The heat in Barcelona was sharp, lingering over the track like a curtain of pressure. There was something electric about the paddock that Saturday. As if everyone knew something was about to crack — on the tarmac or behind it.
The Vaayu GP garage was unusually quiet. Sukhman sat on a carbon-fiber chair beside the car, watching FP3 data scroll across the screens. Engineers bustled around, adjusting wing configurations and tire pressures, but Sukhman's mind was elsewhere.
His fingers curled around the steering gloves, eyes fixated on sector splits of other drivers.
Charlotte Reid — 1:19.332
Jia Tan — 1:19.190
Callum Graves — 1:18.221
The best were already flying.
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Garage Chatter
> Crew Chief Rajan (on intercom): "Fuel load reduced. You'll have one flying lap in Q3. We're aiming for clean air."
> Chief Engineer Siddharth: "Mid-corner exit's improved since FP2. Trust the balance. Let the car rotate."
Sukhman gave a subtle nod. "Copy."
Just across the paddock, Callum Graves stood stoically beside his car, helmet under one arm. His race engineer gave him a calm rundown of ideal corner exits, but Callum didn't need reminding. This track had been conquered by him before. Today was about maintaining fear.
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Q1: The Shake-Up
> 🎙️ Jack Simmons: "Lights out for Q1 and it's instantly tense! Already we're seeing Montoya and Martins going all out!"
> 🎙️ Whitney Moore: "Indeed, Jack. This session is critical. The midfield's tighter than ever."
Dante Rizzo pushed aggressively on Turn 9, nearly clipping the barrier, while Rosa Calderon trailed behind him, trying to catch a tow down the straight. Noa Takahashi found time in sector three, momentarily climbing to P7 before being pushed out.
Sukhman clocked a decent 1:19.880 in Q1 — enough to get through. But it was close.
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Q2: Contact & Drama
Jia Tan and Erik Holtz found themselves on similar exit timings. Both refused to back down heading into Turn 3. For a moment, there was sidepod-to-sidepod tension.
> 🎙️ Jack: "Oh! That's cheeky from Tan! Holtz isn't going to like that!"
> 🎙️ Whitney: "They touched just slightly. Clean enough… barely. That's the kind of mind-game you expect between tactical drivers."
In the background, Raghav leaned forward at the monitor.
> Raghav (mutters): "Too much chaos. Sukhman please. Just survive this round."
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⚔️ Q3: The Final Standoff
Only ten cars remained. The heat shimmered above the tarmac as each team prepped their drivers for one final shot.
Sukhman left the pits with 3 minutes to go — one last flyer.
His out-lap was steady, tires warmed, and his mind finally cleared.
> "Let's go," he whispered to himself.
His Lap:
Sector 1: Clean, balanced. Minor oversteer at Turn 5, corrected mid-corner.
Sector 2: Quick switchback over Rampa. Gained a tenth.
Sector 3: High-speed entry into New Holland, just brushing the apex.
Across the line: 1:18.991 — P5.
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Driver Highlights During Quali
Charlotte Reid, after an underwhelming start, found traction late. Her final lap put her barely into P10 — a silent fist pump followed.
Ravi Deshmukh surprised many in Q2 but dropped pace mysteriously in Q3. Engineers scratched their heads; something felt off.
Amelia Foster set purple in S1, but locked up into Turn 10 and dropped from a potential P3 to P8. It is highly rare from a seasoned driver.
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In the Shadows…
In a dark surveillance room in a nondescript building overlooking the Mediterranean, that same mysterious man sat with six screens flickering.
One screen focused solely on Charlotte's telemetry. Another on Holtz's radio communications. Subtle adjustments blinked on an encrypted console.
> Voice over intercom: "Phase Three – Integration: Stable. No red flags."
He looked at the handwritten note taped next to the screen:
Phase One – Influence
Phase Two – Resources
Phase Three – Integration
Phase Four – Disruption
Phase Five – Collapse & Control
> "Begin pre-checks for disruption," he said quietly, dialing into another line.
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Top 10 Qualifiers – Barcelona Grand Prix
Position Driver Country Time
1️⃣ Callum Graves 🇬🇧 UK 1:18.221
2️⃣ Thiago Martins 🇦🇷 Argentina 1:18.511
3️⃣ Erik Holtz 🇩🇪 Germany 1:18.573
4️⃣ Diego Montoya 🇧🇷 Brazil 1:18.788
5️⃣ Sukhman Singh 🇮🇳 India 1:18.991
6️⃣ Alain Bellamy 🇫🇷 France 1:19.082
7️⃣ Jia Tan 🇨🇳 China 1:19.190
8️⃣ Amelia Foster 🇬🇧 UK 1:19.236
9️⃣ Lukar Meier 🇨🇭 Switzerland 1:19.321
🔟 Charlotte Reid 🇦🇺 Australia 1:19.428
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Closing Scene
After exiting the car, Sukhman took a deep breath. Not pole. But not bad.
Harinder met him with a towel and a grin. "You were flying, bhai."
Sukhman smiled faintly. "Let's hope tomorrow, I soar."
In the background, Charlotte looked over — just a glance. Then turned away.