At 11:30 a.m., the sun over Monte Carlo was still scorching, and the track temperature showed no sign of dropping.
The afterglow of qualifying hadn't fully faded, and Alex Sun could still feel the faint chill of the podium's metal lingering on his fingertips.
He had just stepped down from second place. The F2 podium didn't have the F1 pole-sitter's signature miniature tyre ceremony, but the cool spray of champagne and the thunderous cheers of the crowd were still enough to leave this rookie—making his first-ever appearance at Monaco—slightly dazed.
"Not bad at all, Alex Sun. That was insane!" Guanyu Zhou walked over with a half-finished bottle of mineral water and patted him on the shoulder, smiling broadly. "Second place on your first run at Monaco—you've been hiding your talent pretty well."
Alex Sun wiped the remaining champagne foam from his face, a shy but bright smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "You're overselling it, Zhou. The main thing was the team's strategy. And training together with you these past few weeks really helped me get a better feel for the rhythm of the track."
"Give it a rest," Guanyu Zhou laughed, shoving him lightly. "Training together helps both of us find rhythm, sure—but that final flying lap? You earned that yourself.
I'm seriously starting to think you used me as an upgrade point. A full second gap—you tell me, where did you dig that time out from?"
As he spoke, Guanyu Zhou reached toward him, and Alex Sun immediately fought back, kicking him squarely in the backside.
"Zhou, you're sick! You're actually coveting the 0.5 seconds hidden in my pants?" Alex Sun shot back. "I'm only second—go bother Théo Pourchaire, he's the one on pole!"
They messed around for a bit before the laughter finally died down. As they walked side by side toward their respective team areas, Guanyu Zhou casually added, "This track looks calm, but be extra careful in the sprint race this afternoon. There were a few corners in qualifying where I nearly clipped the line."
Alex Sun's gaze instinctively swept toward the circuit as he nodded seriously. "Thanks for the warning, Zhou. I'll watch out."
The Circuit de Monaco, famous for being narrow and twisty—often dubbed "overtaking hell"—had already shown him its dangers during the morning session. Every single corner left no room for error.
After parting ways, they headed toward different team areas. Along the way, drivers from other teams cast curious or approving glances in their direction.
Back in the Prema Racing rest area, Alex Sun took a quick shower, changed into the team's iconic red-and-white suit, and slowly chewed on an energy bar prepared by the nutritionist.
He reviewed his qualifying data from the morning, replaying in his mind the cornering lines he'd discussed with Guanyu Zhou. In the relaxed lull, time quietly slipped past noon. The sun tilted westward, and the start of the afternoon session crept ever closer.
The pre-race meeting was held in the team's dedicated briefing room in the garage. Team principal René Rosin led the session, projecting an electronic track map onto the screen and tapping it firmly with his finger.
"You all know the characteristics of Monaco—overtaking is extremely difficult," he said. "So let's be clear about our core objective for this race. First priority is points. If there's a chance to move forward, take it.
If points aren't guaranteed, then stay solid and hold a top-ten position. Remember, the second sprint race uses a reverse grid for the top ten from this race. Holding the top ten locks in a favorable starting position for tomorrow afternoon. Do not drop out of the top ten. That's the bottom line."
After confirming that Alex Sun and Piastri had both acknowledged this, René Rosin pulled up the tyre strategy.
"So we don't need to be aggressive with strategy," he continued. "Alex Sun, Piastri—you'll both start on supersoft tyres. Use their launch advantage to stabilize your position early. If there's a clear overtaking opportunity, go for it and fight for points. If not, don't force it. Secure the top ten and lock in that reverse-grid start for Race Two."
"After that, follow the pace of the car ahead. Pay close attention to their tyre condition and racing lines, and only make a move when you're absolutely sure. The key is preserving both tyres and car. Don't burn too much for a position that isn't guaranteed. That gives us flexibility for points today and sets up tomorrow's sprint."
Alex Sun and Piastri nodded in unison. "Understood, Mr. Rosin."
They exchanged a glance, and Piastri gave him an encouraging nod. Beside them, race engineer Mark added, "Managing supersoft tyre temperatures at the start will be critical. I'll feed you live data over the radio—just follow the rhythm."
After the meeting, Alex Sun used the short break to pull up his system panel and assigned the two free attribute points he'd earned in qualifying directly into launch execution, bringing that stat to 60 for Monaco.
Feeling the clear improvement in his starting ability, his confidence grew. He went straight to Mark in the garage work area and spoke seriously.
"Mark, I have some different thoughts about the starting tyre strategy. I'd like to discuss them properly with you."
Mark was organizing data. He looked up, set his tablet aside, and replied calmly, "Oh? Go on. Do you think there's an issue with starting on supersofts?"
"Yes," Alex Sun said, nodding firmly. "I have some concerns about the supersoft starting strategy. After qualifying, I could clearly feel their degradation trend. If we start on supersofts and push hard early to overtake for points, the load will spike, and tyre wear will exceed expectations. There's a high chance they won't hold up in the second half."
"I'd rather start on soft tyres and play it steady. In the early phase, I can stay with the pack, build tyre temperature, and settle into the rhythm. Soft tyres are durable enough to last the full distance. In the latter stages, they'll maintain stable lap times, letting me control when to attack. That's much safer than gambling on supersofts holding on late."
"Monaco is notoriously difficult for overtaking," he continued. "The durability weakness of supersofts gets amplified in a 28-lap sprint. Normally, they start degrading noticeably after 8 to 12 laps. In the second half, you're forced to manage pace just to survive, which kills any overtaking initiative. Instead, starting on softs lets me stabilize the entire race and keep the rhythm in my own hands."
Mark immediately swiped through data on his tablet, pulling up the qualifying tyre analysis. "The degradation trend you mentioned is clear in the flying-lap data. If you push supersofts to the limit, they'll start falling off around laps 12 to 14.
But starting on soft tyres means weaker initial grip. At Monaco, that makes overtaking off the line much harder."
"I've thought about that," Alex Sun replied, his eyes steady and his logic precise. "But the core advantage of the soft tyre is consistent lap time across the entire race, which fits Monaco perfectly. Most drivers will go with the mainstream approach—supersofts at the start, either pitting for softs or trying to run them without stopping. But there's no mandatory pit stop in this race.
Drivers who don't pit on supersofts will have to manage degradation late on, and those who do pit lose time. Starting on softs means slightly less grip early, but it can sustain high-intensity driving throughout. The advantage only grows later."
"My plan is to stay solid with the pack in the first half. When the cars ahead on supersofts start to drop off, I'll use the soft tyre's stability to actively look for overtaking chances. That way I protect a top-ten finish while still fighting for points."
Mark fell silent, repeatedly cross-checking the performance data between supersofts and softs, and recalling Alex Sun's qualifying pace. In the end, he nodded.
"Your reasoning holds up. Both the tyre data and the track characteristics support it. Alright—I'll go to Team Principal Rosin now and request the switch to soft tyres for the start."
Alex Sun let out a quiet breath of relief. "Thanks, Mark."
With preparations complete, the tempo in the garage instantly tightened. Alex Sun finished driver check-in and headed toward his car, the red-and-white of his suit standing out under the garage lights.
The mechanics were carrying out final pre-start checks, tyre warmers still wrapped tightly around the wheels to keep them at optimal temperature.
On the grid, the "3-minute countdown" lights came on. The mechanics swiftly removed the tyre warmers, exposing a set of bright red soft tyres under the lights.
"Wait—hold on! Camera on Prema Racing's Alex Sun—he's starting on soft tyres! Soft tyres! Out of all twenty cars on the grid, he's the only one choosing softs at the start! This is absolutely insane!" The commentator's voice cracked with shock.
"That's a huge risk—an enormous risk! We need to watch his first two laps very closely. This single move could decide his life or death in this race!"
As the vivid red soft tyres gleamed under the lights, Alex Sun's fingers tightened slightly. He didn't hesitate for a second.
At Monaco, the track has always belonged to those brave enough to break convention.
...
(20 Chapters Ahead)
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