Five red lights illuminated one by one, their glow reflected in Alex Sun's eyes. The 100th race in F2 history—the Baku Grand Prix—entered its final starting countdown amid the salty, humid winds drifting in from the Caspian Sea.
Both hands gripping the steering wheel, Alex Sun had clearly entered a state where driver and machine moved as one.
The two attribute points gained from the sprint race had pushed his already elite Launch Control to an even higher level.
Lights out.
Alex Sun released the full potential of his 63-point Launch Control. The engine roared low and powerful as the car shot off the grid like an arrow leaving the bow. Tires shrieked against the asphalt, instantly shattering the quiet of the circuit.
In stark contrast to Alex Sun's explosive start was Lawson, who had lined up second beside him.
His reaction was unusually slow, and his rhythm fell apart completely. In the brief moment of the launch alone, Alex Sun had already opened nearly a two-car-length gap, eliminating Lawson's threat to the lead from the start.
And his misfortune didn't end there.
Behind him, Vips had already been watching for an opportunity and immediately launched an attack.
Although Vips' Launch Control was slightly inferior to Alex Sun's, it was still far stronger than Lawson's sluggish start.
Before Turn 1, Vips seized the weakness in Lawson's launch perfectly. He decisively dove to the inside, locked down the optimal racing line through the corner, and completed the overtake cleanly on corner exit.
Caught off guard, Lawson completely lost his composure. He ran wide on his line, and his poor exit speed left him entirely on the back foot, dropping straight to third place.
Seeing the opening, Pourchaire from the left rear immediately pounced and launched his own attack.
In an instant, Lawson was under pressure again.
His situation was becoming increasingly difficult.
Lawson's form today had already been terrible. He had missed pole position in qualifying and only barely finished seventh in both sprint races. He had been bottling up frustration all day.
Now he had been beaten off the line by Alex Sun, overtaken by Vips, and was being attacked by Pourchaire.
The resentment boiling inside him finally erupted.
"I lost qualifying, the sprint races didn't go well—and now you're all trying to push me around?"
His defense against Pourchaire was no longer merely aggressive.
It was bordering on illegal.
Seeing Pourchaire exploit his weak exit and attempt to slip down the inside, Lawson completely lost his cool. He violently jerked the steering wheel inward and slammed the door shut.
He forced the attacking Pourchaire completely off the track, even squeezing him toward the barrier near the pit exit. Left with no choice, Pourchaire had to abandon the move and retreat to his original racing line.
Lawson then abandoned the defense, corrected the car back to the optimal line, gripped the wheel tightly, and prepared to enter Turn 2.
But the chaos behind him worked perfectly in Alex Sun's favor.
The battle between Lawson, Vips, and Pourchaire never interfered with him at all.
Instead, he took advantage of their entanglement. While they were busy fighting each other, he precisely managed his line through Turn 1, delicately adjusting throttle and brakes before accelerating hard on the exit.
In just one corner, the gap to the cars behind stretched to two seconds.
His lead was completely secure.
The livestream instantly exploded with comments, the screen flooding with messages.
"Holy crap! That launch was insane! Two seconds already—who can handle Alex Sun's burst like that?"
"Help, Alex Sun's in this kind of form today… is he about to lead the whole race?"
"Did anyone notice Piastri dropped to P4?"
"Lawson's way too heated today. That kind of defense is definitely getting penalized."
"Exactly. Broke the qualifying record with so much effort, and then realizes Alex Sun's starting ahead."
"And that terrible race start—you can tell he's rattled."
In the P-room viewing area, Rebecca Lin had been worried that the two formation laps might disrupt Alex Sun's rhythm.
But when she saw his powerful launch and immediate lead, she let out a breath of relief, smiling as she quietly cheered while her gaze followed his car across the circuit.
Behind the pit wall command station, René Rosin was pleased with Alex Sun's flawless start.
"Good kid," he murmured softly. "Perfect launch timing."
Yet at the same time, his brows furrowed slightly as Piastri dropped to fourth.
As team principal, he had to balance both drivers' performances as well as the team's overall result.
No one dared relax.
The Baku circuit itself was infamous for its many corners and frequent collisions. Combined with the symbolic significance of the centennial race, the drivers' Track Tactics were becoming increasingly aggressive.
At this moment, Alex Sun was leading the entire field.
With more than two seconds of advantage, he was completely separated from the chaos behind him, almost like racing in a quiet world of his own. All he needed to do was maintain his rhythm.
In his eyes, the victory for this historic race already seemed firmly in his grasp.
Just as he entered the Old Town corner complex in Sector 2, the corner of his eye caught sight of a marshal by the track raising an SC board.
The Safety Car was about to be deployed.
That meant the two-second gap he had worked so hard to build would immediately disappear once the Safety Car intervened.
At the same time, he would need to prepare for the restart.
Fortunately, during the previous Monaco Grand Prix he had already gained plenty of experience with restart procedures. His mind remained calm, without the slightest trace of panic.
Mark's TR message came through his headset immediately.
"Alex Sun, SC signal. Safety Car deployed. Slow down, maintain your line. Once the Safety Car picks up the pack, stay close. Hold the lead. Focus on your race."
Alex Sun remained composed.
After acknowledging Mark's instructions, he continued forward steadily at his existing pace.
He held the optimal racing line, carefully managing throttle and braking while quietly adjusting the car's condition, preparing for the moment the Safety Car gathered the field and the race restarted.
The Safety Car's deployment, combined with the Guardian of the Machine trait he possessed, allowed him to further extend tire life.
It also made the team's original strategy—stretching the first stint—much easier to execute.
In the livestream, commentator Jolyon Palmer's voice rang out, fast and sharp as he reported the action on track.
"Piastri completes the overtake! After dropping to fourth at the start, he's been steadily chasing. Taking advantage of Lawson's aggressive defense against Pourchaire and the messy racing line that followed, he moves up to third!"
His commentary followed the footage closely.
"Piastri dives to the inside before Turn 3, seizing Lawson's weak exit and completing a perfect pass!"
Before he could finish, he suddenly noticed something unusual on screen. His voice shot up in surprise.
"Wait! Something's happened! A car has gone off at Turn 3!"
The broadcast immediately switched to the replay.
Jolyon Palmer slowed his speech slightly, though his tone still carried lingering shock as he explained the incident clearly.
"Here's the replay. Right after Piastri completed the overtake, a chain collision broke out behind him at Turn 3."
"Ticktum suddenly dived to the inside, but Pourchaire and Armstrong were already running side by side on the outside line."
"Turn 3 isn't exactly narrow, but there's simply no space for three cars side by side."
"Pourchaire was immediately squeezed into a 'sandwich' between Ticktum and Armstrong, and the three cars collided violently."
"Let's look at Ticktum first. His front wing is severely damaged, and the nose has slight deformation. He can barely continue, but he'll almost certainly need to pit for repairs."
"Pourchaire, caught in the middle, suffered the worst damage. He was sent straight into the runoff area and is unable to continue. That's a retirement."
"Armstrong was launched outward and slammed hard into the trackside barrier. His engine has stalled. The driver appears unharmed for now, but he's also out of the race."
Jolyon Palmerl added with some exasperation,
"That move from Ticktum was way too reckless. He completely misjudged the space and dived inside anyway. The stewards will definitely penalize that—there's no way he escapes a time penalty."
The livestream chat shifted from initial panic back to excitement.
"Good thing Alex Sun's out front—the chaos behind can't touch him!"
"Lucky Lawson didn't slam the door again when Piastri passed, or Piastri might've been caught in that crash too!"
"Is nobody talking about Zhou? Two cars retired at once—his position just jumped up!"
Rebecca Lin looked at the red car still comfortably leading on the track and quietly let out another breath of relief.
Thankfully, Alex Sun had started from pole and maintained the lead the entire time.
That advantage was finally enough to calm the anxiety she had been holding.
Alex Sun gradually caught up to the Safety Car and settled in behind it, maintaining a safe following distance.
Still, curiosity about the incident behind him lingered. He spoke softly into his headset.
"Mark, what happened back there? Why did they deploy the Safety Car?"
Mark replied immediately, summarizing the situation.
"Alex Sun, multi-car collision at Turn 3. Some drivers retired. No need to worry about the details."
After a brief pause, he added with a faint chuckle.
"I know leading can get boring, but stay focused. Once the Safety Car comes in, keep your rhythm. Your tires and fuel are both in good shape—stay steady and you'll win."
Time passed slowly.
Soon they reached the end of Lap 2. The track had been fully cleared, and the Safety Car switched off its lights, preparing to return to the pit lane.
The race was about to restart.
Alex Sun remained calm. During the final moments before the Safety Car peeled off, he patiently warmed the tires, delicately balancing throttle and brakes to maintain temperature and grip.
As he approached the long straight, he carefully controlled the pace, firmly occupying the optimal racing line and holding the pack tightly behind him.
His presence grew more composed and resolute.
Everything was ready.
All that remained was the restart—and continuing to lead the race.
...
(20 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser