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The night the F2 Sprint Race ended, the team's strategy room immediately went into a closed-door debrief. The drivers, strategists, chief mechanic, and data analysts were all present. On the table lay freshly organized sprint race data sheets, track grip maps, and tyre wear curves.
Team Principal René Rosin tapped the touchscreen, locking it onto the results section, and said in a steady voice, "Overall, today was solid. Piastri, your pace management matched the pre-race plan perfectly. Soft tyre wear was lower than expected, your pit window was spot-on, and you secured front-row points without issues.
Alex Sun, calling for an immediate pit stop after the Safety Car came out was the right decision. You used the DRS zone to overtake Car 15 after rejoining. However, after completing the move, all four wheels went off track and Race Control issued a warning. In tomorrow's main race, you must pay close attention to your line—avoid giving them any reason to hand out a time penalty."
René Rosin switched to the execution data screen marked with red warnings. "These problems must be fixed. First: pit stop speed. A standard F2 tyre change takes three to five seconds. Top teams consistently hit just over three seconds. Our target is under 3.5 seconds. Today, Alex Sun's stop took 4.2 seconds—the left-rear tyre alone was 0.7 seconds slow. In the main race, that delay could cost several positions.
Second: communication lag. On lap 12, Piastri reported a drop in grip, but our adjustment call was delayed by 0.5 seconds. Tomorrow, this must be kept within 0.2 seconds. The F2 points fight is extremely tight—one small mistake can affect the entire outcome. Every issue must be resolved before the main race."
The strategist opened the track model and began simulations. "Tomorrow's track temperature is estimated at 32°C, about four degrees higher than today. Soft tyres will last three to four laps fewer.
With a 32-lap main race, the strategy is as follows. Piastri runs a one-stop soft-to-hard. Use the softs for the first 15 laps to pressure the cars ahead, then switch to hards for a 17-lap push, targeting the win and fastest lap.
Alex Sun runs a one-stop hard-to-soft. Use the hards for the first 17 laps to keep a steady rhythm and avoid unnecessary battles, then switch to softs on lap 17 for the final chase, aiming for a top-10 finish and points."
The chief mechanic added, "Alex Sun's brake temperatures through consecutive corners were close to the limit. Watch tyre temperatures tomorrow. Hard tyres have weaker grip on launch—be careful with throttle control to avoid wheelspin."
After the debrief, Alex Sun returned to his hotel room near the circuit. The moment he closed the door, a clear system notification sounded in his mind:
[Track Experience Feedback: Track Tactics Ability +10]
[Track Tactics: 50 (Base 40 +10) (Bahrain Circuit Elite Proficiency: All Attributes +5%)]
At the same time, Alex Sun allocated the two attribute points earned from the sprint race phase into Consumption Control.
[Consumption Control: 32 (Base 30 +2) (33, Bahrain Circuit Elite Proficiency: All Attributes +5%)]
The surge of knowledge about tyre preservation that flooded his mind made him feel far more confident about tomorrow's main race.
Just as he finished allocating the points, his phone vibrated.
It was a message from Guanyu Zhou: "Meeting over, right? Come to my room. I've got something good here." A dog-head emoji followed.
A few seconds later, another message arrived: "You're really stiff, kid. Alright, no more teasing—come chat about today's sprint race."
Alex Sun paused for a moment, then replied, "I'm super brave, okay? On my way."
He tidied up and headed to Guanyu Zhou's room. Just as he raised his hand to knock, he realized the door wasn't closed. Guanyu Zhou reached out and pulled him straight inside.
"Let me take a look! Be good."
"No, Guanyu Zhou," Alex Sun played along.
Guanyu Zhou dragged him over to the coffee table by the window. Two cups of hot cocoa sat there.
"You're not as rigid as you look—you know how to play along. I thought another pure track machine had shown up in the paddock," Guanyu Zhou said with a grin, sliding one cup toward him.
Alex Sun took a sip. Warmth flowed down his throat, easing him considerably.
"I didn't have a choice but to go all out. The pressure from my previous seat was insane. Do you know how big the gap was between me and Robert—our reserve driver—during winter testing?"
As he spoke, Alex Sun spread his hands wide to show an enormous difference.
Guanyu Zhou picked it up and joked, "As big as that legendary 500,000-mark gap?"
Alex Sun instantly got it. "A full three seconds! Back then my race engineer even said, 'I don't understand why a driver with a three-second deficit hasn't been replaced yet. Compared to Alex Sun, Robert has the advantage.'"
They joked back and forth, the distance between them shrinking rapidly.
Once the mood relaxed, Guanyu Zhou's expression turned serious. "You really did well in today's sprint race. You were just a step away from the podium."
Alex Sun smiled. "That's thanks to Guanyu Zhou's guidance earlier, plus our team's strategy—and just a tiny bit of my own talent."
He pinched his fingers together, gesturing a microscopic universe.
Seeing Guanyu Zhou look helpless, Alex Sun asked curiously, "But I've been wondering—why didn't you pit for tyres in the final stint? The wear looked pretty severe."
Guanyu Zhou set his cup down and explained, "There weren't many laps left. Pitting for fresh tyres costs time, and you still need to rebuild your rhythm afterward.
My position was relatively secure, so there was no need to take that risk. Protecting the points I already had was more important. Looking back, maybe it was the wrong call—but who could know in the moment? All you can do is adjust next time."
Alex Sun finally understood. That was the logic behind it.
He had only been thinking about the raw pace of new tyres, without considering pit loss and rhythm disruption. "I see. I really didn't think that far ahead before," he said sincerely.
Guanyu Zhou patted him on the shoulder. "Everyone's like that when they first get into main races. You'll gain experience with more runs. Go all out tomorrow—aim for that first podium. It's late, get some rest."
As he spoke, Guanyu Zhou stood up to walk him to the door. At the doorway, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "By the way, you're not a Mantis, right? No 'power-up-when-alone' buff or anything?
(Mantis refers to the League of Legends champion Kha'Zix, whose passive deals extra damage to isolated targets.)
How about breakfast together at the restaurant at seven tomorrow morning? We could hit the gym afterward too."
Alex Sun felt a warmth in his chest. Lately, he'd been eating and training alone most of the time. This unexpected invitation made him feel less lonely.
"If I were a Mantis, you'd be my first evolution point. Nah, I'm not. Tomorrow together," he replied with a grin.
Back in his room, the two sprint races had left Alex Sun utterly exhausted. He fell asleep almost the moment he hit the bed.
Early the next morning, Alex Sun arrived at the restaurant on time. Guanyu Zhou had already found a table, with a simple breakfast laid out—bread, eggs, and milk.
"Morning, Kha'Zix. How was your sleep?" Guanyu Zhou waved him over.
"Pretty good, Guanyu Zhou. Thanks for the hot cocoa—slept really well," Alex Sun said as he sat down and picked up some bread.
The two chatted as they finished breakfast.
Afterward, they went to the fitness training center together.
The lightness from his attribute boost didn't make Alex Sun slack off. He knew physical conditioning was the foundation of on-track performance.
They ran through core strength and cardio training. Guanyu Zhou occasionally corrected his form, and they encouraged each other during breaks.
After finishing, they took quick showers and parted ways. Alex Sun topped up on carbs and headed straight for the team's strategy room for the final pre-race briefing.
The atmosphere was tense. René Rosin quickly reiterated the core plan: "Piastri uses the soft tyres at the start to push for the win. Alex Sun starts on hards, builds steadily, then attacks after switching to softs—avoid track limits at all costs. F2 points are critical. Drivers give everything, and the pit crew must hit sub-3.5-second stops."
With no questions, the meeting ended swiftly.
Afterward, Alex Sun hurried to the official media session. Reporters were already waiting, focusing their questions on his sprint race performance and main race goals. He answered calmly, clearly stating that he would fight hard for points.
Once the press conference ended, he didn't linger, heading straight back to the team's garage to await the main race.
Standing at the entrance to the garage, Alex Sun raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. Watching the bustling circuit outside, he murmured softly, "Today really is a perfect day to race."
...
(20 Chapters Ahead)
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