Zhou Guanyu and Dominik Crorvinus walked along the side of the pit lane, casually talking about their winter break arrangements. Both still had events to attend before the season truly ended. Zhou mentioned he would be spending more time with Alfa Romeo over the next few days.
Dominik sighed softly. "Feels strange. After all these years in the paddock."
Each step landed heavily on the concrete. The roar of engines and the cheers from the grandstands echoed endlessly, making the night feel dense and suffocating.
With the winter break approaching, there would be no more constant travel, no daily simulator sessions, no strategy briefings. Life, which had been running at full speed, suddenly slowed to a stop.
Suddenly, Dominik looked toward the track.
A marshal waved a yellow flag. The screen flashed SC.
He tapped Zhou's arm. "Look."
Zhou followed his gaze. They exchanged a glance and immediately turned back, breaking into a hurried jog.
Dominik's legs felt weak almost instantly. The fatigue he hadn't noticed during the race now flooded in. His steps were unsteady, vision slightly blurred. It was always like this—during the race, the body obeyed. Afterward, it collapsed.
They reached the Williams pit garage. Engineers and strategists were focused on the screens.
Lap 53.Latifi had crashed into the barrier after contact with Mick Schumacher.
Safety Car.
The pit lane exploded into motion. Cars rushed in. Crews swarmed.
Verstappen pitted for soft tires.Hamilton stayed out.
Dominik's heart began to pound. The situation reminded him too much of his own race earlier—everything stable until the final laps, when control slipped away.
He had watched Hamilton win countless times. Those victories had been part of his motivation since his earliest days in racing.
And now—
Lap 56.
Race control allowed the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves. The others remained in place.
Dominik frowned. "Why only them?"
Capito noticed him standing near the monitors, fists clenched.
"This is Formula One," Capito said quietly. "It doesn't always reward fairness."
Dominik didn't reply. His eyes never left the screen.
The Safety Car pulled in.
The race restarted.
Hamilton accelerated hard on worn tires. Verstappen followed closely, the grip advantage obvious.
Turn 1.Turn 2.
The gap vanished.
At Turn 5, Verstappen made his move.
Dominik's breath caught. There was nothing anyone could do now.
The overtake was clean.
From there, Hamilton could only defend. The difference in tires decided everything.
The checkered flag waved.
Verstappen crossed the line first.Hamilton finished second.Sainz took third.
Fireworks lit up the sky. Red Bull celebrated on the main straight.
Dominik felt empty.
In the pit lane, Zhou slowed down. "I'm heading back to the Alfa Romeo garage."
"Yeah," Dominik replied. "Go."
Zhou turned away and disappeared into the crowd.
Dominik continued forward alone.
Near parc fermé, Hamilton sat in his car, helmet off, unmoving.
Dominik stopped a short distance away.
"This wasn't on you," he said quietly.
Hamilton looked up, expression calm. "That's racing."
Nothing more needed to be said.
Hamilton climbed out and walked toward the podium.
The season was over.
And what came next had already begun.