Saturday Night — Monza, Italy
Sukhman sat slouched against the wall of the Vaayu GP hotel suite balcony, legs pulled in, staring at the hazy moon above the Italian skyline. The faint sounds of Monza nightlife filtered in — celebrations, loud music, cheers… none of them for him.
The result gnawed at him. P11 in qualifying. Just outside the cut. Again. And worse — he had no one to blame but himself.
The door creaked behind him.
Harinder stepped out with a bottle of cola in one hand and a crumpled pack of snacks in the other. "You look like a rejected Bollywood lead."
Sukhman gave him a side glance. "I came 11th in the qualifiers, Harry."
Harinder flopped beside him with the grace of a tired dog. "Yup. Lucky 11, I would say. You almost made it. I blame the clouds. Bad karma in the air. Probably because you didn't let me pick the playlist this morning."
Sukhman snorted. "You would have played Bhangra beats into Ascari."
"That's why you'd win. Pure adrenaline, desi-style, man."
Silence followed. A comfortable one. Until Sukhman's phone pinged.
New Message: Charlotte Reid?!
Charlotte: "Tough day. But keep your chin up. You still drive like hellfire when it counts, even with that old car of yours."
Sukhman stared.
Harinder leaned over immediately like a vulture. "Ohoho… who's this? I seems like our shy guy has done something unexpected."
"Uh! None of your business, Harry."
"Ahhh, it is Charlotte! Wait, didn't she—" Harinder paused, eyes widening with theatrical gasp, "—try to sabotage your brakes last year?"
"She almost did," Sukhman muttered.
"And you still talk to her?"
"She almost killed me. Then nearly cried over it at an extent. People... are complicated, Harry. But who am I even telling this? You are so full of yourself to understand that."
"Hey that's not fair. I want to live a simple and joyful life. What's the problem with that, huh?" After a little wait Harinder made a dramatic tsk tsk sound. "By the way, I think a romantic thriller is incoming. Let's go."
Sukhman sighed… but he didn't put any effort denying it.
---
Sunday – Monza Grand Prix Finals
Race day.
The crowd was molten. Flags everywhere. Monza buzzed like a stadium before a war. Engines roared to life like beasts on leashes.
From the stands, Sukhman and Harinder leaned forward. Both wore team jackets but had blended in with the crowd. Sukhman is watching like a hawk.
> Jack Simmons: "Alright folks! It's time. Ten top drivers. One sacred track. Monza's about to shake!"
> Whitney Moore: "This is the second Grand Prix of the season, and several drivers — like Jia Tan and Charlotte Reid — are under pressure to score points after blanking in the first round."
---
Starting Grid (Top 10)
1. Jia Tan 🇨🇳
2. Callum Graves 🇬🇧
3. Erik Holtz 🇩🇪
4. Thiago Martins 🇦🇷
5. Alain Bellamy 🇫🇷
6. Amelia Foster 🇬🇧
7. Dante Rizzo 🇮🇹
8. Diego Montoya 🇧🇷
9. Charlotte Reid 🇦🇺
10. Omar Irani 🇲🇦
---
The Race Begins!
> Jack: "And lights out — away we go!!"
Turn 1 Carnage – Dante Rizzo tried to slice into P5 but clipped Montoya, causing both to wobble. Montoya recovered, Rizzo spun out.
> Whitney: "Early aggression from Rizzo — backfires. That might cost him everything today."
Lap 7 – Jia Tan maintained lead with surgical control, but Callum was breathing down his neck. Amelia and Erik battled for P4. Montoya had clawed back to P6.
Lap 14 – Drama. Charlotte Reid surged past Bellamy with a perfect move through Variante della Roggia.
> Jack: "Charlotte Reid! Now that's the overtake of the season so far!"
Final Lap – Jia Tan, Callum, and Erik ran wheel-to-wheel down the back straight. Just before Parabolica, Jia held the inside.
Checkered Flag Waves
> Whitney: "Jia Tan takes the win! What a bounce back from a zero-point opener!"
> Jack: "But Callum keeps the pressure alive with another podium. Erik Holtz — ladies and gents, keep an eye on this one."
---
📊 Final Race Results – GP2: Monza
Rank Driver Country Points
1️⃣ Jia Tan - China - 25
2️⃣ Callum Graves - UK - 18
3️⃣ Erik Holtz - Germany - 15
4️⃣ Charlotte Reid - Australia - 12
5️⃣ Diego Montoya - Brazil - 10
6️⃣ Amelia Foster - UK - 8
7️⃣ Alain Bellamy - France - 6
8️⃣ Thiago Martins - Argentina - 4
9️⃣ Omar Irani - Morocco - 2
🔟 Dante Rizzo - Italy - 1
---
Updated Leaderboard After GP2
Rank Driver Country Points
1️⃣ Callum Graves 🇬🇧 UK 43
2️⃣ Erik Holtz 🇩🇪 Germany 27
3️⃣ Diego Montoya 🇧🇷 Brazil 25
4️⃣ Jia Tan 🇨🇳 China 25
5️⃣ Alain Bellamy 🇫🇷 France 24
6️⃣ Thiago Martins 🇦🇷 Argentina 14
7️⃣ Amelia Foster 🇬🇧 UK 14
8️⃣ Charlotte Reid 🇦🇺 Australia 12
9️⃣ Sukhman Singh 🇮🇳 India 8
🔟 Omar Irani 🇲🇦 Morocco 6
11 Yuki Sasakai 🇯🇵 Japan 2
12 Lukar Meier 🇨🇭 Switzerland 1
13 Dante Rizzo 🇮🇹 Italy 1
14–20 Ravi Deshmukh, Noa Takahashi, Rosa Calderon, Jonas Frigg, Miguel Costa, Khalid Zidan, Finn Carter — 0
---
Epilogue Scene – Shadows of Control
In a dark room filled with racing data, telemetry graphs, and a glowing global feed, a shadowy figure leaned forward.
Multiple tabs were open.
Jia Tan – Race Win.
Charlotte Reid – Comeback Lap 14.
Ravi Deshmukh – Data: Hidden/Locked.
Erik Holtz – Engine Pulse Consistency: +6.2%
His gloved hand pressed the intercom.
> "Phase Two is completed. Begin surveillance on Reid and Holtz. Give Phase Three speed."
A red LED blinked to life on the wall.
Across continents, quiet actions would soon ripple through the paddocks.
The race is more than rubber and asphalt.
It is about control. Quiet. Precise. Unstoppable.