smooth operator - carlos sainz jr. [ discontinued ]

06.

friday march 12, 2021 was the first official day of testing for the season. testing didn't start till later in the day, which meant elara could sleep in and take a slow morning before heading out to the track. the morning went by quickly, the want and excitement to get to the track sped everything up, and before elara knew it she was getting in her car with leah in the passenger seat on their way to the track. "you ready for this?" leah had asked the driver. 

"i think so, it'll be a good day" elara answered, maybe with a slight doubt but overall confidence in her voice. 

"you'll drive amazingly and remember to keep calm and drive on!" leah quoted the inspirational tumblr posters. 

"not the tumblr references!" elara had whined. "i'm pretty sure my mom has one of those or even worse the 'live laugh love signs'!" 

"your mom would totally have one of those, especially in the kitchen. the next time i see mrs. campbell i'm going to ask her personally"

"you go ahead and do that leah" with that, the two girls broke into laughter as they continued the drive to the track. 

++

an hour away from the start of testing and elara was sitting in the mercedes garage overlooking the statistics and engineering of the car. the sharp and sleek blackness of the new livery this year made elara explode within herself. the car was nice to look at that's for sure, now it needs to drive as well as it looks. 

the conditions out on the track weren't the best, to say the least. there were winds bringing in the sand from off the track, not ideal for the drivers in an open car. elara had soon left to go put on her racing suit and helmet before getting in her car. "you ready el?" leah had asked from the outside of her driver's room. 

"just a minute!" elara shouted back, lacing up her boots she grabbed her helmet and opened the door.

"perfect, you can head out in 10 minutes," leah told her, the two girls walking side by side to the garage. elara just nodded her head in response, her mouth feeling a bit dry. "good luck out there el, you got this, and believe in yourself" leah gently said, giving her a hug before heading over to watch the practice. 

"thanks, leah" she mumbled, pulling her hair back into the balaclava and her helmet going on over. lewis was about to get into his when he noticed elara looking a bit out of it.

"hey, you good there elara?" lewis asked her. 

"mhm, just fine" she answered. 

"you're not fine, elara you look like you might pass out," lewis said, grabbing her water bottle and handing it to her. "drink it, please. don't want something bad to happen to you" reluctantly she took a few sips of her water, already feeling a bit better. "better?"

"yeah, just felt a bit parched i think" she answered.

"it gets dry out here, so drink plenty of water el" 

"i will don't worry" 

"now, go kill it out there!" elara had a small smile on her face as she hopped into her car. soon the first mercedes was pulling out of the garage and headed onto the dusty bahrain track. after the first lap, elara had radioed back to her engineer. 

"can you check if the car is fully okay, there might be an issue" earning an ok from her engineer, oliver. 

"there's nothing showing up right now, keep testing the limits of the car for now" oliver radioed back. elara pressed the pit confirm button and kept driving. besides the car feeling off, she felt good in the car. the grip from the tires was just right, even with sand on the track. only 6 laps had been driven in the mercedes when oliver told elara to pit the car. "there's an issue with the car elara, we need to pit the car" the new mercedes driver felt gutted, but it's what happens in motorsport. as elara hopped out of her car in the garage, she went over to talk with oliver and toto about what happened. "there seems to be a gearbox issue with the car, and with that means a lack of pace" 

"i see, is there any way we can fix the problem now or will i have to wait for tomorrow," elara asked. 

"you'll most likely have to wait till tomorrow, and we're truly sorry about it" toto said. 

"it's alright, things happen plus we have two more days" elara responded, a bit sad that her first time in the car didn't go as planned. 

++

it was now the next day, and there was a doubt that settled into the back of elara's mind. was she still the correct driver for mercedes? whenever elara was caught up in her thoughts, she became quiet and reserved. it was a habit she picked up from growing up as an only child, there never was anyone to really talk to about her problems. her parents both worked jobs, and nico wasn't always around to talk to. so naturally, the habit kept up with her. 

"el?" the girl heard leah shout, "elara? where are you?" she finally spotted the girl on the floor, leaning against the wall. elara looked on the verge of tears, "oh, el, come here babes" 

"i can't do this leah, i'm not a good driver, and shouldn't be the new mercedes driver," elara said, a single tear falling down her face. 

leah wiped it away, "yes, you are." leah told her, "you are the first american female driver in f1, and look at what've you done. you are an incredible woman, and on top of that an amazing driver and friend that i could ask for. so get yourself off this floor, and into the car and show yourself that you are capable of doing this" elara just nodded her head, and did what leah told her. wiping any stray tears, she got up and headed for the door. 

"thanks leah, i needed that" elara said, leah just nodded her head in return, giving the girl a smile. 15 minutes later, elara was situated in her car, just waiting for the green light to head out onto the track. she was given the green light from her engineers, heading out onto the sun-setting track. everything was perfect, the car felt the complete opposite from yesterday. elara would definitely have to thank the team. 

oliver had checked in a few times, "how's the car feeling elara?"

"great! i think i can push it to the limits a bit more," she responded back. and she was right, elara set the fastest time with only a few minutes in the session left. "that one felt good," 

"well the time reflects it too, 1:30:289, that is p1 currently. amazing job elara. let's cool the car down and then bring it back in" oliver said over the radio. elara confirmed the request, and inside the car, she was smiling. she didn't know what place she stood, but the girl needed that kind of lap to boost her confidence with the team. 

the second day of testing came to an end shortly, and elara was on top. she was ecstatic, an amazing recovery from the day before, and it proved mercedes was once again a contender for the championship this year.