The broadcast opens on F1 TV's commentary feed. Jolyon Palmer sits upright at the main desk, a dynamic map of the Baku circuit displayed on the monitor in front of him. Every corner and straight is clearly marked, while live footage from the Baku circuit in Azerbaijan runs along the side of the screen.
The camera cuts to the Baku paddock, sweeping past the Prema Racing pit bay. Alex Sun's race engineer, Mark, is seated at the control console, eyes locked on the data feed as his fingers move quickly across the keyboard, ready to speak to Alex Sun over TR at any moment.
Team principal René Rosin stands beside him, brow slightly furrowed, occasionally leaning in to go over final setup details.
The feed returns to the commentary booth. Jolyon Palmer's steady, resonant voice cuts through the broadcast, blending with the distant roar of engines from Baku and instantly raising the tension.
"Welcome to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. F1 TV brings you exclusive coverage of the 2021 F2 World Championship. This is the third round of the season, and today we have Saturday's second sprint race. I'm Jolyon Palmer, bringing you the commentary."
His tone sharpens as he introduces the circuit.
"Let's start with today's venue. The Baku Circuit is famous for its treacherous corners, especially Turn 1. It's historically a hotspot for start-lap incidents. The track is narrow, the margin for error almost nonexistent. One small mistake can end your race on the spot."
After outlining the track, he shifts to a driver of special interest for fans.
"First up, the winner of the last sprint—Guanyu Zhou!
"In the previous sprint race, he was in peak form, led the field, and took the chequered flag in P1, delivering a stunning performance.
"But due to the reverse-grid rule for this race, he'll be starting from P10. From first to tenth, that's a serious comeback challenge. Let's see what he can do."
Then his focus turns to the central storyline.
"But today's biggest highlight is undoubtedly Prema Racing's driver, Alex Sun!
"I'm sure everyone saw what he did this morning. Fifteen overtakes. Fifteen. With pinpoint braking and superior racing lines, every move was clean, decisive, no contact whatsoever. The roar of his engine at the finish line still echoes in our ears.
"He also broke the track record here in Baku yesterday to secure pole position. Although he starts P8 today due to the regulations, with his current form, another overtaking showcase could very well be on the cards."
He quickly clarifies the sprint race rules.
"The top ten finishers from Sprint Race 1 start in reverse order. From P11 onward, the grid follows the original classification. Retired drivers will start from the back."
The starting grid appears on screen:
Viscaal
Beckmann
Vips
Armstrong
Boschung
Pourchaire
Daruvala
Alex Sun
Ticktum
Guanyu Zhou
Lundgaard
Verschoor
Zendeli
Drugovich
Nannini
Nissany
Samaia
Sato
Piastri
Lawson
Aitken
Deledda
As soon as the grid is announced, the live chat explodes.
"Alex Sun P8! Just send it—the overtaking machine is back!"
"Guanyu Zhou P10, right behind Alex, don't cause chaos!"
"Please let Turn 1 stay clean this time."
"Yeah, neither Guanyu Zhou nor Alex Sun can afford an accident!"
Jolyon Palmer laughs lightly.
"Everyone's watching Alex Sun. With his latest performance, moving up from P8 is absolutely possible. Let's watch the formation lap."
The commentary softens as the formation lap concludes. One by one, the cars return to their grid slots. The camera cuts to Alex Sun's cockpit view.
He sits firmly in P8, hands resting lightly on the steering wheel. His expression is calmer than usual, sharper. The Turn 1 chaos from the morning is still fresh in his mind, as are the grueling fifteen overtakes that followed.
This time, he pushes everything else aside. No distractions. His focus locks onto the cars ahead and behind. He refuses to relax for even a second. One goal only: avoid any torpedo and make it through Turn 1 clean.
Mark's steady voice comes through the headset over TR.
"Alex Sun, formation lap data normal. Tyre temperatures normal. Reminder: you're on the inside. Hold the center line. Avoid incidents."
Alex Sun nods slightly.
"Copy, Mark."
In the pit bay, Rebecca Lin stares at the screen, eyes fixed on Alex Sun's composed profile. Her legs are tightly crossed, tension written all over her.
She knows better than anyone how dangerous Turn 1 can be. She knows how tightly wound he must be right now. She says nothing, just grips the hem of her shirt and silently repeats, Stay steady, Alex Sun. The morning had already demanded everything from him. This race cannot go wrong again.
Five red lights illuminate one by one. Their glow reflects in Alex Sun's eyes.
In that instant, he enters complete synchronization with the car. Everything sharpens. The world narrows to the strip of asphalt ahead.
The lights go out.
He releases the clutch paddle. Power surges to the rear wheels.
The car launches cleanly off the grid. He feeds in the throttle smoothly, speed building in a controlled, linear rise as grip comes in. Within seconds, he's flat out.
At the same time, he makes a subtle steering input, positioning the car precisely along the inside center line. He protects his own racing line while shutting the door on any late dive from behind, minimizing the risk of a rear-end hit.
His left eye tracks the approach to Turn 1, calculating the braking point. His right eye flicks constantly to the mirror, monitoring the chaos brewing behind.
He knows this stretch before Turn 1 is statistically the most accident-prone moment of any normal race. No room for error. Every input is deliberate.
Just get through it clean.
And then—
White smoke erupts behind him.
The shriek of locked brakes and the harsh clang of metal colliding cut through the air, loud enough to rattle inside his helmet.
In the mirror, the scene snaps into focus.
Guanyu Zhou has locked up. All four tires are smoking, grip completely gone. The car charges forward uncontrollably. His right front wheel slams into the rear section of Ticktum's left front wheel.
Jolyon Palmer's voice tightens instantly.
"Incident! Guanyu Zhou has locked up—right front into the rear of Ticktum's left front! Both cars out of control! Alex Sun is just ahead—can he avoid it?"
Ticktum's car snaps sideways in a heartbeat.
Alex Sun reacts instinctively, wrenching the steering wheel and diving further inside. His rear just skims past the nose of the spinning car. A near miss.
But the moment he tucks in, his heart drops.
Two cars on the inside have already swerved to avoid the crash. Their lines overlap, wheels nearly stacked. There's no space left.
Before he can process it, another impact erupts.
On the outside, Pourchaire's right front makes contact with the rear of Boschung's left front.
The touch is enough. Boschung's grip breaks instantly. The rear swings violently to the right, the car sliding across Turn 1 in a full drift. As it rotates, it sweeps across the racing line—blocking every conventional escape route. Not even a gap remains.
Alex Sun's pupils tighten.
No torpedo.
It cannot happen again.
Even if there's no normal line left, he will find a way through.
Jolyon Palmer's voice is taut.
"Alex Sun is boxed in! Two cars stacked on the inside, Boschung drifting across the track—he has nowhere to go!"
Rebecca Lin stops breathing altogether, hands clasped tightly together as she whispers, "Stay steady." Her eyes don't leave the screen.
In the pit bay, the tension is suffocating.
Mark shoots upright from his seat, hands gripping the edge of the console so tightly his knuckles turn white. His composure shatters. His finger hovers over the TR button as he stares at Alex Sun's trajectory on the monitor, a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.
...
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