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Although the Green flag had been reinstated, overtaking was still forbidden before crossing the start-finish line.
At the very front, Ticktum deliberately backed up the field, controlling the pace. Alex Sun made subtle adjustments to his racing line to keep his Tyre temperatures in range, all while locking his gaze onto Sato of the Scuderia Ferrari team ahead. The pressure clung to him like a shadow.
Sato, who had long hovered near the back of the standings and was clearly outmatched by Alex Sun, was consumed with anxiety over holding his position.
Seeing the pack ahead begin to accelerate, he immediately went full throttle to latch onto the slipstream, hoping to pull away. Yet the pressure from behind did not ease in the slightest.
The moment Sato's car completed its acceleration phase, Alex Sun had already closed in. With the advantage of the lightest car on the grid, he unleashed astonishing acceleration down the straight, rapidly drawing alongside from Sato's right-rear quarter at a speed visible to the naked eye. The red-and-white car instantly filled Sato's side mirror.
The sudden surge rattled Sato. In a panic, he jerked the wheel sharply to the right, trying to squeeze Alex Sun toward the edge of the track. But Alex Sun had anticipated it, smoothly cutting left instead. The two cars thundered side-by-side toward Turn 1.
Flustered and desperate, Sato attempted to shut the door by weaving defensively, trying to seal off the inside line with an immature blocking move, hoping to force Alex Sun to back out.
Against Alex Sun, such tricks meant nothing.
Unfazed, he braked at the absolute limit a split second before corner entry, seizing priority at the Apex with clinical precision.
His left front Tyre was right at the threshold—loaded but not locking—maximizing braking force without sacrificing Grip. He skimmed the barrier on entry, then the instant he clipped the Apex, he unleashed full throttle at peak RPM. The engine roared as power exploded through the rear wheels, and in a blink, Sato was left far behind.
P18 → P17.
A clean, decisive overtake.
As Alex Sun's car sped away, Sato's taut nerves finally snapped loose. His shoulders slumped, the forced tension draining from his body.
Only then did he realize his back was drenched in cold sweat. His racing suit clung to his skin, a chill creeping up his spine. Even his palms were slick. It was the physical response to overwhelming pressure—and the helplessness brought by the gap in ability.
Stabilizing his rhythm on corner exit, Alex Sun spoke over TR with a teasing tone.
"Mark, that move from Sato just now was ridiculous. 'Drawing a dragon' to block me? That counts as obstruction. FIA really should give this little guy a proper penalty."
Mark chuckled from the pit wall. "Copy that. I'll report it to the FIA stewards. You focus on the race—don't let it mess with your rhythm. There are still plenty of cars ahead."
Alex Jacques' voice exploded through the livestream.
"Beautiful! Strong restart under Green! That weaving defense from Sato was blatant illegal blocking—completely against the regulations. Luckily, Alex Sun's skill gap is massive. That late braking to claim the Apex—unbelievable car control and mentality! Not shaken at all by those little tricks!"
The live chat instantly flooded with comments—complaints about Sato and praise for Alex Sun filled the screen.
"Is Sato performing performance art out there? That defense was useless and embarrassing—just retire already!"
"Alex delivers dimensional reduction strikes. You play dirty, he crushes you with pure skill. That move was on another level!"
"FIA, do your job! How is that not penalized?"
"Sato: 'I'm defending with my life!' Alex: 'Just passing through—overtake complete.' Calm and casual."
"If you don't have the skill, don't play dirty. Sato completely humiliated himself—this is hilarious!"
In the pit bay, Rebecca Lin slowly uncrossed her long legs wrapped in black stockings, shifting them to the side. The tension in her ankles eased as her clenched fingers gradually relaxed. A flicker of awe and relief passed through her eyes, her gaze burning more intensely as it fixed on the screen.
Sato's illegal defense had made her nervous, but Alex Sun's calm dismantling of it left her utterly captivated by his absolute control.
On the DRS straight later that same lap, Alex Sun rapidly closed in on Samaia of the Charuz team, the gap shrinking to the limit.
Mark's instructions came through crisply. "Samaia is 10 km/h slower than you out of Turn 2. Stay glued and take full slipstream—attack on the straight!"
Alex Sun tucked in tightly, maximizing the slipstream effect. His speed climbed relentlessly. Midway down the straight, he pulled out decisively, using the speed advantage to seize the inside line and lock down the racing line.
They charged toward Turn 3—one ahead, one behind.
Alex Sun gave Samaia no room to respond. Entry, rotation, exit—one fluid sequence. By corner exit, he had fully cleared him.
Another clean pass.
Up to P16.
No hesitation. No wasted motion.
Rebecca Lin's lips curved upward as her fingers lightly tapped the table. The admiration in her eyes deepened. Having just defused Sato's dirty tactics, Alex Sun immediately capitalized on a speed differential to strike again. His sense of rhythm and decisiveness were breathtaking.
Jolyon Palmer's commentary followed.
"Brilliant! Alex Sun's race sense is exceptional! slipstream, pull-out, straight-line pass—executed seamlessly. He pinpointed the weakness in corner exit speed and punished it instantly. That's the instinct of a top driver!"
Mark continued, eyes locked on the monitors. "Alex Sun, next targets: Nannini and Nissany. They're fighting hard—prime overtaking opportunity."
"Copy."
In a state of Man and Machine as One, Alex Sun replied with absolute calm.
Lap 5.
He shadowed the battling pair, gliding through Sector 2 before the engine's low growl rose as he entered the high-speed Sector 3.
Exiting Turn 16 onto the short straight, he held his line and fed in steady throttle. The car surged forward like a horse breaking its reins. Wind forced its way through the cockpit seams. All he could hear was the engine's howl and the rush of air.
His gaze sharpened like a hawk's, scanning ahead. In his mind, overtaking lines for every upcoming corner played out in rapid simulation. His fingertips rested lightly on the Steering wheel as he waited—patient, precise.
After Turn 19, Nannini of Campos Racing was tightly entangled with Nissany of DAMS. To deny any overtaking chance, Nannini suddenly jerked left, pushing his car to the absolute edge of the track, nearly scraping the barrier to cut off Nissany's slipstream. It was extreme defense—an attempt to suffocate the attack entirely.
Nissany refused to yield. He stayed glued to Nannini's rear and followed him left, diving toward the inside. The gap between them shrank to less than half a meter, rubber debris flying as they battled fiercely.
Both drivers were completely locked onto each other, unaware of the red-and-white machine stalking behind.
Alex Sun had been calculating how to break through their duel, mentally mapping possible lines—when suddenly, Nissany's inside move vacated the very line Alex Sun had been planning to use.
His eyes lit up.
Without changing direction, he held his line, capitalizing on the passive slingshot created by Nissany's maneuver. Combined with the lightest car advantage on track, his speed exploded down the main straight. The speed differential was overwhelming.
The broadcast camera zoomed in instantly, capturing the moment.
Like a cannon shell fired from the barrel, Alex Sun surged forward. No extra steering input. No unnecessary movement.
He swept past Nissany around the outside on pure speed alone—then, in one seamless motion, reeled in and overtook Nannini as well.
Two overtakes.
Clean. Ruthless. Pure velocity.
The two drivers were still tangled in their own fight, oblivious to what had just happened. By the time they realized, the red-and-white car was already ahead, engine roaring as it built a safe gap.
P16 → P14.
A flawless double overtake.
"Double overtake! That was sensational!" Jolyon Palmer shouted.
"Using rivals' infighting to his advantage while maintaining his own rhythm—gaining positions without burning his pace. That's elite race management!"
Rebecca Lin's eyes shimmered as she watched the car streak across the screen, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. In her heart, admiration surged uncontrollably. No matter the chaos, Alex Sun always found the optimal solution, seizing every opportunity with absolute precision.
Eleven more positions.
Just eleven steps from the podium.
The red-and-white car cut through the circuit like a streak of lightning. And in Alex Sun's eyes, the fighting spirit burned brighter with every rising note of the engine.
The next target was already locked.
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