Lando's Love (2021)

Chapter 34

It must be said that the French Grand Prix is never very interesting. There was only one slight scare on my side over the whole weekend: I thank my mechanics for forgetting to put fuel in the tank of my car for my second flying lap of Q2. I thought I wasn't going to make it to Q3, but in the end it was OK. I enjoyed seeing the fans back at the circuit. The only thing that really amused me was how much Tris was looking forward to it even though she knew that there was rarely any action during the race. Indeed, I was amazed when she told me that the race had been exciting, especially during the last few laps with Max overtaking Lewis and Red Bull's teamwork against the Mercedes. The battle for this year's championship promised to be exciting: Max wanted to get his first championship before the rule change while Lewis wanted to make history by being the first driver to win 8 championships. I had been following the battle between the two drivers since the beginning of the year. Everyone thought that Mercedes would have another year without competition and that the championships would go to them, but Red Bull surprised everyone, and Max even more. He is now Lewis' only rival.

Anyway, back to the point: after the race in France, we were going straight to Austria. I love Austria, especially the Spielberg region with its mountains and lakes. I was looking forward to taking Tris there, I knew she would love it. She had brought her camera with her : on our free days when we were going to go for a walk. The first weekend was marked by an unforeseen event: a spin by Bottas in the pit lane which cost him a penalty. This allowed me to qualify P3 instead of P4. Sunday's race went calmly and without a hitch. I managed to keep Sergio behind me for a while which I was very happy about and I was able to finish my race in 5th place. The fact that I always finished in the Top 5 (with one exception) earned me two nicknames: 'Mister Top 5' and 'The Best of the Rest'. So, everyone thinks that in a utopian scenario where Red Bull and Mercedes are out of the picture, the probability of me winning becomes significant. I don't know if that's true or not but now that I have 3 podiums under my belt, I'm hungry for a win, not only for myself but also for the team who give me a better car every year.

My week between the two Grand Prix was filled with golf, hiking, and chess. It was just nice to be with my friends and the woman I love. I enjoyed my week to the fullest before having to start the whole weekend programme again: press conference, FP1, FP2, FP3, Quali, Race... The first 4 stages went smoothly. We celebrated Daniel's birthday, he turned 32 on Thursday. The free practice went quietly again except for a slight spin on my part at turn 1. "What damage do you have?" asked Will, "Talent" I replied. After FP3 I had a bite to eat in the McLaren cafeteria with Astrid, Zak, Andreas, Jon, Daniel, and Michael. We discussed a bit about everything and nothing, as if we were not going to fight for the best possible qualification less than 3 hours later. The meal was nothing but laughter and good humour, a moment that everyone would like to stop in this beautiful setting.

Before I could even take a breath, it was time for qualifying. I got into my car with one thing in mind: to give it my best shot. Q1 and Q2 were quickly completed without any hitches for me. While waiting for Q3 to start, I was looking at the names of the top 10 today when I saw the one, I had been hoping to see for 3 years now: RUS... George was in Q3 for the first time with Williams. He was waiting patiently at Williams waiting for Mercedes to want him. He had shown what he was capable of if he had the car thanks to the Sakhir Grand Prix last year. Everyone had been happy to see him replace Lewis when he got the Covid. Unfortunately, the tyre swap and the puncture robbed him of his first podium, if not his first win. He had at least got his first points and his first Q3 thanks to the Mercedes. And today he had his first Q3 in his Williams. If that didn't prove his talent and the fact that he deserves his place in one of the two Mercedes, I don't know what they need. I know he hasn't scored a point with Williams yet, but I also know he is capable of it this year. I'm proud of my friend and what he can do.