DAYLIGHT | oscar piastri

009

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Two months later...

I looked at myself in the mirror one more time, trying to make sure my makeup was fine and everything was in place. I was about to stand in front of a lot of people, with a lot of questions, and a ton of people watching online. Today was the car launch, my teammate and i would get the first look at the car we would drive for the entirety of the season ahead of us. Speaking of my teammate, he was standing next to me, checking himself in the mirror as well.

— I'm so fucking nervous.— i say sitting down.

We already had our suits on, but undone on the top and tied at the waist.

— Me too, i have done this before but the nerves never go away.— he assured me, sitting next to me and putting one of his hands on my shoulder.— But don't worry, if you mess up something i will mess up on purpose so you don't feel embarrassed.

I laughed and so did he, he was a sweetheart. I had also met him before, but ever since we signed the contract with the team we spent a lot of time together. We would go on vacation with our friends, or call each other and talk a lot.

— Thanks Mick, you're the best.

He smiled and got up.— I know, now fix your suit and breath. And if you get too anxious, a certain someone told me to tell you to look at the back of your phone.

I tilted my head in confusion, i quickly grabbed my phone and took the case off. A note fell off,  i grabbed it and i could immediately recognize the handwriting.

" Hi, this is just a little reminder that you can do this, you're the best and I'm your biggest fan. Remember to take deep breaths and walk in with your head held high, you deserve this seat more than anyone, you fought hard to get it and you have to feel proud of yourself, don't let anyone bring you down.

with love,
franquito <3"

— Awhh, love love love .— Mick says, and i softly punch him in the chest for reading the note.— I'm sorry! i have been dying to know what it was since he told me he put it there.

— And when was that?

— A few days ago, he asked me to make sure you didn't change your case until today.

I lifted my eyebrows.— So that's why you were so nervous when i talked to you about buying a new case.

— Yeah, and the one i said was so ugly i could take my eyes out? it was really cute, you should buy it after this.

We laughed at the same time, i saved the note where it was so i wouldn't lose it, and we heard our names being called. It was time, Mick and i shared a look and put on our suit correctly, he winked at me and we walked together to the door we had to walk through.

— And now, joining us in this beautiful event, are the two drivers who will represent this team in Formula One!— we heard Lissie talk to the mic.— Please make some noise for Mick Schumacher and Willow Harris!

The screams started, Mick and I smiled at each other and entered the room when the doors were opened. We waved to everyone there, as we walked to the spots that were marked on the floor. I said hi to Lissie, hugging her and so did Mick.

— How are you guys feeling today? .— she asks, and i hit Mick gently with my elbow.

— Auch.— he says to the mic, hitting me back and everyone laughs.— We are feeling amazing, so excited to see the car and to drive it for the first time in a few days, agh i could jump on one foot all day out of excitement!

I smiled at his answer, he was the definition of a golden retriever. Lissie now looked at me, with a different question.

— Are you excited to drive alongside Mick? we have seen you two have become good friends.

— Friends is a bit much, i tolerate him.— i answer, and Mick hits me in the back of my head.— I'm just kidding, we have spent a lot of time together since we signed our contracts and i have to say, he's a fantastic guy and i'm so happy to have him by my side in my first year at Formula One. I believe we will be a fantastic pair, we already complement each other out of the race and everything makes me think we would also do so in the races.

— That's amazing to hear! two teammates being friends is something everyone loves.

✺

We chatted with Lissie for a bit more, we even took a few questions from the crowd and now it was time to see the car. The anxiety from being on the stage was gone, after hearing the laughs and seeing everyone's excitement, i felt amazing. Mick and i stood side by side, i had my arms crossed on my chest and was looking directly at the car. It still had the cover on top, but they were seconds away from moving it. It was tied to some invisible strings, so they yanked it when the timer ran out and we could see the car.

The colors were mainly black and white, with hints of red and gold, just like in our suits. According to what they told us, Porsche made the chassis and the power unit, so we weren't sharing it with any other team in the grid, and they had full control over it. We had a lot of sponsors, which we already knew of because we also had their names written all over our suits, but looking at them in the car made it seem like they were a lot more.

The one i liked the most was Lego because they made the roll structure look like it was made out of Legos. Ikea was written in big letters on the sides of the rear wing because Porsche was written on top. On the sidepots, alongside a lot of names like Amazon and Canon, you would see Jack Daniel's and Apple, two of our most recent sponsors. On the front wing, Dior was written on the sides and Porsche again on top.

They made it very clear which team it is.

The nose had the logo right at the end, giving it the last touch. I wished we could see the floor, but it was better for us if it was kept from the public eye so other teams wouldn't have that information about us. Overall, the car looks good from the outside, we still had to check the whole interior and the mechanism, i just hoped it was as fast as it looked.

— So? What are your thoughts? .— Lissie asks when we are by her side again.— I like it a lot.

— It looks cool, that's for sure.— Mick says into the mic with a smile and then gets on his knees to see the lower side of the car.

I laughed.— I agree, it looks fast and that's all we need.

— Well, there you have it! We will be back in a second with the transmissions, remember to leave your opinion on the car using the hashtag that's appearing on your screen!