A cool morning breeze swept across the Bahrain Circuit, dispersing the lingering nighttime heat and the last traces of anxiety in Alex Sun's mind.
As he pulled on his racing suit, he could clearly feel the changes in his body.
After 48 hours of targeted training tailored specifically by team doctor Carlos, his once-fragile neck muscles were now firm and powerful, no longer so weak that they could barely support his head during his first drive. His tightened core carried a controlled strength, giving him far greater confidence in managing the car's balance—confidence earned from plank holds exceeding 45 minutes and thousands of dynamic rotation drills.
More importantly, bolstered by the "Diligence Pays Off" entry and synchronized with Robert's telemetry data through data engineer Lina, thousands of simulator laps had already etched every detail of the Bahrain circuit into his bones.
The braking reference for Turn 1, the throttle rhythm through the Turn 5–7 sequence, and the apex judgment for the blind Turn 10 had all become pure muscle memory.
Mark completed the final checks with the mechanics and handed over the optimized base setup parameters. His tone was noticeably calmer than it had been 48 hours earlier.
"Lina synced your simulator telemetry to me. Your racing line logic is solid. Today we'll focus on validating how it translates to the real track. We've adjusted the front and rear wing angles to suit your line preferences, and softened the brake pressure curve to match your early-braking, slow-release style."
The sarcasm from before was gone, replaced by straightforward technical communication.
Alex Sun nodded and climbed into the cockpit. As he tightened the six-point harness, his fingertips brushed the steering wheel. The damping felt smoother and more natural than before—one of those quiet adjustments Mark had made based on Alex Sun's simulator inputs. It went unmentioned, but the change itself spoke volumes.
The engine fired up, the 1.6T turbocharged unit rumbling with a deep, steady roar as he rolled out of the pit lane.
On the warm-up lap, he deliberately kept his pace in check, carefully feeling the tires come up to temperature. Carlos's instructions echoed in his mind: "Keep the tread heating evenly. When you start the flying lap, tire temperature should be right in the 85–95°C optimal window."
"Tire temperature is 82°C—still not in the optimal range. Warm them up more aggressively, increase your side-to-side movement."
Mark's voice came through the radio, carrying a trace of concern he didn't bother to hide.
Alex Sun followed the instruction, gently weaving left and right while modulating the throttle to heat the front and rear tires evenly. His eyes stayed locked on the dashboard readouts, every movement calculated to serve tire condition.
As the car exited Turn 15 and surged onto the main straight, the flying lap officially began.
Alex Sun took a deep breath and buried the throttle. The engine howled as the speed climbed to 280 km/h, powerful longitudinal G-forces pressing him firmly into the seat.
But his neck held steady. Trained from 3 kg resistance to withstanding 5G loads, his vision stayed perfectly clear—no dimming, no blur. Forty-eight hours of extreme anti-G training were paying off.
Approaching Turn 1, his eyes locked onto the red-and-white curb on the left side of the track—the braking reference he had verified countless times in the simulator.
At exactly 125 meters, he hit the brakes hard, then smoothly bled off pressure along the softened curve. Speed dropped cleanly to 80 km/h, completely eliminating the old issue of delayed braking.
The steering input was precise to the degree. The car sliced through the apex marked by the edge of the billboard, the right-side tires lightly brushing the curb with a faint bounce.
He immediately adjusted the throttle to preserve exit speed. The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, as if repeated a thousand times—proof of his enhanced Driving Technique and refined control over the car's feedback.
Through the Turn 5–7 sequence, Alex Sun applied the "throttle-tapping" technique he had learned from Robert's telemetry, slightly lifting and reapplying throttle at each apex to avoid wasting power.
Improved core strength kept his body rock-solid through rapid direction changes, without the slightest sway. Telemetry showed that his time through this complex was 0.3 seconds quicker than his first run—gains that came purely from line precision and rhythm control, not car performance.
At the crucial blind downhill Turn 10, Alex Sun no longer held back.
Using the distant lighthouse as his reference, he timed his braking perfectly, clipping the apex while carrying maximum cornering speed. Compared to his first attempt, he gained a full 0.5 seconds—results forged through relentless simulator refinement and Lina's data-driven optimization.
No criticism came over the radio. Only the soft hiss of live telemetry filled the channel as Mark and Lina stared at the screens in the pit room, watching a trajectory line that almost perfectly overlaid the optimal racing line.
The moment he crossed the finish line, Alex Sun instinctively glanced at the steering wheel display. The lap time froze, and Mark's stunned voice burst through the radio:
"1:44.670! You've matched Robert's lap time! Your line choice and rhythm control are outstanding!"
Disbelief colored his voice, mixed with a quiet, unmistakable note of relief.
[Side Quest "Basic Ability Adaptation" Completed!
Rewards: Driving Technique +5, Physical Endurance +5, Free Ability Points +5]
The system notification sounded at the same time. Without hesitation, Alex Sun invested all five free points into Driving Technique.
The panel updated instantly:
Driving Technique 70 (Base 50 + First Quest 10 + Quest 5 + Free 5)
Physical Endurance 65 (Base 30 + Training Boost + Quest 5)
As his attributes increased, the feedback from the track sharpened dramatically. He could sense even the subtlest changes in tire grip, and every vibration transmitted through the steering wheel felt precise and unmistakable. This sense of complete unity between driver and machine was something he had never experienced in four years of simulator racing in his previous life.
In the pit lane, mechanics stopped what they were doing and stared at the car returning to the pit bay.
Those who had once whispered, "He'll be eliminated sooner or later," now wore looks of pure disbelief.
Mark stepped forward quickly, taking the telemetry tablet from Alex Sun. After reviewing the data corner by corner, his tone softened completely, carrying genuine admiration.
"Incredible. You corrected every single mistake. Your Turn 1 braking point is 0.2 seconds earlier than before, your exit speed from Turn 2 is way up, and your line through Turn 10 is even better than Robert's."
He paused, then added, "Next, I'll do a custom setup for you to lock these advantages in."
That promise meant Alex Sun had fully escaped the threat of elimination.
After a short adjustment, he launched into his second flying lap.
This time, he held nothing back, pushing his improved abilities to their absolute limit.
Tire grip feedback through the corners was sharper than ever. Throttle and brake inputs were precise down to the millisecond, every corner taken right at the edge of his capability.
The rhythm through Turns 5–7 was flawless, and his braking at the blind Turn 10 danced on the limit. His exit speed there improved by another 0.2 seconds over the previous lap.
"1:44.211!"
The moment the number came over the radio, the entire pit lane fell silent.
Mark's voice trembled with barely restrained excitement.
"Just 0.363 seconds behind Guanyu Zhou at the top! You did it! Closing 2.402 seconds in 48 hours with a spec car—this is a miracle!"
Alex Sun removed his helmet. Sweat-soaked hair clung to his forehead as a relaxed smile spread across his face.
Forty-eight hours earlier, he had been the rookie at the bottom of the timesheets, openly mocked as "unfit to stay at Prema." Forty-eight hours later, through brutal training, he had completed an astonishing comeback—crushing a three-second gap down to just 0.6 seconds and earning the right to continue his professional career.
Having just finished his own specialized training, Piastri happened to see Alex Sun's lap time data. His brow furrowed slightly—this was nothing like the "absurdly slow" teammate he remembered.
He didn't walk over. Instead, he leaned against the garage doorway, watching Alex Sun's car return to the pit bay. His fingers tapped lightly against his arm as he murmured to the mechanic beside him, "That improvement is interesting. But it's only winter testing—not even a practice session. Let's see how he performs next."
There was still a hint of dismissal in his tone, but Alex Sun had clearly entered his field of view.
Around them, mechanics exchanged looks of genuine admiration as earlier whispers turned into open amazement:
"That rate of improvement is insane. It's like he's a different person."
"We thought Robert was going to replace him. Doesn't look so certain now."
"In spec-car racing, it all comes down to Driving Technique. His progress is terrifying."
Alex Sun leaned back in the seat, feeling both the exhaustion in his body and the surge of excitement in his chest.
The system panel updated his track proficiency at the same time:
Bahrain Circuit Mastery 70%
(F2 track proficiency is divided into Adaptation, Mastery, and Elite, granting 1%, 3%, and 5% bonuses to all attributes respectively.)
This meant a 3% boost to all his attributes on the Bahrain circuit.
Looking at his fully improved stats:
Launch Control 40 (Base)
Driving Technique 70 (Base 50 + 20)
Physical Endurance 70 (Base 30 + 40)
Emergency Reaction 30 (Base)
Resource Management 30 (Base)
Track Tactics 40 (Base)
Track Proficiency: Bahrain Circuit Mastery 70% (3% bonus to all attributes)
His confidence was rock-solid. Behind these numbers were 48 sleepless hours of sweat and perseverance—a complete transformation from simulator enthusiast to professional driver, and the strongest possible answer to every doubt.
After winter testing ended, Alex Sun didn't relax for a moment. His days were split between the gym and the simulator, never logging less than eight hours of simulator practice.
To prepare for long-distance races, he drilled tire management under different fuel loads. To fix his weak starts, he sought Mark's guidance and ran over a dozen simulated launch sessions in the start zone. He repeatedly trained emergency scenarios, forcing himself to make rapid decisions under extreme pressure.
Mark's team refined the car within F2 regulations to suit his driving style:
Optimizing ECU mapping on the standard exhaust system to better match his throttle rhythm;
Fine-tuning front wing flap angles within FIA limits to improve high-speed corner stability;
Presetting three front-to-rear brake balance options for quick adjustments based on track conditions.
In the end, Alex Sun's lap times stabilized around 1:44, with a best of 1:43.982—firmly placing him in the midfield and completely shedding the "backmarker" label.
With just one week left until the 2021 F2 Bahrain Grand Prix, the final push continued. Alex Sun couldn't afford to slow down.
Clutching his personalized setup data, he looked toward the far end of the circuit. In one week, he would face the true test of race day here—and launch his charge for points.