Nico
The smile lingered on my lips long after Alaric overtook Kelvin.
The entire Ferrari section of the grandstands exploded into chaos, a sea of scarlet flags waving wildly beneath the blinding floodlights like blood against the black desert sky.
I exhaled slowly inside my helmet as I swept through Turn 11, feeling the Red Bull sink low against the asphalt before launching out of the corner with a violent burst of speed.
Sparks scattered briefly beneath the car, bright orange streaks disappearing behind me into the night, and right behind those sparks came the Ferrari.
It was closer now, close enough for me to recognize the subtle aggression in Alaric's lines and the way he carried just a fraction more speed through the apex than anyone else dared.
The circuit had transformed completely since sunset. Bahrain no longer looked like a desert drowning beneath heat and sunlight.
