Formula 1: The GOAT - Chapter 136

Chapter 136: Race Weekend | Sunday | Wrap UP
“Thank you very much, and congratulations on your phenomenal weekend. See you in January,” Matia said after asking a few more questions.

“January? Do we have an appointment I’m not informed of or have forgotten about?” Fatih, who was about to shake Matia’s hand, paused mid-action as he asked the question, as he could not remember anything that would place him in a meeting with Matia in January.

“HAHAHAHA, you are funny, but I said that because that is when the WSK Grand Gala for the 2013 season is going to be held, on the 18th of January,” Matia said, still chuckling throughout his response.

“Aaaaah, I didn’t know about that, so I can’t promise I’ll be there, because I’m not sure if I will be able to attend,” Fatih, who was just reminded of the awards ceremonies, said, as his attendance was dependent on his mother’s or the other adults’ availability.

“You have enough time to think about it and make a plan, so I will retain my words and look forward to seeing you there,” Matia said, the smile still on his face as he extended his hand further to meet Fatih’s, which had stopped midway.

“Thank you.”

“Enjoy the celebrations; you deserve it,” Matia said as Fatih walked back to his coach. He then moved on to interview Alessio Lorandi, who had finished behind Fatih, followed by Lando Norris, who completed the podium.

………..

“Korkma! Sönmez bu şafaklarda yüzen al sancak,

Sönmeden yurdumun üstünde tüten en son ocak.

O benim milletimin yıldızıdır, parlayacak;

O benimdir, o benim milletimindir ancak.”

Fatih enthusiastically sang the national anthem playing on the speakers around the track as he stood on top of the podium.

CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!!

Claps followed once the national anthem was over. This was immediately followed by medals being given to the drivers, then the actual trophies, before the champagne-dousing celebration took place.

Unfortunately, the celebration couldn’t last long, as the next event needed to start. Within half an hour, everything regarding the post-race ceremony and celebrations was completed before the area was cleared.

Fatih, with his medal still on his neck, walked slowly while clearing the bits that had stuck to his race suit after being doused by champagne, which now acted as a glue.

Burak, who was holding the trophy, reduced his pace to match Fatih’s as they headed back to their academy tent.

“Let’s give the champion a deserving welcome!” Ricky Flinn shouted once Fatih entered the academy tent with Burak.

WOOOOOOOO!!!! CLAP!!! CLAP!!!!

Everyone in the tent responded, clapping and congratulating Fatih.

After about a minute of this, things finally calmed down, stopping completely once Ricky raised his hand, attracting everyone’s attention. He shortly began to speak.

“As this is the final race for Fatih this year, I feel the need to make this address to recap the fantastic three weekends he has spent with us. For a new debutant, I didn’t expect his debut to be this explosive, despite the pace he had shown us during practice. Practice and a real race are completely different conditions. However, he proved all of us wrong. From the very first race, he showed his mentality and decisive decision-making, which stayed with him to bring us a hat-trick of race wins. For the three races he was with us, he brought home trophies in all of them, no matter what happened to him during that weekend, and I would like to…”

He went on and on, reminiscing about all of the obstacles they were met with and how Fatih overcame them to bring home the win, before he ended by saying, “And for all he did, I can say with confidence that I’m looking forward to seeing him in next year’s karting competitions under our team name.”

Once again, everyone clapped enthusiastically. They were among the very few people who had seen Fatih very closely over the three races and everything that had happened within them, and they knew it was not just talent that brought home those results, but also hard work.

“Now, to Lando Norris, who moves to the next category next year…” After a minute of clapping, he once again moved to the next driver, and then the next, going one by one to cover all of their drivers, making sure no one was left without a compliment. As someone who was used to dealing with kids, he was very aware that doing so brought very little benefit compared to the harm it did to the drivers’ mentality.

………

“Thank you for the hard work you put in during these races,” Fatih said as he walked towards each team member inside the tent to thank them for their work, which allowed him to race with peace of mind.

Although the driver is the final piece of the puzzle in motorsports, he would instantly be irrelevant should something go wrong. The importance of the mechanical side of things had been proven during his FIA Karting World Championship, which forced him to mount a monstrous recovery. That was not the only example, as he had also experienced similar things in Turkey, which resulted in him making an active effort to thank the mechanics after every competition for the work they put in. Doing so would justify him getting angry if things went wrong, although nothing of that sort had happened yet. If it did, there would be no complaints, as it would make sense, after all, he celebrated with them when things went right.

“So you are not competing in any more competitions for the rest of the year?” one of the mechanics asked him curiously after he shook hands with him.

“Yes, I will continue practicing, but no official competitions. Nothing against local competitions, though, if there are any,” Fatih answered.

“I enjoyed hearing your setup suggestions, so see you next year,” the mechanic said, shaking Fatih’s hand once again before Fatih moved to the next mechanic.

……

“Is it set in stone that he will be driving for us next year, or was that just wishful thinking on your part during the speech?” Steve whispered to Ricky, who was now free.

“Yes, it is set in stone. TOSFED had already reached out to us after the first race to make clear their intent to have us continue housing Fatih for the next season, ensuring we keep a spot for him ahead of time. So, unless he decides to move to a manufacturer team, he will remain with us,” Ricky answered with confidence.

“Then what is with the rumor that he is in the middle of talks with Tony Kart? If that goes through, then doesn’t it mean he will move to them for next year? After all, there are still two months until the end of the year,” John, who had overheard the answer to Steve, said, joining the discussion.

“I’m confident that won’t be happening. For someone like Fatih, who can win in a good kart, there is no need for him to have his just-settled life upended so that he can move to a manufacturer team in Italy. Although he can join them while remaining in Surrey, the distance is going to be a very big problem, and there is a risk of him failing to integrate with them like he did with us,” Ricky said, looking at the two of them before pausing for a moment. As a smile appeared on his face, he added, “Plus, there has been no indication of any changes from Burak or Fatih’s mom, as all of our scheduled plans are still ongoing with no changes at all.”

“That is good then. I really don’t want him to move,” Steve said, exhaling a sigh of relief at the thought of Fatih staying with them, as no one would want to lose the talent they had on their hands after seeing what he did in just three races.

“I don’t want that either,” Ricky said. He knew what Fatih brought to the team: consistent top performance. He knew the drivers in his team were very capable, with nearly all of them able to win races, but none of them had the consistency that Fatih had, being able to always go for the win wherever he was on the track, so long as he had a decent kart under him. As a result, he had even managed to push the other drivers on the team to improve, and the results of that were already visible, as they had secured double podiums across nearly all of the sessions, barring a few.

………..

“When Jos is not messing with his equipment, he is a nightmare to deal with on the track,” Fatih said to Apollo as they watched the KZ2 race that was taking place.

“So, to him, his father is his Apollo?” Apollo teased.

“Yes, and he is not that different from you, though you are more brutal than his father is. But he comes very close to you if we take into consideration the father-son emotional connection acting as a multiplier for anything he does to his son, but it pales in comparison to you sending me into the barrier to break myself just to learn something I would have learned if we took additional time on it,” Fatih said, mixing complaints and subtle jabs together.

“Aren’t you planning to take a look at the system mission rewards?” Apollo said, completely ignoring all of the jabs sent in his direction.

“Once this race is over and we return to the hotel,” Fatih said, suppressing his excitement and curiosity about the rewards until he could fully enjoy them and not have to rush through anything.