GRIDLOCK - Lando Norris [BOOK 1 Gridlock Series]

29

It's now race day, qualifying went really smoothly for everyone and the results panned out just how everyone expected.

Lando still wasn't completely back to being himself, but you could tell he was on his way there. Max and I had a conversation over breakfast about it, and Max agreed that race day will have some surprises in it.

As far as points go, Max and Lando are still pretty much neck and neck. Luckily for Lando, he had a great start of season and was able to get enough points behind him to make up for those weeks off.

"Hey girly" I hear from Charles as I make my way down pit lane.

"Hey hey, how are you feeling?" I greet him with a hug before continuing down the paddock with his arm around my shoulder and mine his waist.

"Amazing. I've been waiting to race on this track forever" he gushes.

"It is a pretty cool track, I mean Caesar's Palace is like, right there" I tease because it's not like they take in their surroundings as they race.

"I haven't seen Luisinha around track" he insinuates, pulling me closer to him.

"Charles" I warn, trying so hard to block my feelings when it's race day.

"I'm just saying" he holds his hands up in defence. "She wasn't around yesterday either"

I give him a playful shove as we reach the Ferrari garage and I continue past McLaren to RedBull.

I couldn't see Lando as I passed, but it's best to be distant from the drivers before they race. They have all their own rituals and pre-race warmups they do.

"I'm telling you" Johan starts as I walk into the garage, his hands running thru his hair in frustration and his eyes overflowing with stress. "Christian needs to ban your mother from the garage"

I can't help but chuckle. "I've been telling him that for years" I mock.

"I'm serious,Ev. That woman she just makes me... ergh" he groans as he throws his back against the garage side wall, both our gazes being brought back inside.

"I'm just saying, if you watch the data from qualifying you'll see that the DRS took too long.." her voice drowns out as she follows Andy, who's probably wishing he wasn't one of Max's tech workers right now, out of the back of the garage.

"She's been on everyone all morning" he groans.

"What's her problem?" I ask earning me a sarcastic look, "besides the obvious issues" I add.

"I think she's threatened by Norris" Johan comments, looking cautiously up at me from under his cap.

"It's not a bad word" I reassure, slapping the front of his cap making it fall over his eyes. "But she probably has good reason to be."

Johan nods handing me some sheets of paper. Unfolding them, I can see they are the 2023 stats placing Max only 3 points ahead of Lando. Lando needs to win today to make this a final race battle between the two of them.

"If Norris wins today, I really, really don't want to be around when your mother returns" he cowers.

I roll my eyes at him and join Max over at the cockpit where he is currently strapping into his seat.

"Good luck, Maxibon" I tease, resulting in a stern look from Max.

"Seriously, Ev?" He spits with a smile on his face.

"Oh come on now" I play.

"What do you reckon?" He asks

I look at him misunderstood "about what?"