Full Throttle

Friday

My hand lands with a thump onto the dark wood of the bedside table, fingers scrambling for the alarm clock on my phone that is the current cause of my misery. Whoever invented the ear-splitting tones that provoke my fight or flight should be imprisoned for life. I could've sworn being forced to listen to this stuff is a form of torture. I finally find the 'stop' button through bleary eyes and slump back into the soft hotel pillows that have been cradling my head for the night. And just went sleep is beginning to take be into its warm, welcoming arms, the alarm pierces my ears and I jolt awake again with a start.

"Fuck sake," I mumble as I sit up and reach for my phone, cursing past me for forcing me awake. I rub my eye as I try to decipher the sentence above the alarm, momentarily blocking out the noise.

"You...get...in... the car...today," I mumble. Turning off the alarm, I let my hand drop as I sit, my brain trying to wake up. "You get in the car today," I repeat, my eyes narrowing. "You get in the car today! Jessie!" I shoot up from my bed as the realisation dawns on me. It's Friday the 15th of March 2019. I get in the car today!

Technically, the race weekend started yesterday. But yesterday was media day and I don't count media day because I don't get to drive. I'm so excited to get back into the car. Winter testing was good, although it could've been better. Difficulties with the balance had caused problems for both me and my teammate, but it was rectified by the last day.

"How could you forget that you're in Australia, idiot," I say to myself, trying to tame my wild hair into two braids. A touch of makeup, my Toro Rosso t-shirt, a pair of jeans, sun cream, and I'm all set. My bag is already packed and I make sure to grab my phone off the bedside table before I rush out of the door.

I slip my headphones over my ears as I press the button for the elevator. I'm getting a taxi to the track. My trainer, Nick, had to get there early for his boring personal trainer responsibilities. The doors open and I look up before stepping inside. Charles Leclerc is standing off to the side. I give him a thin-lipped smile and stand on the other side of the small metal room. I've only met him a few times, and spoken to him even less. He drove for Prema in F2 and I drove for Carlin, so we had our on track clashes for the year that we were both there, but aside from that, we never had much reason to have a proper conversation. Until now, of course.

"Good morning, Jessie. How are you feeling today?" I hear him say over my music, which is still relatively quiet. I slip my headphones down onto my shoulders and answer him.

"I'm okay. A bit nervous, I guess." Charles smiles and shrugs.

"That is normal. It gets worse on Sunday. I almost threw up before my first race, but it was okay in the end. You did well in Formula 2, there is no reason why that will not carry on in Formula 1."

"Yeah," I sigh. "I just hope I don't shunt it into the wall."

"I'm sure you will be okay. Good luck, Jessie," Charles says as he steps out of the elevator, now on the ground floor.

My hair starts to frizz up as soon as I step out of the taxi, and I'm thankful for the bottle of hairspray in my bag. Had I had the time, which I never do, I would've treated my curls and given them the attention that they deserve. But instead, the thick purple coils of hair we pushed into one of my usual hairstyles, and no doubt will need further encouragement throughout the day to stay in place. I scan my pass, the 'beep' as the identification is accepted making happy feelings fire off in my brain. No sooner am I through the barriers do I get intercepted by one of the news outlets already broadcasting, gathering footage to be used when people tune in for today's events. I slip my headphones down and catch the reporter mid-sentence.

"-and here we are, just being joined by one of this season's rookies, Jessie Osbourne. Jessie, how are you feeling today?"

"I'm excited. I can't wait to start this season off and show my team how much they mean to me by hopefully fighting for points. Yeah, I'm excited to see what the car can do."