Speed ​​God

Chapter 55 The Direction of Dreams
Reason and emotion are locked in a tug-of-war.

Reason told Nicholas that there was no need to act impulsively in choosing Fukuzumi Renryo; however, emotion pulled at Nicholas's heart, driving him wildly toward Lu Zhizhou.

Although Nicholas himself didn't know why, his intuition had been stirring all day.

The usually jovial and carefree Vasser quietly observed Nicholas, noticing the wavering and struggle in his partner's eyes, which seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

At this point, Wasser's smile faded, and he offered a sincere suggestion in a half-joking manner, "Why don't you call old Todd and ask?"

Nicholas was taken aback.

He genuinely didn't want to talk to his father about work, mainly because in the early years of his career, he and his father had many unpleasant experiences due to differences in their philosophies; the paddock also treated him differently because he inherited his father's fame, and the sarcastic remarks and stumbling experiences were truly unpleasant.

Wasserl didn't press him, shrugging, "In terms of the driver's talent and ability, the answer is very simple. The rest is no longer a simple racing issue."

After saying that, Vasser casually strode off to catch up with Marchionne, acting like a hands-off manager, leaving all the burden to Nicolas.

At ART, Wasserl was in charge of strategy and technology, while Nicholas was in charge of operations and management. He had already given his opinion, and the rest was up to Nicholas.

Nicolas stood there, took a deep breath, and finally dialed Jean Todt's number. After waiting for him to explain the whole story, Todt hesitated for a moment.

"You mean, he refused immediately, without even considering it?"

Nicholas carefully recalled the situation and gave an affirmative answer.

Todd let out a soft breath.

"Calm. Rational. Intelligent. Magnanimous. He is ambitious, but knows how to control his ambition, clearly understands his situation, and will not be easily swayed."

“Nick, whether it’s you, Fred, or Sergio and me, we may not always fully understand our own position.”

Otherwise, Nicholas wouldn't have made that call.

"To remain clear-headed in the face of desire and calm in the face of crisis—that is the true mark of a great general, and he is only seventeen years old. It seems I misjudged him back then."

The call didn't last long.

Todd didn't tell his son what he should do, nor did he explain his own judgment in Nicholas's position, because he knew perfectly well what kind of game Formula racing was. He simply gleaned some insights into Lu Zhizhou's characteristics from a few words, gave a brief comment, and then hung up the phone, leaving all the thought and decision-making space to Nicholas himself.

Actually, the answer is not complicated.

From the perspective of the ART team, Fukuzumi Jinling is a reasonable choice.

From a future perspective, from the perspective of F1, and from the perspective of Nicolas personally, things are slightly different. Nicolas is not only the owner of the ART team, but also a driver agent. If we consider the possibility of Lu Zhizhou entering F1 in the future, just like Leclerc, then...

Not just Nicolas, everyone knows that GP3 ​​is just a stepping stone to F1; everyone's ultimate goal is to reach that ultimate stage.

What if we view today as an investment?

Such investment might be too crazy in F1, with no one willing to take the plunge and place a bet. But in GP3, the capital pressure is still under control. Does this mean that there is a greater possibility of going all in and making a big bet with a small investment?
The answer is obvious.

Nicolas stood there for a moment, carefully sorting out the whole thing, from Jean Todt to Marchionne and their ART team, from the team's overall strategy to his personal plans, from GP3 to F1, without exception, his surging thoughts almost exploded.

Finally, returning to today, from the test race to the face-to-face conversation, the image of Lu Zhizhou that had been hidden in the race car and in the helmet gradually became clearer and revealed his brilliance, to the point that Nicholas's heart started pounding wildly, and an uncontrollable fervor burst forth.

For a dream?
No, Nicholas wasn't that romantic; everything was for profit, for a grand blueprint.

In a flash, Nicholas clenched his fist, a resolute glint in his eyes, and jogged after Vasser and Marchionne. "Sergio, how about we discuss the specifics of the bonus system?"

Wasserl glanced meaningfully at Nicolas, past Marchionne, and found a hint of confidence and a menacing ambition in that gentle face.

The two partners exchanged a glance, and then Vasser grinned, laughing heartily. "Oh, this is going to be a very boring and very long conversation, Sergio. How about two espressos first? And two croissants too? Otherwise, I'm worried I might faint at any moment."

Haha, the three of them burst into laughter, and the atmosphere relaxed again.

……

Each point is worth 1,500 euros.

The first podium, 10,000 euros; the first champion, 15,000 euros.

Leading the standings for half a season, the prize money doubled.

The annual driver's championship comes with an additional bonus of 100,000 euros.

After discussions, Ferrari and ART reached an agreement. After some back-and-forth negotiations, a contract was finally signed, under which Ferrari would fully sponsor Lu Zhizhou to represent ART in the 2017 GP3 season and continue to provide technical and resource support. Meanwhile, ART would be responsible for the prize money, ensuring that Lu Zhizhou would have no worries.

So, what does this contract actually mean?
In GP3 racing, the race winner earns 25 points, the top ten finishers earn points, pole position earns 4 points, and the fastest lap earns 2 points; the sprint winner earns 15 points, the top eight finishers earn points, and the fastest lap earns 2 points.

Taking 2016 as an example, Leclerc topped the annual driver's championship with 202 points. His performance in the first half of the season was stronger than in the second half, and he scored more points, leading the mid-season championship. Therefore, according to this contract, Lu Zhizhou can earn 522,500 euros.

Of course, there can only be one champion, and Leclerc was undoubtedly the brightest new star in GP3 last season. Not everyone can replicate such achievements.

Taking Fukuzumi Jinling as an example, he unfortunately did not win any stage races and only reached the podium three times throughout the season. According to this contract, Lu Zhizhou can earn 146,500 euros, which is also a considerable income.

The reward mechanism is clear at a glance.

How many rewards Lu Zhizhou can win and how much he can achieve depends entirely on himself.

However, that's not all.

Naturally, it can't be all of them. ART is not a non-profit charity, and even if Nicolas is acting out of personal considerations, he still cannot harm the team's interests.

Therefore, the contract contains the following note:
If the team fails to score in two consecutive races, the ART team reserves the right to terminate the contract.

The GP3 season is not long, with nine races in 2016 and eight races in 2017, which will pass in the blink of an eye. This means that the margin for error is very limited. A slight lapse in concentration or a small mistake could mean elimination.

When such a contract was presented to him, Lu Zhizhou admitted that it was an excellent opportunity.

Even though he didn't show it on the surface, and even though he remained calm and composed, Lu Zhizhou knew very well what this contract meant. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, and his blood was burning uncontrollably, pointing him in the direction of his dream. The dream that he had been suppressing deep in his soul had finally broken free of its shackles.

This time, the tug-of-war between reason and emotion crumbled completely, tilting towards emotion. Lu Zhizhou barely managed to control himself with the last vestiges of his reason.

He has not forgotten his mother.

Just when one wave subsided, another arose. Because of the Rome racing incident and Ferrari youth training, his mother still hadn't forgiven him, and he hadn't even had a chance to properly communicate with her. Now, another torrent of trouble was surging in.

So, is this a happy kind of trouble?
　The young racing enthusiast is steadily improving, and I sincerely thank everyone for their support. Please keep it up and give it your all! There's only one week left in the new book's run, let's all give it our all! Thank you everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)