Formula 1: The GOAT

A look of pure surprise plastered Fatih’s face. It was quite the opposite reaction one might expect from a child who had just been subtly belittled by the group of boys he had approached.

“No, I don’t have a father,” Fatih stated, looking directly at the tallest of the four boys. From their brief exchange, Fatih had already assessed him as the group’s leader – arrogant, and clearly believing himself to be the best driver competing today. “So, the answer to your question about whether I’m here because my rich father forced the academy to include me among its representatives is… no.”

“So, how are you here? You’re just a newbie, aren’t you?” the boy, named Selçuk, scoffed, not even bothering to acknowledge Fatih’s answer about his father. “Or is your grandfather rich? Or did the teacher just pity you?”

“The teacher recommended me,” Fatih calmly replied, pointing towards Burak, who was currently engaged in conversation with the lead instructor for this particular group. “He said I’m talented.”

“Talented? You?” Selçuk scoffed, tilting his head back so far that he could barely see Fatih’s face without straining.

His lackeys immediately chimed in, finishing his thought. “He came ninth last championship! And he’s expected to win this year! And you say you’re talented?”

‘Hahahahahahahahahahhahaha,’ Fatih heard Apollo’s familiar, booming laughter echo in his mind. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his Mentor floated around him, clutching his stomach as if struggling to breathe.

‘His parents should have taught him manners by this age, but I’m sure they’re the ones encouraging this arrogance,’ Fatih thought to Apollo, a sigh escaping him. He quietly turned and started walking towards his kart. As an adult mind trapped in a child’s body, he could only handle so much childishness. He wasn’t about to engage in a verbal spat.

“Korkak (Coward)!” one of the boys taunted as they saw Fatih turn and leave without a retort.

‘Why didn’t you fight back?’ Apollo questioned, floating beside him.

‘Isn’t it better to do the talking on the track?’ Fatih mentally retorted, a small smile touching his lips. He finally had a clear target, an additional spark of motivation.

But before he could formulate another thought, a massive System screen materialized in front of him, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

[URGENT MISSION!]

The truly great do not argue; they do their talking on the track.

Objective: Finish every session in this race weekend ahead of SELÇUK as a direct response to his arrogance.

Reward: 15 SP

Punishment in case of failure: -10 SP (It will be deemed their arrogance was warranted.)

He accepted the mission without a second thought, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. ‘I should thank them instead!’

‘Looks like the System might issue missions related to people’s actions around me,’ he mentally noted. ‘This is something I could potentially exploit for hundreds of additional SP, depending on the scale of future situations.’

“How did the conversation with your new friends go?” Burak asked as Fatih arrived at his kart. Burak had just finished meticulously placing the final number sticker on the side bumper.

“Not well,” Fatih replied, touching the kart, which looked completely new, from the chassis all the way to the wheels.

“Yeah, that was expected,” Burak said, patting Fatih’s shoulder. He’d anticipated that outcome, given the behavior of Selçuk and his clique. ‘Thankfully, they’re not in my class,’ Burak thought. ‘I couldn’t deal with that behavior. Selçuk’s own instructor is far too lenient, probably trying to get closer to Selçuk’s father, who owns a lucrative car spare parts business, including go-karts.’

“Do we use new karts for every competition?” Fatih asked, steering the conversation away from the other kids.

“No, we use new kart chassis every two championships,” Burak explained. “Once the wear and tear reduces a chassis’s performance, we convert it into a rental kart and replace it with a new one for the following championship. This season, we’re using new ones because Selçuk’s father donated these to the academy. Otherwise, we would have been using last season’s chassis.”

As they conversed, Rümeysa and Güldane joined them, having finished their conversation with the other parents. They then moved towards the grandstand to watch Group A’s free practice, which was about to begin.

…..

[P1 – Group A FP1 – Lap Time: 01:33.547]The temporary screen displayed the fastest lap time set by the current P1 driver in Group A’s free practice, a kid named Jackson.

“He is last season’s championship winner,” Burak informed Fatih, who was intently watching the other kids’ hot laps.

“He is good,” Fatih commented, but internally, he completed the sentence: ‘…for a kid his age.’ Although Jackson was currently P1, Fatih noted his apparent difficulty driving on a wet track, forcing him to drive slower than optimal. That was Fatih’s assessment, at least, as he had yet to drive on this specific track in wet conditions to gauge the true level of grip.

“You’re better,” Burak said, adjusting Fatih’s race suit collar, which was crooked.

“Thanks,” Fatih replied, as both Rümeysa and Güldane watched the interaction with proud smiles.

Time sped by, and before long, Group A’s fifteen minutes of free practice were nearing their end, prompting Burak to say, “Our time is approaching, so let’s get ready.”

“Good luck!”

“I’ll be cheering you on from here!”

Both his grandmother and mother enthusiastically wished him well as he acknowledged their cheers, walking towards the garage and pit lane. As he walked, he glanced at the screen one last time to check Selçuk’s time, which had just been registered while they were walking.

[P2 – Selçuk – Lap Time: 01:33.924] was Selçuk’s lap time, instantly putting him in second place on the screen. Fatih silently acknowledged that Selçuk was indeed good for someone his age, but that didn’t deter him from wanting to respond to his arrogance on the track.

Upon arriving at the paddock, only a few minutes remained before Group B’s free practice was about to start. Fatih hurried to put on the final pieces of his racing gear, including his rib protector, balaclava, and helmet. He and Burak then walked as they pushed Fatih’s kart towards the pit lane for final technical inspections and a headcount.

The inspection was done very quickly, just moments after Group A’s free practice concluded. All the Group A participants entered the pit lane but were stopped at the entry point, waiting for Group B to enter the track before they would be allowed to proceed to the rest of the pit lane.

“Get in,” Burak said, as soon as he finished placing the kart down for Fatih.

The moment his body settled into the new kart’s seat, a massive System screen appeared in front of him.

[YOU ARE ABOUT TO PARTICIPATE IN TOSFED MINIK KART ŞAMPİYONASI]

[A Championship Mission has been generated]

[SEASONAL MISSION: THE FIRST CROWN]

Your journey to becoming the Greatest Of All Time begins not with a single lap, but with a season of unwavering performance. The Minik Kart Şampiyonası is your first arena. Your task is to conquer it.

Mission Objectives:

Milestone 1: Participate in all of the sessions of the race weekend.

Milestone 2: Achieve Pole Position.

Milestone 3: Set the Fastest Lap.

Milestone 4: Finish the Race (Score Points).

Milestone 5: Become Driver of the Weekend (System Award).

Rewards:

Milestone 1 Completion Reward: 10 SP

Milestone 2 Completion Reward: 10 SP

Milestone 3 Completion Reward: 5 SP

Milestone 4 Completion Reward: SP equal to points earned in the Race.

Milestone 5 Completion Reward: 5 SP

Additional Rewards:

Overtake: +1 SP

Brilliant Overtake: +5 SP

Defense: +1 SP

Brilliant Defense: +5 SP

A Perfect Weekend (All Milestones Completed & Consistently Dominant Performance): Additional50 SP

Punishment in case you fail to meet any of the milestones in at least one session of a championship weekend: -100 SP

This mission will continue until the end of the championship, where all rewards will be tallied and a completion rate will be given. Depending on the overall rating, additional rewards will be granted.

Additional SP can be earned if you complete hidden milestones during the championship period.

[ACCEPT] [DENY]