The only way through is through; a wise man once said.
The cockpit of the Arcadia car felt tighter for Leo than it had in Monaco. It wasn't a physical change in the carbon fiber tub, but a psychological one. Suzuka was a monster of speed, and speed made the world shrink.
As Leo sat on the grid, the raindrops drummed against the canopy with the rhythm of a thousand tiny hammers. The bruised purple sky of the simulation seemed to hang lower, pressing the humidity and the smell of ozone into his lungs.
He stared at the floating text in his field of vision.
---
[SIMEX SYSTEM, PHASE 2 LAP 5 NOTE:]
[Racing Instinct Framework: operational assessment]
[Phase 1 final activation: 7%]
[Phase 2 current activation: 7%]
[Note: Framework percentage does not update automatically. It advances through performance under conditions that exceed current operational capacity.]
[Suzuka in current precipitation represents conditions that exceed 7% framework capacity.]
