Monfardini felt like he'd been left in the dust by the sheer pace of events. The morning had been a relentless series of surprises, with no time to catch his breath.
It was common knowledge in the racing world that the entry standards for the Ferrari Driver Academy were astronomically high. Only a handful of spots were available each year, and the process was a grueling gauntlet of selections, assessments, and training camps. The competition was so fierce that some were willing to pay out of their own pockets just for a chance at a single test session.
But now?
An unannounced, unknown young man had been given a special pass to test at Maranello. And even more startling, he was Asian—a face completely unfamiliar to the European junior racing scene.
Trying to be discreet, Monfardini sized him up, only to find himself caught in the inky black pupils of that baby-faced kid.
The gaze that met his was clear, calm, and composed. There was even a polite, easygoing confidence to it—none of the usual panic or discomfort of someone being scrutinized.
If anything, it was Monfardini who felt awkward, quickly averting his eyes like a child caught peeking.
He didn't question Todt's arrangements. He simply stuck to his duties. "Have you ever used a simulator before?" he asked.
Kai didn't answer, just gave a slight shrug.
Monfardini paused, glancing at him again. "What about a kart?"
Still no answer. Kai walked forward and began examining the equipment himself. "So, which simulator is it?" He saw the handsome young man standing next to one, looking as if he had just finished a session. Kai offered him a friendly smile. "Excuse me, is this one available?"
The young man was strikingly good-looking, with bright eyes and perfectly arranged features. His light brown hair was curled slightly from the dampness of his sweat. He looked like a prince who had stepped out of a fairytale and into the real world. Even standing in the shadows, away from the main lights, he effortlessly commanded attention.
"Hey, snap out of it, Prince Charming," Kai quipped. "Snow White isn't here."
The comment made the young man a bit flustered. He was clearly an introvert and didn't know how to respond, so he just changed the subject.
"It's available."
He paused. "But, it's covered in sweat…"
Before he could finish, Kai had already plopped himself into the seat without a care in the world. But he didn't rush. He wasn't some clueless hothead pretending to know what he was doing. Instead of touching the controls, he began to study the rig intently.
Karting?
Yes, Kai had done it. He'd spent about two years on it as a hobby, then less than two years training and competing in regional events. All in all, about five years of experience.
But that was ancient history. The last time he'd touched a kart was… six years ago? Seven? A very, very long time ago.
Kai knew perfectly well that street racing and Formula racing were two different things. F1 was the pinnacle, the dream of every driver. But the price of entry into that temple was something few could afford.
A karting driver spent, on average, $150,000 a year. For F4, that jumped to $300,000. F3 started at a million dollars. And F2 soared to two and a half million.
As for F1… that was another world entirely.
Kai's official career in underground street racing was less than two years old. Even if you counted his earlier messing around, it was still under four years.
It was precisely because of his limited experience that he understood the cardinal sin of racing: arrogance.
Pride was fine, but not blind pride. Humility wasn't weakness; it was a form of wisdom. After all, the ones who ended up looking like fools were always the ones pretending to be experts.
So, once he was in the simulator, Kai didn't try to show off. He became a curious child, examining every aspect of the machine.
In a street car, the driver sits upright, their line of sight parallel to the ground. In a Formula car, the driver is in a semi-reclined position, almost lying down. This not only lowers the entire field of vision but also brings the body closer to the ground, fundamentally changing the sense of gravity, balance, and spatial awareness.
The view, the direction, the space—the entire world looked different.
Kai started adjusting his position. "When we're looking at the track," he asked, "where should our focus be?"
Leclerc, who hadn't left yet, was completely bewildered. ???
He looked left, then right, searching for help, but he only saw Monfardini standing there with his arms crossed and a blank expression. Before he even realized what he was doing, he was already answering. "Here… you just need to adjust it a little…"
Kai had no reservations about asking questions. He fired them off one after another, slowly awakening the dormant memories in his mind.
Leclerc didn't even have time to think; he just found himself answering each one.
Off to the side, a look of admiration appeared in Marchionne's eyes. Pride, but not arrogance.
That was a rare quality in a young person.
It wasn't unusual for a young man to be sharp and talented, but it was rare to find one who wasn't also conceited. He admired this willingness to ask questions without shame. Youthful spirit often led to bravado, but the truly smart ones knew when to put their pride aside and learn.
On this point alone, Marchionne was already impressed.
Interestingly, he noticed that Todt also seemed pleasantly surprised. This was clearly a new discovery for him as well. It made Marchionne even more curious about what qualities Kai had shown last night to win Todt over.
Over at the rig, Kai had finished his questions. He looked up. "Thanks a lot, Prince Charming. I'm ready now."
Leclerc was still in a daze. "Uh… no problem."
He took a couple of steps away, a look of utter confusion on his face. He glanced back at Kai, then scratched his head. In the end, he didn't leave, choosing instead to stand a short distance behind the simulator, his curiosity growing by the second.
Monfardini had watched the entire exchange. Seeing that Kai was finally ready, he was about to step forward and give some instructions, but Kai had already started the simulation.
It was quick and decisive, without a moment's hesitation.
Monfardini froze, unsure how to react for a second. But then, he saw Kai's first rookie mistake, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He couldn't believe it. The kid really was a total rookie.
Kai had no time to worry about anyone else's reaction. The moment the simulation began, his focus was one hundred percent on the car.
The instant he touched the throttle, he felt a violent shudder through the steering wheel. The force feedback was shockingly intense.
An instinctive turn of the wheel, slightly too much, and the rear of the car immediately began to slide. Traction vanished, and the car felt like an untamed horse.
It wasn't a matter of speed. The biggest difference from street racing wasn't how fast the car was, but its reaction time and physical feedback.
Kai decisively hit the brakes, trying to regain control.
But the pedal was as stiff as a rock, offering no feedback at all. The threshold braking technique he usually relied on was completely useless here.
Worse, the simulator gave him no time to adapt. The first right-hand corner was already rushing toward him, and he hadn't even gotten up to full speed.
Kai's reflexes were sharp. Acting purely on instinct, he cranked the steering wheel, but the car's nose didn't move.
Understeer!
The very mistake that had plagued Matteo last night was now happening to him.
The simulator was faithfully recreating the sluggishness of a car in an aerodynamic stall. The feeling, the control—it was a world apart from street racing.
Screeeech!
The sharp sound of tires grinding filled the air, and his nerves instantly tensed. He watched helplessly as the car slid toward the edge of the track, heading straight for the gravel trap.
Was he really not going to make it past the first corner?