Racing For Love

Chapter Seven

I am shattered. After the long flight, I make it to Melbourne and Matt and James meet me at the airport gate, having been in the city for a couple of days.

"Can you drop me straight at the track, guys? I need to deliver this part." I say wearily. The last place I want to go to right now is the race track, but I was given an urgent parcel to deliver to the garage, and since i'm still a junior team member, I need to be doing everything I can to help.

Lorenzo had a small crash during FP1 and the car sustained some damage, meaning he missed FP2. Realising they were missing a spare, suddenly, my late arrival proved incredibly useful, allowing the factory to machine a brand new part, and with the post not to be trusted with such an urgent piece, it was my responsibility - my new travel companion. I was so nervous - the box handed over to me with express instructions to take extra good care of it, and i'd fiddled at the box for nearly the whole flight, checking and rechecking it's presence. Only a car ride now, and then my watch would be over - I could not wait to be rid of it, and the pressure of keeping it safe.

Getting to The Paddock, the buzz and atmosphere of a race weekend was still palpable, despite the late hour. The weather was cool, but still far nicer than the UK, and I started to sweat under the thick Bianchi hoodie i'd slung over my travel clothes. The t-shirt underneath however was thinner than i'd realised when I put it on, only finding out it was basically see-through on a trip to the airport toilets in Doha when I looked up to see the complete outline of my bra. No wonder I kept on getting side glances from the lady in front of me on the flight! We walked through and into the pit lane as I handed the parcel over to Lorenzo's head engineer. Relief filled me as I completed my job, and had a quick chat to some of the guys. Despite it being nearly midnight, there was still plenty of people on site - the damages to Lorenzo's car taking longer than anticipated to fix had kept people working late - even if they couldn't touch the car, they were able to plan for the works as soon as they were able to get back to the garage.

I went back to The Paddock hoping that I could soon check in to my hotel room, but thinking that I would probably be here for a bit since Matt and James were supposed to be heading there. As I arrived to the Bianchi area, I immediately noticed a familiar face I wasn't expecting "Jono, what are you doing here? Why aren't you resting ahead of tomorrow?" I asked, seeing his exhausted face looking back at me.

"FP1 and 2 didn't go as well as i'd hoped. I've been going through the analysis with the team. Well I was until they fell asleep" he says, making light of something that has obviously taken it out of him, given the hard lines etched across his forehead. "What are you doing here at this time of night? You should be in bed, young lady" he jests, smiling widely, though it doesn't reach his eyes.

"Didn't you know, i'm now a parcel delivery service!" I twirl and hold my hands up as I explain that I brought the part for Lorenzo's car. I ask him whether anyone else is around but it turns out Matt and James have already left. "If there's nobody else here then, i'm desperate to get to the hotel - i'm absolutely shattered from travelling" I say, far more honestly than perhaps I should admit, given it was my own choice to travel in so late.

"I'm heading out too, shall I give you a lift?" Jono offers, and it's far preferable than walking to catch the shuttle bus I had planned to take. "Yes, please! If that's ok." I reply, and gather up my bags as Jono stands, piling up the analysis paperwork that's around him and shutting off his laptop.

"i'm parked just over here" he says and I follow him across to his car. Try as I might, I cannot open the door - I pull and push before Jono comes up and gently pushes me out of the way, performing some sort of voodoo magic to the door before it opens vertically like some sort of space car. I chuckle "of course, why didn't I try that" I say, before climbing into the bucket seats, bag on my lap since there's no such thing as a boot.