"We see the safety car has completed a lap and is back behind the tail of the pack."
"The red flag is waved, the green flag is withdrawn, and the red lights come on!"
The five red lights in front of the drivers illuminate simultaneously. The previously quiet starting grid now echoes with the roar of engines. Thirty-one drivers are crouched low over their fuel tanks, feet on the ground, eyes fixed ahead, the atmosphere tense to the point of suffocation.
"Lights out and away we go."
Hao Dong shouts, and the five red lights on the track extinguish at the same time. The engine roar at the starting grid reaches its peak.
All thirty-one cars launch off the line. Lin Yan is at the forefront, his front wheels lifting slightly. His speed quickly jumps to 150k.
After the changes at Turn 1, Hao Dong swiftly updates the fans in the live broadcast about the situation.
"At the first corner, I have to mention it, Luns was incredibly aggressive, forcing his way inside on Reisner. What a move!"
What Su Chen remembers most vividly from the start at Turn 1 was Luns. He first used the slipstream of Lin Yan directly in front, then, with the advantage of slipstream and horsepower, he caught up to Reisner. Without waiting for the other driver to enter the corner, he forcefully took the inside line, a bold and stylish maneuver.
From the start of this race, Luns seemed to be on stimulants, pushing hard without any regard for his tires. Through Turn 2 after Turn 1, Luns braked heavily, hugging the apex. His rear wheel lifted off the ground, giving Reisner behind no chance to overtake.
Lin Yan continues to lead, with Daniel closely following behind.
"In the consecutive corners of Turns 3 and 4, pay attention to Daniel's position."
The pack remains tight. Lin Yan, at the front, scrapes his elbows along the dual-colored indicator lines at the edge of the track. At Turn 3, he accelerates out of the corner, then shifts from second to third gear, straightening the car.
Braking and downshifting in the middle of the sequence of corners, he executes a smooth and seamless maneuver, even perfectly anticipating Daniel's overtaking line behind him, successfully blocking Daniel in the consecutive corners.
"Wow, Lin Shen actually knew Daniel was going to overtake him on the left and directly blocked him."
"Lin Shen is blocking here. It's a fifty-fifty chance. If he guesses wrong, his lap time drops; if he guesses right, he holds his position."
Exiting the consecutive corners, Lin Yan focuses on every crucial point ahead. In his ears, the wind noise from his helmet and the race car rustles.
Lin Yan's heart rate is exceptionally steady, even with the four-time champion Daniel behind him.
Approaching Turn 5, he downshifts and brakes. Lin Yan's right leg suddenly tenses, and his arms exert force to stabilize the car, which is becoming unstable due to the heavy braking.
At Turn 5, Daniel doesn't make a move. Their tactics are the same; neither has conserved energy at the start, but neither has used tire sliding.
Behind Daniel is now Reisner. Even though Luns is aggressive, the cornering speed of the GP22 cannot match the RC213V. Luns failed to defend his position in the consecutive corners and is now closely following Reisner.
"At Turn 6, Luns and Daniel attack almost simultaneously!"
Hao Dong speaks volubly to the fans in the live broadcast.
Luns overtakes Reisner on corner entry, while Daniel attacks on corner exit. Daniel applies full throttle, wanting to use his lack of electronic control to his advantage in this corner exit.
As Daniel fights for the exit, Lin Yan focuses on defense. The RC213V roars past Lin Yan's side. Daniel successfully overtakes on the exit and then brakes at the braking point for Turn 7.
At the same moment he brakes, Lin Yan's car also comes alongside him, braking later.
Lin Yan reclaims his position at the entrance of Turn 7, and the two drivers execute a wide crossover line.
In the pits, Viñales' focus is not on Daniel and Lin Yan, but on Luns. He has instructed Luns to aggressively engage with Reisner from the beginning, regardless of tire wear.
Luns has already passed Reisner. The leading four drivers are not falling behind; in fact, the duel between Lin Yan and Daniel has slowed their pace.
The reason Viñales told Luns not to save tires and to push hard is strategic. Zhang Mingzhi occasionally looks up at the sky, which has darkened considerably, though it is not raining.
Although the probability of rain is still low given the current conditions, Viñales wants to take a gamble. This gamble, whether successful or not, carries no downside.
If it rains, all drivers will return to the pit lane to change to rain tires, and all tire wear will be reset.
This would not only disrupt Honda's plan but also enhance Luns' performance.
With tires reset, if the rain comes at the right moment, Reisner's conserved tires will be of no use.
Viñales not only hopes for rain but also hopes it comes as late as possible, ideally in the last ten laps of the race when Lin Yan's tires are nearing depletion. If it rains too early, after the tire change, Daniel might continue to pressure Lin Yan's new tires. But if it rains at just the right time, Lin Yan might even be able to overtake two cars.
Meanwhile, in Honda's pit lane, Honda's chief mechanic looks at the darkening sky with great concern. Viñales' hope is precisely what he fears.
Seeing the sky darken, Honda's chief mechanic wishes he could summon a master to perform a ritual to dispel the dark clouds overhead.
The race continues on the track. After Luns passes Reisner, Reisner seems unwilling to fight for the position back and instead follows steadily behind.