All the Way - an F1 story

22

31 July , 2021
📍Mogyoród, Hungary

"Porca miseria, se ci chiami per un incontro alle otto un'altra volta, Marco, me ne vado."

"I know you're joking, Gigi. Have a seat, yeah?" The mechanic smirked as she took her seat next to Calina. It was far too early for any of them to be at the track, but Marco insisted that they all attend, and there was one thing that really confused her. Normally, when Marco called meetings early, the whole team was present, crowded into the garage. Now, only a select few were seated amongst the tables in the hospitality. Calina didn't spot Nico amongst the group of mainly engineers and mechanics, so she wondered why she was there. It must have been something important, because off to the side, their team manager was speaking in rapid Italian on the phone with someone, and the name 'Horacio' was used multiple times. It occurred to Calina then that Marco wasn't the only one to call the meeting, but Horacio too. If Horacio Pagani was involved, then it was obvious this was an important matter.

"Alright, I really hope everyone is here. Is everyone here?" The nod of confirmation was all Marco needed from Riccarda, now off her call with the CEO, and Fabiano, their Technical Director, to continue on.

"Perfect! Okay, so–sorry, is English okay for everyone? Yes? Alright. So, you all must be wondering why I called you here at this ungodly hour, however I wanted to get this over with before the mechanics have to begin setting up for practice. As I'm sure you are all aware, and I would be very worried if you weren't by now, but next year, we are moving to a very new car design. Now, I have been discussing with Horacio and Fabiano, and we have come to a unanimous decision regarding a key part of our car. As kind as they have been, Mercedes provided us with engines, but we have been considering other options with the engine freeze that will be implemented."

Upon hearing his words, a ripple of shock coursed through the entire group. Calina couldn't be hearing Marco correctly. Even Gigi looked taken aback.

"Wait, wait, wait. You want to stop using Merc engines?" Gigi asked. "They're reliable enough."

"Yes, Gianna, however we don't know if the other manufacturers are going to start catching up." He did have a point there. Red Bull was already looking very strong with the Honda power, and even the Ferrari wasn't a tractor anymore.

"Now, I did speak with someone from Honda, but it's looking like they will leave the sport, and they are fairly committed to helping Red Bull to build their own PU's, so they are out. The Renault is not as powerful as we'd like it to be, and Horacio wants to leave Ferrari as an absolute backup. So, we're left with two main options: we either stick with Mercedes, or we build our own engine."

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"I mean, from what I can understand, at least building an engine isn't the only option," Elara said, handing off another hat to Calina, in exchange for a freshly-signed one. "And besides, we have a good team. You guys can get it done."

"If only it were that easy, Elara." Gianna signed. The two younger girls were sitting in their usual spots on the counters lining the walls of the garage, Calina busy autographing while the mechanics built the cars.

"El, engines can take at least a year. If Horacio wants to build an engine, he better have already started developing an idea at least." Calina explained.

"Okay, well–Mo, how long did it take for the engines at Red Bull?"

The mechanic looked up at her in confusion, pausing midway through adjusting the brake pedal. "We didn't build our engines, and I work in aero. I'm sure Calì can work on something with the engineers."