Bahrain Circuit. Main Straight.
Speed: 335 km/h.
The gap between the two cars was less than 4 meters.
This was the "Death Zone." At this velocity, if the lead car lifted off the throttle for even a microsecond, the trailing car would slam into it. Two multi-million dollar machines would turn into carbon fiber confetti instantly.
But Ye Tian's white Hawk VF-25 looked like it was magnetically attached to the Crimson Energy diffuser!
Inside the cockpit of the Crimson Bull RB21.
Max Vesper checked his mirrors. He didn't care about the rookie before. Now, his pupils contracted.
"What is that lunatic doing?!"
Vesper screamed on the radio, his voice cracking with rage. "He's slipstreaming me? In Q1? Does he have a death wish?"
Slipstream: Following closely behind another car to punch a hole in the air, reducing drag and gaining massive speed. Usually, this is a tactic for teammates. Or a desperate move for an overtake.
Nobody—nobody—takes a tractor like a Hawk and uses a Four-Time World Champion as a "windbreaker" in Qualifying!
It was disrespectful. It was treating Vesper like a free taxi driver!
"You want a ride? Fine. I'll drive you to hell."
Vesper's eyes turned vicious. He was the tyrant of the grid. He didn't tolerate disrespect.
He didn't brake (that would be a penalty). Instead, right before the heavy braking zone, he started micro-weaving. Left. Right. Left.
He was shaking the car's rear end to create unstable "Dirty Air."
This turbulent wind would destroy the downforce of the car behind. The front wing would lose grip. The car would understeer straight off the track.
However—
Ye Tian sat in the vibrating, screaming cockpit of the Hawk. His lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin.
[System Warning: High Turbulence Detected.]
[The Legend S Instincts: Visualizing Airflow.]
Red lines appeared in his mind, showing the chaotic wind.
"Trying to wash me out with dirty air?"
"Max, you're too young."
The moment Vesper's rear wing twitched left, Ye Tian turned the wheel left.
Vesper twitched right. Ye Tian twitched right!
He mirrored him perfectly!
Like a shadow. Like a parasite.
He dodged every pocket of dirty air, keeping his nosecone locked in the sweet, clean vacuum behind the Crimson car!
"How?!"
In the Crimson Energy garage, Team Principal Christian dropped his pen. His eyes were wide as saucers. "He's predicting Max's movements? What kind of reaction time is that? Is he human or AI?"
End of the straight. Turn 1.
The prime overtaking spot.
Vesper had to take the optimal racing line. He swung wide to brake.
Ye Tian, carrying massive momentum from the slipstream, slingshotted out from behind him!
SWOOSH!
The white Hawk car flew past like a bullet!
He used the extra speed to out-brake the Red Bull into the first corner!
Visually, Ye Tian just destroyed Vesper.
And that wasn't all.
Because of the perfect slipstream, the timing screen for Ye Tian's Sector 1 lit up in a blinding color.
PURPLE.
In the media pen, Snow Jiang stared at the big screen. She didn't understand aerodynamics, but she understood purple.
"Fastest of all..." Snow covered her mouth, her cool eyes filled with shock. "He's driving a car that's falling apart... and he's fastest?"
Next to her, the British reporter clutched his head. "God in heaven! Did Team Hawk swap in a Ferrari engine? This isn't scientific!"
Q1 Ends.
The screen refreshed:
P1: Ye Tian (Hawk) - 1:30.125
P2: Max Vesper (Crimson) - 1:30.450
P3: Louis Hamson (Fire) - 1:30.510
Ye Tian. First.
It was just Q1, but he had put the two gods beneath him.
The Hawk garage erupted. Mechanics were high-fiving like they just won the World Championship.
Meanwhile, Ye Tian's teammate, Esteban, sat in the corner. He didn't dare take off his helmet.
He was P16. Eliminated.
He was 2.5 seconds slower than Ye Tian.
That 2.5-second gap was a slap in the face that echoed around the world.
"Beautiful work, Ye!" Koma rushed to hug him as he climbed out. "God, that slipstream tactic was genius! How did you think of that?"
Ye Tian took off his helmet. No smile. Just cold focus.
He took a sip from his drink bottle and said flatly:
"Don't celebrate yet. I only did that to save fuel and borrow speed."
"For Q2 and Q3..."
Ye Tian glanced down the pit lane, where Max Vesper was throwing his gloves in anger.
"I'm going to shut them up with pure speed."
Q2 (Qualifying Session 2) Begins.
The atmosphere was heavier now. Only the Top 10 would advance to the final shootout (Q3).
This time, the big teams learned their lesson.
Scuderia Fire, Crimson Energy, McLaren... they all rushed out immediately. They drove fast. They didn't want to give Ye Tian any chance to steal a tow.
"They're scared."
Commentator Nico laughed nervously. "I've never seen this. The entire grid is terrified of a single Hawk."
The track went quiet.
Ye Tian chose to go out last.
The track temperature was dropping. Bad for tires.
But he didn't put on the Medium (Yellow) tires for a safe run.
He pointed at the red-walled tires.
Softs. The fastest, but they died the quickest.
"Gary. Don't tell me anyone else's lap time."
Ye Tian spoke on the radio, his voice low.
"This lap, I'm going to find the limit of this chassis."
He was gambling his life.
The Hawk car was structurally weak. If he didn't push it to the point of disintegration, he couldn't make the Top 10 without a slipstream.
BOOM!
The car launched.
Every corner, Ye Tian attacked the curbs.
Clang! Scrap!
The floor smashed against the concrete curbs, sending showers of yellow sparks into the night air. It looked like fireworks.
He was trading the car's life for time!
In the stands, Snow Jiang held her binoculars so tight her knuckles turned white.
She watched the car dancing on the razor's edge of control.
She felt a strange emotion welling up.
Before, she thought his line "Racing is for the brave" was just a pickup line.
Now, she believed it.
This wasn't racing. This was flirting with the Reaper.
"Please make it..." Snow Jiang found herself praying for him.
Final straight.
Ye Tian crossed the line!
The timer stopped.
The names shuffled.
P10.
Exactly 10th place!
He knocked out Fernando (Aston Martin) by 0.001 seconds!
"HE'S IN!!!"
The chat in the Chinese livestream exploded.
"HOLY SH*T!"
"He dragged a tractor into Q3! God Ye!"
But just as the crowd cheered...
A voice came over the radio. Urgent.
"Gary. Get the fire extinguisher ready."
"What?" Gary froze. "Ye, say again?"
"To squeeze the power out, I held that last gear too long..." Ye Tian looked in his mirror.
Thick, black smoke was billowing from the rear of the car.
His voice remained terrifyingly calm.
"Engine's blown."