Calm. Focused. All-seeing. In control.
Threshold braking, hugging the line, defending his position. Kai's series of fluid actions had maximized his straight-line speed.
Boccolacci's strategy was correct: use the slipstream to gain an advantage. But his move to pull out of the slipstream and claim the inside line was a half-beat too slow. His nose was barely overlapping Kai's rear when Kai, braking late and flicking the tail out, broke the overlap, causing Boccolacci to lock up instantly.
But Kai had no time to worry about Boccolacci. His attention was already on his left.
Russell's execution was clearly superior. Although his front wheels were slightly behind Kai's rear wing, not quite fully alongside, Kai had braked so late for Turn 1 that the front half of his car was already committed, spearing straight toward Turn 2 and compromising his line.
If Kai continued to brake late, Russell would own the space. He would claim the inside, use the mid-corner speed, and close the gap between them.
In other words, Russell was a sharp dagger pressed against Kai's back, ready to lunge forward in the next second.
The threat level was significantly higher than Boccolacci's.
So, what to do?
In a split second, Kai made a decisive call. He didn't brake late. He braked early. He immediately brought the car under control, inducing a slight understeer to turn into Turn 2, aggressively cutting across the track and effectively chopping the flowing double-corner into two isolated turns!
Russell froze. Is that guy crazy? Does he think he's Verstappen?
Russell held his breath. Should he brake? Or should he keep going and hit Kai's rear wheel, sending him for a spin?
But Kai gave Russell no time to react.
Brake, steer, throttle. In the blink of an eye, he executed a seamless sequence of inputs. The rear of his car, amidst the turbulent wake, miraculously found grip. Like a nimble sprite, it obediently tucked in, tightened up, and shot into Turn 2.
All that was left in front of Russell's nose was a fading afterimage.
Russell held his breath and instinctively braked early as well, turning the wheel slightly to the left. He also tried to use early braking and understeer to hug the apex of Turn 2 and exit directly. But to his horror, his car slid sideways.
And Aitken became collateral damage.
A crash was imminent. Aitken frantically yanked his steering wheel, sending his car off the track and onto the grass.
"Damn it!" Aitken cursed.
Russell was no different. "Fuck. What the hell is he doing?"
In that brief moment of chaos, Boccolacci threaded the needle, slipping past Russell and latching onto Kai's gearbox as they sped toward Turn 3.
It wasn't just Boccolacci. The driver in P5, Leonardo Pulcini of Arden, who had been patiently following in the slipstream, seized the opportunity to dive through the gap.
Russell glanced over, no time to complain, and tucked in beside Pulcini, the two of them entering the high-speed Turn 3 side-by-side.
Aitken had already fallen to fifth.
All of this happened in just two corners, Turn 1 and Turn 2. It was dizzying, overwhelming. In the Sky Sports commentary box, Croft and Brundle were mesmerized.
Who would have thought that a GP3 race, at the notoriously "boring" Barcelona circuit, would deliver such a spectacular start?
But there was no time to breathe, no time for replays.
The race was still on.
Croft immediately noticed Boccolacci hunting Kai down, accelerating out of the high-speed Turn 3.
"It's the season opener, and ART is looking to sweep the podium. But clearly, Trident disagrees! Boccolacci steps up!"
"After two corners, Boccolacci is up to second and is glued to the back of our leader, Kai Zhizhou."
"In the high-speed Turn 3, Boccolacci is clearly pushing."
"Does he know this will destroy his tires? Of course."
"Does he care? No. Absolutely not."
"The keyword for Lap 1 is simple: Attack!"
"Boccolacci is giving it everything he's got. It's clear Kai didn't plan to push to the limit on the first lap, or perhaps he didn't expect Trident to go all-in from the start. Boccolacci's pace is exceeding Kai's, and the gap is shrinking. He's within a second."
"But this is Lap 1. DRS is not enabled yet."
DRS (Drag Reduction System) is an adjustable flap on the rear wing. When activated, the flap opens, reducing drag and giving the car a significant speed boost on the straights.
Introduced in F1 in 2011 to increase overtaking, it is essentially a "cheat button."
Of course, it has limits.
The gap to the car in front must be less than one second. It can only be used in designated DRS zones. And it cannot be used until two laps after the start (or a restart).
This year, GP3 was introducing the technology for the first time.
Although it was new to the series, the young drivers were familiar with it from F1.
Trident wasn't sure of ART's strategy, so they had to play their own game. Without DRS, Boccolacci had to stick to Kai like glue. He couldn't let the gap open up now, even if it meant burning up his tires. He just needed to hold on for two laps, use DRS to pass, and then manage his tires to defend the win.
The calculation was clear.
The question was: how would ART respond?
Borreipaire's voice came over the radio. "Kai, do you feel the pressure? Push a little if you need to."
Kai glanced in his mirror. Boccolacci was indeed relentless. But after Turn 4, Barcelona enters a technical, twisty section where the air is churned into a chaotic soup. Overtaking difficulty skyrockets, and the demand on driver control is immense.
In qualifying, you push flat out. But in a 22-lap race, you have to think about tire life.
"If he's not worried about dirty air, I don't mind him following," Kai replied.
Steady. Calm. Unruffled.
Borreipaire nodded to himself. "Received." He offered no further advice.
Kai and Boccolacci led the way, nose-to-tail. In just a few corners, they had already pulled a slight gap to Russell and Pulcini behind them.
But the situation was still fluid. First and second, third and fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh—everyone was tangled together, running in trains.
Brundle immediately spotted a detail.
"Kai looks completely unbothered. His braking points, his lines... he's using slight understeer to control the car perfectly. His speed isn't high, but his rhythm is excellent."
"You can see Boccolacci isn't used to this rhythm. He's pushing too hard. He needs to be careful of the turbulent dirty air, otherwise..."
Before he could finish, Croft shouted.
"Boccolacci! Turn 14! He's lost it completely! He's off the track!"
...He couldn't even keep up for a single lap?
~~----------------------
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