Shakedown is an F1 term meaning,
"A brief test is when a team is trying a different car part for the first time before going back out to drive at 100 percent to set a fast time."
This story is filled with the twist and turns of when we risk it all a...
Good Morning day one, also known as Practice day. This day is when all the drivers get a first taste of the circuit and, in other words, have fun and practice. I can't believe Lew got me to learn something about this sport.
"Babe, come on we'll be late!" Brad yelled from outside the bathroom.
"I'm almost done with my makeup," I replied.
"Why couldn't you wake up earlier!" he yelled again.
Instead of answering, I just finish up and left the bathroom and said, "Let's go."
I was wearing a long shirt, sneakers, and a bodysuit with soft desert colours. I'm very glad I worked with a stylist to come up with the outfits for this trip. This way I don't look out of place amongst these gorgeously styled celebrities.
"Finally!" he says in relief and hands me my tickets.
"Aren't we going to be together?" I asked confused.
"No," he said, "I have to be down with my team."
"So, what was the point of me coming if you're not going to be with me?"
"Babe," he signed, "came we talk about this later, we are late."
I got my bag and sunglasses, and we were on our way. We were driven to the event in a sky sports car, and it was packed. The entrance was riddled with journalists, fans and employees, managing everyone. I was escorted by some people to the garages so I could find Kelly.
The garages were buzzing with mechanics putting their final touch on the cars, which were bigger than I expected. Everyone seemed so busy and focused on their thing. I saw the Ferraris, Williams and finally, Red Bull where I spotted Kelly almost immediately.
"Y/N!" she yelled.
"Hey, Kelly," I ran to her and hugged her.
"How are you, girl?" she asked, "where's Brad?"
"I'm great," I answered, "he is working, as always."
"Well, at least you have me," she said, "come meet my boyfriend!"
She pulled me into the garage, and we raced through the crew and got to the back where there were various rooms. There were many more people doing their jobs. We finally got to the door with Max's name on the door.
*knock knock*
Kelly knocks and yells, "It's me, babe, I want you to meet my friend."
The door opens to reveal a tall blonde man wearing a dark blue racing suit covered in logos from the team's sponsors. Kelly jumped onto him and hugged him. When letting go of each other they kissed. They look so cute together.
"This is Y/N," she said, "Y/N, this is Max."
"Nice to meet the woman who kept my girlfriend having fun last night," he says and expected his hand.
"Nice to meet you too," I said and shook his hand back, "and in my defence, it's not my fault she's an amazing person."
"That's true," he said with his Dutch accent and kissed her forehead.
"Are you ready for the practice?" Kelly asked him.
"Yes," he replied, "I just need to talk to Christian and I'm off."
She turns to me and says, "Christian Horner," she explained, " is the team principal of Red Bull."
I nod relieved that she knows how lost I am and she is always there guiding me.
"Ohh yes," Max remembered, "this is your first race, correct?"
"Yes, it is," I responded.
"Well, you are lucky," he said, "Kelly has been around the sport for a long time, she'll help you for sure."
"MAX!" a male voice with a thick french accent yelled from a distance, "Christian is waiting for us."
"Duties calls," Max says, puts on his cap, "enjoy the practice session, ladies."
"Good luck, babe," Kelly says and kissed his cheek before he goes. "That was Pierre, his teammate."
"That's nice," I said, "but you and Max look great together."
She blushes and immediately thanks me for the compliment.
We hang out in Max's room for a while and then made our way to our seats to get a better view of the circuit. Being Max's girlfriend, her seats were well located in a lounge area complete with a bar and buffet filled with a variety of food and treats. When we sat down, we were facing a beautiful view of the circuit with TVs above us giving us more angles of the circuit.
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"This is incredible," I said.
"It really is," Kelly replied, "I'm just glad I finally have company."
"Aren't you friends with the other driver's girlfriends?" I asked.
"Not really," she confessed, "since we are all supporting different drivers we stay in our corners."
"That's a shame," I said.
"Yes, but some of them are friends, but since I'm not in every race, I don't get the chance to know them."
"Well, you got me all weekend!" I said excitedly.
"Yes!" she cheered, "Champagne to celebrate!"
We spent the rest of the afternoon having a gourmet lunch and watched some of the teams do their practice laps. We saw Max and Pierre, as well as other drivers. I got a chance to see how good Max is. She told me about Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr, legends like Sebastian Vettel and more. It was like I was in an intro class to F1 with the best lecturer ever. But after Max raced we made our way back to the garage.
After a while, I started to wonder about Lew and where he might be and since I knew Kelly was an expert I decided to ask.
"Kelly, do you know a guy called Lew?" I asked her, "I met him last night after you left, he actually taught me about the sport."
"Uhh did he say in what garage he worked for?" she asked.
"No," I responded.
"How about his full name?"
"He didn't say," I said.
"Looks like we have a true mystery on our hands," she admitted, "I don't know every single person who works for every team."
After a brief chat with Max and Pierre, they had to go do some press. So me and Kelly decided to go back to the hotel to enjoy the pool with her daughter, Penelope.
By the time I had gotten back to my room, it was 8 p.m and Brad was not yet there. I was exhausted so I just showered and went to sleep.
