NERVOUS, lewis hamilton

02

Seraphina was waiting inside her car, the clock ticking down until Qualifying officially began.

She glanced over at Max, watching as he pulled himself into his car. As he pulled on his gloves he glanced over at her and she smiled over at him, wiggling her fingers in his direction. After a small second of hesitation, he waved back.

The mechanics strapped her in and one of them gave her her gloves, whilst others took off her tyre warmers. She put them on, making sure everything was clasped correctly and tightly around her wrists.

She knew that Q1 had already begun, some of the drivers had already been sent out and the clock was ticking down the fifteen minutes. Kvyat had the best time as of now, but Mercedes had been sent out and everyone knew they were the fastest on the grid.

She was right of course. Lewis ticked in his time at the top of the leaderboard, and then Valtteri squeezed his way in front of him again.

Seraphina didn't get to think much of it before she was waved out by one of the mechanics, who had a permanent scowl on his face even when he was happy. Fun always being glared at, but whatever. Was what it was.

She drove her way out onto the track, Max following after her and they both started their out laps until they came out of the last corner, officially starting their flying laps when they crossed the finish line.

Since she started first, her lap was finished first, placing her in P5 until Max finished his and pushed her down to P6.

They came back into the garage, waiting to be sent out one last time for the first round of Qualifying. When they were sent out again Max was sent out, like, a minute before she was.

He pushed himself into P3 with Valtteri and Lewis in front of him, until Charles got the fastest lap making him P4 instead.

As Seraphina took her flying lap the clock was ticking down and by the time she was going around turn fourteen the round was over and she passed the finish line, her time ticking in and her name ticked up into P5.

She shrugged as she was informed of it. It worked. The time really only mattered in Q3. So as long as she got into Q3 she'd be fine at the end of the day and she could officially start properly pushing instead of the 'bullshit' she was doing now.

Q2 was much of the same.

P5 again, the podium so far being Lewis—who broke the lap time track record, because of course he did—then Valtteri in second and Max in third.

As she waited inside the garage it felt like no time passed at all, soon sent out into Q3, the scowling mechanic waved her out again. She took the out lap, then her flying lap, ending up in P3 when she came back into the garage.

After ish two minutes, which meant that there were around two minutes left of Qualifying, she was sent out again and this time she really pushed. More than she had in her earlier flying laps.

Her jaw was clenched in concentration as her eyes narrowed into the distance in front of her as everything around her blurred into streaks of colours, mostly blue and green with a little bit of red, blue and black.

Funnily enough, she had been sent out last for the last flying lap. Meaning the top ten was ticking in as the clock zeroed out, Sebastian in third, Valtteri in second, just not beating Lewis who was on pole, once again breaking his own lap time track record.

Kevin was somewhere in front of her⏤the last one before her. He crossed the finish line, starting in seventh place, and then it was only her left.

She felt the adrenaline pumping through her body, making her heart gallop inside her rib cage as she took the last couple of corners until she came out onto the straight seeing the checkered flag waving in the distance.