By the end of Lap 1, after the intense control demands of the opening phase, the soft tyres on Alex Sun's car had climbed to 98°C, cleanly entering the optimal operating window for hot tyres.
At this temperature range, F2 soft tyres deliver their most stable grip—exactly the phase where a driver can settle into their best rhythm.
Through the steering wheel, Alex Sun could clearly feel the tyres biting into the asphalt. Every steering input was met with solid, predictable feedback.
"Tyre temperature is at 98°C, conditions look good. Piastri is 0.8 seconds ahead, his pace is very stable," Mark said calmly over the radio. "DRS isn't active yet. Don't rush the attack. Hold your rhythm first and study his lines and braking points."
Alex Sun acknowledged verbally, but his right foot quietly began to press harder, staying glued to Piastri's slipstream.
Just as he was preparing to look for an opening, yellow flags appeared on track.
Mark's voice snapped urgent over the TR.
"Attention! Yellow flags. Armstrong's DAMS car has stopped with a mechanical failure—Boschung has run into the back of him. Race control has deployed the Virtual Safety Car. Reduce speed immediately and stay within the VSC delta. You're currently over the limit—correct it now!"
"Just when I finally caught him, they throw a VSC…" Alex Sun muttered under his breath, then asked with concern, "Are they both okay?"
"Both drivers are fine. HANS and cockpit protection did their job. Recovery vehicles are on the way. Focus on your pace and stabilize your speed," Mark replied quickly, relaying live updates.
Reluctantly, Alex Sun lifted off the throttle and brushed the brakes, smoothly bringing his speed down into the required VSC range.
Under the Virtual Safety Car, the field formed a neat procession. His gap to Piastri was locked in place, and the attack he had been building toward had to be put on hold.
The steady running during the VSC allowed the soft tyres—still hot from the start and early overtakes—to cool naturally, slightly delaying degradation. At the same time, it meant he would need to re-find his rhythm once racing resumed.
"You're holding P9. Maintain the VSC gap and don't attempt anything," Mark said, tempering his impatience. "We'll replan once the VSC is fully cleared."
The Virtual Safety Car remained in effect from Lap 2 onward, as marshals and recovery crews quickly cleared the stranded cars and debris.
Alex Sun kept both hands steady on the wheel, but his mind was already working through ways to apply pressure once racing resumed.
Toward the end of Lap 4, the FIA's standardized message came through the TR:
"All drivers, the Virtual Safety Car will be withdrawn at the end of this lap. VSC speed limits remain in effect at the start of the next lap until green flags are shown. Normal racing may resume once green flags are displayed. Please prepare accordingly."
"Hold your speed. You can probe with positioning, but no illegal overtakes," Mark added immediately.
At the start of Lap 5, the VSC delta was still active and the field remained tightly packed. Drivers weaved gently side to side and applied light throttle inputs to keep tyre temperatures up, avoiding a loss of grip when the green flag came out.
Unable to fully suppress his attacking instincts, Alex Sun used his 0.8-second gap to Piastri to apply subtle pressure. At corner exits and mid-straight sections, he made small lateral moves and feint overtakes, trying to unsettle Piastri's rhythm.
But Piastri was experienced and unflappable. His lines stayed clean and precise, completely unaffected by the movement alongside him.
At the end of Lap 5, Alex Sun quietly closed the gap on the main straight and suddenly darted to the right in another feint, attempting to disrupt Piastri's defensive timing.
Piastri immediately saw through it. Instead of reacting defensively, he slightly lifted off the throttle, baiting Alex Sun into a potential infringement.
Alex Sun realized it in time, but the two cars were already nearly side by side. Under FIA regulations, overtaking is forbidden during the VSC phase. He had no choice but to lift decisively and back out to avoid a penalty.
At that exact moment, they crossed the start–finish line and the green flags came out. Piastri seized the timing and went full throttle immediately.
That tiny hesitation—just a few tenths—was enough. Piastri pulled out a gap of nearly 1.2 seconds, leaving Alex Sun stuck behind.
"You got caught by experience," Mark said sharply, frustration creeping into his voice. "Piastri read your feints from the start—he was waiting for you to fall into that trap."
There was nothing Alex Sun could do but accept the mistake and go flat-out in pursuit. He chased hard for the next two laps, waiting for DRS to come into play.
By Lap 8, he had finally dragged the gap back to within one second—the DRS activation window.
Passing through the DRS detection point at Turn 14, the DRS indicator lit up. On the main straight, Alex Sun immediately activated it. The rear wing flattened, releasing downforce and delivering a surge of straight-line speed as the gap to Piastri shrank rapidly.
Without hesitation, he tucked tightly into Piastri's slipstream—using the low-pressure wake behind the car ahead to reduce drag—then pulled out to the right. With the speed advantage from DRS, he completed the pass cleanly and moved up into 8th place.
"Nice one! Now pull away!" Mark exclaimed.
But the advantage didn't last long. On the very next lap, in the same DRS zone, Piastri returned the favor—locking onto Alex Sun's slipstream, activating DRS, and retaking 8th place with equal force.
"Damn it," Alex Sun muttered, not daring to lose focus for even a moment as he launched another counterattack.
For the next two laps, the pair engaged in a fierce DRS tug-of-war on the long straight after Turn 16.
One would pass using DRS, the other would close back in and strike again on the next activation. Every overtake hinged on slipstream positioning and perfect DRS timing. The repeated high-speed sprints and constant throttle modulation pushed both cars' soft tyres well beyond normal wear levels.
The turning point came late in Lap 10.
Piastri's soft tyres were the first to show clear signs of degradation.
Exiting Turn 16, reduced grip caused a slight deviation in his line. He could no longer take the corner flat-out, and his exit speed dropped noticeably.
Alex Sun caught it instantly. He stabilized his throttle earlier on exit, then activated DRS the moment he hit the straight, staying glued to Piastri.
Seeing the threat, Piastri moved to the inside line, trying to break the slipstream. Alex Sun reacted immediately, mirroring the move and remaining locked onto his rear wing.
He stayed buried in the slipstream until his front wing was almost kissing Piastri's diffuser. Then he pulled out decisively. With full slipstream and DRS working together, his speed overwhelmed his rival. He completed the pass around the outside and, by the end of the straight, had opened a 0.7-second gap.
Alex Sun didn't relax for a second. He flowed cleanly through Turn 1, and over the remainder of the lap stretched the gap to a full 1.2 seconds.
Piastri was now firmly outside his DRS range.
He had secured 8th place.
"Piastri can't get you anymore," Mark reported promptly. "Switch focus—Drugovich is 1.5 seconds ahead. Time to go hunting."