𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞

-𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄-

"Alright, mate, let's do it like we did yesterday. Be nice to the tires. Track has been cooking the pavement all day."

He heard through the radio. Andrew's mechanics were standing by on each tire, keeping the tire-heaters on the tires as long as possible. Keeping the tires at a desirable temperature was key for a good launch at the race-start. Today the tire-heaters was probably serving a different purpose – protecting the tires from the overheating sun.

"Copy that, Gary. Let's have some fun."

Andrew answered briefly, confidently looking at the clock. At the 30-second mark, the mechanics lifted the tire-heaters off and ran over to the side of the track. As the minute-marker moved to its correct slot, the cars in front of him started the formation-lap. He followed the car in front down the first straight. He did a few zig-zag movements to heat up the tires and test his brakes.

Throughout the season, Andrew hadn't managed to mingle in the very front of the pack but had a solid position in the midfield. The midfield battle was tight, and Andrew had always managed to mingle in the very front of that field at most of the races. This was one of the longest tracks of the season, but the formation-lap was over in what felt like seconds.

They were all lining up at the grid. As usual, his heart was pounding inside his chest. A weak smile formed inside his helmet as he eagerly waited for the five red lights to ignite and then go out. He knew he had to be vigilant at the fifth light. A good getaway was key to sticking on Plan A. Any incidents could compromise his race, or worse...cause him to retire before the fun had even begun.

Two red lights were now ignited. Andrew kept his eyes firmly on the car ahead of him, it was like his eyes were glued to it. Even though the car could eventually just pull away from him, the drag-reduction was something to fight for in defense against the cars behind him. The car in front could also have a bad start which was important to be prepared for, and of course capitalize on.

Four lights were ignited. He fastened the grip on the steering-wheel and positioned his foot perfectly on the pedal. He pushed the pedal, feeling the car vibrate and the engine roaring louder as he pushed the pedal further. The only thing that mattered was timing. Every one of the twenty drivers on the grid were focused on the same thing – the perfect launch.

The last light turned red. For most people on the outside, from the moment the five lights were switched on, until the moment they turned blank, would go over in less than a second. Down on the grid however it felt like a lifetime.

Andrew's pulse increased. It was almost as if he could hear his heart pounding inside his chest and feel the vibrations from it spread through his entire body. Even now, before the race had started, the temperature inside the cockpit and inside the helmet was very high. He felt a few small drops of sweat run down his temple and he needed several sips of his water. He fastened his grip on the steering-wheel even more now and glued his eyes to the five lights.

The moment he saw the lights disappear, he put his foot down, let the clutch go and took off. The car next to him on the grid was now up on his side, challenging him. He himself had managed to capitalize on a poor start from the car in front and they were now three cars racing next to one another through the main-straight. Turn 1, La Source, was a sharp hairpin. With one car on each side, he had to make sure he didn't touch either and hope they both left him with enough room.

He was patient through the first turn. They had 53 laps to race against one another. He knew if he lost out one position now, he could retake it later, either by driving faster or by nailing the strategy. One small shunt with another car could end his race, and even though he drove carelessly according to others, he did not take unnecessary risks into the first turn. All three of them managed to not get into one another as they exited the first turn.

The next part of the track was Eau Rouge, famous for its up-hill character where one did not see the exit going into the bottom of the hill. You had to know the track in order to put the car on the right side of the track, using the curb appropriately to not lose any speed. The cars were forming a long line, one after the other. He had managed to keep his position, not losing to the one next to him, but not managing to pass the one in front of him.

Andrew followed the car in front of him closely but did not manage to make any successful attempts to pass. The car in front drove defensively as well as trying to attack the car in front of him. Andrew decided to stay back, show himself in the mirrors of his opponent, to let him know he wasn't going to let him go that easily. They came down the main-straight after completing the first lap.

He got to the hairpin, once more showing himself in the mirrors of the car in front. He was close, but not close enough. Andrew also kept an eye on the car behind him as that car too was close. He had to drive both offensively and defensively at the same time during these first few laps. After a few laps, the economic part of the race began, saving tires, saving fuel, making sure they would get to the end.

As he came over the top of the hill through the second technical turn, he saw a glimmer of white smoke. One of the cars in front seemed to have punctured and had left all kinds of debris jumping in the middle of the track in high speeds. Andrew reacted by trying to get to run-off area, like one of the cars in front of him, except, one of the drivers in the run-off area, lost control. The split-second of looking at the driver losing control, caused Andrew to not notice a piece of debris sneaking underneath and complicating the steering of his own car.

In a matter of milli-seconds, Andrew became a passenger in his own car. The breaks didn't respond, the steering wouldn't steer away and there was no way the car would ever slow down right away.

"I got da- "

He was about to call through the radio but was immediately cut off as he collided with the car in front of him. The driver who had lost control earlier, was standing sideways, and in over 200 kph Andrew's car hit him before rolling over several times and landing up-side-down, with multiple pieces of debris spreading on the track.

"Are you okay, mate?"

He heard what he thought was an echo. He couldn't feel anything or comprehend what had happened.

"Andy, are you okay?"

His engineer repeated through the radio, clearly worried as anyone seeing the images of the crash could tell that this was a very serious incident. Andrew was full of adrenaline and confusion. His breathing was loud, and the radio was still on from when he tried to report back to the team. He could barely make out the pink car closer to the run-off area. He couldn't see the driver...he couldn't see driver inside the wreckage.

"Andrew, mate, I can hear you breathing loudly on the radio. I'm gonna need you to stay calm, alright, medics are on their way. Please, say something, anything at all..."

Andrew exhaled deeply. His ribs hurt. His head hurt...his feet felt crushed. He couldn't tell if they had been crushed or if they were whole and still attached.

"I'm-I'm awake..."

He said in between breaths. So much came to mind once he started to speak, but he didn't know how to sort out his thoughts.

"Gary...I think I'm hurt..."

Andrew responded after a while.

"Help is right there with you, mate. Just stay calm and keep talking if you can..."

His engineer went on.

"How's the other driver...I can't...I can't tell..."