The Winner Takes It All

<14>

"Max come in please, you're free for the minute." I said and i heard him whisper a 'yes'.

He made his way back to the garage and the mechanics ran out to park him up. He jumped out the car and ran over to the pit wall, leaning on my seat.

"What,s going on boss?" Max said leaning over at the pad of paper i had infront of me.

"A one stop?" I said some doubt in my voice.

"Well i think you are crazy." Checo's engineer piped up.

"Ive got a feeling and if i find some evidence, we can try it." I sighed writing down another set of lap times.

"Im trying to see how this would even remotely work." Max said looking at the times on the sheet.

"So am i at the minute. For now i think i need coffee and practice ends in 5, fancy joining? Good " I said spinning my stool round and picking up my notepad.

"You know i don't drink that shit but ok." He said and followed me across the pitlane to the garage.

"Um Mark, can you simulate these for me?" I said ripping the page out on my notepad and passing it to him.

"They will be done in a bit, I'll get them right on it." He gave me a smile and shouted over to another engineer.

"Can we tweek the back downforce up about 2 and slightly less fuel load on the Quali laps later. He had too much at the end." I said to one of the main mechanics when passing.

"Sure thing sarge." He saluted to me and began ordering mechanics around.

We stopped by Max's driver room so he could pick up his bottle and hat, then we wandered out into the paddock to the hospitality centre. We sat down by the window that overlooked the track, allowing us to watch the passers by.

"You really run the place now don't you?" Max said taking a drink out of his bottle and biting on the straw.

"I don't get what you mean." I said sketching a quick diagram of the track with my pen on my notepad, adding my notes around the edges.

"You ask Mark to do something, he does it for you. You ask anyone in that garage and they are instantly like of course Y/N. You run that place." He said mimicking with a stupid voice.

"They are meant to are they not?"

"Mark never listens to anyone except himself really. What are you drawing now?"

"Im figuring out something give me two minutes." I said biting on the end of my pen and glaring at my piece of paper.

"What are we figuring out again?" Max puzzled.

"I've got it. You are on a one stop for this race my friend."

"He was right you are crazy." Max stared at me.

"Your lap times on both hards and mediums are quicker than others on the compound below."

"Continue." Max noddex.

"Everyone is looking at a soft medium medium. You are going to start on the mediums, lap around same times as soft runners but for longer so then you can build a gap when they pit and then stick on the hards and go to the end, Sandbag Hamilton, if i think I'm right, wont have enough laps to gain if you build the gap on those mediums."

"You ma'am are a genius." He said leaning back in his chair impressed.

"Im not a genius I'm literally praying that the lap times Mark sims come out how i think they will." I slapped my pen down and looked up at Max.