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Alex Sun stopped nursing the tyres and pushed the car to the absolute limit. He needed to pit—fast.
"Alex Sun, box, box! No congestion in the pit lane! You've got a 2.8-second window—miss it and there won't be another chance!" Mark's voice came through the radio, urgent and slightly distorted.
"Copy. Pitting now!"
At the end of Lap 19, just before the yellow flags came out, Alex Sun blasted through the third sector and dove for the pit lane.
White smoke flared from the brakes as he entered at the very edge of the pit-lane speed limit, stopping perfectly on his marks.
The crew moved like a precision instrument. Four tyre changers swarmed the car. Pneumatic guns shrieked as the worn white tyres came off, brand-new softs snapping into place, wheel nuts locked in one seamless sequence.
2.8 seconds.
The car dropped. Alex Sun buried the throttle. The engine roared, and the car, now on fresh soft tyres, launched out of the pit lane like an unchained beast, merging back onto the circuit.
The Safety Car had already bunched up the field, and combined with the DRS train he'd been stuck in earlier, Alex Sun rejoined in P8.
The cars ahead, though, were no threat once the Safety Car ended. How could worn hard tyres possibly hold off brand-new softs? (HMS voice)
Alex Sun stayed calm. He knew this was the unavoidable price of pitting. Hands firm on the wheel, he gently worked the car side to side, feeling the feedback from the fresh tyres as he waited for the restart.
The Safety Car stayed out for four laps while the stranded car was cleared.
Lap 23. Green flag. Racing resumed.
The moment the green flew, the pace exploded.
The field was tightly packed after the Safety Car, and Alex Sun was already less than a second behind P7, Verschoor.
He went full throttle. The grip advantage was immediate, the car surging forward on the straight.
The fresh soft tyres were worth six tenths over Verschoorl's worn hards. By the end of the straight, the gap was down to 0.3 seconds.
Through Turns 2 and 3, Alex Sun clung to the slipstream. On the short straight, he pulled alongside, the two cars charging side by side into Turn 4.
Mid-corner, Alex Sun trusted the grip. He held the outside line and forced it through, exiting just ahead of Verschoor's nose. Pass complete. P7.
Through the flowing corners that followed, he drove on the edge, hunting down Drugovich ahead.
The advantage of the fresh soft tyres was overwhelming. He was seven tenths a lap quicker, the gap shrinking rapidly.
At just 0.8 seconds back from P6, Alex Sun launched his move on the long straight before Turn 14.
Drugovich tried to defend, shifting lines, but Alex Sun stayed glued to him.
Tucked into the slipstream, speed climbing past 280 km/h, Alex Sun feinted to the outside, drawing the defense—then snapped to the inside. At Turn 14, he braked impossibly late, his front wing clearing Drugovich's rear wheel line, forcing the other car to slow and leave a car's width.
Drugovich had no choice but to back out. Alex Sun rocketed through the corner and pulled clear on the following straight.
"Absolutely ruthless! Claiming the apex and forcing the slowdown!" the commentator shouted.
Surrounded by worn hard and soft tyres, Alex Sun's pristine red tyres stood out like a blazing sun. With two bold overtakes in quick succession, the broadcast cameras locked onto him.
By Lap 24, he was on the tail of P5, Jehan. As he studied him, Alex Sun noticed Jehan consistently lost the most speed on the exit of Turn 13, often needing multiple steering corrections to stabilize the car.
Lap 25. DRS enabled.
The broadcast focused on Turn 13. The downhill straight that followed sent cars screaming forward.
A red car clung to the gearbox of a dark blue one, barely a car length between them.
As the camera panned toward Turn 14, the red car lunged to the inside, braked late, and sliced cleanly through the apex—an immaculate pass.
That red car was Alex Sun's #2 Prema. P5.
"Beautiful! P5!" Mark cheered.
But after clearing Jehan, Alex Sun realized the intense fight had cost him rhythm. The group ahead in P4 had opened nearly a three-second gap.
Mark's message came through, crisp and decisive. "No pressure from behind. Nearest car is more than 2.5 seconds back. Push forward—manage the softs!"
The broadcast moved on, but Alex Sun didn't let up.
The fresh soft tyres kept delivering. He clawed back roughly half a second per lap, the three-second gap shrinking visibly.
On the radio, Mark only updated him on the cars ahead and tyre condition. There was no need to mention the pack behind—the gap there had grown beyond three seconds, completely non-threatening.
Lap 30. At Turn 4, Ticktum and Piastri made contact. Piastri retired. Yellow flags came out, and the Virtual Safety Car was deployed.
Alex Sun exhaled, easing the pace to cool tyres that had been pushed to their limit, waiting for racing to resume.
End of Lap 31. Green flag. One-lap sprint.
"P4 ahead—Lawson on hards, tyres are at the limit. Go get him!" Mark urged.
"Copy."
Alex Sun applied steady pressure, stalking his target like a hunter waiting for the slip.
The mistake came quickly. Through the high-speed S before Turn 13, Lawson's car twitched. On exit, he ran wide. Alex Sun took the normal racing line and slipped through without resistance.
Out of the corner, he tightened his line, floored the throttle, and charged for the flag.
The lights flashed. P4.
From P11 to P4—seven positions gained, capitalizing on the Safety Car and tearing through the field on soft tyres.
"Alex Sun! P4! Brilliant drive! I'm proud of you!" Mark shouted over the TR.
Alex Sun lifted and coasted, exhaustion mixing with exhilaration. "Great job, everyone. It's an honor to race with you."
Back in the pit lane, he climbed out of the car as the team swarmed him with high-fives and embraces. Team Principal René Rosin slapped his shoulder hard.
"Well done, kid. After Piastri's retirement, those twelve points are crucial."
"It's what I'm here for," Alex Sun replied with a grin. "Next race—who knows? Maybe I'll bring you twenty-five."
After the celebrations and interviews, Alex Sun dragged his exhausted body into the pit building showers. He was more than ready to collect the reward for completing his side quest.
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(20 Chapters Ahead)
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