Shanghai International Circuit, China

F1 Equestria Duel series

Duel 10: SIL (Racing Point/Force India) VS BMI (McLaren)

Event Type: Grid Start One-on-One (5 Laps)

"Ladies and gentleponies, welcome back to the third round of the Formula 1 Equestrian Duels series! I'm Flim and I am accompanied once again, by my brother, Flam!"

"Hello, everyone and pony! And welcome back to the series!"

"We are two rounds into the 2019 season, and the tension is heating up quickly! Princess Celestia is currently leading the Driver's Championship, only two points clear of second. Nipping at Celestia's hooves, are the top two Mercedes drivers, Akula and Viral Velocity. And with an even bigger pack behind her, she got a lot to play for,"

"Speaking of Mercedes, they are currently leading the Constructor's Champoinship and are 23 points clear of their nearest rival, Alfa-Romeo. But it's a close battle for second, as Scuderia Ferrari is only 5 points behind the Alfa team. Most of the teams are lagging behind the top 3 in terms of points, with most of them picking up more points last round,"

"Well, getting some points is much better that not scoring at all, which is what has happened to the Racing Point team. Two rounds have gone by and the team hasn't scored any points! Gallus did make it into the finals in Australia, but he finished just outside the top 10. And neither drivers managed to complete the Duel Stage in Bahrain. So they are in desperate need for points,"

"It looks like we're about ready to start the next Duel! Let's see who's driving this one,"

"Starting on P1, driving for McLaren F1, hailing from the Sweet Apple Acres... we have Big Macintosh! And his opponent, driving for Racing Point, from the kingdom of the Hippogriffs... Silverstream!"

"This one looks like it's going to be a close one! Silverstream really need to beat Big Mac in this race to secure a spot in the final. Her team really needs the points to catch up with the front runners! But Big Mac is also playing for points, as he hasn't scored anything yet. It's going to be a close race!"

"We're about to start! Hold onto your hats!"

Silverstream may have been excited about this race, but she knew that she had to win. If she didn't, her team's entire season goal of achieving above 7th in the Constructor's Championship would be in jeopardy. She knew that she hadn't even managed to qualify for a race yet, and she desperately needed points.

However, her country opponent had already raced once in the previous round in Bahrain but didn't manage to get any points. She hadn't even qualified for a single finals yet! Australia saw her crash into the barrier and Bahrain had her face off against Lightning Dust, who eliminated her easily.

But she knew if that she still raced as hard as she could, she might have a chance.

Unfortunately, her chance to score the first point was on one of the toughest tracks in the F1 calendar. Turns 1 and 2 have even managed to unnerve Akula himself, as the data shown in his Duel shows that he has trouble with braking in the long, ever-tightening right sweeper. Then, there is the legendary Turn 14. Drivers need to go from top speed all the way to down to the lowest speed on the track to take the tight hairpin. But at least the hairpin wasn't lined with walls and was quite wide, unlike Monaco or Baku.

But Silverstream wasn't nervous. She was just as excitable as ever.

After a few moments, the light came on. Both her and Big Mac's engines roared to life as the lights came on, one-by-one.

And once they went out, the two leaped off the line and the duel began.

Big Mac had the more powerful car, but Silver's Racing Point was lighter (due to Big Mac's body weight affecting performance) and she got the better jump, pulling alongside the McLaren going into the first turn. Both knew that it was the first pony to mess up that will lose the lead in the first turn.

The one to mess up, was Silverstream.

Going through Turn 1, she saw the upcoming hairpin that was Turn 2 and panicked. She hit the brakes and immediately slowed down, causing Big Mac to race ahead, take a better braking approach and take the lead. Silver kicked herself for her mistake, but kept in the race, sticking with Macintosh. She then remembered a moment during the Australian GP that she though would help.

She remembered, during the race, one of the pit crew told her the story of an Australian Olympic speed skater by the name of Steven Bradbury. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Bradbury made it to the finals of the 1000m Men's Short Track Speed Skating event and was lagging behind the whole race. But on the final lap, the leaders all crashed and took each other out, allowing Bradbury to skate past and win the gold. He became the first Australian to ever win the gold medal in the Winter Olympics and became a national hero, and a legend in the sporting world, akin to the likes of Eddie the Eagle and the Jamaican Bobsled Team.

And Silverstream decided to race with what she called 'Bradbury style'. She would hang in there during the duel and not give in, and maybe, she would have a chance.

But little did she know, is that Big Mac actually felt intimidated by Turn 14 and would take the corner slower that most. And on Lap 4, Silver noticed this. But she had only one more lap to make her move. Going into the final lap, she gave the race all she had. She stuck right on the McLaren's tail and followed his movements, not letting up.

And going down the back straight, Silverstream knew she had to make a move.

Then came Turn 14, and the farm stallion cracked under the pressure of dealing with the hairpin and holding off the hippogriff in the Racing Point. He braked too early. Silverstream took the initiative, moved to the inside line and then hit the brakes. Her RP19 responded smartly, and she managed to overtake the farm stallion's MCL34 under braking.

Now she had to hold the lead for two more turns. After racing around Turn 15, she braked a tiny bit and raced through the final turn, well out of the range of Macintosh. And she crossed the finish line, well in the lead. She was now in the final.

'You've done it! P1! Brilliant drive! You're in the final!' Silverstream's race mechanic reported, as the hippogriff started celebrating her victory.

"YEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!! YES!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! Thanks! Thanks so much! The car was amazing! I'll push to get us some points during the race. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!" She cried out, as she pumped her claws in the air, taking a victory lap, waving at the crowd before pulling into the pits and embracing every single member of the pit crew.

Author's Note

In case you're wondering (unless you're Australian or have seen the 2002 Winter Olympics), Steven Bradbury is a real person and he DID win the gold medal for Australia in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Just search up his name, my American and international friends, and you'll see that I am telling the truth.

Sorry I took so long with this chapter, and thanks very much for being patient!