Her || Charles Leclerc

15. Blended Family

The sun blazed overhead, casting a fiery glow at the Red Bull Ring. The national anthem was finished, and everyone made their way back to their cars. The atmosphere was amazing as the drivers and their teams made the final preparations for the race. Max started from pole position, which made the orange army very pleased and satisfied.

However, just because the track's favourite started from pole, Charles wouldn't back down from a fight. Charles was ready to give it all and give Max a challenge. It was not his first time giving Max a challenge here, and it was certainly not the last. And this had to be a race Charles needed to show everyone that he was the best. He had to beat Max, he had to beat the Austrian team at their home race, he had to show Matilde that he had more skills than she knew, and he had to show her that he was better than Max.

The Ferrari engineers had fine-tuned the car's setup for this race. Charles had spent countless hours in debriefings, analysing data, and discussing the strategy with Matilde and the team. Now, all that preparation came down to this moment.

With a focused expression, Charles began to go through his pre-race routine. He pulled on his gloves, ensuring they fit perfectly over his hands, he put on his helmet and adjusted it, making sure it was fastened securely. Once inside his car, he felt the familiar embrace of the racing seat. A mechanic clicked the steering wheel on. As the minutes ticked away, the tension mounted. The team members bustled around him. Xavi's voice crackled over the radio, checking in one last time.

Charles took a deep breath, focussing his mind on the task ahead. He knew that the start would be crucial; he was starting next to Max in the second position. Carlos started in the third position. They both could put pressure on Max after the first corner, perhaps they could both pass him in the second corner.

The formation lap started. Charles provided the team some final feedback and the team had some final pointers for him. Charles liked Spielberg, it was a good track and his car reacted great. The only thing he didn't like was the amount of Max Verstappen fans. And the subconscious fact that his team principal liked this track for different reasons: Max and Red Bull.

When he arrived at the grid again, it was all cleared. All the cars lined up in their starting positions. Charles had a quick glance in his mirrors, it was now or never. The lights above the start/ finish line turned red. The roaring sounds of all the engines filled the grid. The lights went out one by one, the tension mounting. Charles tightened his grip on the steering wheel, ready to give it all.

The lights went out. Charles launched forward with a surge of power, his car roaring to life. Max, Charles and Carlos thundered towards the first corner of the track. The tension was high, and all three drivers were keenly aware that the opening moments of the race would be crucial.

Max had a decent launch, but Charles had a better start. The crowd watched with bated breath as the Ferrari's and Red Bull's approached the tight turn 1. Charles was ahead of Max, to the fans' excitement.

Just as they reached the corner, Charles made a move by steering in. He carried more speed into the turn, edging ahead of Max on the outside. But as he swung into the corner, he misjudged the available space; his tyres locked as he attempted to brake late. Max braked late, he was already on Charles' inside, and Carlos was on Max' inside. Max had to steer in, causing Carlos to brake and steer towards the wall over the apex. Because of this movement, Carlos' front left hooked behind Max' rear right. The Ferrari slid into the side of the Red Bull, causing a chain reaction. The Red Bull slid into the second Ferrari, sending Charles' Ferrari on a trajectory to the outside.

The result: a collision, a symphony of screeching tyres and clashing carbon fibre. The three cars were locked in a tangle of twisted metal and shattered bodywork. The three cars glided through the first turn to the outside, moving them out of the race. They came to a halt, all three realising they could not continue driving.