Apex | Charles Leclerc

Bonus Chapter #3

This will be the last bonus chapter for Apex since I'll be focusing on my next book now :)

Enjoy!

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December 06, 2037 - United Arab Emirates

The paddock was a mix of excitement and sadness today. The current driver standings show that Charles and Max were only two points apart with Charles in the lead. It's been a while since he's fought for the championship with the new regulations that were placed back in 2029. Before that, Charles managed to get another title and matched Lewis before it became obvious that Mercedes wouldn't be fighting for the championship.

The frustration from him, Toto, and the team was obvious with them dominating during his first two years in the team. This year, however, it was like nothing had changed at all. Instead of fighting with Ferrari, Red Bull was the main competitor and the two teams switched off in winning the races.

"Hey, how's he feeling?" I asked Gabby when we both met at the paddock club to get some food for the kids. They somehow caught wind of free ice cream and wouldn't stop asking for it.

"He's a mess. It's like when he won his first championship." Gabby laughed and I shook my head, knowing Max was probably having an internal battle with himself despite not looking like that on the outside. "The twins have distracted him though while I go on the mission to buy ice cream. How about Charles?"

"Those two are more alike than they think. He keeps acting all calm and relaxed outside, but I know he's shitting his pants. He wouldn't let go of Jasmine earlier and immediately volunteered to carry Esma while I go here."

Esma Leclerc was born two years ago, adding another bright light to our family. After Jasmine, Charles and I thought we wouldn't get pregnant anymore with the gap she had with Esma but we got a surprise. Among the three, Esma was the artistic one. Mia was the bookworm, Jasmine was the racer, and Esma was the artist. Charles and I knew that she didn't get that from either of us which in return, led Gabby to believe it was because of her since she spent so much time with me during the pregnancy. She kept pushing for Esma to try photography, but she chose painting instead. Her room at home was painted completely white and was now covered in crayon drawings and paint smudges.

As Gabby and I walked back to the Mercedes hospitality where the kids were staying, you could sense the eyes of others in the paddock. This was a special weekend for us, especially Charles, since this would be his last Formula One race.

We both knew that retirement for athletes came earlier than most with their job literally relying on their physical health. He was still in good shape, and I'm sure he'll never really leave the motorsport community, but I've also seen how tired he was during the past few years.

It was difficult for him to be away from the girls and every night spent with him travelling was filled with video calls that he made a non negotiable with the team. Every night, he would need at least an hour to spend and talk to his girls no matter how tired he was.

Charles has also made a big difference to the motorsport community. When Jasmine began racing, he made sure to develop the karting brand he started back when he was still in Ferrari and eventually created his own driver training program that was open to boys and girls of all ages. He saw the problem of sponsors denying little girls the chance to start racing early because of the stigma that this sport isn't made for them. Being a father of three wonderful girls, this only encouraged him even more to fix the problem and advocate for diversity and equality in Formula One along with Lewis, Seb, and Mick.

I found him with Esma sitting on his lap while they had some pieces of blank paper in front of them along with crayons. On his right, Mia was reading a book with her headphones on to drown out the noise of the paddock, while on his left, Jasmine was wearing a race suit identical to her father's while having a very animated conversation with Toto. A few meters forward, I saw Max standing with the twins and his mum behind him. "See you by the garage later?" Gabby asked and I nodded my head, kissing her cheek before heading to Charles and the girls.