In a sport measured by milliseconds, Luca had just experienced the longest second of his season.
His delay off the line lasted roughly a second, but in Formula 1, especially at the start where every inch counts, that single second was an eternity. His sharp recognition of the anti-stall trigger and lightning-quick reflexes helped him recover before further damage was done, but the cost was immense.
Luca lost four positions before he could even take Turn 1. In an untrackable succession, he was passed ruthlessly by Di Renzo, Ignatova, Nyström, and Rice. None of them hesitated to capitalize on the Mazerunner's falter.
By Sector 2, Derstappen managed to squeeze through as well, exploiting the final beats of Luca's destabilized rhythm. But Luca knew that was where the bleeding stopped, not because his car was back in shape, but because the next driver in line was Victor.
