Bonjour ma chérie || Charles Leclerc

•Chapter 15•

°If that ain't love then I don't know what love is
We even got a secret handshake
And she loves the music that my band makes
I know I'm young but if I had to choose her or the sun
I'd be one nocturnal son of a gun°

Her mom picked up the phone almost immediately.

"Oh look who remembered our existence," she said.

"Good evening to you too, mom," Diana answered in the same tone.

"You have some explaining to do, young lady. Let me put you on speaker and tell your father to come here too."

"Fine"

After a couple of minutes, Diana's mother gave her permission to start talking.

"Firstly, who is this man, Diana?" Her mother asked.

"His name is Charles. He is a formula 1 driver for Ferrari." Diana answered.

"Those who are driving in circles with like 300 kilometers per hour?" Her mother asked.

"Are you crazy Diana? Do you understand the danger he is putting himself in? What if something bad happens and you.."

"Monica, what are you saying to her? Let her live!" Her father interrupted. "How did you meet him, honey?" He asked.

"Thanks, dad. So we met at a club in Monaco. He is monegacque, and he happened to be there."

"Diana, you left for Monaco 11 days ago! This means that there is no way that you know him for more than that!"

"We met about 9 days ago. And I'm not in Monaco right now."

"Nine days!?" Her mother shouted.

"Yeah, we heard something about Imola on the news. Your relationship is all over the internet. But isn't it a bit early, Diana? And you are already with him for his work." Her father said.

"I know it is. But I promise that he is a great guy. He is very sweet and kind and.." she tried to explain.

"Are you in love, Diana?" Her mother asked right away. Everyone was silent for a moment. "You've never been like this before. It is so frivolous and out of your mind. That's a sign of  being in love, and you can not hide from me." Her mother continued.

Was she really?

"I don't know, mom. But that's not the time to discuss that. I promise that you will meet him once he finds the time. He is a very busy man because of his job."

"Fine, but don't you think that you can get away with this that easily."

"Monica! I'm very happy for you, Diana. I'm looking forward to meeting this man. I trust your taste."

"Oh Brad, stop taking her side!"

"Bye, you guys," Diana said and ended the call.

She was feeling emotionally drained after that. She knew that her mother wouldn't be proud of her. At least her dad was more understanding. She couldn't blame them for worrying and having some concerns.

She got ready and called a taxi. By the time she had arrived, the session was about to begin. She was running through the crowd in the paddock but managed to find the garage on time. She saw Charles standing up. He was about to put his helmet on. She rushed into him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I'll tell you later, okay?" She said immediately.

Charles kissed her and got in the cockpit.

"Good luck!" She said before seeing him leaving the garage.

Fred approached her and gave her the headphones as always. But this time, he told her to sit next to Xavi, Charles' radio engineer.

"Diana, this qualifying is very important for Charles. And if someone here has given him some motivation, this person is you. I want you to be here next to Xavi, and if anything happens, you can talk to Charles. The large TV is still here if you want to watch the rest of the grid, but be extra careful with Charles."

Diana nodded in agreement, and Q1 started. Fred was already in yhose chairs outside behind some screens. Charles had mentioned how that thing was called, but she couldn't recall it. During the first eight minutes, many drivers had set time. Charles, after his out lap, managed to set a very good and fast time, which brought him in the first position.

The Ferrari team was pretty satisfied and told him to come back in the garage. When he did, a bunch of mechanics started working on his car while he stayed in there.

Max Verstappen managed to pass his time by some tenths of a second while Sergio Perez and carlos were behind him for a tiny bit. Just because some teams like Aston Martin and Mercedes could do some harm, Charles got out for another fast lap. He didn't disappoint since he came back in the first place after setting the fastest sectors 1 and 2. Q1 was over, and he came back in the garage.

"Charles, we have some time before Q2. Is everything okay with the car?" Fred asked.

"The car is flying. I can't believe how well it has behaved so far. How is Carlos doing?"

"He is p3 right now."

"Is Max the second one?"

"Yes. Charles, you have to focus on you and your car. Be very careful and update us frequently."

"I will. Can I speak to Diana before Q2, please?" He said.

Fred called Diana, and she approached the car immediately.

"You are doing an amazing job.' She said and smiled."

"Thank you for being here. It means so much to me."

"How could I not be? Now get out there and show them who Charles is." She said in order to motivate him.

Q2 had started. That drivers had fifteen minutes to do their job. The first five were already eliminated. Diana felt bad for Sargeant and De Vries. They were still rookies, and the sport wasn't easy. She did notice Oscar Piastri, who was very good despite driving in F1 for the first time. Charles' time was set, and everyone in the garage started celebrating.

"He is magical!"

"Charles is flying out there!

And other similar comments were heard.

He came back, and the mechanics checked on his tires and rear, but nothing seemed wrong. Meanwhile, Verstappen was still pretty quick. In the last dive minutes, Charles got out and set an incredible time. George Russel was one of the few drivers who were still on track after the time had run out. He was in his fast lap when the Alpha Tauri of Yuki Tsunoda crashed into the wall, causing a red flag. That meant that his fast lap couldn't be completed, leaving him in the 11th position.

"That's a shame for Mercedes, but it might be to our advantage." Fred commented.

Q3 started, and everyone was very stressed. Charles' formation lap felt like an eternity for even himself, as he reported to Xavi. For tent minutes all of the drivers were setting faster times after faster times. Hamilton was struggling with his breaks while the Alpines were fighting for Alonso's fifth position. Carlos was in p3. He was definitely very consistent. Charles and Max were continually battling for the pole, with the two of them being on their fast lap after the time had run out. Diana's heart had gone crazy. Charles was the first to complete his last lap, setting a truly incredible time. Everyone was wondering if Max was able to do better than that.

"Max Verstappen is on his final lap. Can he manage to beat Charles Leclerc? He stays on the inside... Max Verstappen goes wide in that corner! He hasn't crushed, but his time is definitely ruined!" Alex Jaques said on the TV. "Verstappen has just crossed the finish line. He has not improved his time. Charles Leclerc is on pole for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix here in Italy!"