Before the award ceremony began, Alex Sun, Vips, and Beckmann stood waiting beside the podium entrance. Vips glanced at Alex Sun's calm expression and couldn't help complaining, his voice full of helpless admiration.
"You're seriously ridiculous. In the second half of the race I couldn't even see your taillights. Every time I felt like I was closing the gap, my race engineer would mercilessly tell me over the TR that you'd pulled away again. That 15-second gap you kept was like a city wall standing in front of me."
Alex Sun turned his head, his expression barely changing.
"Just luck. And it wasn't 15 seconds. Once my tire wear got worse later on, didn't the gap start shrinking?"
Vips rolled his eyes and looked at him speechlessly.
"Yeah, it shrank—from 15 seconds to 10, and then it stopped. In the end it was still a huge gap. I had no chance of catching you."
Beckmann, who had been listening beside them, couldn't help joining in, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery.
"Don't even talk about that kind of gap. You held him off longer than anyone this race. When I was fighting him, he practically tricked the pants off me. The moment he opened DRS, he just blasted past me. I didn't even have a chance to defend."
Alex Sun spread his hands in a small shrug, about to respond, when a race official hurried over and interrupted their conversation with a smile.
"Gentlemen, the podium ceremony is about to begin. Please follow me to the podium."
The three exchanged glances, ending their chat as they followed the official forward.
Alex Sun straightened his back and stepped onto the highest step of the podium. Behind him came second-place Vips and third-place Beckmann.
The moment they took their positions, the lights of the entire venue focused on them as the national anthem began to play.
Alex Sun instinctively straightened his posture even more, his gaze fixed firmly on the national flag as it slowly rose. The pride in his eyes was impossible to hide, along with a faint trace of emotion.
All the exhaustion and tension from the race seemed to melt away the moment the anthem started. What remained was a swelling pride that warmed his chest.
When the anthem ended, the flags of the top three drivers slowly reached the top.
Race officials stepped onto the podium. Following FIA procedure, they first handed the winner's trophy to Alex Sun.
The cool metal brushed against his palm. Its weight felt heavy in his hands, yet warm in his chest, and memories of the chaotic opening laps surfaced in his mind.
The Baku Sprint race was infamous for its accidents. The track was narrow and full of corners, making overtaking extremely difficult. Not long after the start, collisions broke out one after another, forcing several cars to retire. Those dangerous moments still lingered vividly in his mind.
This wasn't some light or empty honor.
It was the result of keeping his composure and fighting for victory on a crash-prone circuit.
It was built on countless late nights of practice and the strength accumulated day after day.
It was the reward for holding steady through the opening chaos and grinding through the race step by step.
And more than anything, it was his first sprint race victory at the Baku circuit—something whose meaning could not be replaced.
Alex Sun tightened his grip on the trophy and subconsciously glanced to his right.
Mark, representing the championship team, had already come up to the podium and stood not far from him. Their eyes met, and they exchanged a knowing smile. All the hard work and silent understanding between them was contained in that single glance.
Soon after, race officials presented the second-place trophy to Vips and the third-place trophy to Beckmann.
Once the trophies were handed out, the guests left the stage in an orderly manner.
In the commentary booth, Jolyon Palmer's voice still carried lingering excitement. There were no fancy words, only genuine emotion.
"This is Alex Sun's real strength! Three Safety Car interruptions during the race, and he still drove a steady race to claim his first victory in Baku. We all knew he had it in him, but seeing it happen still gets your blood pumping. This kid has an incredible future ahead of him!"
The thrilling moment was broadcast live on Sky Sports, reaching Jenson Button.
He switched off the stream, tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, and turned to his agent with a serious expression.
"Notify Rossi, the team principal of Alex Sun's new team. Tell him I accept the offer for the No. 2 driver seat next season. Begin formal discussions with them."
Earlier, Rossi, fulfilling his duties as team principal, had proactively sent a preliminary invitation to the 2009 F1 World Champion, Jenson Button. His main concern had been whether Alex Sun could balance the dual roles of team owner and lead driver.
But Alex Sun's stable performance and undeniable championship-level strength on the Baku circuit finally convinced him to accept Rossi's invitation. Just like every team contract he had considered before, his decision was made with careful thought and firm resolve.
Meanwhile, the champagne celebration on the podium officially began.
Staff quickly brought over four bottles of champagne.
Vips and Beckmann exchanged a glance. With perfect tacit understanding, they twisted open their corks and immediately sprayed champagne at Alex Sun standing on the top step.
Milky-white foam instantly soaked Alex Sun from head to toe. The two of them laughed as they sprayed, their voices full of teasing but also sincere congratulations.
Alex Sun wiped the foam from his face and laughed, unwilling to be outdone. He twisted open his own bottle and turned toward Mark beside him, raising his chin slightly.
"Mark, let's counterattack side by side!"
Mark, who had already come up to the podium with him, immediately understood. He popped his cork, and the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, spraying champagne back at Vips and Beckmann.
For a moment the podium was filled with laughter. Champagne foam flew everywhere, and the crowd's cheers surged once more, pushing the joy of victory to its peak.
After quite a while, the champagne celebration finally wound down.
The three brushed the foam off themselves and quickly straightened their clothes. Alex Sun didn't linger and headed straight for the interview area.
He still had interviews waiting.
Facing the cameras, with bits of champagne foam still clinging to his face, Alex Sun smiled faintly and spoke in his usual steady tone.
"I'm really happy to win my first title in Baku."
"This race wasn't easy. I had my team with me the whole way. Every strategy adjustment, every reminder over the radio—none of it could have been missing. This honor belongs to the entire team, not just me. I'll keep working hard and try to win a few more races."
A reporter asked whether he hoped to stand on the top step again at Baku.
Alex Sun's eyes lit up immediately, his tone firm.
"Of course I do. The Baku circuit means something special to me. This is where I won my first championship."
"I really hope I can come back here in the future, win again, and fulfill another dream that belongs to Baku."
As soon as the interview ended, Alex Sun didn't stay any longer and headed straight back to the pit bay.
The moment he pushed open the door, the team members who had been waiting inside surrounded him instantly. Arms wrapped around him from all sides as cheers nearly lifted the roof off the pit bay.
René Rosin slapped him on the shoulder with force, his voice slightly hoarse with excitement.
"Alex Sun, you actually did it! Who would've thought your first Baku win would come this fast? We all thought you'd need the main race to take the victory."
"We've seen everything you've gone through along the way. Now it's all paid off. Totally worth it—absolutely worth it!"
Alex Sun laughed and patted Rosin's arm before greeting the mechanics one by one. They chatted briefly about details from the race and shared the joy of the victory.
After a short while, he excused himself and walked toward the shower room in the pit bay. His whole body was sweaty and sticky—he needed a quick shower and a change of clothes.
Once inside, Alex Sun locked the door behind him, turned on the hot water, and quietly brought up the system panel while waiting for the water.
He first claimed the attribute points from the stage mission. Without hesitation, he put all of them into Launch Control.
Watching the value for "Launch Control" jump to 63, a satisfied smile flashed in his eyes.
With this, his race starts would be more stable and advantageous next time. He would also have greater confidence during restarts after a Safety Car.
After washing up quickly, Alex Sun changed into a clean set of casual clothes. Without the racing suit, he looked less sharp than on the track and far more relaxed, giving him a refreshed appearance.
When he stepped out of the shower room, his assistant Rebecca Lin was already waiting outside, holding his belongings.
The two walked over to the team members, exchanged a few brief goodbyes, then picked up their things and left the pit bay together.
As soon as they reached the parking lot, Alex Sun's phone began buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw the name "Zhou" on the screen. A smile spread across his face as he answered.
"You lucky bastard, huh? Actually got handed good fortune like that."
Guanyu Zhou's voice carried obvious helplessness, mixed with teasing.
"For my sake, come have dinner with me. Deal, Champion?"
He deliberately dragged out the last word, his sarcastic tone impossible to hide.
Alex Sun chuckled.
"Of course I'm coming. Such a great guy, sacrificing yourself for others. This championship definitely owes at least a third of the credit to you."
After hanging up, Alex Sun gave Rebecca Lin a quick instruction to head back and rest instead of accompanying him.
He then walked quickly to his car, opened the door, slid into the driver's seat, and started the engine, heading toward the restaurant Zhou had mentioned.
The setting sun spread golden light across the road beside the racetrack. The evening breeze flowed through the window, carrying away the last trace of fatigue.
Alex Sun held the steering wheel, a faint smile lingering at the corner of his lips.
His heart was light with the relief that came after victory, and he was already looking forward to the teasing, celebratory dinner waiting ahead.
...
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