Thursday, May 20, 2021.
A wave of heat rolled through Monte Carlo, carrying the salty humidity of the Mediterranean. The clock was slowly approaching 11 a.m.—the start time for F2 qualifying.
Having just said goodbye to Leclerc, Alex Sun kept his friend's reminder—protect the gearbox and the tyres—firmly in mind as he quickened his pace toward the Prema Racing pit garage. At the same time, he was already sorting through his qualifying plan in his head.
As he passed through the corridor leading from the spectator area to the pit lane, he ran straight into Guanyu Zhou, who was also heading back to his team to prepare. The two stopped almost instinctively.
The group assignments had just been released. Both of them saw that they'd been placed in Group B. No words were needed—solemn focus and fighting spirit passed between them in a single look.
"No practice, straight into qualifying. Fifteen minutes to decide life and death," Guanyu Zhou said first, resignation laced through his voice. "This year's format is really something else."
"We can only brute-force it with simulator data," Alex Sun replied. "Good thing we logged enough laps earlier—otherwise this would be a nightmare."
Alex Sun nodded as he spoke, his fingers brushing the notebook in his pocket. Key data flashed through his mind in quick succession: the T9 tunnel line, the braking point for La Rascasse.
"Let's hope our simulator data is accurate enough."
After the brief exchange, the two of them picked up the pace and headed back to their respective teams, their presence instantly shifting into focused battle mode.
Back in the Prema Racing pit garage, the familiar blend of engine oil and rubber hit Alex Sun at once.
He had just started organizing his race suit when his race engineer, Mark, spoke up immediately, unable to hide the concern in his voice.
"We're starting at eleven sharp—no on-site fine-tuning at all.
Alex Sun, I know your simulator lap times are impressive, but you're a rookie this year. You've never driven the real Monaco circuit. The gap between reality and simulation isn't something data alone can bridge. With no practice buffer, you absolutely cannot afford to be careless."
The warning struck straight at Alex Sun's deepest unease. He was the only driver in the field who had never completed a single lap on the real Circuit de Monaco.
This narrow, twisty track—with almost no margin for error—was something he knew only through countless virtual laps. The bumps, the shifting grip levels, the way light and shadow played off the walls in real life—those were all unknowns.
Alex Sun paused for half a second while adjusting his race suit, his expression growing heavier. Still, he nodded seriously. He understood Mark's intent to protect him, and he knew that taking risks on a completely unfamiliar circuit could easily end in a "wrecked car, no lap" scenario.
Yet deep down, another voice was already roaring.
To even reach the F2 grid and fight for a championship, he had endured countless days and nights grinding away in the simulator. Those blisteringly fast lap times were never empty talk.
Now, finally sitting in the car he had dreamed of, with the championship within reach, there was no way he would hold back—even on a completely unfamiliar track. Retreat was not a word in his dictionary.
On the surface, he accepted Mark's advice. But in his heart, he had already drawn the line: caution was the baseline for an unknown circuit, but if an opportunity arose to push the limit, he would not let it slip.
By regulation, qualifying was split into Group A and Group B, each with just fifteen minutes. With no real-world reference, every team was forced to rely purely on simulator data, caught off guard by the format.
Mark tore the temporary setup plan off the strategy board, jabbing his pen hard into the data sheet as his tone sharpened into something close to an order.
"The thousands of laps we've done in the simulator are the foundation, but the priority is protecting the car and setting valid laps.
Don't gamble everything for a few tenths. Even without pushing the absolute limit, getting into the front of the main-race grid is enough. Simulator lines are only a reference—if something feels off, lift immediately. As long as the car is intact, there's still a chance. Understood?"
Alex Sun nodded. His fingers tapped unconsciously against his thigh, muscle memory formed over countless simulator sessions as he mentally ran through optimal data for every corner.
But Mark's words echoed in his ears, and the tapping gradually slowed. He looked up toward the track display: the real-time track temperature read 42°C. For the mandatory supersoft (C5) tyres, that was an extreme test—and it made the instruction to protect the car all the more critical.
"The supersofts only have a three- to five-lap optimal window. Grip drops off fast," a mechanic said while quickly checking tyre status, urgency in his voice.
"Grid allocation confirmed—Group A takes the odd-numbered grid slots. We're Group B, so even numbers."
The core strategy crystallized instantly: find a clean window on track, prioritize stability, and complete a valid lap within the supersofts' golden window. Car safety came first—no gambling on an extreme lap.
Too many Monaco weekends had ended with "one crash, one out," especially under conditions like this. Mark's warning became the hard line in Alex Sun's mind.
At exactly 11:00 a.m., Group A qualifying began.
The roar of engines tore through Monte Carlo's calm as car after car rolled out of the pit lane, charging straight at the hunt for lap time.
Alex Sun stood in the Prema Racing garage, eyes locked on the live feed, his palms slightly damp. He wasn't just watching track conditions—he was silently confirming Mark's fears. With no practice buffer, the real circuit was full of variables.
The problems surfaced quickly. Several drivers made obvious mistakes in the corners—some drifting wide, others braking too early—clearly still struggling to adapt to the difference between the simulator and the real track.
Midway through the session, disaster struck.
HWA Racelab driver Alessio Deledda made a major error at Turn 11, La Rascasse. Carrying too much speed into the corner, his line broke down completely, and the car shot straight off the track into the outside barrier.
The impact echoed through the paddock with a thunderous bang. The car's nose crumpled instantly, debris scattering across the circuit as yellow flags flew. Marshals rushed in. Deledda was unharmed, but the car was completely destroyed. With no valid lap set, he would start the race dead last in 22nd place.
The sight made Alex Sun's heart clench, a cold sweat breaking out across his back. La Rascasse was already a high-risk corner, and Deledda's attempt to gamble for speed perfectly validated Mark's warning. On a completely unfamiliar track, forcing the limit carried far more risk than reward.
His fist tightened as a clear thought formed in an instant: the goal was the championship, not a flashy qualifying lap.
Rather than risking everything here and repeating the same mistake, it made more sense to step back and play it safe. Secure tenth place, start the first sprint race from pole thanks to the reverse grid, control the pace, and lock in the win—that was the most reliable path to the championship.
The decision took over his thoughts. He immediately adjusted his targets: brake five meters earlier, drop corner-entry speed by another three kilometers per hour, leave margin in the racing line. Priority: a clean, valid lap and a safe run into the top ten.
Yet that calm resolve didn't fully settle.
The moment his fingertips brushed the steering wheel, the muscle memory from thousands of simulator laps—and his instinctive hunger for speed—rose up again.
Right then, an ART Grand Prix car flashed through the narrow streets like a bolt of blue lightning.
At the wheel was Theo Pourchaire, his control through the tight corners nothing short of dominant.
"1:20.985!"
The lap time slammed onto the timing screen, gasps rippling through the pit lane as the paddock erupted. Not only was it clear of every other driver, it also pushed Monaco's limits to a new extreme.
Alex Sun's pupils contracted slightly. His gaze stayed calm, sharp rather than panicked. He calculated it instantly—this lap was 0.1 seconds faster than his own simulator limit before his attribute upgrades. In F2, that was enough to open up a full car-length gap.
In the past, this would have pushed him to cling even harder to the top-ten strategy. But now, the breakthrough from that morning's side quest surfaced clearly in his mind: master-level Track Proficiency, and an 83-point Driving Technique. He simply hadn't had the chance to test the limits of this new state yet, and the urge to play it safe had buried that confidence.
Pourchaire's lap was the spark that lit the fire.
Mark's warnings still echoed in his ears, but clenched in his fists was nothing but eagerness and resolve. A safe sprint-race win mattered—but without the courage to face the strongest and challenge his limits, how could he ever talk about an overall championship?
More importantly, master-level Track Proficiency combined with an 83-point Driving Technique meant a comprehensive leap in precision, rhythm control, and track awareness. That progress wasn't meant to be hidden away for safety—it was the foundation for closing gaps and charging for the top.
His earlier plan to settle for tenth had come from respect for the unknown and fear of repeating past mistakes. But Pourchaire had made one thing clear: there was no such thing as a "safe" road to the championship.
Alex Sun felt no panic. If anything, a quiet anticipation took hold.
On this completely unfamiliar real-world circuit, he would test his new limits—and break through that 0.1-second gap.
The top-ten plan had only ever been a stopgap.
Now, backed by real strength, the true objective was clear: face the limit head-on and charge toward the front of the grid in the main race.
...
(20 Chapters Ahead)
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