff said: "Norris comes in for his stop." "This early?", Fluttershy wondered, "Why?" "Most likely struggling with his tires. He sure looked pretty slow out there.", Rushing Wind said. Whatever the reason, that was another free position for both her and Pierre, but there was still a bunch of laps to go. But Fluttershy slightly laughed at her thought. She knew that anything can happen, but this? It was going to be a thrilling race, that's for sure. LAP 7/29 Once again, Fluttershy was able to get closer to her teammate. May have been just two tenths in the last two laps, but any little bit gets her closer to Pierre. A confident look formed on her face - she sure was a bit faster, and as she progressed, she got faster and faster, and got slightly closer in Sector 1. Suddenly, Jeff said: "There's been an incident on track, but the officials aren't pushing for a safety car right now. Just be careful out there." "What happened?", Fluttershy asked. "I think that a McLaren hit an Alpine from what I've seen. Looks like Ocon.", Rushing Wind said. As Fluttershy got close to the end of the lap, her position jumped to P9. So it was Ocon who came in for a new front wing. But another position up for both AlphaTauris. LAP 10/29 Fluttershy seemed to finally get a bit more closer to Pierre. She still wasn't within that one second, but since their cars were equal, it was all about skills, and because Pierre has been in F1 for a few years now, he was obviously the better driver. As Fluttershy came to the end of this lap, she noticed that Pierre was going into the pit lane. "Pierre is coming in for his stop.", Jeff said. Fluttershy stayed out one more lap, but then, she'd have to pit as well. She needed a very good inlap now. "Your pit window is now open.", Jeff said as Fluttershy started Lap 11. LAP 11/29 During her inlap, Fluttershy tried to push as hard as she could. The tires still felt decent, but it wouldn't be too long until they are off the cliff, and she noticed it into turns 11 and 12, which sent her very slightly sideways, but she still caught it. "Box this lap.", Jeff reminded. Fluttershy drove into the pit lane, and made sure to brake in time so she wouldn't shoot speeding into the pit lane. In the pits, she got a set of Hard tires, and was then sent out again. "Go go go!", Jeff said, and Fluttershy drove back to the track. "Okay, stay clear of the white line on the exit. We will receive a penalty for dangerous driving if you cross to the track.", Rushing Wind said. Fluttershy made sure not to, and once she was back on track, it was time to hunt Pierre down. LAP 16/29 Fluttershy kept repeating the racing line she has been holding for a couple of laps, and it always got easier as the car got lighter thanks to the lower fuel load, but Pierre is still a bit far, although the gap seemed to get lower as time passed. "Pierre is 3 seconds ahead. Come on, you can catch him!", Rushing Wind said. This motivated Fluttershy. Knowing that her beloved friend believes in her, she tried for some more offensive moves into certain turns, and always succeeded, shaving off tenth after tenth from the gap to Pierre. As Fluttershy flew by for the next lap, the position jumped to P10, so there must have been some pitstops in this lap. Probably the two cars who stopped very early. LAP 17/29 Fluttershy was still in P10, and was looking to get closer to her teammate Pierre, when Rushing Wind suddenly radioed in. "Be aware, there's been an incident in the next sector. No overtaking through the yellow flags.", he said. "What happened?", Fluttershy asked in worry. "You'll see it once you get by.", Rushing Wind said. Heading into turns 11 and 12, Fluttershy knew what Rushing Wind meant. Max Verstappen's car was parked, smoke coming from the exhaust. "Whoa! What is that?", Fluttershy asked when she saw the smoke from Verstappen's vehicle. "The barbecue for after the race, a nice and juicy red bull.", Rushing Wind joked. "Haha! Good one, Rush!", Fluttershy said. She just couldn't help but laugh. Yet, she still had to focus on the race. That incident gave her a position, but she still had to catch Pierre. LAP 20/29 As Fluttershy kept going, she definetly got a little fraction closer to Pierre, most likely thanks to her fresher set of Hard tires. "Rush, how close is Pierre?", Fluttershy asked. "Pierre is 2 seconds ahead, and you seem to catch up by one tenth per lap.", Rush responded. Her teammate is close, that was certain, but she was running out of road - it was just 10 laps to go, so she hoped for a little miracle. LAP 23/29 Fluttershy kept on and got closer and closer to Pierre, and now she finally seemed to get closer to the one second window needed for DRS. "Hey Rush, Pierre's slowing down I think.", she said. "Copy. There seems to be a battery problem with his car, so go for it if you can.", Rushing Wind said. A battery problem in the first race? Fluttershy knew that these components already are very slightly worn, but a technical fault in the first race? She has also seen the mechanical failure on Verstappen's end, but knowing that it can hit her too worried her a bit. She shook off the thought and concentrated on the target in front of her, and that is to catch Pierre. LAP 25/29 Two laps later, and Fluttershy was now very close to the one second gap that she wanted. It seemed like Pierre's battery issue still wasn't fixed, meaning he was still very slow. Coming towards turn 11, she was now able to close the gap further with DRS assistance, before she then kept herself behind the French driver to make the move on the final straight. And out of the final turn, she activated the DRS and went into Pierre's slipstream. "Yes, yes, yes yes yes, YES!", she called out, as she flew past her teammate. "Great work, 26. Now let's hold on to that.", Jeff said. There were still 4 laps to go, so there was still a very slight chance that Pierre would catch her. But Fluttershy didn't let that thought slow her down. LAP 29/29 On the final lap, Fluttershy was now in P7 after catching Albon, who pitted on the penultimate lap, but Pierre was catching up again, although a bit slowly. Nevertheless, he clearly had the better pace out of the two. "Pierre is behind you. Do you want to let him pass?", Rushing Wind asked. "No! I'm gonna try and beat him to the finish! We're so close, we can't give up the position now. Also, there's no one dead ahead.", Fluttershy said. "Good point. Okay, hold the position to the best you can.", Rushing Wind said. As the two AlphaTauri cars raced over the track for the final time, Fluttershy knew that Pierre would get closer. Coming in hot for turn 11, Pierre got into the one second window and got closer to the shy girl. The teammate battle came down to the final sector, in which Fluttershy was still leading, and then, out of the last turn, Pierre had a slight moment of oversteer, but caught it. However, there was no passing the 26 now. And Fluttershy crossed the finish line, securing position 7. "Great job, 26! That is P7. P7.", Jeff said happily over the radio. "Wooo! Let's go! First points for us!", Fluttershy cheered. "Pierre finished behind you, in P8. That's 10 points for us. Great work from the both of you.", said Rushing Wind, also happy that Fluttershy managed to secure a points finish in her F1 debut. Fluttershy hummed a little tune as she drove her inlap and parked her car behind the person in 6th, which was George Russell. Then, she got out and headed for her garage to celebrate the points finish with her team.