Gareth, a senior reporter for Sky Sports, was the first to raise his hand.
He was famous in the paddock for his sharp tongue and loved making life difficult for rookies.
“Hi Julian.
Congratulations on pole position.
One minute thirty nine point nine two seconds is already faster than the fastest race lap from last year.
You are zero point five six seconds ahead of second place, and zero point eight five seconds ahead of your teammate Dennis Hauger.
How are you feeling right now?
Do you feel like F2 is too easy for you?”
Julian wiped the sweat from his forehead, thought for a moment, and answered seriously.
“I am used to it.
The F2 car is much slower than an F1 car.
It is very simple to drive.”
The air froze for half a second.
The reporters surrounding the interview area all showed a what did he just say expression.
Theo Pourchaire, standing nearby, twitched the corner of his mouth, not knowing whether to laugh or be angry.
Gareth’s eyes instantly lit up.
He smelled a hot news story.
“You mean F2 is too simple?”
Julian only then realized his words could be misinterpreted.
He quickly waved his hands, his expression a bit panicked, completely different from the calm driver he was on the track.
“Not simple!
It is different.
The F2 car is good to drive, but F1 is harder.
I have been working as an F1 simulator driver recently.
Getting used to the hard one makes the easy one feel relaxed.
I am not saying F2 is not good!
F2 is also good!”
His explanation only made it worse.
The reporters’ pens flew across their notebooks, making a rustling sound.
Theo could not help but laugh out loud next to him, quickly covering his mouth with his hand.
Victor Martins maintained his professional poker face, but his shoulders were shaking slightly.
The corner of Gareth’s mouth curved into a dangerous arc.
“So you are saying F2 is child’s play for you, right?”
Julian completely gave up explaining.
He silently lowered his head, looking like a student being criticized in public by the class teacher.
His earlobes were burning red, and his voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible.
“I just wanted to say I am used to the F1 car.
F2 is really not simple.”
But it was too late.
The reporters’ pens had already written the words F2 is simple in their interview notebooks.
Very quickly, a Sky Sports news pop up appeared on major sports news websites.
MP Motorsport Julian Vance Publicly States F2 is Very Simple, Driving F2 is Like Playing House.
Pole Sitter Spews Wild Words F2 is Too Slow Compared to F1, Driving is Like Playing Around.
New Pole Sitter Calls F2 Too Easy, Angering Many Drivers in the Paddock.
The comment section instantly exploded.
“Looking down on F2?
“Leading second place by zero point five six seconds, he definitely has the qualifications to say that.”
“Not even Lando Norris was this arrogant in F2 back in the day.
This guy is getting a big head before even winning a championship?”
“Am I the only one who thinks he is just humblebragging?
He clearly said F1 is harder, not that F2 is simple!”
“You are too naive upstairs.
This is a classic humblebrag, the kind with extra humblebrag sauce.”
Julian’s phone was vibrating crazily in his pocket.
Taking advantage of the reporters going to interview second place, he secretly pulled out his phone to take a look.
The messages from Toby were lined up in a long string, each followed by a different meme.
“Holy crap Julian I saw the news!
You said F2 is playing house???”
“Do you know what my classmates are saying?
They are asking if your buddy is too arrogant.”
“I just told them he is not arrogant, he is just stating facts!!!”
“The girls sitting in the back rows of our class are all talking about you!
They said although you have a harmless face, you are actually a born final boss!”
“Truly my brother!!
Too awesome!!”
Julian replied with an ellipsis and a smiley face, then put his phone back in his pocket.
He looked up and saw Theo Pourchaire talking confidently to the camera.
“Julian is indeed very fast, faster than I expected.
But his statement today shows he is still a rookie.
F2 is not child’s play.
Tomorrow I will prove this point.”
Victor Martins’ statement was even more direct.
“Probably a language barrier.
I do not think he meant it that way.” He paused and showed a subtle expression.
“But if he really meant it, then tomorrow’s race will be a good show.”
Julian listened silently from the side, the redness in his ears not fading.
He wanted to explain, but did not know which sentence to start with.
He was not good at debating or dealing with reporters.
In the car, he was fearless.
The steering wheel and pedals were his most familiar language.
But facing the microphones and cameras, every word felt like it was being dragged out of his throat.
It was either too early or too late, always speaking when he should not.
Far away, inside the Williams F1 team garage.
Vowles stood in front of the floor to ceiling window, watching the giant screen in the paddock rolling the Sky Sports news.
On the screen, Julian was waving his hands with red ears explaining not simple, but the subtitles read F2 driver Julian says F2 race is like playing house.
Vowles watched for a while, the corners of his mouth slowly curving upward.
“This kid,” he shook his head, his tone like he was talking about a child he was both fond of and helpless about.
“How did he just say the big honest truth out loud!”
Technical Director Dave Robson stood next to him, taking a sip of rich and mellow artisanal coffee, and slowly said a sentence. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“This pace is simply playing on a different level.
I doubt anyone in the same category can beat him.”
Vowles did not refute.
Logan Sargeant scrolled to the F2 qualifying results in his motorhome.
Below the words Julian Vance P1 on the screen was a small lap time comparison.
Leading P5 Dennis Hauger by one point zero two seconds.
He was also a genius in F2 last year, but his best qualifying result was only zero point three seconds faster than his teammate.
He placed his phone screen down on the table.
The phone vibrated twice on the desktop, maybe a news push, maybe a private message, but he did not flip it over to look again.
Albon pushed the door open and walked in, holding his helmet in his hand.
He took one look at Sargeant’s expression, then at the phone face down on the table, and did not ask any more questions.
“He is indeed fast,” Albon said, his tone calm, as if stating an objective fact.
Sargeant closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.
“I know.”
That night, at the Bahrain hotel.
Julian finished his shower, changed into that familiar gray loose T shirt, and let his whole body sink into the soft mattress.
The air conditioner in the room hummed, blowing out refreshing cold air.
He closed his eyes and summoned the system panel in his mind.
The pale blue light screen unfolded before his eyes.
But unlike usual, a new prompt box appeared, floating in the center of the panel.
Ding!
Detected that the host has obtained the F2 Bahrain Pole Position.
Temporary Quest Issued.
Sprint Race First Place Reward Overtaking Technique attribute point plus one.
Feature Race First Place Reward Wet Weather Pace attribute point plus one.
Mainline Quest Road to the Top Team In Progress 2023 F2 Season Top Two in Championship.
Current progress zero percent.
Julian’s gaze locked tightly on the line Wet Weather Pace attribute point plus one.
His wet weather pace was twenty eight.
If he won the feature race, it would go up to twenty nine.
Although it was only a one point increase, it was a real improvement, saving him more than ten days of specialized training.
As for winning the sprint race, that was much harder.
The F2 sprint race is different from the F1 sprint race.
It uses a reverse grid starting order.
This means Julian, who got pole in qualifying, would start the sprint race from tenth place, while the driver who qualified tenth would start from pole.
The FIA designed it this way to make the race more suspenseful and increase overtaking opportunities.
It gives midfield and backmarker teams a chance to fight for honor and points, and tests the comprehensive strength of the drivers.
He rolled over and looked at the distant track lights outside the window.
Tomorrow.
Sprint race.
Feature race.
Championship.
I want them all!
He closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.
In his dream, he stood on the highest podium, flags waving, and the national anthem playing.