Braking Point
Chapter 2
Mac presses the gas to 50% and revs the car. The lights go out and Mac releases the clutch.
ALEX JACQUISE: And the lights are off! Away we go for the final race of the 2018 Formula 2 world championship!
Mac gets an excellent start! That wheelspin he did before the start to heat up the rear tires certainly paid off. Mac is side by side with Billy as they head in the first corner. Mac doesn't back down and breaks later. He goes around the outside of Billy and takes the lead!
ALEX JACQUISE: MacGyver with that excellent start takes the lead of the race! This is what he needed! Now he needs to push as hard as he can to-
DAVIDE VALSECCHI: Oh! That looks nasty at the back!
Mac doesn't take his foot of the gas through turn 3 as Billy is right on his tail. As they approach turn 5 with 270+ kph, Mac sees the marshals waving double yellow flags. That's when David comes on the radio.
"Safety car, safety car! Keep the delta positive. Delta in the green."
Mac looks at the dashboard on the wheel and he is in the green as he enters the big straight after turn 7.
"What happened?" Mac asks on the radio.
"Big crash on the start finish straight. Drivers involved are Latifi and Fuoco. Latifi stalled and Fuoco couldn't avoid him. Also, Albon has stalled and is sitting on the grid." David replies.
ALEX JACQUIES: One DAMS has been hit from 3rd place and Alexander Albon, his already slim championship chances, basically reduced to nothing! Drama here and a nightmare for DAMS! The driver that hit Latifi, it's Antonio Fuoco! What a dramatic start to the race!
"Is everyone okay?" Mac asks on the radio.
"Fuoco is out of the car. Albon is getting pushed in the pits so he might come back in the race. Latifi is not out of the car but seems to be moving. There are a lot of debris so we might have to go through the pit lane." David says.
"Copy that." Mac replies.
Mac breaks for turn 8 and he looks in the mirrors. Billy is right behind him, weaving around, heating up his tires. As they enter the back straight after turn 9, Mac sees the crash on the TV that's on the side of the track. 'Jeez, that's scary." He says to himself.
"Go through the pit lane. The Safety Car will be waiting for you at the exit." David says.
"Copy." Mac replies.
"How's the car?" David asks.
"All good. No weird feeling or anything." Mac answers.
DAVIDE VALSECCHI: Cars are entering the pit lane as Latifi gets out of his car! So good to see! He looks unhurt which is fantastic!
ALEX JACQUIES: Indeed! You know, Davide, MacGyver's start putted him in a championship winning position. He must feel all the pressure right now with Billy Colton, George Russell and Lando Norris right behind him.
DAVIDE VALSECCHI: The four championship contenders are now the top 4! MacGyver has an advantage at the restart as he controls it because he is in the lead. But don't forget that Billy doesn't give up that easy. When he sees a gap, he goes for it! Whoever wins this championship, has a guaranteed seat in Formula 1 for next year.
It took five laps for the marshals to clean up the debris of the wrecked cars on the start finish straight.
"Safety Car should be coming in this lap." David tells Mac.
As they enter turn 15, the Safety Car starts pulling away from Mac. Mac slows down as the cars behind him get bunched up. He sees Billy get on the right side of him, not right behind him. Mac has a plan. In the middle of the penultimate corner, step on the gas. He needed to catch Billy of guard so he can pull away.
Mac weaves around in slow speed to heat up his tires as they approach turn 20 which is the penultimate corner. Mac turns for the corner and GO! Mac presses on the gas as he resumes in normal racing speed. He looks in his mirrors and Billy is close behind him. 'Dammit!' Mac says to himself. Billy must've figured out what his plan was.
The top four pulled a 1 second gap to the cars behind them. As they approach turn 7 which is a long hairpin, Mac goes wide so he can have a better exit of the corner. At the exit Billy misses him by MILLIMETERS. Billy is closing on Mac with the help of slipstream on the straight. Mac sees Billy on his mirrors and swipes left to defend the inside line. That gave Mac an awkward entry in turn 8 and immediately turning for turn 9. What he didn't notice though, is that Billy tried to go for a gap on the inside on turn 9, and they made slight contact.
ALEX JACQUISE: Whoa, there was slight contact between MacGyver and Colton! Colton tapped MacGyver's right rear tire with his wing! Everything is fine by the looks of it. Oh, team radio for MacGyver.
"I felt contact! Check the car, please." Mac says on the radio.
"Car looks good. Tires look good. Pressures look good. Everything's looking fine." David replies.
"How's the front wing?" Billy asks his radio engineer.
"Front wing looks good from the onboard. Front wing looks good from the onboard." His radio engineer replies.
Mac, on the exit of the last corner, loses the backend but quickly corrects it.
DAVIDE VALSECCHI: MacGyver is driving on the limit! Did you see that?! The kid is giving it everything!
LAP 10/31
Three laps have passed since the Safety Car period, which means since Billy is below 1 second behind Mac, he has DRS (Drag Reduction System). As they enter the big straight, Billy gets a good exit and he's in the slipstream of Mac. They cross the DRS activation line and Billy presses the DRS button on his wheel. The flap on his rear wing opens, giving him more speed down the straight.
ALEX JACQUIES: And here comes Billy Colton! He's closing in quickly on MacGyver. Can he take the lead of this race?
Mac sees Billy closing in on his mirrors so he moves to the left to cover the inside line. Billy is on his right side now, both going 300+ kph! Billy gets ahead of Mac with the nose of the car before the corner. Mac doesn't give up easily though. He breaks later than Billy and that turns out to be a mistake. He completely misses the corner and goes wide!
ALEX JACQUIES: Oh, MacGyver tried to break late but completely misjudges it! He goes wide and off the track! He has to cut the corner to get back on the track, but he needs to give Colton the position back. Colton was in front of him before the breaking.
"We need to give the position back." David says on the radio. Mac sighs in disappointment. 'Why did I do that?' he beats himself up. He slows down and lets Billy pass him. Now he has work to do. 21 laps. 'Let's do this!'
LAP 21/31
Mac is trying. Trying very hard. But he just can't get close to him. Billy has such good pace in Sector 3. With the help of DRS, Mac came close to Billy every time. But he keeps losing him in the last sector. As they approach the end of lap 21, Mac's team radio comes on.
"Virtual Safety Car. Virtual Safety Car. Keep the delta positive." David says. Mac looks up at the TV they are passing and sees an MP Motorsport car parked on the side of the track.
"Listen, Mac. We can pit and put on the super soft tires. We will come out in 5th as the VSC is going to help us. It's a risk so it's your choice." David says.
Mac hates it when he's in this situation. And now that the championship title was on the table, it certainly puts a lot of pressure. But if he continues with what he's doing, he won't be passing Billy. So…
"Let's box. Box this lap." Mac replies to David.
"Copy that." David says.
Mac rounds up the penultimate corner and turns right for the pit entry as Billy continues on. Mac hits the speed limiter and searches for his team. He sees them at the end of the pit lane. They are waiting, with the tires right beside them. Mac gets in his box, and stops right in front of the mechanic. The four mechanics grab their wheel guns and they get to work. Mac takes a sip of his water as the mechanics are changing the tires. He looks at the light above him that's red, waiting for it to turn green. The mechanics are done and they put the car down. That's when the light turns green and Mac releases the clutch.
Mac comes out of the pits in 5th, just like David said.
"Alright, kid. Time to do your magic." David says on the radio.
LAP 24/31
Mac is flying! His new super soft tires are doing their thing. He is closing now on his team mate, Lando Norris, who's in 4th. With the help of DRS, he flies past him on the big straight. Up next, Jack Aitken.
LAP 25/31
Mac does the same thing as he did on Lando. With DRS, he flies past on the big straight.
ALEX JACQUISE: MacGyver is on fire! He is passing car after car! Next up is George Russell that's sitting in 2nd place. There's a big gap between Colton and Russell, so MacGyver must pass George as fast as he can. He can't waste any time with 6 laps to go.
LAP 26/31
Mac nails the exit out of turn 9 as he and George enter the back straight. They both pass the DRS activation line and Mac presses the DRS button. He is gaining so much from the slipstream! George covers the inside, so Mac has no choice but to take the outside line. But that's no problem cause he's in front of George even before the corner. Next up is Billy.
LAP 31/31 FINAL LAP!
This is it! One final lap. One final chance. Mac is right on Billy's tail! The gamble he took, might be the best decision he has made ever. He has newer tires than everyone, including Billy. He has the advantage now.
"We have a problem with the DRS. You won't be able to use it." David comes on the radio.
"Perfect fucking timing!" Mac replies in frustration.
Mac is gaining every single corner on Billy! He is right behind him as they exit turn 6. It's a short road to turn 7, the hairpin, and he sees a gap! He tries down the inside but Billy closes the door! Mac couldn't stop the car as he hits Billy! Billy stabilizes the car as Mac has small damage to his front wing!
DAVIDE VALSECCHI: OH!
ALEX JACQUISE: Oh, he's hit him! They make contact! The leading pair collide on the final lap of the race! MacGyver has got slight damage!
Mac has his pedal to the floor as he is literally millimeters behind Billy! Mac holds his line which is on Billy's left. If they go like this, Mac will pass him in the braking. So Billy starts squeezing him! He's bringing him on the tire marbles literally at the white line on the side of the track!
ALEX JACQUISE: Colton is trying to cut off the line! He's trying to maintain the victory! And they are all over the tire marbles! It's absolutely unbelievable!
Mac is literally driving off the track! They approach the corner and Mac hits on the brakes later than Billy! This time he has it under control and gets in front of Billy!
ALEX JACQUISE: They're dueling for the championship title! And MacGyver's got the inside line! Can you believe that move?! Angus MacGyver! Wow, that was magnificent! Angus MacGyver takes the lead and is on the way to win the Formula 2 world championship! But Billy Colton has DRS on this back straight! It's not over yet!
Mac looks in his mirrors and he sees Billy opening his DRS! Mac tries to cover the inside line but Billy's speed is unbelievable and he gets on the inside before Mac can block him! They are side by side as they enter turn 11! This is a zig zag three corner section. They are still side by side at turn 12! Turn 13, Billy has the inside line. They both turn for the corner and there's contact again! They connect wheels and Mac is forced off the track and Billy takes the lead!
ALEX JACQUISE: They make contact again! This time MacGyver goes off the track and Colton takes the lead of the race and of the championship!
"He pushed me off! He pushed me off!" Mac says on the radio.
"Yeah, yeah, we are reporting it." David replies.
Billy rounds up the final corner with Mac right behind him. The fireworks come out, the chequered flag is waved and Billy crosses the line and wins the Abu Dhabi GP! Mac crosses the line in second. Mac passes Billy and he sees waving his hands everywhere, jumping in his car from happiness. Mac shakes his head as he knows that he pushed him off the track.
"Alright, Mac. That's it. We are waiting for the FIA right now. I just wanted to say that the team is proud of you for the whole season, I am proud of you. You really showed what you are made off this year." David says on the radio.
"Thank you, David. Thank you everyone in the whole team. I loved for you guys and thank so much for giving me the opportunity at the start of this season." Mac says.
Mac waves at the crowd in the grandstands. He sees them standing up and giving an applause. He also sees his teammate, Lando, next to him driving at the same speed. Lando gives him and applause and Mac gives him a thumbs up as a thank you.
Mac arrives in parc ferme and parks in front of the board that has the number 2 on it. He turns off the car and relaxes. That was one of the toughest races he's ever had. He hears two cars park next to him. He sees Billy climbing out straight away. He climbs on the nose of his car and turns around. He's looking at the other direction and Mac doesn't know why. Billy then throws his hands in the air and his team starts jumping and celebrating.
Mac furrows his eyebrows under his helmet and undoes his belt. He stands up and turns around to see a TV and on the TV it says:
"INCIDENT BETWEEN CAR 18 (MACGYVER) AND CAR 7 (COLTON) – NO INVESTIGATION NECESSARY."
"What the fuck?!" Mac says under his helmet. Mac gets out of the car and takes off his helmet. As Billy jumps at his team and they all hug, Mac approaches his team with a confused and angry face. "What the hell happened?!" Mac asks.
Mark gives him a sad look and sighs. "Apparently you didn't give him enough room at the apex. Billy runs over the kerb which made him lose control and smash into you. They are ruling it as a racing incident. I'm sorry, kid." Mark says as he puts his hand on Mac's shoulder. "Out there on the track, you showed who the real champion is."
But that didn't matter. Because right now, it's Billy who's celebrating with his team and he's the one who's gonna receive the championship trophy at the Prize Giving Ceremony. Mac shakes his head to tell Mark that that's not enough. He shakes hands with the rest of his team as he gets called to be weighted. He passes the weigh in and enters the cool down room. He puts his helmet down on the table and grabs a towel. He wipes off the sweat from his forehead as he sits down on a chair. George enters the cool down room and sets his helmet on the table too.
They shook hands and Mac drinks some water. "Sounds like it was intense." George says. Mac nods as he sets the water bottle on the table.
"Yeah, it was." He replies. George notices that Mac is pissed so he decides to stop talking. He sits on one of the chairs and takes a look at the results on the screen. Mac just stares at the floor in disbelief that he lost the championship like that. Billy enters the room with a huge smile on his face. George stands up and shakes his hand.
"Congrats, mate." George says with a smile.
"Thank you. Thank you." Billy says while trying to catch his breath. He sets his helmet down and immediately grabs a bottle of water. Mac looks up at the screen that is showing his and Billy's final lap battle. He stands up and turns fully to the screen so he can see if he really didn't leave room.
The incident comes on and Mac sees it. He didn't give Billy the room. He squeezes his eyes from anger. He's angry with himself for making that mistake.
"You should leave some room next time. Glad you didn't kill us both." Billy says from next to him. He turns to his right just as Billy started walking away from him. Billy is such a drama queen. Kill? They were driving with 70 kph and with the safety of these cars, if they crash with that speed, they wouldn't even have a scratch. Mac shakes his head again as he sips from his water.
TRACK ANNOUNCER: Here it is then. The final podium of this year's Formula 2 world championship. In 3rd place, with a clean and consistent race from George Russell from Great Britain!
George steps out on the podium and waves at the fans. He points to his team that are below the podium and puts his hand on his heart. He then climbs up on the 3rd place stand with his hands behind his back.
TRACK ANNOUNCER: In 2nd place, with a brilliant drive from Angus MacGyver from the United States!
Mac steps out on the podium and gives the fans just one wave. He wants to show them that he is angry and frustrated. He steps on the 2nd place stand and exhales.
TRACK ANNOUNCER: And the winner, a big welcome to the new Formula 2 world champion, Billy Colton from the United States! And in his honor, the national anthem of the United States.
Billy is jumping from joy, sending kisses to the fans who some of them are cheering and some of them are actually booing. Billy climbs on the 1st place stand and the three drivers take off their caps as the national anthem of the United States plays.
After the National Anthem, they receive their trophies. Billy jumps down from the stands and lifts up the trophy high. His team is going wild down there. Mac lifts the trophy quickly and puts it down, and George does the same.
TRACK ANNOUNCER: And now…the champagneeeee!
Billy and George grab the champagne bottles, shake them and spray everywhere. At each other, at the team and at the cars too. Mac just grabs the champagne bottle and his trophy and walks out from the podium.
ALEX JACQUISE: You can see that he is angry, sad, frustrated. Nobody wants to lose a world championship. Especially not how MacGyver lost it today.
DAVIDE VALSECCHI: True. But when I see him, I see a fighter. A person that never gives up. And trust me, losing the world championship won't bring that kid down one bit. He will be back on the track fighting for what he wants to achieve.
Mac quickly gets to his trailer. He puts his helmet on the table along with the trophy. He gave the champagne to the team at the garage. He told them he wanted to be alone and they understand. Mac sits down on his couch as he lets the tears from anger and sadness fall. He was so close. So close! All he wants to do know is go home to his best friends, Bozer and Leanna.
And that's what he's going to do.