Away We Go • 2 • Formula One

Chapter 71

a chapter in the middle of the monza grand prix weekend. let's hope it's an exciting race full of action so the podcast isn't just a load of waffle, eh?

as always, thanks for all of the love and support you continue to show me. i am incapable of expressing my gratitude in words. votes and comments are very much appreciated and certainly help me get a feel for what you guys enjoy reading.

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I think Pierre and I managed only a couple hours of peaceful sleep before the busy day called us. He had to get up extra early to sneak back into his hotel room without Cate noticing, however I think I've managed to convince him to tell her at some point rather than keep secrets from her. I know Cate would be just as frustrated as he is and in no way critical or judgemental to Pierre. The fact that Pierre even thought he was letting us down continued to break my heart every time I thought about it. He's just such a good guy and deserves the world, and it just reiterates how mean the sport can be.

Mick, Seb, Stof, and I cycled in to the paddock in the morning whilst Murray stayed with Lizzie for the day. Together, we had our breakfast and talked about the upcoming day. I tried to keep the conversation away from seat decisions or the future because I knew that once I started ranting, I might let it slip about Pierre and his loss of the Red Bull seat. It's not my place to tell anyone and I don't intend to.

Once the breakfast was finished, we all headed our separate ways to prepare for the first practice session. I lingered behind a little, wanting some time to myself before making my way to the Mercedes building. When I spotted the Red Bull team principle getting his morning coffee at the available outdoor stand, I couldn't help but make a beeline for him. My feet were moving on instinct at this point. Christian turned away from the stand, a steaming recyclable cup in hand, just as I was about to make my presence known. He stopped in his tracks and a smile lit up his face. How is this man looking so enthusiastic at this time in the morning? "Alyssa! It's been a while since I've seen you properly. How've you been?"

"You're making a mistake," I told him bluntly, ignoring the question.

Christian's eyes flicked to his cup and he chuckled softly. "It's just coffee. You know, I was going to get a cup of tea because my wife thinks I should cut down on the caffeine but I just couldn't resist." My face was probably a good enough indicator that the mistake he was thinking of was far from the mistake I was thinking of. "Oh!" he exclaimed, apparently catching on, "is this about Max's contract? Thought it would be best to extend his contract before you Mercedes guys go sniffing for him. A team with the pair of you would either be unstoppable or total chaos, or both."

"Max has a contract extension?" I wasn't surprised in the slightest to hear that Red Bull would want to keep on the driver who has the biggest shot at winning the championship since two-thousand-thirteen with Sebastian Vettel. My only surprise came in the fact that Max didn't tell me, but then I was quickly reminded that I told him not to contact me until I made my decision. I bet he's been waiting to tell me since the deal was sealed, just how I would want to tell him if my contract was updated in any way. He deserved to stay at a winning team because he's a winning driver.