Chequered Flag | FORMULA ONE (COMPLETED)

CHAPTER SEVEN

It was like a cinema scene honestly, you know the kind where there would be slow motion and dramatic music. I got out of the driver's seat and walked towards the passenger side to help Ember out of the car. We held hands as we proceeded to our garage. I could feel dozens of eyes and cameras directed at us, but I didn't care. It's official.

I felt a tap on my shoulder only to find George and Lando following us. "George, Lando, hi. What makes you guys stalk us in the early hours of morning?"

"Don't get me wrong, we're not stalking you," Lando replied. "It just happened that we met you here."

George's face lit up at the sudden realisation of something. "Are you guys officially together? Like, together, together?"

Ember and I nodded at the same time.

"Congratulations!" Lando cheered before giving us a big hug. George soon followed suit.

"You guys want some Williams coffee to celebrate?" George suggested. "It's the best coffee on the grid. Facts!"

Lando made a face. "I don't know George. Do you want to make a PowerPoint presentation to convince me?"

George shook his head. "Come in guys, you'll know once you taste it."

All of us followed George's lead to the Williams garage. 

Honestly the coffee tastes quite pleasant. I might ask George to invite me there in the future.

***

My car halted to a complete stop at my grid position. While waiting for the five red lights to go out, Tayla repeated my strategy for the day.

T: Ember is on one-stops but you are on two-stops with softer tyres. We're gambling with the safety car here so if there is a safety car you will be advantageous. Ember has a higher chance of scoring more points so we're not taking any risks with her. I guess I'll shut up now.

M: Copy that. No worries, it's your job to talk.

T: Okay Mick, now focus on the start.

Unlike the last race, this time I got a decent start to the race. However the speed I carried on the pit straight wasn't adequate to shoot me into a higher position. After the first corner, I couldn't seem to control the car as smoothly as I wanted, so I lost my pace by a small margin. The gap between me and Vettel increased for the first few laps. Thankfully nobody overtook me during this time period.

I reported this issue to Tayla and she gave me some feedback on how the car is set up. I tweaked some settings on my steering wheel until my car felt as good as I could make it.

I saw myself gaining on Vettel rapidly. I was right beside him on lap 5, turning into the first corner and along the curves. I used DRS to speed past his Aston Martin on the long straight. One down, many more to go, I thought.

My next target would be Sainz, who seemed to have a miserable start or he wouldn't be here. He was still quite far ahead nonetheless, and I needed to push my car to its limits in order to catch up to him.

That was exactly what I did. The gap between me and him got closer and closer every lap. At some point, I even tried to overtake him into the last 2 corners. That didn't end well.

I locked up my front tyres under braking and my car understeered severely. I got back on track as soon as possible only to find Sainz pulling away in the distance. Thankfully no one managed to pass me while I was struggling.

I couldn't catch up to Sainz. The flat spot on my tyres together with the bright sun shining into my helmet meant that it was impossible to maintain my focus. 

T: Box on lap 18, you're getting new softs.

M: Thank goodness, I'm suffering here. See you in no time!

I slowed down and drove into the pit lane. My car came to a complete halt in front of the Haas garage, before the pit crew lifted it and changed its tyres. I drove away as soon as the pit stop was done, and came out in P8. Great, back to square one.

I continued to push my car to its limits. Due to the softer tyres equipped, I was able to pass the two cars in front, Alonso and Vettel, without much fuss. 

Next up: Perez. This would be a tough one. His Red Bull was fast, and he was a decently consistent driver. The only chance of me overtaking him was slim, only if he made a mistake or came into the pits. I had to observe him closely, and take risks if I really wanted to pass him. Would I be able to pull it off? Will I mess up? I don't know, so better play safe.

In the blink of an eye, lap 40 came. I was starting to struggle with my tyres again. They felt like they were about to explode into a million pieces. For my two-stop strategy to work, there was supposed to be a safety car now for me to pit, so I can save time. But there were no incidents, and my race was practically screwed.

T: Box this lap, we're going to put on new softs.

M: I want a safety car, but I'm not getting it.

T: Tough luck mate, we made a mistake on your strategy. Sorry!

M: It's racing, things happen.

I made a quick pitstop, a really quick one actually, 2 seconds flat. Perez came in with me, but his stop was slightly longer. As a result, I came out in P8, with Vettel, Alonso, and Ricciardo in front of me. Perez was on my tail now. So many experienced drivers surrounding me, this gave me immense pressure, but I was determined to finish as high as possible.

I pushed again, and I noticed the gap between me and Ricciardo's McLaren getting closer and closer. Just as I was about to overtake him on lap 43, my steering wheel flashed a yellow 'SC' sign.

My luck was terrible.

M: Why?!

T: Collision between Gasly and Ocon. Sorry about the strategy buddy.

M: Sigh, no comment.

I wasn't going to pit as my tyres were relatively new and it wouldn't affect my pace. But many driver's decided to do so due to the advantages of being under a safety car. I only moved up to P7, since Ricciardo came out of the pits right after me.

After 5 long, frustrating laps, the race continued, if you could still call it a race. There were no overtakes nor drama on track. 

I crossed the line in P7 as the chequered flag was waved. Not as decent as I would have wanted it too, but I couldn't complain.

Race results:

Ver, Ham, Bot, Wil, Vet, Alo, Msc, Ric, Per, Sai, Lec, Nor, Tsu, Rus, Str, Rai, Gio, Lat, DNF: Oco, Gas

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Yes I know Mandarin.