Apex | Charles Leclerc

Chapter 1

I'm back!! I took some time off and spent some time with my friends after editing Lock Up so thank you for being patient with me 🤍 We've got a new story ahead of us so let's goooo

Enjoy!

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December 01, 2027 - Abu Dhabi

The race hasn't even begun yet you could already feel the celebrations in the Mercedes garage. No matter what result happens today, it was already a sure win for Charles in the championship. He's been winning races left and right, creating such a huge gap from Max and Carlos who were both left to fight for second place in the constructor's championship for their teams as number one drivers since it was impossible to beat Charles in the points. George was a close second in the driver's championship.

It was his first year in Mercedes and he was definitely making one hell of a finish as a silver arrow.

"Mrs. Leclerc." Susie smiled when she entered the garage and saw me standing there next to Charles' trainer, Andrea, who was decked in the usual black shirt with the Mercedes logo on it.

"Ms. Stoddart." I smirked back and Susie shook her head at me. It's been an ongoing joke between the two of us ever since she discovered that I haven't changed my name despite being married to Charles for a year and a half. I like being called Mrs. Leclerc from time to time whenever I attend events with him but I can't just let go of the name I made for myself. Besides, Charles understood that with everything I went through, my name already has a foundation in my line of work.

A few feet from our right, I saw Toto playfully glare at me upon hearing his wife's maiden name. If she's going to call me Mrs. Leclerc, then I'm doing the opposite. "Kaplan, stop it." He said, making Susie and I laugh as he pointed a finger at me.

"Respectfully, no." I said, grinning at him. Toto rolled his eyes at me before turning back to the screen in front of him, but you could see a small smile on his face. I turned back to Susie who was smiling at her husband. "How are preparations for Venturi?"

Susie sighed, showing the exhaustion on her face. "The new regulations are making it difficult, but we're getting there. I gave everyone the week off since we've been working non-stop."

We chatted for a bit as we waited for the drivers to get on the formation lap, Charles starting in second after Max beat him to P1 yesterday during qualifying while Carlos was behind him.

I crossed my arms over my chest, eyes seriously trained on his car as the red lights went out and all twenty cars left the grid. Both Max and Charles got off with a great start while Carlos was pushed to the side by George, moving him back to P4. Despite being three places ahead of his opponent, Max still tried hard to maintain pole to gain as much of an advantage as he can from Carlos.

But he held none when it came to Charles.

Once DRS was enabled, Charles didn't hesitate to overtake him in sector 2 after maintaining a gap of less than a second during the first two laps. The mechanics in the garage cheered as his name moved up the leaderboard but we all knew there were 56 laps to go and anything could happen.

They were going with a one-stop strategy and Charles was the first in the top five to head to the pits, leaving him behind Mick who was currently at P5 in the Ferrari car. The other two teams were no match for Mercedes this season. On top of their impeccable speed, Charles with fresh tyres was able to overtake Mick and George. Once Max and Carlos head to the pits, he'd be regaining back his position.

"How's Jack?" I asked Susie, remembering how the young boy was supposed to be in the garage but I don't see him anywhere.

"He and a few of his friends from karting are watching from the stands." Susie said, giving me an uneasy smile.