All the Way - an F1 story

2

27 March, 2021
📍Sakhir, Bahrain

The drive to the circuit was fairly short. It took quite some convincing from the two friends for Lella to let her drive, and finally, it wasn't before long that Calina was pulling into the parking lot.

"This is gonna be exciting," Elara said with a grin, stepping out of the nice AC in the car and into the heat wave. "A nice weekend off for once, no training, no hills, no snowboarding. The off-season is nice! I can't wait."

"Think again. Richie just sent me your program for the next three weeks, and man, am I going to have fun." Lella grinned, flashing her phone screen at the teen. Elara snatched the phone from her, looking over the email from her trainer in horror.

"It would be nicer if it wasn't this hot," Calina sighed, wiping a small bead of sweat from her forehead as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"Poor thing. Is it too much for you, Canari?" said a voice from behind, a French accent peeking through. When she turned to see who the owner was, she laughed at the older man who stood there.

"Oh yeah, you're one to talk, Perceval," she mused, pulling her roller bag out the trunk of the car. "And I can't believe you still call me Canari."

"Well, you still call me Perceval, so I think it's fair," Charles said, his arm lazily hanging around her shoulders as they began walking towards the entrance of the paddock. "What happened to that sweater anyways?"

"I grew out of it when I was, like, eight. Ivelle's saving it for Céleste. I think now you should be calling her Canari," Calina told him, referencing her two-year-old cousin, trying to maneuver around people standing around the paddock while the Monegasque kept his arm around her.

Charles shook his head mockingly. "As long as you and I are both alive, you will be called Canari," he replied, chuckling at the unamused look on Calina's face. "Are you ready for today? You guys looked quick in practice yesterday. It's making me jealous!"

"As you should. It's not my fault you signed an eighty-year contract with Ferrari, so you can have fun driving that tractor."

He couldn't help but laugh, Calina joining in. "Wow. That was good, I'll admit." Charles smirked, stopping in front of the Ferrari building. "We'll see who's laughing after quali." With that, he ran off into the building, after ruffling his hand through her hair, leaving Calina, exclaiming in protest, there to try and fix it.

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀

Walking into the garage, dressed in her fireproofs and race suit and still pulling half her hair into a dutch braid, Calina walked over to where Elara stood, leaning against the back counter that lined the inner perimeter of the space.

"You're nearly late," Elara said, holding out the black water bottle for Calina to take, while the older teen secured the braid with a small elastic.

"I know, I know, El," Calina huffed, taking a sip of water. She then made her way over to where the two strategists stood, discussing a set of data present on the computer screen.

"Are we ready, kids?" Calina asked, wrapping her arms around the shoulders of the duo, Henry and Anna. It was loud in the garage with the noise of the cars' engines making everyone have to raise their voices in order to have a proper conversation. The two teams of mechanics were crowding around, making some last minute adjustments, adding clear tape, making sure tires were warmed and ready to be attached to the cars. There was an energy in the air, everyone on the team seeming very excited to get the first weekend underway. The mood was great, and it made Calina more excited.