On the computer screens, streams of data and dazzling charts flickered constantly. Everyone wore headsets, connected via comms, fully immersed in their work.
The room was silent. With the door closed, the noise and chaos of the outside world were sealed away, unable to disturb their focus.
In the headsets, Kai's voice was calm and forceful.
"...I don't think this is the right direction for the upgrade."
"Based on the current car design, forcing improvements in low-to-medium speed corners might disrupt the overall aerodynamic balance and sacrifice our straight-line advantage."
"I understand our deficit in slow corners, but breaking the balance mid-season risks losing everything. The gains won't outweigh the losses."
"Instead of trying to patch weaknesses, I think we should find a better balance within our existing strengths. Maximize what we're good at and adapt to different tracks."
"As for the parts the car can't handle, leave those adjustments to us drivers."
"Of course, since the upgrade is already here, if we don't plan to revert, we need to adjust the suspension and brake bias. Otherwise, we're losing too much time in medium-speed corners. Also, the brake overheating issue is starting to destabilize the car. I can't control it effectively..."
The technical team was fully assembled, listening intently. No one was missing. The debrief was intense.
From theory to practice, and then feeding real race data back into theory to guide conclusions, Kai was like a small sun in the room, holding everyone's attention. He actively voiced his opinions, working side-by-side with the engineers.
The Canadian Grand Prix performance... couldn't be blamed on Kai.
Ferrari brought upgrades to Montreal hoping to improve low-speed cornering. But the upgrades backfired. They didn't improve the rhythm; they introduced a host of problems.
Straight-line speed suffered. Worse, the changes upset the car's balance, triggering issues across various systems.
In Montreal, from lap 14, Kai's brakes began to overheat. For the rest of the race, he had to manage the car purely on skill, protecting his lines while nursing the equipment. Later, tire degradation spiked—forget pushing, even maintaining pace caused blistering.
Honestly, the pit wall thought Kai would drop out of the points. But he dragged the car home through sheer willpower, holding off wave after wave of attacks from Nico Hülkenberg to finish P6. The garage cheered, impressed once again by his tenacity.
That P6 was hard-earned.
It wasn't just Kai. Vettel suffered too.
Vettel had a shot at the podium, maybe even the win. But while attacking, he pushed too hard, locked up, and spun 360 degrees. Sky Sports commentators thought "Old Seb" had cracked under pressure again, but it was the car's instability.
In Montreal, Mercedes was strong, but Red Bull was the real surprise, continuing their Monaco form. After Vettel's error, he couldn't catch Verstappen or Ricciardo.
Kai immediately sounded the alarm.
This felt familiar.
In the first half of 2017, Ferrari had ignited hope, suppressing Mercedes. But after the summer break, everything collapsed. Mercedes turned the tables, and Ferrari buried their own championship dreams.
The reasons were complex, of course. It's a team sport. But Kai noticed a pattern: Ferrari's upgrade philosophy seemed to be repeating the same mistakes.
Mercedes' philosophy was the benchmark: balance is king. Their mid-season upgrades refined that balance. That's why the "Silver Arrows" were the class of the field for four years.
Ferrari and Red Bull, however, chased extremes. Extreme straight-line speed or extreme cornering grip. Sacrificing one area to maximize another.
Neither philosophy is wrong. But execution is key.
Clearly, Ferrari's direction last season was flawed. And this season, Kai smelled the same danger.
History repeating.
Especially after Kai won Monaco. That victory convinced Ferrari they could dominate low-speed corners.
But in Monaco, Vettel (P3) couldn't pass a crippled Ricciardo. That frustration drove Ferrari to rush this upgrade for Canada.
Unfortunately, it backfired.
So, post-race, the priority wasn't blame, but communication.
Kai knew he was a rookie. His words carried little weight against the Technical Director or Team Principal. But his job was to feedback what he felt, what the data showed, and offer suggestions.
The debrief lasted until nightfall.
Kai checked the time. Past 9 PM. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until the adrenaline faded.
"Dinner! What's good in Montreal? My treat!"
This was Lorenzo's advice.
Kai knew the importance of team morale. Rosanna had organized the birthday surprise, but Lorenzo warned against overdoing it. Europeans value personal space. Constant parties blur the line between work and life.
But a spontaneous dinner after a grueling overtime session? Perfect.
"Kai! Kai! Kai!"
Jock Clear started the chant. The room erupted.
Laurent Mekies walked over, smiling. Kai stretched. "Laurent, what do you want? Lots of French food in Montreal."
Mekies grinned. "I trust your taste. You know food better than anyone in the paddock. I'll follow your lead."
He sat down next to Kai, his expression turning serious.
"You held back just now. That's not like you. In Maranello, I heard you always speak your mind fully."
Kai chuckled. "That was testing. This is war. Different positions require different methods."
Mekies wasn't surprised. Arrivabene and Vettel still saw Kai as a kid.
True, he was eighteen. But an eighteen-year-old who could charm Todt and Marchionne and secure a Ferrari seat in one year? He was no ordinary teenager.
"So," Mekies lowered his voice. "Just between us?"
Kai looked at him. Some things he couldn't say to the room, but he could say to Mekies.
"I think we are repeating last season's mistakes."
Kai didn't hold back. But he kept it concise.
Mekies froze. Was Kai challenging Technical Director Mattia Binotto's decision?
He glanced nervously toward Binotto.
"But I could be wrong," Kai shrugged, breezily diffusing the tension. "I'm just a driver. I see part of the picture, not the whole blueprint. So, we walk and see. Keep improving."
Despite the modesty, Mekies saw certainty in Kai's eyes.
Why did Marchionne value him? Why did the test team praise him?
Mekies needed to confirm. "That's not the only reason."
True.
Kai was clear-headed. He was learning. What he saw, the engineers likely saw too. Trust had to be earned through results.
Talk is cheap.
Most importantly, F1 engineering is complex. You can't just tweak a setting and fix everything. It takes testing.
Jumping to conclusions after one bad race in Canada would be panic, not strategy.
To the outside world, Canada was a chance to attack Kai. To Kai, it was a chance to build trust with the team.
Crisis can be a disaster, or a catalyst. This moment separated good drivers from great ones.
"Does the reason matter?" Kai asked.
Mekies paused, then smiled. No. What mattered was getting the team on track. Including Binotto.
"I was worried about your reaction. The media... they are like hyenas."
"Like hyenas," Kai agreed.
Mekies laughed. "So, how was the exam?"
Kai's eyes lit up. "You're the second person in the paddock to ask me that."
"Who was the first?"
"Mattia."
Mekies' eyes widened. Binotto?
Wait, did Binotto know Kai doubted his upgrades?
Kai saw Mekies' panic. He glanced at Binotto's iconic curly hair across the room and laughed. "Relax, Laurent. We aren't defusing a bomb."
Everything went as expected.
After a short break, the French Grand Prix arrived. Kai once again used his performance to shut the trolls up.
Action speaks louder than words.
Ferrari still struggled with the setup. They were slower than Mercedes and Red Bull all weekend.
Qualifying was tense. Grosjean crashed in Q3, ruining Kai's first run. He had one lap, do or die.
He locked up slightly but dragged the car to P6, starting on the third row alongside Ricciardo.
Mercedes dominated. Hamilton on pole.
Vettel P3.
Red Bull strong: Verstappen P4, Ricciardo P5.
Hamilton was 1.028 seconds faster than Kai. Mercedes was the target.
Race start: Carnage!
Turn 1. Vettel (P3) attacked Bottas (P2). They collided. Vettel lost his front wing; Bottas got a puncture. Debris everywhere.
Kai (P6) was boxed in. Bottas spinning, debris flying. Behind him, Sainz and Magnussen blocked the left.
Kai had to go off-track to the right to avoid the wreck. By the time he rejoined, he had fallen to P8.
Disaster!
Vettel and Bottas pitted on Lap 1. Williams and Alonso also pitted with damage.
Miraculously, no Safety Car initially. But then Ocon and Gasly collided at Turn 8. Both out.
Safety Car deployed.
Kai had survived the chaos with an undamaged car. That was lucky.
Then, he showed his ability to create opportunities.
Lap 7. Restart.
Leclerc (Sauber) had climbed to P7, right behind Kai. A rookie duel loomed.
But Kai killed the suspense. He looked forward, not backward.
He attacked immediately.
P8 to P6. P6 to P5. Like a metronome, he sliced through the field.
By the time the audience caught up, the number 22 Ferrari was P4!
Only Hamilton, Verstappen, and Ricciardo were ahead.
"Kai vs. Ricciardo 3.0" was on.
Kai didn't just brute force it. He planned his attack. Pace management, creating openings, lethal execution.
He closed in on Ricciardo. The Ferrari was slightly slower than the Red Bull here, but Kai applied pressure constantly.
Lap 28: Verstappen pitted.
Lap 29: Ricciardo pitted.
Red Bull blinked first.
Mercedes and Ferrari held firm.
Lap 33: Hamilton pitted.
Lap 38: Kai pitted.
Problem: Kai came out behind Vettel (who had recovered from last to P5).
Vettel was on old tires (from Lap 1). He couldn't push. He was defending for his life against cars behind him. He was 2 seconds a lap slower than the leaders.
Kai had fresh rubber. Ricciardo (P3) was 8 seconds up the road. Kai had the pace to catch him for the podium.
Logic dictated Vettel should let Kai pass.
But Vettel refused.
He was fighting for his own race, trying to minimize points loss to Hamilton.
He defended hard against Kai.
It was ridiculous. Vettel was wasting tires defending against his teammate when he should be saving them to hold off Hülkenberg and Bottas behind.
"I'm attacking," Kai radioed Arrivabene after waiting a lap.
Turn 6. Kai used the slipstream, pulled out, and passed Vettel cleanly on the inside.
No mercy. The tire delta was too big. Vettel's defense was futile.
Kai didn't care about Vettel's ego. He had Ricciardo in his sights.
Verstappen and Ricciardo had tires 10 laps older than Kai's. Kai was catching Ricciardo by 1 second per lap.
Seven laps later, he was on Ricciardo's gearbox.
Round 3.
Ricciardo defended well, covering the lines.
Kai changed tactics. He attacked Ricciardo's rhythm.
He pressured him through the complex from Turn 3. He feinted a move on the Mistral Straight. Ricciardo covered the inside.
Turn 10 (Signes). Kai attacked again.
"Kai! Outside line!"
"Wheel to wheel!"
"Through the double right-hander (Le Beausset), Kai hangs on the outside! Ricciardo holds the apex!"
"But Kai! Incredible throttle control! He pins Ricciardo down, using the grip advantage to sweep around the outside!"
"He's ahead!"
Exit speed!
The Ferrari launched out of the corner.
Turn 12. Ricciardo tried to brake late to fight back, but he locked his front right. Smoke!
Kai claimed the corner. He was P3.
The Red Bull pit wall groaned. Horner put his head in his hands.
Kai vs. Ricciardo 3.0: Kai wins.
But the danger wasn't over. Kai entered "Push Mode." He was hunting Verstappen.
Horner swore. Is he crazy?
5 laps left. Hamilton led Verstappen by 5 seconds. Kai was 8 seconds behind Max.
Unless a Safety Car came out, the podium was set.
But Kai smelled blood. His tires were 13 laps fresher than Max's.
"That rookie..." Horner laughed, exasperated. Only a kid would try this.
"Max, pick up the pace. Kai is coming. He's 1.5 seconds a lap faster."
Verstappen responded. He sped up.
"Lewis, Max is speeding up. Watch out."
Hamilton: "What's happening?"
"Kai is chasing Max, so Max is chasing you. Just maintain the gap."
Suddenly, the boring end to the race woke up.
The three cars compressed. Kai reeled them in like a fisherman.
Last lap. All three cars were in the same camera shot. The gaps were under 2 seconds each.
The crowd roared!
"Wow!"
"Unexpected drama!"
"If the race was two laps longer, who knows? But the flag is out!"
Hamilton wins. Verstappen P2. Kai P3.
Close formation finish.
But Kai had started P6, dropped to P8, and finished P3 on the podium.
Another slap in the face to the critics.
One race. From "disaster" in Canada to podium in France.
The trolls were speechless. Their "arrogant rookie" narrative crumbled against the reality of his speed.
The Tifosi were falling in love.
Leclerc was the "Prince," but Kai was earning the title of "Young Master" (Shaoye). He was the generational talent Ferrari had been waiting for.
But Vettel fans were uneasy.
If Kai is the Young Master, what is Vettel?
Arrivabene had ordered Vettel to move over for the second time (implicitly, or by allowing Kai to attack). The hierarchy was shifting.
The internet exploded.
"Haha, next time will they ask Seb to tow the baby?"
"Eye-opening! Usually, the No. 2 yields to the No. 1. Ferrari is creating history by making the No. 1 yield to the No. 2."
"Why not just announce Kai as the World Champion already?"
~~----------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters:
[email protected] / Dreamer20