The car juddered to a speeding pace, as the pit lane was in the rear mirrors, and the Audi picked up pace. Slow on this one, warm the tyres, get round, keep it clean. The sunset was a beautiful backdrop, as he took the car calmly around Turn 2, the sharp brake into Turn 3 followed by the chicane section with a relatively empty track, the next car a few seconds ahead and the same with the one behind- Regina, or perhaps someone else, though Ryan didn't care. A sharp left that was meant to be the back straight was cut up by the chicane straight out of the cut-off section of this variant of Yas Marina, with a sharp left-right barely slowing Ryan, as he barely clambered, and the V8 purred, the engine roaring as he shifted at the red line, already feeling quick.
"Okay, tyres are looking better. Nothing extreme." Ryan heard from Lucas, as the 200 marker came up, for Turn 8. The brakes were on within the next 40m, the slow braking thanks to the ABS at least not a deliberate skid, and a gentle brake, as Ryan turned hard, the car keeping neat as the newly-found heat in the tyres stuck, and the technical section flowed with ease, as Ryan took Turn 9 aggressively, already thundering back to speed under the Yas Marina Circuit sign, the iconic blue walkway visible in his rearview as he went through the gears, headed quicker and quicker. The car hit sixth gear, and going 170mph by the end of the straight, Ryan felt the sheer flow of the car move, the run an incredible surge. The next complex after Turn 11 was simple, taken neatly but not perfectly, a little slower, as was Turn 15, the wide right hander into the hairpin under the main Marina building, lighted up at this time of night to offer an additional attraction, sat away. The hard left turn under the tunnel of the Marina building, followed by another caught Ryan off a little, and it always did, as he got back up to pace, already storming through Turn 20 and braking early for Turn 21, to cut the apex a little narrow, though it was neatly ended, with a little kick of the rear end.
"Okay Ryan, hotlap- give it five then pull into the pit lane. Do what you do best- Regina's going to join you out there." He heard, as he nodded to himself, already in fifth as he crossed the 150m marker for Turn 1, braking sharp but neatly, as he took the hard left.

Cutting the far kerb, Ryan had kept the compsure, and it was good enough. Back on the gas, the lap through the first complex was quick- so quick in fact, it had set so far, the split record for the section up to the chicane, and it was almost 0.5 seconds ahead of Muller, Lucas watching the monitor in the board.
"Okay Ryan, maintain this momentum, beautiful sector. You're losing time through Sector Three and Four, so make them special." Lucas said, as he switched to Regina, Ryan acknowledging this, as he passed under the bright-blue walkway again, the time ticking. Turns 11-14 were fairly average, but Ryan pulled it back on Turn 15 and 16 with an audacious line, that force him hard on the brakes at Turn 17, on the outer kerb but carrying through a hell of a lot of speed, one that had got him through the sector as fastest. And pulling through to the end, back to the Start/Finish straight, he felt good, Lucas had to confirm it.
"Ryan, you're on Pole, nice work- 0.15 seconds ahead of Muller on that lap. He'll try and respond, so keep your game up." Ryan head, the Audi as a beast thrown on the apex on Turn 1, as it almost lost the rear, but Ryan did well to keep it, the vehicle despite Traction Control wanting to completely lose itself, and Ryan's steely nerve at least holding it, as the sweeping right of Turn 2 went into the hard left that moved onto the cut-across layout of the Championship Circuit, rather than towards a hairpin as seen in the GP layout.