Chapter 113: Race Weekend | Friday | Dr. Helmut Marko
Dr. Helmut Marko could be seen reading a document that had the FIA logo on the top, containing information regarding the day’s free practice, focused solely on Fatih.
It was not deliberately written to highlight Fatih, but it ended up being that way because it was a document regarding the fastest lap times of the overall sessions, and it all contained Fatih’s name and lap times. The times also had an extra bracket with a time comparison to the lap record of the track prior to this competition, and this part was filled with negative numbers that continued increasing from one lap to another, making it clear that all of those laps had exceeded the lap record held before the competition.
"We should contact his team before things change," Helmut said, finally speaking after looking at the piece of paper for more than ten minutes.
This was the final document he had looked at before making his decision, but he had spent at least two hours watching the recorded videos of Fatih’s free practice session the moment he arrived at the hotel following his meeting with Jos Verstappen.
"But sir, are you sure? Shouldn’t we wait for the FIA investigation to be completed before we try to reach out to them? It would be too much of a problem if we reached out to them and it is later discovered that he had been driving an illegal engine," William, the Red Bull Academy scout who had been vocal about Fatih, said, warning against making any moves until things were cleared.
"If we do that, then we will be no different than the other teams. Plus, do you think he is going to risk his karting career and cheat so deliberately? Additionally, I’m pretty sure he broke the lap record in last week’s championship a few times as well, with the only difference being that he was only on the optimal setup on the last day, while here he is on the optimal setup from the start," Helmut said, looking at William as if his suggestion was a foolish one, since it was too conservative, and Red Bull doesn’t do conservative at all. They are either all-in or not at all.
"Contact his team and inform them that we would like to arrange a meeting with Fatih’s parents and have a conversation. Do it now so that it is known to them that we believe in his capabilities when everyone else is doubting and approaching the situation with a wait-and-see tactic. Plus, the meeting will most likely be set after the competition, so by then we should already have a response from the FIA. If it comes out that he has been cheating, then all we have to do is cancel it, and no harm will be done to us," Helmut added, wanting to make sure these two junior scouts learned this so that they wouldn’t trouble him later.
Although he looked annoyed on the outside, he was ecstatic on the inside because if things went as they were, they had the opportunity of clinching two super drivers for the team. However, that didn’t mean he was intent on signing them immediately, as neither Max nor Fatih had yet to deliver results in an area that he deemed worthy enough to directly sign them while they were still in karting. The meeting was more about showing their intentions and providing initial monetary support in return for the first refusal option, as they observed and watched to see if he would live up to the hype he was carrying at the moment.
The same was happening with their situation with Max Verstappen. They were at the moment sponsoring him as they waited to see his performance once he moved to single-seaters next year, and depending on his performance, they would either remain as sponsors or go full steam ahead and recruit him into the Red Bull Drivers Academy.
Although many would think that the wait-and-see approach Red Bull was going with was a bad thing, as it might be interpreted that they were hedging their bets, it was the complete opposite of that. The wait-and-see tactic was to gauge the level of support that should be provided to the driver in accelerating his career. Those who interpreted it that way would majorly be those who believed that their child’s talent was at its peak and wouldn’t go any higher from there, because if the drivers they sponsored showed enough talent, that would give them enough leverage to demand better conditions from Red Bull, who would happily accept.
"I will reach out to the team now," William said before leaving with his fellow junior scout to make the call to RFM to set a meeting with Fatih’s parents or manager.
Now left alone, he returned to look at the document in his hand before he said, "Even if the engine is illegal, this consistent improvement lap over lap is enough to overlook it, so long as it was not deliberate," having already made his mind to make a move and set the first barriers in order to have the first dibs once he had fully proved himself.
Unfortunately for others and fortunately for Marko, they were the only ones who took the proactive move, as the rest of the academies, management agencies, and karting manufacturing teams all decided to use the wait-and-see tactic until the FIA verdict was given before making any decision. At the moment, many of them were of the belief that Fatih had an illegal engine.
........
Fatih was sitting in the tent calmly with his helmet on the table, fully kitted out, waiting for the qualifying session to start as his kart was still in the middle of being reassembled after the overnight full engine inspection.
He wasn’t that worried, as even if they missed the timing and he started from the back of the grid, he had the confidence to win all the heats even if he started from the rear. So he waited patiently, wanting to see what fate had in store for him.
With ten minutes on the clock before Group A’s timed qualifying was to start, Burak, who had been up overnight, finally entered the tent before he said, "The kart is ready," sounding excited amidst the sleep-deprived look he carried.
"Good job. I think you should return to the hotel and rest for the remainder of the day," Ricky said, turning to Fatih, who nodded, agreeing with the suggestion.
"No, he still has a full day waiting for him, so I should accompany him," Burak said, denying the offer as he walked to Fatih.
"You don’t have to worry. I can handle myself for a day at least, but if you faint, it won’t do me any good, as I won’t have peace of mind," Fatih said, looking at him with a look that made it clear he was not going to give up on what he said.
"Fine," Burak said, pinching his blood-red eyes while moving to collect his things, bidding farewell to Fatih and leaving the tent, returning to the hotel to get his much-needed sleep.
"He listens to you more than me," Ricky joked, teasing Fatih as he chuckled after Burak left.
"It’s because I always tell him the truth and have no instance of lying to him, so if I say I’m going to be fine, then I’m going to be fine," Fatih answered with confidence, quite happy that he had adults who listened to him and didn’t just impose their wills on him just because he was a child.
"Okay, get ready for qualifying. You are going first and deliver a performance worthy of the inspection," Ricky said, tapping the table to remind Fatih that his qualifying session was about to start in a few minutes.
"I’ll be back," Fatih said, picking up his headgear and leaving the tent.
Ricky turned to Steve, asking him, "Do you think he will be rattled because of the inspection?"
"If anyone can go on and perform as if nothing has happened, it is him," John answered as he dragged one of their telemetry laptops, placing it on the table before adding, "Let’s see if he is going to deliver the same as yesterday," as he brought forward Fatih’s telemetry data, which was still showing that he was yet to join online.