A girl chasing her dream. A boy looking for the light.
When Florence Nyx started her internship at a Formula 1 paddock, she expected a lot. Fast cars. Exclusive impressions most people could only dream of. An entire array of skills she'd acquire...
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I could barely remember the last time I'd been this determined to win.
Racing was my life, and I'd always wanted to stand at the top of that podium, feel the post-race adrenaline of a victory. It was what every single driver in the paddock fought for, what made us sacrifice as much as we did.
But this season, things were different.
With every victory I couldn't secure, with every point I'd lost to my opponents, my frustration grew. I'd been on the podium for six of the seven races since Bahrain, but none of them had felt real. None of them had felt like I'd deserved them.
And it wasn't just because of that promise I'd made to Flo.
It was seeing how hard everyone worked, how much effort went into improving the car from weekend to weekend.
After twelve weeks, the racecar with the number 7 on top had been at a whole different level than at the beginning of the season. Flo and her team had done some miraculous work, work that I'd seen with my own eyes a few times when I'd spotted her in the garage in the middle of the night. She'd been working her ass off to get me to the top of that podium, sacrificing her time and energy every hour of every day.
This wasn't just a full-time job for her, it was her vocation, her passion, her life.
And now that the car was up to the others' standards, it was my responsibility to bring this win home.
"Dude, at least try and look like you want to be here," Idir snapped me out of my thoughts.
I glanced over at my friend and smirked when he fiddled with the black bow tie around his neck. This ridiculous tuxedo looked good on him, even though it was weird seeing him in anything other than gym shorts and a tank top.
"But I don't want to be here," I finally retorted.
Leaning against the bar, I took a sip of the lemonade Idir had ordered for me. It was lemon-rosemary flavored and tasted like absolute shit.
"Well, grow up. It's part of your job. You knew that before you signed the contract."
He was right, but that didn't make things better. When I'd signed with Azure Racing, I knew they couldn't force me into sponsorship deals. They couldn't make me do anything I didn't want.
But they could make me follow up with obligations originating from my contract with the Formula 1 industry itself. There were things no driver could get out of, such as interviews, press conferences, or any and all events hosted by the FIA.
Today we were at one of those. The watch company sponsoring most Formula 1 races held a gala for the rich and famous, trying to gain new clients and make an even bigger name for themselves.
Obviously, this was exactly where I wanted to be...
"And don't even think about faking food poisoning to get out of here," Idir warned. "We ate the exact same thing at lunch, so don't test me."
