By the third day of testing, the pressure on Dominik had eased significantly. His teammate, Alex Albon, was struggling to break the 1:20.000 barrier, meaning Dominik temporarily held the upper hand in the internal team battle.
However, he decided to attempt a true qualifying simulation on the final morning.
The motivation wasn't money or a bet; it was pure ego. Dominik wanted to send a message to the paddock—and specifically to George Russell, who was watching from the Mercedes garage—that he belonged here.
After two days and over eighty laps, the violent "porpoising" hadn't eased. The Williams technicians had managed to dial out the entry instability in the slow corners, but the high-speed bouncing remained a headache. However, the trade-off was worth it: the FW44 was now a rocket in a straight line, ranking near the top of the speed traps.
"We might actually be competitive at Monza and Spa," Dominik mused as he squeezed into the cockpit.
The team fitted his HANS device and clicked the steering wheel into place. The tire warmers came off, revealing a fresh set of red-walled C4 soft tires.
Dominik had requested this run specifically. Gaëtan Jego and Jost Capito agreed; they wanted to see the absolute limit of the car before packing up for Bahrain.
Dominik rolled out. He completed a slow warm-up lap, weaving to generate heat.
Entering Turn 15, the final chicane, Dominik silently flicked the rotary switch to QUAL MODE. The engine mapping changed, unleashing the full electrical deployment.
Gaëtan saw the telemetry change but stayed silent. He wanted to see it too.
Dominik mashed the throttle. The FW44 surged down the main straight, the digital speedometer blurring past 320 km/h. It was terrifyingly fast.
He braked deep into Turn 1, shifting down rapidly. As he applied the power, the rear stepped out. Dominik caught it with a flick of his wrists. This was his preferred setup—a loose rear end that rotated sharply, similar to how Leclerc drove the Ferrari. It was on a knife-edge, but it was fast.
Sector 1: Purple. Fastest of the session.
He blasted through the high-speed Turn 9 (Campsa). The car bottomed out, sparks flying, but he held it flat. He was flying. In the telemetry room, Capito's eyes widened. Dominik was four-tenths up on his previous best.
He was on course for a 1:19.6.
He approached Turn 12 (New Holland), a long, sweeping right-hander. He spotted a slow-moving white car ahead on the racing line.
It was the Haas of Nikita Mazepin.
Dominik assumed the Russian driver would check his mirrors and move off-line. He committed to the apex at 230 km/h.
Suddenly, the Haas jerked erratically, drifting right back onto the racing line, directly into Dominik's path.
"SZAR!" (Shit!)
Dominik reacted on pure instinct. He yanked the wheel to the left to avoid a catastrophic high-speed collision. The Williams shot off the track, skipping over the gravel trap.
The gravel slowed him down, but not enough. Dominik tried to steer away from the wall, managing to turn the car just before impact so it was a glancing blow rather than a head-on smash.
Crunch.
The car came to a halt against the barriers. The front wing was shattered, carbon fiber shards littering the gravel.
"Fing hell! Is that Haas blind?! Is he an idiot?!*" Dominik's roar exploded over the radio, deafening Gaëtan and Capito.
In the Mercedes garage, Toto Wolff shook his head at the monitor. Christian Horner and Mattia Binotto glanced up, sighed at the sight of another Mazepin moment, and went back to work.
Dominik jumped out of the car, furious. He inspected the damage. It was mostly cosmetic—the front wing and nose cone. The suspension looked bent, but the expensive gearbox and chassis seemed okay. It was a miracle save.
He walked back to the pits, helmet in hand, dejected. He sat down heavily in his chair, head in his hands.
"It was a good save, Dominik," Gaëtan said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about the wing. You saved the floor and the gearbox. That's what matters."
Dominik still felt terrible. He had crashed. But then Capito leaned in, grinning.
"Do not apologize. We saw the sector times. You were matching the Red Bulls."
The garage was buzzing. Everyone knew that Red Bull was sandbagging, but for a Williams rookie to be pushing those times on pure pace was insane. Dominik was nearly a second faster than the other midfield cars.
That afternoon, the session ended. Dominik watched as Albon, inspired by his teammate's data, went out on C5 tires and finally cracked the 1:20 barrier, setting a time just shy of Dominik's. The two Williams cars finished the test looking surprisingly strong.
The test was over. The paddock began to pack up.
Dominik, Russell, Leclerc, and Zhou met at a coffee shop near the circuit before heading their separate ways.
"I saw the telemetry before you binned it," Russell admitted, looking impressed despite himself. "You were purple in Sector 1."
"I would have stayed purple," Dominik shot back, "if Mazepin hadn't decided to park on the apex."
"Ah, the 'God of War' strikes again," Leclerc laughed, shaking his head. They all knew Mazepin's reputation from F2.
"I'm heading to Switzerland for simulator work all next week," Zhou groaned, looking miserable. "Valtteri says the team needs correlation data."
Dominik smirked. "Have fun in the sim. I'm going to the beach."
Leclerc looked confused. "You don't have simulator sessions booked?"
"Capito said my correlation is already perfect," Dominik lied smoothly. In reality, his raw adaptability meant he needed less time in the virtual world to find the limit.
Russell rolled his eyes. "Must be nice."
"So," Dominik looked at Russell and Leclerc. "I have two days before I need to be back in Budapest. Where are we going?"
"Come to Monaco," Leclerc offered. "The weather is good. George is coming too."
Dominik grinned. "Done. But I'm hitching a ride on your plane, Charles. Williams budget doesn't cover private jets yet."
As they headed to the airport, social media was already ablaze. Photos of Dominik's crash had circulated, and trolls were calling him "Crashvinus."
But then, an onboard video from another angle leaked, clearly showing Mazepin blocking the Williams dangerously. The narrative shifted instantly.
@HungarianF1Fan: Did you see that save?! He avoided a massive shunt! Mazepin is a menace! #TeamDominik
@F1Technical: Before the crash, Corvinus was purple in Sector 1. Williams might actually have a car this year.
Dominik scrolled through the comments as he boarded Leclerc's jet. He had survived his first test, proven his speed, and made friends with the future of the sport.
Next stop: Monaco. Then, the real war begins in Bahrain.