Loyalties Change (Sergio Perez X OC)

The first race (Casey)

It has been a couple of weeks since the meeting and you are getting some stuff gathered for the Austrian Grand Prix. The good thing about those weeks is the fact that you have gotten familiar with the car. It doesn't take you long to get your stuff gathered. You are looking forward to the chaos of getting the car ready for the race. It doesn't take long for you to hear Sergio's gentle knock. You join him in the car.

"Are you ready Casey?" Sergio decides to check on you.

"I think so," You reply. The good thing is You have never taken too long to get ready. At least getting to Austria is the easiest part. After four hours of travel, you have made it to Spielberg. You make your way to the Red Bull ring so you can check on the car. You are a little surprised at the amount of activity that is going on. You are soon joined by Ari.

"Are you ready to get to work?" Ari asks.

"Yup," You start your work by checking the oil lines. You can feel the odd looks from Ari but you don't want a repeat of Abu Dhabi. You are impressed at the level of build quality in the Red Bull car. At least you won't have to worry about the issues that you had last year. It doesn't take you long to get the car ready for the weekend.

"Hey Casey, why were you checking the oil lines?" Ari finally decides to ask.

"Well after what happened to Sergio at Abu Dhabi last year I've been a little more vigilant about the way I check the car," You give her an explanation. It has been a couple of days since you arrived in Austria and you are getting the car ready for the race. The good thing is you have done most of the work. The only thing you need now is Sergio.

"So Casey is the car ready?" Sergio snaps you out of your thoughts.

"Yes. the only thing that is needed is you," You respond. Sergio finalises everything that he needs to. You quickly help him into the car. At least you have the routine down pact.

"You know you don't have to worry about me Casey," Sergio remarks.

"Checo it's my job," You retort.

"Well thank you for doing your job," Sergio sends you off with the classic thank you. It only takes you a couple of seconds to clear the car. You head to your spot in the hub. It doesn't take long for the race to start. Thankfully Sergio gets away cleanly. You find yourself wincing at Charles Leclerc's aggression towards Sergio. You can feel the tension from the rest of the crew. Despite Charles' aggression, Sergio can defend his third-place position.

"Good defence Checo," The race principal remarks.

"Thank you," Sergio keeps his response short. He gets to work on passing Valtteri Bottas. You double-check your data. So far everything is looking good. There is a loud cheer as Sergio gets around Valtteri. Max soon makes it past Valtteri as well.

"It looks like both Mercedes cars are having engine trouble. There is a chance that you and Max could make a one-two Checo," Those are the golden words that you want to hear. You start to think about what could have gone wrong. You get the feeling that it would be extremely rare for the Honda engines to have the same problem but you never know. You are hoping that the one-two will be achievable.

"I'll do my best," Sergio responds as he gets past Lewis. As the race goes on you find yourself getting more and more worried. Your eyes are glued to the data. The good thing is the only driver to challenge Sergio and Max is Charles. There is a gasp as Sergio contacts Charles as they go around one of the turns. The action causes damage to the front wing.

"Christian Sergio will have to box for a new front wing," You announce.

"Sergio box for a front wing," Christian relays your instruction to Sergio.

"Roger," Sergio confirms. The good thing is the pit crew is quick and Sergio can regain his second-place position. After twenty minutes of racing, you hear the familiar cheer as Sergio and Max pull ahead of Charles. However, your joy is short-lived. Your attention is drawn to a particular set of data.

"I have a problem. The engine doesn't sound right," Sergio announces. Your heart sinks. You get to work on coming up with ideas to sort the issue. You can't think of anything. You pore over the data.

"Checo just make sure you can keep control. Casey is working on something," Christian briefs him. At least the race is close enough to the finish. It doesn't take you long to diagnose the issue. You get Christian to tell him what's wrong.

"So I will be able to finish first?" Sergio decides to double-check.

"Yes, we've asked Max to keep Charles behind him instead of overtaking you," Christian responds. Both you and Ari seem confident that this plan will work. It doesn't take long for the race to conclude with Sergio in the first place. You are overcome with relief. You can tell that the entire team has the same sense of relief as you. It doesn't take long for Sergio and Max to get back to the pits. Sergio soon makes his way to you. He has the same grin on his face as he did in Sakhir.

"Congratulations Sergio," You beat him to the punch. Sergio pulls you into a celebratory hug.

"You do realise that it was all because of you," Sergio deflects the congratulations.

"I wasn't the one in the car," You remind him. You are glad that you have ended up with a slightly modest driver. The thought makes you giggle.

"Anyway you have a trophy to collect," You break free of his embrace. Seeing Sergio on the podium after the disaster at Abu Dhabi fills your heart with joy. It doesn't take long for the podium ceremony to finish. You get the feeling that this will be the happiest you will see Sergio for a while. You are going to make sure you can celebrate the win for a while because you know that you have a lot of work to do once the celebration has died down.