Backstories (Esteban Ocon X OC)

An interesting day

You are getting ready for another day of filming. It is going to be a long day because of the fact that there is a lot of footage that you need to collect. You are hoping that you will be able to spend time with the Alpine drivers. You know that teams like Mercedes are not the most welcoming teams but you can work with them. The Alpine drivers seem to have a lot to say, especially Fernando Alonso. It doesn't take long for the rest of the crew to arrive.

"Ok, I have some good news. For the next couple of weeks, we will be following the Alpine drivers. Kelly and Janic, you'll be following Ocon, Jones and Ivan you will be following Alonso," The director dispenses his orders. You are glad that you have been assigned to follow Esteban. Something tells you that you may be finding out things that will allow you to see the Frenchman in a new light. After all, you know that there is more to him than meets the eye.

"Yes boss," You acknowledge the instructions. After an hour of preparation, you are finally ready to join Esteban. It doesn't take long for you and Janic to find the young driver. You feel a little guilty after all he looks like he is busy with his work. He soon looks up from his work.

"You must be part of the Netflix crew," Esteban remarks. You can tell that he is a little shy. It is understandable after all you are invading his privacy.

"Yes. My name is Kelly and this is Janic. We won't be in your way for long," You confirm. You are hoping that you will be right because you get the feeling that Esteban may not be as willing to share as others. The good thing is you were wrong.

"Don't worry about it. You can get all of the footage that you need," The driver responds. You find yourself impressed. You soon get to work on making sure you can get the footage for the director. It has been a couple of hours since free practice and everyone is getting ready to leave. You are trying your best to avoid hitting anyone as you follow Esteban out of the paddock.

"Watch out Kelly," Esteban warns you. Instead of giving you some time to change course he pulls you out of the way of an eager reporter. You can feel the weight of the camera stabilizer pulling you over. You find yourself a little flustered as Esteban realises his mistake. He catches you before any damage is done.

"I'm sorry about that," you remark as you check the gear.

"Don't worry about it. After all, it looks like it is hard walking backwards with a camera that big," Esteban teases you.

"Yeah, my boss seems to think it is a good idea to use a big camera but I don't see the point," You respond. You find yourself a little flustered because you are normally aware of your surroundings. After a quick conversation you and Esteban part ways. You quickly meet up with Janic, Ivan and Jones. You are a little distracted by your thoughts. You get to work on making sure the equipment is ready for transport to the respective drivers' hotel. The good thing is you can do it by muscle memory after all your thoughts about Esteban are swimming around your head.

"Kelly, you seem bothered about something," Ivan remarks.

"Well, I'm just thinking about how nice Esteban was," You reply. You still feel a little guilty that he had to catch you and all of your gear but at the same time, it made for a good romantic comedy moment. The thought makes you go bright red with embarrassment.

"I'd say you have a crush on him," Ivan retorts as he helps you put the case containing all of the gear in the car. Well you know he is not wrong but you don't want to admit it. You try your best to avoid the topic but Ivan is being persistent.

"Ivan, leave her alone. She has a crush on half the grid," Janic jumps in. You give him a playful shove. You are glad that you all work well together despite the banter. In fact, the job would be boring without it. It doesn't take long for the four of you to reach the hotel. You are now getting ready for the interviews. You are not surprised that Fernando and Esteban are already waiting. It doesn't take long for you to get set up.

"Ok Esteban we are going to discuss Renault's rebrand," the director informs him. After a thirty-minute discussion, your day has finally come to an end. You are about to head to your room but you are stopped.

"Umm since we will be spending some time together I thought I could treat you to a drink tomorrow," Esteban remarks.

"Sure," You take him up on his offer due to the fact that you are largely on his schedule which was shared with you already. It doesn't take long for you to head back to your room. You are stunned by the fact that Esteban has offered to take you out considering the fact that you have only known him for a day. You get the feeling that he is only being polite. It is the day after and you are trying to find the nicest clothes in your suitcase. The issue is you don't have anything particularly nice. You don't know why you are concerned after it is only a courtesy thing. You quickly find the nicest pair of jeans. You quickly get changed. You soon head to the lobby. Your thoughts are interrupted by your message tone.

J: I can't make it. I told Esteban already.

K: ok but you're missing out.

J: I know but the execs want a meeting and you know what they are like.

K: Good luck then.

Great. That means you will be left alone with Esteban. You can feel the butterflies working their way up. You are starting to be bothered about the fact that you are getting nervous. It doesn't take long for your thoughts to be interrupted.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting but I had some things I needed to clear up," Esteban remarks.

"Don't worry about it," You reply. You know how crazy the driver's life can get. Esteban gets to work on taking you to a nice restaurant. The silence between you and Esteban is debilitatingly awkward. It is due to the fact that you have a chance to get to know the genuine version of Esteban.

"Sorry. This is the first time I have talked to a driver outside of my duties for Drive To Survive," You start by apologising.

"Don't worry about it. I'm only doing this as a courtesy and plus there isn't much that could go wrong," He is right. Neither of you is drinking any alcohol anyway. As the night goes on the conversation gets more and more relaxed. You are glad that Esteban is so welcoming. You feel like he is being a little too modest but you understand why.

"So how did you get into Formula 1? I can tell that you were a fan," Esteban asks.

"I used to watch some of the GPs on TV with my Grandpa and I just fell in love. I wanted to become a driver but I quickly learned that I had talent elsewhere," You explain. There is more to that story but you don't want to tell him just yet. Something tells you that since you will be spending more time with the Frenchman you may end up feeling comfortable enough to tell him.

"Hmm," Esteban ponders what you mean.

"I'll put it to you this way. Karting was not my strong suit so I figured why not film the races," You say. It feels odd that you are hinting towards something.

"Fair point," Esteban responds. After another hour of talking the two of you have decided to head back to the hotel. You definitely feel a little sorry that Janic got caught up in meetings. However, you are glad that you got to spend some time with Esteban. It doesn't take long for the two of you to make it back to the hotel.

"Good night," Esteban remarks.

"Good night. I'll see you tomorrow," You reply. It still feels a little awkward for you to talk to him without a camera in your hands. It doesn't take long for you to reach your room. You are glad that the first couple of days went well. You are now hoping that Esteban can do well in the race. Based on what you saw it seems like he has a reasonable chance of getting a good result.