2 Weeks Later That Crash
Lusail GP was unlike the others.
Not because of the circuit — sleek under the desert moon, its heat masked by nightfall.
But because something, or rather someone, was missing.
Harinder Singh wasn't there.
No jokes at the paddock.
No mistimed samosa deliveries.
No late-night comforting and self-reflecting brotherly talk.
Just… absence.
The kind you feel louder than presence.
At first, Sukhman assumed he was just taking space. But after the race in Lusail, as reporters gathered and engineers unpacked data, Harinder's name never showed up on the logistics logs, no check-ins, not even an encrypted team message.
He'd ghosted them.
And with every GP, it stung sharper.
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Lusail Aftermath – Shadows & Numbers
Sukhman had driven like a ghost in Lusail.
Efficient. Ruthless. Distant.
He climbed to third in the standings — his best yet.
But it felt hollow.
After climbing from the car, applause rang from the Indian fans waving tricolor scarves. Still, all he could think about was—
> "I told him that I didn't needed him."
> "I called him an uncivilized vermin."
He stared at the empty space beside his car, where Harinder should've been holding a Gatorade and asking if his "spinal fluid still existed after that corner."
He'd give anything to hear another dumb joke.
---
Media Frenzy – Feeding on Ashes
The media had moved past from "mourning" a death to "speculation."
Talk shows argued about who was to blame — was it the teams? The tech? Was IRC hiding something?
Some headlines read:
❝ The Curse of 2025: Racing's Darkest Year? ❞
❝ Charlotte's Legacy, Diego's Silence — What's Going On at Rip Jaw Racing? ❞
❝ Singh's Rise: Talent or Convenient Vacuum? ❞
SBA Motorsports had introduced a new driver: Lewis Vargo, a young Australian from F2. But Vargo lacked Charlotte's aggression and precision. He placed 14th in Lusail.
Rip Jaw Racing, meanwhile, had promoted their backup, Marco Ortega. He'd qualified 16th and crashed out early.
The top teams were being eaten alive by their own absence.
---
🏁 Leaderboard After Lusail – 7 GPs In
Rank Driver Country GP1 GP2 GP3 GP4 GP5 GP6 GP7 Total
1️⃣ Callum Graves 🇬🇧 UK 25 25 18 15 15 12 10 120 points
2️⃣ Erik Holtz 🇩🇪 Germany 12 18 15 25 18 10 15 113 points
3️⃣ Sukhman Singh 🇮🇳 India 8 DNP 12 15 25 18 12 110 points
4️⃣ Jia Tan 🇨🇳 China 0 18 11 4 12 10 10 65 points
5️⃣ Diego Montoya 🇧🇷 Brazil 15 12 15 15 0 ICU ICU 57 points
6️⃣ Thiago Martins 🇦🇷 Argentina 10 10 6 4 10 8 7 55 points
7️⃣ Alain Bellamy 🇫🇷 France 18 6 18 0 DNF DNP 10 52 points
8️⃣ Charlotte Reid† 🇦🇺 Australia 0 12 10 1 DNF — — 23 points
9️⃣ Amelia Foster 🇬🇧 UK 6 0 6 6 DNP 5 4 27 points
🔟 Ravi Deshmukh 🇮🇳 India 0 0 0 8 DNF 4 2 14 points
† = Deceased
*Note: Vargo and Ortega are not ranked due to lack of points.
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Behind the Curtain – Harinder's Silence
In a satellite phone transmission on an encrypted channel somewhere near the Swiss Alps, a single line was recorded.
> "Yes, I'll help. But this doesn't stay in the dark forever."
Harinder was in hiding — or being hidden. And whoever had contacted him knew something the IRC didn't want out.
His trace had been scrubbed from all the GP circuit travel manifests.
Only a handwritten sticky note remained in his abandoned hotel room in Lusail:
> "Sometimes, the pit stop comes before the storm."
– H
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The Mind of a Driver – Sukhman's Guilt
Sukhman sat alone in the Mumbai Bay Circuit garage, watching rain smear across the glass ceiling. Pre-GP prep for 8th GP has begun. Yet he isn't mentally on the track.
He opened his old WhatsApp chats with Harinder. Still no new blue ticks. Still no replies.
One message haunted him:
> "You act like you're driving alone, Sukhu. But even a lone wolf needs a pack to chase something worth howling for."
He locked his phone and walked into the paddock.
For once, he didn't feel like the fastest man in the room.
Just the loneliest and saddest.