Formula 1: The GOAT

Chapter 338: Silverstone III

1:44.210He was 18 seconds off the fastest qualifying pace on the dry conditions of Silverstone in 2018 as he continued on his next lap.

No one said anything negative about that, as they knew the track conditions were wildly different. One session was done on an evolving dry track, while the other was on wet track conditions with him alone on it, so the time was not a surprise and was within expectations. Helmut looked neutral at the lap time, as he wasn’t one to judge someone on their first lap on the track; after all, it was a five-lap stint. Horner, on the other hand, was slightly unimpressed. He had such high expectations from hearing and seeing the information about Fatih that he didn’t even know what to expect, but deep inside, he knew it wasn’t this, at least.

Other than those two, reactions were either neutral or slightly negative. However, those in the pit lane thought completely differently, as they were the ones who had seen the most rookies in their Testing of Previous Cars sessions, and they were evaluating him very positively.

However, it didn’t matter who was seeing the second push lap data; they found themselves speechless as Fatih had already shaved off more than an entire second in the first sector alone.

Helmut turned his head to the tire temperature sensor and finally realized why the time on that first lap was not good; it was because, despite the warm-up lap warming procedure done by Fatih, the tires had yet to enter the optimal operating window and had only done so by the end of the first push lap. The following laps were most likely going to be the most representative ones.

-1.180s

Uncaring about what they were thinking, Fatih once again shaved off an entire second in the second sector as he kept pushing more and more with much more confidence in his inputs as he started the final sector.

-0.740s

"HAHAHAHAHA," Helmut laughed, feeling excited when he saw the lap time on his second push lap on the track.

-3.160s 1:41.050

Fatih shaved off three seconds in a single lap and was already continuing into the third lap with the tires still in their optimal operating window. Horner, on the other hand, watched in silence as he kept feeling a sort of déjà vu about what he was seeing.

But those in the garage didn’t keep their emotions contained, as they all started clapping at the drive they saw. It didn’t look like it was enough, as Fatih was still improving on his new lap.

He improved by -0.420s for sector one.

Another -0.450s was shaved off in sector two.

And to keep up with the improvements, he improved by -0.300s in the final sector as he finally dropped into the 1-minute 39s by setting a 1:39.880, improving by a total of -1.170 seconds.

{The tires are out of the operating window, so keep the grip in mind,} James reported on the radio as he started his next lap.

For the remaining two laps, he finally felt the experience of F1 tires being engineered specifically to lose their performance as time goes on, as he started losing performance on them.

1:42.180 was the lap time he set on his final lap before he had to slow down and start the cooldown lap to return to the pit lane for setup changes and additional checks before he once again returned for another five-lap stint, before it was done once again for the third time.

........

"We need to talk," Helmut said, turning to Horner to go and have a talk now that they had a moment to breathe as Fatih was returning to the pit lane.

Horner didn’t ask any questions as they immediately left in tandem, heading into the garage and then upstairs to a meeting room.

"We need to come to a final decision on whether we sign the official contract for when he is eligible as fast as possible, as there have been movements from Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes to Fatih’s side. As per our agreement on being informed when they are in conversation with other teams, they informed us about it about three days ago," Helmut said, getting directly to the main point without beating around the bush at all.

When Horner heard that, he paused for a moment, not answering as he went into deep thought. Verstappen had already extended his contract through 2023 in January, so they were very calm on the Red Bull side, but the same couldn’t be said for other top teams, as the 2020 year was looking to be a completely silly season, rife with opportunities for a talented driver like Fatih.

Ferrari had Sebastian Vettel’s contract ending at the end of this year, and the rumor was that negotiations were stalling behind the scenes so they could guarantee a seat for Fatih, as they were already looking for a young and lightning-fast driver to pair with Leclerc for the 2021 season.

Then there was McLaren, who had both of their drivers, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, in the final years of their initial contracts. They also had a potential opening on the Sainz side to pair Fatih with Lando. Plus, the two already had a relationship from being on the same team during karting, although racing in different categories, so there was a definitive opening there.

And last but not least was the currently dominant Mercedes, who had both of their drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, yet to sign any contracts for the 2021 season, as their contracts were all currently expiring at the end of the 2020 season. They were currently the most desired team for any driver.

Although Mercedes still had their talented rookie, George Russell, in the Williams seat, they would definitely keep him there longer and directly promote Fatih if it meant they would not lose a Verstappen-level talent this time like they did the first time.

All three teams not only had the opening but also the will to pluck Fatih from them, and for some, the price didn’t matter at all. They also had the deep pockets to make that a reality. He also knew if the telemetry and info about this current test were released to the world, then these teams were just going to be even hungrier to secure him, no matter what.