Alex Sun walked briskly toward the entrance of Guanyu Zhou's team pit. From a distance, he saw Guanyu Zhou already standing at the door, clearly having been waiting for him.
The moment Guanyu Zhou spotted Alex Sun, he hurried over and pulled him into a firm hug, genuine concern in his voice.
"Are you okay? I heard those BBC reporters were giving you trouble. They've always been like that—don't take it to heart."
Alex Sun had just begun to feel touched by the easy understanding and concern between them when Guanyu Zhou added with a grin:
"Relax. Your father's here. If you need anything, just say the word."
Alex Sun shoved him away with an annoyed look and rolled his eyes.
"If you're going to show concern, can you at least drop the father-son joke? Can you be serious for once?"
Seeing that Alex Sun sounded relaxed and clearly wasn't affected, Guanyu Zhou just shrugged with a smile.
"See? A little messing around and you're already feeling better. Beats bottling it up."
"Yeah yeah, get lost." Alex Sun laughed and shot back, then shifted the topic with a teasing tone. "But seriously, what happened to you today? Not even scoring points—that's pretty unusual for you."
Guanyu Zhou sighed softly, sounding both helpless and amused.
"Don't remind me. I couldn't find my rhythm the whole race. I'm guessing I picked up your bad luck from before and still haven't shaken it off."
Alex Sun immediately fired back without mercy.
"Stop making excuses. If you're bad, train more! When I dropped to the back of the field for the first time, didn't I come back and win two races in a row?"
"Oh wow, the friendship really has faded!" Guanyu Zhou instantly put on an exaggeratedly heartbroken expression, going full drama mode. "Ever since you climbed to first place in the standings, there's been a huge wall between us, my lord~"
Alex Sun shook his head helplessly at the performance and finally relented.
"Cut it out. Stop acting. Once Leclerc finishes his race today, he's treating us to dinner. We'll have a proper meal then—maybe that'll finally shut you up."
Just as the two were joking around, Max Verstappen walked over quickly.
With less than an hour left before the F1 race, pre-race preparation time was already tight. Yet he had still made a point of coming over. His expression was more serious than usual, and without any unnecessary pleasantries, he walked straight up to Alex Sun.
"Don't let the reporters' nonsense get to you."
Verstappen spoke in his usual blunt tone. He wasn't someone who bothered with polite chatter, but there was unmistakable sincerity in his words.
"You were right to fire back. A racer's edge isn't something that can be worn down by a few insults. If you need me to speak up for you, just tell me. No need to be polite about it."
Alex Sun paused for a moment before smiling, warmth in his voice.
"Thanks. And you even took the time to come over—aren't you worried about your pre-race prep?"
"Won't affect it."
Verstappen waved it off. His gaze rested on Alex Sun, carrying a hint of expectation reserved for a worthy competitor, and his tone grew more serious.
"I came for two reasons."
"First, don't let this kind of nonsense distract you. Racing doesn't care about empty talk or hypothetical arguments. Winning the championship is the strongest response to any slander."
"Second, don't forget the promise we made on the simulator. If you back down because of something this trivial and end up failing to make it into F1, then our friendship ends right here."
Alex Sun immediately understood. A sharp glint appeared in his eyes as he replied with a grin.
"What, that eager for me to get into F1 so we can race each other?"
"I'm worried the guy who beat me will just win once and disappear."
A faint smile tugged at Verstappen's lips, softening his usual coldness and replacing it with the frankness of someone speaking to a brother.
"You'd better get your F1 ticket soon. I'm waiting to race you on a real track and settle who's better."
"Don't worry. You won't be waiting long."
Alex Sun spoke with complete certainty, confidence shining in his eyes. Though they stood in different racing categories, they shared the same understanding as drivers—rivals, yet also friends.
Looking at him, Alex Sun added calmly,
"By the way, we agreed earlier that each of us would win the Baku round. I've already done it. Now it's your turn."
A sharp spark flashed in Verstappen's eyes. His voice remained direct, filled with competitive spirit.
"Just wait. I won't disappoint you."
Just as he finished speaking and turned to leave, Alex Sun suddenly raised a hand.
"Wait! Almost forgot. After your F1 Baku race is over, come grab dinner with us. Leclerc's treating. The four of us can go together—I'll introduce you to my friend Guanyu Zhou."
Verstappen paused mid-step, frowned slightly as he thought for a couple of seconds, then nodded decisively.
"Sure."
He didn't say anything else. Never one for small talk, he simply turned and strode away after saying what he came to say, leaving behind a clean, decisive silhouette.
From a distance, he tossed out one final sentence.
"Don't mess it up. I'll be waiting."
Watching Verstappen walk away, Alex Sun couldn't hide the smile on his face.
Guanyu Zhou leaned closer beside him, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Not bad, kid. You know what kind of person Verstappen is—famous for guarding his time like gold and cold as ice. And he still took an hour out before his race just to back you up, even hoping you'll make it into F1 to race him. That's impressive."
His tone was full of teasing, but he couldn't help adding with a hint of envy,
"Seriously, your connections are insane."
"I used to think getting close to Leclerc was already the ceiling. Who knew even Verstappen would come over and treat you like a brother? Don't tell me you're hiding something from me. Have you already secured a full-time F1 seat or something?"
Before he could finish, a teasing voice suddenly sounded behind them.
"What do you mean by that? So I'm not good enough for Alex Sun anymore? You're starting to look down on me now?"
Before the sentence even finished, Leclerc appeared from behind and casually hooked an arm around Guanyu Zhou's neck, his tone full of mock accusation.
Guanyu Zhou immediately started begging for mercy. The three of them burst out laughing, and the earlier gloom completely disappeared as they chatted for a while longer.
Alex Sun asked curiously,
"By the way, Lec, why didn't you say anything when those reporters were giving me trouble?"
Leclerc waved it off with a smile.
"I already posted about it on Twitter. You're my friend—how could I let someone insult you like that?"
Hearing this, Alex Sun felt a warm surge in his chest. Smiling gratefully, he added,
"Oh right, I ran into Super Max earlier and invited him to dinner too. After your F1 Baku race, the four of us will be together. I was also planning to introduce Super Max to Zhou."
Leclerc froze for a moment.
"Who's Super Max?"
Then he suddenly remembered the Verstappen who had just left. Realization hit instantly. He shot Alex Sun a glare and complained with a laugh.
"Wait a second—you just called me Lec earlier, didn't you? You're always giving people random nicknames. Only you would do something like that. Calling me Lec wasn't enough—you even gave Verstappen the nickname Super Max."
After finishing his complaint, amusement flickered in his eyes. He nodded readily.
"Sure. The more people, the livelier it'll be. It's a good chance for us to get together."
As the conversation wrapped up, Alex Sun and Guanyu Zhou both looked at Leclerc and said with a smile,
"It's the F1 race today—hope you take the win!"
Leclerc raised an eyebrow, grinning confidently as he declared,
"Relax. What's a little bad-luck curse? Just watch my driving technique. I'm definitely taking the win."
After chatting a little longer, the announcement for the F1 race began echoing through the circuit, and Leclerc turned to head back to his team for final preparations.
Watching Leclerc walk away, Guanyu Zhou nudged Alex Sun in the waist with his elbow, teasing:
"Not bad. You even went out of your way to wish both Verstappen and Leclerc the win. You're something else."
Alex Sun raised an eyebrow, a sly smile appearing.
"Of course. I want the two of them fighting hard out there. Otherwise, what are we supposed to learn from?"
Guanyu Zhou instantly understood and rolled his eyes.
"You're really ruthless. So you were deliberately stirring them up!"
Alex Sun just smiled without answering, patting him on the shoulder.
The two walked side by side toward the VIP viewing area in the paddock, quietly waiting for the highly anticipated F1 Baku race to begin—bringing a perfect close to this F2 centennial event filled with glory and warmth.
...
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