Formula 1: The GOAT-Chapter 25: Race Weekend | Sunday IV | IN THE ZONE

"Hayıııııııııııır!" The anguished cry of "No!" echoed from Burak, Rümeysa, and Güldane in unison as they shot up from their seats in the grandstand. Fatih's kart was spinning, a victim of the first-corner chaos. A collective gasp, a symphony of "Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" rippled through the crowd – a mix of sympathy from neutral onlookers and a sudden, sharp intake of breath from those who now saw the race thrown wide open. The initial shock quickly gave way to intense curiosity: how would Fatih react?

"As he waits to rejoin safely, Fatih looks eerily still," the main commentator observed, his voice returning to Fatih's plight after quickly running through the new top ten order. "I'm not sure if he's just incredibly calm or has simply given up. It's a terrible shame; he's now completely out of contention for the win."

"It's more likely he's furious," Zakir countered, his tone tinged with genuine disappointment rather than any relish at Fatih's misfortune. "It's nearly impossible to expect a driver, especially one so young, to remain calm in a situation like this. As someone hailed as a genius, I'm sure this is his first time experiencing such a setback, made even worse by the immense weight of expectation. I truly hope this doesn't result in a prodigy like him developing a hatred for karting."

...........

VWOOM... VWOOOM... VWOOOM...

The sound of karts whizzing past was a dull roar to Fatih. He remained preternaturally calm, his breathing even, as he waited for the entire field to stream by before he could safely rejoin. His focus wasn't on the departing pack, but on the System prompts that had flared into existence the moment he'd realized Selçuk wasn't braking. He'd seen Selçuk barreling towards him, still on power, with almost zero grip on the rain-pelted track. Evasion was impossible. His only option had been to angle his kart to minimize damage and avoid being collected by the karts following behind.

[ZONE HAS BEEN TRIGGERED]

[Invictus (Ultimate)] → [Invictus (Limit Break)]

[Sponge Brain (Good)] → [Sponge Brain (Excellent)]

[Sponge Body (Good)] → [Sponge Body (Excellent)]

[Catlex (Good)] → [Catlex (Excellent)]

[Aquaman (Good)] → [Aquaman (Excellent)]

His perception of the world warped. For a fleeting moment, time seemed to stretch, allowing him to absorb every minute detail of a passing kart, even as his senses simultaneously processed a flood of information from his entire surroundings without conscious effort.

But that wasn't all. A new situational mission had also appeared:

[Recovery Drive Mission (Situational Mission)]

An accident has taken you out of contention, but accidents are a part of racing. The greats don't complain; they make the best of any situation, no matter how dire.

Objective: Recover to the highest possible position.

Reward: A 5X SP multiplier for P1, 3X for P2, and 2X for P3 on all System Points earned this weekend. A 10X SP multiplier applied to points earned during this race, should you recover to point-earning positions but not podium positions.

Punishment for failure: [Zone (Good)] will be impossible to trigger for three championship weekends.

Just as the last kart was about to pass, Fatih finished reading. He mentally slammed [ACCEPT]. The reward was incredibly enticing, and the punishment, while severe, was for an ability he was already used to living without. This was the first time [Zone] had ever triggered since he'd acquired it, making him wonder if it had been a defective purchase. It seemed, however, that [Zone] had a flair for dramatic entrances, activating at the most pivotal moment.

The instant the final kart cleared his path, Fatih floored the accelerator, wrenching his kart back in the right direction. By then, the leaders, with Selçuk at the helm, were already navigating T3.

The surge of power, the heightened senses – the difference with all his abilities upgraded was immediate and profound. With Invictus (Limit Break) active, it felt as if he could feel the track through his very hands, discerning every patch of grip and every treacherous slick spot, rather than just through the seat of his pants. To any onlookers, his immediate, aggressive pace on the still-raining track might have seemed like reckless abandon born from the accident.

............

"It seems we were mistaken! He rejoins the track and is driving as if his life depends on it!" the main commentator shouted, his voice cracking with renewed excitement. "He's cut down the gap by more than three seconds in just two corners! OH MY GOD, HE IS DRIVING LIKE A MAN POSSESSED! He deftly avoids a driver who spun off track right in front of him, moving him up to P39! Thirty-eight more positions to reclaim his rightful P1!"

"His driving is bordering on reckless, yet he's somehow keeping it pointed in the right direction without a hint of caution!" Zakir took over, his voice a mix of awe and concern. "But how long can he maintain this pace without making a critical mistake? He's bidding to recover to at least point-scoring positions, which are still a daunting twenty-three places away!"

As Fatih approached T4, the lowest point of a straight with a mid-elevation change and thus the most waterlogged, the commentators held their breath. "Unlike others who are tiptoeing through, he enters it at near flat-out speed, considering the conditions!" the main commentator roared. "He's gone completely off the optimal racing line and found grip where others haven't! He accelerates hard onto the next straight, unafraid of the elevation change, lifting only slightly! He's cut another two seconds to the pack! OOOOH! There's a small pile-up of three karts in T5, but Fatih skates around it as if on ice, skillfully navigating the first of the double hairpins! He enters the narrowest part of the track, T6, but it's no worry for him! He maintains delicate throttle control through T7, still on full power as he exits onto the straight! He sees the group ahead nearing T8, still struggling for grip, but he's closing rapidly! He's up to P36! The gap to the main pack is down to a meager three seconds as he approaches T8! He attacks it as if he designed the track himself, perfectly positioning his kart for the second double hairpin complex (T9-T10)! And as has been the case all weekend, he executes it flawlessly! On the short underpass straight, he's finally caught the tail end of the main pack! He slows patiently for T11, then T12, knowing these narrow sections are too risky for overtaking with so many karts bunched up. By the end of the very first lap, he has already undone so much of the damage, overtaking four karts and closing a ten-second gap created by the accident, rejoining the pack in just eleven corners! What a driver! What a recovery drive this is shaping up to be!" The main commentator had barely paused for breath, his voice radiating pure, unadulterated excitement.

Zakir took over, allowing his colleague a much-needed moment. "He is astonishingly calm. If this single lap is any indication, we might be on the verge of witnessing one of the all-time great recovery drives from this young genius."

"As if he can hear your words, he out-drags three more karts on the main straight!" the main commentator burst back in. "He's benefiting from their caution as they rediscover the track, which has gotten even wetter than the previous lap! He has incredible courage, going into T2 side-by-side with another kart... and he comes out ahead! That's four more positions gained between two corners, bringing him up to P32! And he's not stopping there! He does the same into T3! His opponent spins the wheels, over-applying power trying to stay ahead, and Fatih sails past! He's up to P31! Now he has a bit of clear air to chase down the next pack as he enters T4. He repeats his earlier mastery of this section, then uses the run towards the first of the double hairpins (T5-T6) to close in, biding his time through the narrow complex."

Zakir added, "He's driving with a maturity and racecraft far beyond his age and experience. He knows precisely where to hunt and where to stalk his prey, applying pressure, forcing mistakes. One might almost say he's bullying these older drivers, making it look deceptively easy. Meanwhile, Selçuk, the instigator of all this drama, still leads in P1, with Jackson close behind in P2. They're slowly starting to build a small gap to the karts behind them."

"The composure of both Fatih and Selçuk is remarkable, albeit for different reasons," the main commentator mused. "Selçuk is performing well under the pressure of leading, despite a potential penalty looming over him for the first-corner incident. And Fatih is carving through the field as if they're standing still! The accident, while unfortunate, has transformed what might have been a dominant, perhaps even processional, win for Fatih into a breathtaking masterclass in recovery driving! He now goes around the outside into T8, outbraking his opponent, getting on the power earlier, cleaner, and emerges ahead with minimal wheelspin! He's chasing the driver in front, who glances back nervously! Fatih feints to the inside on the short straight before T9, then darts to the outside, tricking his next opponent into defending the wrong line and brushing the wall! Fatih slips through before T9, already targeting his next victim, who's struggling through the second of the double hairpins (T9-T10)! He takes full advantage, diving down the inside, forcing his rival wide, and emerges ahead onto the underpass straight! He's up to P28!"

"He takes the final two corners flawlessly and completes his second lap, having gained more than twelve positions! There are still over sixteen minutes plus one lap remaining in this twenty-minute-plus-one-lap Final! If he maintains this incredible performance and doesn't put a foot wrong, he might just have a chance to recover to the point-scoring positions by the end of this race!"