Lap 6.
The dust settled from the brutal defensive move at Turn 1.
In the M4 Sport commentary booth, Gábor Wéber was still catching his breath.
"That was clever. Risky, but clever. Dominik knows the Williams is a rocket on the straights. He just needs to survive the slow corners. If he can drag Alonso into the high-speed sections, the advantage swings back to him."
On track, Fernando Alonso had lifted. The pink Alpine drew a wide, frustrated arc around the outside of the corner.
"The kid defends hard," Alonso said over the radio, a hint of grudging respect—or perhaps annoyance—in his voice.
In the Williams garage, Gaëtan Jego stared at the telemetry. He was secretly applauding Dominik's bravery, but the data told a worrying story. Alonso was faster. Much faster.
"Dominik, stay calm," Gaëtan radioed. "Alonso won't give up. Adjust to SOC 5 to save the rears. We are burning them up trying to defend."
Dominik acknowledged with a click. He knew it too. He could block Alonso once, maybe twice. But over a 50-lap race? Against a double world champion? It was like trying to hold back the tide with a spoon.
Lap 8.
The battle resumed.
Alonso had recharged his battery. The veteran smelled blood.
On the main straight, the Alpine engine roared. Alonso pulled out of the slipstream early, feinting to the right.
Dominik checked his mirrors. He moved to cover the inside line gently, positioning the blue car in the center of the track. It was a "proactive" defense—not a block, but a suggestion. You can go around the outside if you want, but it's a long way.
Alonso frowned inside his helmet. The outside line at Turn 1 was low grip. He tucked back in.
"High-speed differential to Entry 6," Gaëtan suggested. "Give yourself more rotation."
Dominik fumbled with the rotary switch at 300 km/h. He felt the rear end loosen up. The car became pointy, agile.
He entered the braking zone for Turn 1. He saw the pink nose of the Alpine in his peripheral vision. It wasn't overlapping.
He released the brakes, turning in. The rear stepped out slightly—perfect rotation. He caught it, nailed the apex of Turn 2, and powered away.
Gaëtan and Capito exchanged looks in the garage. Dominik drove the car like a rally driver—loose, sliding, aggressive. It was terrifying to watch, but fast.
Alonso fell back slightly, his tires overheating in the dirty air.
In Budapest, Gábor Corvinus sat on his sofa, watching the onboard feed of his son.
He had always been hands-off. When Dominik was racing in British F4, or battling Oscar Piastri for the F3 title, Gábor had provided the funding but stayed in the background. He didn't want to be the "Karting Dad."
Now, seeing his son go wheel-to-wheel with Fernando Alonso—a man Gábor had watched win championships when Dominik was still in diapers—he felt a strange surge of emotion.
The boy had grown up. The toughness, the refusal to yield... that was new. Or maybe it had always been there, forged in the lonely years of boarding schools and junior formulas.
"He's driving well," Gábor muttered to his wife.
"He's driving like a maniac," Katalin corrected, clutching a glass of wine. "But a fast maniac."
Lap 9.
The cracks began to show.
Turn 27 (The Hairpin).
The FW44's weakness in slow corners reared its ugly head.
Dominik braked. The front tires locked momentarily. Understeer. The car refused to turn.
He had to downshift to 1st gear to get rotation. He missed the apex by a meter.
On exit, he panicked. He saw Alonso right on his gearbox. He mashed the throttle too early.
The torque hit the rear wheels. The car snapped sideways. Oversteer.
Dominik caught it, but the momentum was gone. He had scrubbed off crucial speed.
"Mistake!" the commentators shouted.
Alonso didn't need a second invitation.
He opened DRS. The Alpine surged forward.
This time, Dominik moved to the inside to defend, but he was too slow. Alonso had the overspeed.
The pink car ghosted past on the outside before they even hit the braking zone.
Dominik refused to yield. He stayed on the inside, braking late.
They entered Turn 1 side-by-side. The crowd roared.
But Turn 2 was a switchback. The inside line for Turn 1 became the outside line for Turn 2.
Alonso had the inside now.
He didn't make a mistake. He hugged the apex tight. Dominik, on the outside and struggling with understeer, ran wide.
The Alpine powered away.
Dominik watched the pink rear wing shrink into the distance.
P7.
"Damn it!" Dominik slammed the wheel.
"Box, Dominik. Box this lap," Gaëtan said immediately. "Undercut Ocon. We cannot lose time fighting. The tires are dead."
Dominik dove into the pits. The battle with the legend was lost, but the war for points was still on.