DEEP BREATHS | lando norris

CHAPTER 28

ILMA

I put my phone back down after Lando's call. That was completly unexpected but it's not something I can have on my mind right now. The final race of the season is ahead of me, about 30 minutes away, and I have to focus on it only. I want to win this tittle and I will fight for it with all of my will and strenght and skill. I'm not going to give up early.

I walk around my driver's room, looking at the clock on the wall, right above the doors. I'm mistaken, it's even twenty three minutes to the start. I will have to go to the bolid in a moment, get ready and read the statistics from the qualifying for one last time.

Why is it always that all of everything possible has to come up at the most important moment? I have no idea.

"Ilma?" I hear my engineers voice on the other side of the doors.

"What is it, Xavier?" I ask him, opening the doors to leave the room. I have spent enough time in here anyways. Time to get my mind off of things that are bothering me.

"I would like you to look at some statistics now, not when you'll be in the car. It'll be much more comfortable for me to show you everything now." Xavier motions at me to follow him and so I do.

I look around when we walk, at my car and how many mechanics are working on it. If there are a lot of them around the bolid then it means that there is a lot of things to do and they don't have time. But luckily for me there is only 5 of them working. That means everything will be alright. I breathe out, a little less stressed now. These are the things that slowly will make my mind clean from dark thoughts.

For the next fifteen minutes Xavier shows me every possible data about every corner and every straight on the track. We compare it to Lando's times and I have a little advantage but I know I have to do even better than in qualifying. I know that Lando will try harder now, that he knows the data about me. And he will do better. So I have to do better aswell. Xavier oats me on my back reasurangely before I leave to get my balaclava and helmet on.

When I finally sit in the car I feel peaceful. I'm back at my place. It's only me and the bolid now. If I will fuck up it's only my fault. The main reward is waiting ahead of me and I just have to use everything I have in me to get it. What is it for me? It's only another race. I have won plenty of them in my life and this season.

I start the engine and slowly roll to my pole position, through the pitlane exit and through a lazy formation lap. I feel my breath catching up to the beating of my heart. Lando's on my side, behind me, on P2, his engine revving already. I close my eyes for a second before I hear the first of five signals. I breathe in and remind myself why I am here. What it took me to be here. How I can't fuck up this thing. I have to return to my home with a World Champion tittle next to my name.

Two lights out. Breathe in. I collect my thoughts.

Three lights out. Breathe out. I clear my head, having nothing but the feeling of my bolid right now.

Four lights out. Breathe in. I will win this.

Five lights out. Breathe out as I push the pedal to the floor and the race has officially started. I can hear all the fans screaming like crazy but I ignore the sound, focusing on the first corner. If I won't make a mistake now then everything will go my way.

Lando is right behind me, getting closer and closer. The corner comes up, he tries to push past me but I decide to brake a little bit later than him. And it makes me hold up my position. I internaly scream, happy with what I have just done.

"Nice move. Now, bring it home." I hear Xavier on radio and I answer him with "Copy."

For the next twenty three laps it's just me and my car and Lando breathing in my neck from behind. Both of us are going to pit lately for a new set of tires. We both go into the pitlane and the only thing I pray for is for Mercedes' crew to be faster than McLaren's.