Season of First

Chapter 35: Through The Pain And Chaos

September 13, 2020

Florence, Italy

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Another low point in my rookie season. I was quite disappointed after my retirement in the Italian Grand Prix last weekend since Monza was arguably the best chance to rack up points considering how crazy the race was and how jumbled the finishing order was. Carlo wasn't able to collect points since he finished just outside the top ten, but I feel that if I had been there, I would have had an opportunity to finish in the top ten and score some points for the team.

But I accept the past is the past, and there's nothing I can do about it now. Here I am in the present, preparing for the third and final race of the season's third triple header. Similarly, to Austria and the United Kingdom, I do not need to go to the next country on the calendar or to the factory because the next race is in the same country. However, in this situation, I just have to go a few miles because the next race is in Mugello, which is approximately 207 miles from Monza.

It wasn't a lengthy trip, only around two hours, but I felt strangely fatigued during the travel. Maybe it was because I slept for three hours after the race, but I was really exhausted and ended up snoozing the entire ride. When I arrived, I was taken to a nearby hotel, and as soon as I entered my room, I collapsed into the bed and fell asleep for a few more hours.

It's most likely simply jet lag. I'm not sure.

The next day was a bit of a washout because it was a Wednesday, so I didn't have anything to do. I mainly stayed in my hotel room, appreciating the view of the buildings, which were architecturally antiquated. Following that was Thursday, which is media day. As I was eating breakfast, I received a text message informing me that Luca is still under quarantine and would not be with me this weekend, but he promised me that he will be back in Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix. With that, I'm back on my own, which is fine with me. As soon as I completed my breakfast, I headed to the paddock and then to the garage to watch the lads working on the car and the garage at the same time.

I then discussed the power unit for this weekend with Mike, our team principal. Given that I'll be suffering grid penalties for my gearbox, MGU-K, and Turbo Charger, he basically asked whether I was comfortable with my car exceeding the allocated components, allowing me to start at the back of the grid. It was a difficult decision to make as I considered the track's characteristics and how they might fit my car.

Because it was designed primarily for a MotoGP circuit, the track features a mix of straights and highly fast corners. Given how much downforce is necessary to get the car through those fast corners, it may suit us since we were particularly quick in the middle and last sectors in Austria, which included fast corners and straights. I believe that new components in the power unit would aid in acceleration, particularly on the straights. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but I eventually opted to accept the grid penalties, which Mike acknowledged and will relay to my mechanics.

After that, I walked to the media pen, and, predictably, the media asked me the same old questions. It was a little monotonous since I had to regurgitate the same response over and over again because the questions were so repetitive. After that, I returned to the garage to discuss with Jeff the car's setup as well as the new engine components. When we chatted, he informed me that in order to gain the most power and efficiency, I should miss qualifying totally since no matter where I finish, I will start from the back of the grid. It would be foolish to go out and do one flying lap when it's not going to count anyhow. After that, I packed my belongings and returned to the hotel to end the day and prepare for practice day.