Monza's skies were cloudless, but the tension on the tarmac weighed heavy like a brewing storm. The Friday air buzzed with raw anticipation. Grandstands roared alive with Italian fans waving red and blue flags, engine techs bustled in syncopated choreography, and pit boards lit up like a string of nervous Morse code.
Jack Simmons' voice burst through the broadcast feed:
> "Ladies and gentlemen, buckle up—it's Monza, and we're about to find out who's got the nerve and who's just got nerves! I'm Jack Simmons, and joining me is the always-cool Whitney Moore. Whitney, how's your heart rate today?"
Whitney responded with a smirk in her tone:
> "Unlike yours, Jack, it's under control. But this qualifying is critical — Monza rewards raw speed, and mistakes are amplified on this iconic track."
---
Qualifying Begins
The first green light of the session flickered, and cars zipped out of the pitlane like greyhounds released. The entire grid of 20 sought that perfect lap, hunting milliseconds in Monza's temple of speed.
In the Vaayu GP garage, Sukhman Singh sat with eyes closed, fingers twitching ever so slightly, visualizing every chicane. Just across the lane, Ravi Deshmukh tightened his gloves, receiving a subtle nod from one of the Tejas Motorsport engineers — one who hadn't been in the paddock earlier.
Something was up… but no one noticed.
---
On the Track
> Jack: "And Callum Graves is on a flyer as always! Look at those sector times — he's shaving ice off his own record!"
The crowd's cheers built in waves as the three-time world champion glided through Lesmo like a surgeon's scalpel. His car danced along the edge of grip, wheels millimeters from the gravel. Purple sector. Then another. He was attacking the lap like a man chasing ghosts.
> Whitney: "Erik Holtz and Jia Tan are also looking solid. Tan especially — his precision through Ascari is surgical. I wouldn't be surprised if he throws a surprise punch today."
And then it happened.
In the silence before the storm, Jia Tan crossed the line.
The timing screens lit up.
Fastest overall.
The paddock froze for a moment — even Callum's crew, halfway through a quiet celebration, blinked in disbelief.
Jia's lap wasn't flamboyant. It was clinical. Intentional. Every apex kissed, every throttle input calculated. A masterclass in control, not chaos.
---
But far from the cameras, deep in a quiet corner of the paddock, a laptop blinked thrice. A quiet tap of keys. A file updated.
Someone — somewhere — was watching.
Charlotte's lap delta was marked. Noted. Logged.
For later.
---
Top 10 Qualifying Results
> Whitney: "Final times are coming in… and here's the order — Jia Tan takes pole! That's a surprise to many."
> Jack: "Callum second, but Erik Holtz — what a performance in P3. I mean, Monza's got claws today!"
They weren't wrong. The temple of speed had bared its teeth.
Final Qualifying Order:
1. Jia Tan 🇨🇳 – "The tactician's time attack."
2. Callum Graves 🇬🇧 – "Blistering pace, but not enough today."
3. Erik Holtz 🇩🇪 – "Young blood, cold nerves."
4. Thiago Martins 🇦🇷 – "Chaos in motion — but controlled today."
5. Alain Bellamy 🇫🇷 – "Mr. Consistent keeps showing up."
6. Amelia Foster 🇬🇧 – "Grace under pressure."
7. Dante Rizzo 🇮🇹 – "Local flair, fiery as ever."
8. Diego Montoya 🇧🇷 – "Smooth operator."
9. Charlotte Reid 🇦🇺 – "Quiet storm."
10. Omar Irani 🇲🇦 – "Edge-of-the-seat style sneaks him in."
---
Team Radio Breakdown – Qualifying Session at Monza
---
1. Jia Tan 🇨🇳 – P1
> Engineer: "Jia... you've done it. P1. That's provisional pole — and it's holding."
Jia (calmly): "Understood. Car felt neutral. Brakes were twitchy at Lesmo 2 — we'll review that."
Engineer: "Copy. You're ice cold, mate."
Jia: "I don't get paid to sweat."
---
2. Callum Graves 🇬🇧 – P2
> Engineer: "Callum, that's P2. Just... just shy. Jia found something in Sector 2."
Callum (laughs softly): "Tell him dinner's on me — if he lets me through tomorrow."
Engineer: "He'll take your money. Not the position."
Callum: "Fair. Let's get aggressive with setup for the race."
---
3. Erik Holtz 🇩🇪 – P3
> Engineer: "P3, Erik! Massive lap. Best performance of the season."
Erik: "Told you I like pressure. Ascari felt glued."
Engineer: "Copy that. You were fearless through Parabolica."
Erik: "Only one way to learn. Brake late and hope I'm right."
---
4. Thiago Martins 🇦🇷 – P4
> Engineer: "P4! Big improvement from the first run."
Thiago: "Yeah, yeah! She finally listened to me — car came alive."
Engineer: "Nice recovery after the Variante chicane wobble."
Thiago: "That curb tried to kill me. I flirted back."
---
5. Alain Bellamy 🇫🇷 – P5
> Engineer: "P5 confirmed. Smooth across the board."
Alain: "Consistent. But not exciting."
Engineer: "Doesn't have to be. This is chess."
Alain: "Then I'm two moves from checkmate."
---
6. Amelia Foster 🇬🇧 – P6
> Engineer: "Good job, Amelia. P6. Solid across all sectors."
Amelia: "Car's still understeering into Lesmo 1. Need a look."
Engineer: "Copy. We'll pull up data. You held it together well."
Amelia: "Held it, yeah. But I want to break it open next time."
---
7. Dante Rizzo 🇮🇹 – P7
> Engineer: "P7! And the crowd loves it!"
Dante: "They better. I risked my life through Ascari."
Engineer: "You nearly kissed the wall on exit."
Dante: "All part of the show."
---
8. Diego Montoya 🇧🇷 – P8
> Engineer: "P8. Not bad, not great. How's the balance?"
Diego: "Rear felt light on corner entry — especially through Roggia."
Engineer: "We'll tighten rear damping. Still a strong launch point."
Diego: "This is just foreplay. Let's save the heat for tomorrow."
---
9. Charlotte Reid 🇦🇺 – P9
> Engineer: "Solid lap, Charlotte. P9 currently."
Charlotte (cool): "Copy."
Engineer: "...Everything okay?"
Charlotte: "I'm not here for comfort. I'm here to climb."
---
10. Omar Irani 🇲🇦 – P10
> Engineer: "Omar — you're in! P10. Nice save in the final sector."
Omar: "The rear snapped — thought I lost it."
Engineer: "But you caught it. That's what matters."
Omar: "Race day's where the real fight begins."
---
11. Sukhman Singh 🇮🇳 – P11 (Just missed out)
> Engineer: "P11, Sukhman. Missed by just under a tenth."
Sukhman (quietly): "Copy."
Engineer: "You okay?"
Sukhman: "Yeah. Just not the right lap. But it's coming."
---
Back in the Garage
The garage wasn't loud — it never was after a near miss.
Sukhman stood near the telemetry station, watching the digital timing screens flicker. He didn't blink. Didn't flinch.
P11.
One place. One breath. One tenth. That's all it was.
Mechanics moved around him, silent in their respect. A driver in reflection was sacred space.
Beside him, Coach Arne stepped in from the pit lane. His sunglasses still on, even in the low-lit garage. The old racer always seemed more myth than man — stories wrapped in silence, wisdom sharpened by past scars.
He didn't speak right away.
Instead, he stared at the screen.
Then, he placed a weathered hand on Sukhman's shoulder — firm, grounding.
> "Not every lap is about speed," he said, voice low and gruff. "But you'll know when the right one is."
Cryptic. Typical Arne. But it landed.
Sukhman didn't nod. Didn't speak. But his jaw set slightly, a flicker of fire behind his eyes.
The day wasn't his.
But it wasn't over.
---
In the Shadows…
Elsewhere — far from the lights and cheers — a man in a darkened control room leaned back, fingers steepled beneath his chin. Around him, monitors blinked with driver cams, lap telemetry, and live sports feeds.
One feed lingered on Ravi Deshmukh's helmet cam. Another on Charlotte Reid's lap delta.
He pressed the intercom button.
> "Initiate phase three. I want data from Monza... all of it."
From the silence, a voice replied:
> "Understood."
He smiled.