After completing the double overtake on Nannini and Nissany, Alex Sun temporarily moved up to P14, sitting two seconds behind Drugovich in P13.
Earlier, while Nannini and Nissany were locked in battle, both had aggressively covered the inside line and blocked each other's slipstream to defend their positions, inevitably slowing their lap times. Alex Sun, lurking behind and waiting for his moment, was also held up in the process, which allowed Drugovich to edge away.
Faced with a two-second gap, Alex Sun didn't hesitate for a second. He pushed the car to the absolute limit, the engine roaring as it unleashed every ounce of power. The hunt began.
His objective was clear. Every racing line, every braking point was executed with surgical precision. He was determined to erase that two-second deficit as quickly as possible.
Corner after corner flashed by. On Drugovich's steering data, the shrinking gap was visible to the naked eye:
Through each standard corner, 0.1 seconds quietly disappeared.
The slightest error cost him 0.2 to 0.3 seconds instantly.
Even with a clean line, that red-and-white silhouette kept drawing closer.
Invisible pressure washed over Drugovich like a rising tide. His palms grew slick, his grip on the Steering wheel tightened, and unease crept into his chest. He could feel Alex Sun behind him like a hungry wolf, cold eyes locked on every move, waiting for the slightest mistake.
That pressure disrupted his rhythm. He grew increasingly conservative through the corners, terrified that one misstep would collapse the gap entirely.
Alex Sun, by contrast, remained ice-cold. His gaze was fixed on the car ahead, absorbing every hesitation and tiny imperfection from Drugovich.
After a full lap of pursuit, the gap continued to shrink. At the start of Sector 3, it finally dipped under one second.
Attack range.
Still calm, Alex Sun applied steady pressure through the next sequence of corners, keeping himself firmly within striking distance. After Turn 19, Drugovich deliberately drifted wide, trying to deny Alex Sun the Slipstream and slow his charge.
It didn't matter.
With superior lap pace, Alex Sun stayed glued to him. Midway down the main straight, he pulled out decisively. The slingshot effect kicked in, and in an instant they were side-by-side. Drugovich had nothing left to resist with.
Using his speed advantage, Alex Sun swept to the inside. A perfectly judged late brake before Turn 1 secured the Apex. Corner completed. Exit clean.
He pulled away smoothly.
The entire overtake felt textbook—so effortless it might as well have been a practice drill.
Drugovich watched the red-and-white car flash past. The calm embedded in that engine note drained the last of his resistance. He had defended the inside with everything he had, but against Alex Sun's absolute lap-time advantage, it was meaningless.
Through the Apex and into clear air, Alex Sun secured P13—his fifth overtake of the race—his composure unchanged, as though the chase had never strained him at all.
Alex Jacques couldn't contain himself:
"Brilliant! That's pure top-tier dominance! From two seconds down to within one—and then a calm, clinical pass! Drugovich defended as hard as he could, but Alex Sun's lap pace is simply untouchable!"
By Lap 7, Alex Sun had locked onto his next target: Zendeli in P12.
Fully aware he couldn't match the speed, Zendeli focused entirely on defense—pinning the inside line through corners and drifting wide on the straights to break the slipstream.
Alex Sun had anticipated it. He ignored the defensive posturing and stuck to the optimal racing line. Exiting the high-speed section, aided by the lighter car and stronger pace, he steadily reeled Zendeli in.
Mark's voice came calmly over TR.
"You're 1.2 seconds quicker per lap. Just drive your rhythm. The advantage is there."
"Copy."
At the end of the straight before Turn 3, despite Zendeli's tight inside defense, the lap-time gap told the story. Alex Sun closed in effortlessly and used his superior speed around the outside to complete the move.
P12.
Six overtakes.
In the pit bay, Mark nodded. "Perfect rhythm. You've converted pure pace into position. Nothing the defender could do."
Alex Sun continued forward. With precise driving and the assistance of system traits, his car became a red-and-white streak of lightning, slicing toward the pack ahead.
Lap 8.
DRS was officially enabled.
Alex Sun immediately locked onto Verschoor in P11. Verschoor's defense was solid but unremarkable.
Alex Sun closed steadily, slipping within one second at the DRS detection point before Turn 2, securing activation. He tucked in tight.
On the second DRS straight, he maximized the slipstream and opened DRS instantly. The car surged forward.
He pulled out decisively—smooth, fluid, no wasted motion. The pass was completed cleanly on the straight, no corner duel required. slipstream plus DRS was more than enough.
P11.
Seventh overtake.
In the pit bay, Rebecca Lin stared at the onboard feed, imagining herself in Alex Sun's seat. Each effortless overtake deepened her admiration, as if little +5 hearts were popping up over her head.
Lap 9.
Ahead was Lundgaard in P10—the so-called "defensive wall."
His technique was indeed solid. Every corner, he sealed the inside and guarded the Apex. On the straights, he drifted wide to disrupt the slipstream, leaving no obvious opening.
Watching Lundgaard's tense posture, Alex Sun smiled inwardly.
Your defense is strong. But my lap time will show you why speed is everything.
He stuck to his familiar approach and advanced into Sector 3.
At Turn 16, Alex Sun deliberately chose an outside entry, sacrificing the Apex to prioritize exit speed. His Tyres brushed the edge of the track as he rotated through the corner. The moment he straightened the wheel, he slammed the throttle.
The car launched forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, instantly overpowering Lundgaard, who had taken the inside line.
Through the following corners, Alex Sun controlled the pace precisely, holding a 0.5-second gap—close enough to stay within DRS range, far enough to deny any counterattack.
He crossed the DRS detection point.
Activation confirmed.
Onto the start-finish straight.
DRS open.
He tucked tightly behind Lundgaard's inside-positioned car, extracting every bit of slipstream. Then he pulled out sharply.
The engine roared.
Slipstream and DRS combined into explosive acceleration. Top speed climbed to 320 km/h. Visibly, he surged past Lundgaard's right side.
With overwhelming speed, the red-and-white car completed the overtake in one decisive motion. Clean. Ruthless. No chance for retaliation.
P10.
Eighth overtake.
Alex Jacques roared:
"Incredible! 320 km/h top speed domination! Lundgaard defended perfectly, but Alex Sun tore it apart with pure pace! That's raw ability!"
Alex Sun's charge into P10 hit the drivers ahead like a hammer blow.
Vips, Beckman, and Viscaal instantly formed a tacit alliance, lining up into a DRS train. The lead car provided slipstream; the following cars locked their lines tight. A collective defensive wall.
Anyone who understood racing knew how formidable a DRS train could be. The trailing car gained slipstream, activated DRS, and stacked speed advantages layer upon layer. Breaking through required not just speed—but calculation and perfect timing.
The atmosphere in the pit bay shifted.
Mark watched the train form on the monitor and spoke into the radio, steady but serious.
"DRS train ahead. Don't rush it. Keep your rhythm."
Beside him, Rebecca Lin clasped her hands tightly, eyes glued to the screen, brows drawn with worry.
In the cockpit, Alex Sun simply nodded.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He looked ahead at the connected line of cars, eyes calm and confident.
To him, that so-called DRS train was nothing more than a stepping stone on his path upward.
...
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