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MARCH 26TH 2022 📍JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA ────────────────────────────────
All eyes were on her, and she felt them boring into her skin the moment she entered the paddock. All these people were staring at her and whispering to each other; she was the main attraction of the day. Even if she was sitting in the same place as everyone else, it felt like they were staring daggers straight through her, and she could barely breathe. She was trying hard to stay calm, and she was succeeding, so far. But it could only last so long until someone came to bother her. For the time being, the importance of the race occupied most of her mind. They had an outstanding performance back in Bahrain, so this was the perfect opportunity for them as a team to show off once more and she needed it badly. It didn't matter how many times they won every year, she just wanted to feel better about herself. The pressure of winning was starting to become overwhelming, and this upcoming race meant everything to her. Winning would put her back on track in terms of her reputation as a racer. She wouldn't have to worry about getting picked out by the media for a while, as long as scandals weren't attached to her name.
The media liked to speculate that her professional relationship with Pierre Gasly was anything but professional. The press didn't care whether the rumours were true or not, they were still obsessed. As far as they were concerned, they would find their way eventually, and it was inevitable that they would start throwing around baseless accusations regarding them as soon as possible. Camille was sure the press had already started digging into this topic as it was the most interesting one yet. No one wanted to read more articles about Red Bull and Mercedes dragging each other to court for defamation.
Unfortunately, the public proximity of Pierre had left her somewhat defenceless, especially because, although he seemed to ignore her presence entirely, she couldn't ignore him. She wanted to be alone and pretend as if she didn't know him, but again, the media had another plan. A combined interview with Pierre and her was scheduled for after the qualification session. It would be her first interaction with him since their pantry incident, and she dreaded it so much that her knees began to shake.
The qualification itself didn't concern her overly much. In truth, she was feeling quite confident about her chances of another pole position. She had been doing quite well in those situations as a result of the training sessions, and although it may not have come easily to her initially, she was gradually getting used to it. She could practically sense her confidence growing in each event, and her laps were becoming easier to manage now. However, there was always a risk lurking around every corner of this course and it was difficult to keep her emotions at bay when she recalled last year's crash. She couldn't afford to let something happen today. In Q3, she couldn't put in a faster time than the Ferrari's, resulting in a third-place start, which she could deal with. She was sure that she could manage this tomorrow. She could win gold if she didn't screw everything up, or so she thought.
