"Beep, beep, beep..."
The start lights above the track lit up one by one, and the moment they all went out, the cars set off from pole position in sequence to begin the formation lap.
Chen Xiangbei was on the medium yellow compound, which required a higher operating temperature than the soft red, so he could only use a more aggressive braking warm-up, repeatedly dabbing the brakes to increase friction between the tires and the track and bring the temperatures up.
Multiple braking events also helped the brake system heat up quickly, and that heat would then transfer through the wheel rims into the tires.
Right as Chen Xiangbei was working on his tire temps, he suddenly felt the engine note behind his ears grow louder. Before he could turn his head to see what was happening, the corner of his eye had already caught sight of an orange nose cone.
