January 2022
It is that time of year again. Formula E testing. The thing is I am looking forward to defending my championship title. There is just one catch. I will not have much downtime as I am a reserve driver for Mercedes' Formula 1 team. The thing is I have a connection to Formula 1 that I am not ready to face. Not yet anyway. Right now I need to focus on my duties as a Formula E driver. I am walking through the Valencia paddock on the way to the Mercedes EQ garage. I am quick to make it to the garage however I notice that the atmosphere is tense. I find that a little odd considering the fact that it is only preseason testing. Oh well, there is nothing that I can do about it. I put down the tense nature of the preseason testing due to the fact that we are going into this year as reigning champions. Not that it matters as the new year means a fresh start.
"Hello, Jess," The first person to greet me is my lead engineer Kai Schneider. He was one of three people that I have to thank for my victories last year.
"Morning. I'm sure you and Kristy have everything under control," I address the tension. My remark manages to get a dirty look from Kai.
"It's not my fault that we are the current team's champion," Kai half-jokes. Honestly, he just worries too much. It is something that I understand. He can't control what I do with the car. After a few words from Kai, I am greeted by my lead mechanic Kristy Johnson.
"Hey, Jess. I'm not sure if Kai told you but you should be careful with the brakes. They're new," Kristy greets me. Of course. This is the first day of testing. Everythìng is new.
"Kai just told me that it will be an easy session this morning," I responded as I get to work on getting my balaclava over my head.
"At least that means an easy morning for you," I counter.
"Well, I wouldn't hold your breath. There is a lot that can go wrong," Kristy jokes. Her joke manages to get a giggle from me. Even though it was meant as a joke she is right. I am not perfect. With a few swift movements, I have my helmet and HANS device on. Thankfully it doesn't take long for me to get comfortable in the car.
"Radio check?" Kai's voice rings through the radio.
"Loud and clear," I responded. With that out of the way, Krisy sends me out. I slot in behind Nyck. I am quick to get the car up to speed. I am quick to notice the fact that everything is new. Oh well, that is why we are here. To make sure everything is up to scratch. After what feels like an eternity the first session has come to an end. There is not much that I could say in regard to that session. It went just as well as you would expect. Right now I am on my way to the hospitality area when I notice a new face. She is wearing the colours of NIO.
"Hello. You must be Charlie," I remark as I catch up to her. Before you can ask, the reason why I know her name without actually meeting her is because of the Instagram post that NIO put up. Yes, Nyck and my PR officer convinced me it was a good idea. I doubt it though.
"Yes," she replies with some enthusiasm. We soon fall into idle chatter while we make our way to our respective hospitality areas. It turns out we have a couple of things in common. Not only are we both reserve drivers in Formula 1 but our last names are connected to Formula 1. Something tells me that our PR officers are going to get Jaylyn, Charlie and I together for some press stuff. I can't blame them if they do. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for us to reach our respective areas.
"I'll see you later Jess," Charlie says goodbye as we part ways. It doesn't take long for me to be intercepted by the third person that helped me last year. In fact, he was the person that helped me the most. He is my boyfriend Nyck De Vries. He even managed to drag me through the worst days of my life.
"Hey Nyck," I greeted the dutchman. I am quick to notice that he has a smug look on his face. That can only mean one thing. I glance at the timesheets to find my name underneath Nyck's. I am second and he is first. At least it looks like we are on the right track in terms of the potential of winning a second championship. It will be interesting to see if I win again or if Nyck will win. To be honest, Nyck deserves to win at this point.
"What?" Nyck asks, having noticed the fact that I am thinking.
"Well, I'm just thinking about the championship and the fact that you deserve the championship victory this year. Before you can ask, I am not going to make it easy for you," I wiped the smirk off his face with those words. After an hour of relaxing the time has come for us to get back to work. It is the day after and unfortunately, it is the worst part of the preseason. Media day. Right now I am waiting for my turn to get all of the photos done. The annoying thing is they are doing it in alphabetical order of the teams. That means Nyck and I will be going towards the end. Right now I am waiting with Jaylyn and Charlie. The funny thing is Jaylyn already had her photos done however she insists that she only needs to be back in the garage once she gets the interviews out of the way.
"I wish they'd only take a couple of photos. There is no way that I'm going to need the victory pose," Jaylyn complains.
"You never know Jay. Luck might be on your side," I counter. I knew it was on my side a lot last year.
"Besides, you got yours done quickly," Charlie adds. After a quick back and forth we have all agreed that today is the worst day of the preseason testing. It doesn't take long for our idle chit-chat to be interrupted.
"There you are, Jess. It's our turn," Nyck remarks as he joins us. Jaylyn and Charlie wish us luck. It doesn't take long for Nyck to lead me to the media centre.
"By the way what did Jay and Charlie mean by good luck?" Nyck asks. Oh, that's right, he wouldn't know.
"Jay, Charlie and I all agreed that today is the worst day of the preseason testing," I clarify. At least it will be done in a couple of hours. Knowing me and my dislike for media stuff, it will feel like an eternity. Now that we have arrived our press officers descend on us to make sure that we are ready to go. Thankfully that doesn't take too long. After what feels like an eternity and a half all of the media stuff has wrapped up. To be honest the only good thing that came from today was the fact that I got to show off my updated helmet design. Instead of a grey and purple base, I have gone for a white and gold base. I still have the red stripe for Jules and the pink stripe for Anthoine.
"Are you ready to go?" Nyck pulls me out of my thoughts.
"Yes. Let's go," I responded. I can feel his hand wrap around mine as we leave. At least this season is looking like it is going to be a challenging one considering how close everyone seems to be in regard to their performance. I think I am going to enjoy this season. There are a few new things that are going to make it interesting as well. It doesn't take long for us to get back to the hotel. It is there that I make sure that I update my social media. Thankfully there doesn't seem to be any negativity yet. I set my phone aside so I can relax with Nyck.
YOU ARE READING
With You No Matter What (The sequel to No Going Back)
Fanfiction"Jules would be proud of you," -Charles Leclerc Things were starting to look bright for Jess Bianchi after she won the 2021 Formula E world championship. With the help of Mercedes EQ, she aims to make it two from two however her new job as the Merce...
