invisible string | OP81

Chapter 2

The phone call from Alpine came late in silly season, not really a surprise after all the drama surrounding them and a certain driver. It didn't really matter to me but it isn't great feeling like second choice. I'm just trying to use it as extra motivation to show that I deserve to be there, especially being a girl.

I woke up early this morning so I could get some training in before going to the track for media day. It was going to be particularly busy because it's the first race of the season.

I'm dreading it knowing that I'll probably be asked a lot about being the first woman in F1 since 1976, obviously I'm proud to have achieved this but it's not something that I think needs loads of attention, in my opinion, I'm just another rookie driver.

I got changed quickly and headed down to the hotel gym. I decided to focus on cardio this morning so that I wouldn't be sore for the weekend. The gym was relatively quiet with only a couple others in there, a boy and a girl.

I put my headphones in and got on the treadmill. I prefer to run outside but this is my only option this morning so I had to deal with it. I settled into a steady pace which I managed to maintain for the entire run, I was happy with this as usually I stop and start a lot.

After 30 minutes, I got off the treadmill and quickly looked around, the girl had left but the boy was still here. I couldn't see his face because the machine he was using faced the wall. It surprised me that he was training his neck. This isn't particularly common with many sports other than racing due to the g-force with the car. However, I wasn't about to ask why he was doing that so I quickly left because I wanted to shower before getting to the track.

It was a pretty short ride from the hotel to the track. My nerves kept building as the journey continued and I was shaking slightly when I arrived.

There were lots of cameras at the entrance to the track, and I could hear the snaps as I walked through the paddock. I was lucky and didn't have to walk too far to get to the hospitality because of where Alpine finished last season. I sped up and soon made it.

I breathed out a sigh of relief when I got inside and went to go and get some food as I decided against eating at the hotel.

This morning, I had a meeting with my PR manager just refreshing what had already been drilled into me about what I could and couldn't say to the press. I still had some time before it starts though so I found a seat and began scrolling through Instagram.

My attention was soon caught by Esteban Ocon walking in. I have seen him around but never actually formally met him, so when we made eye contact I quickly smiled and brought my attention back to my phone. What I didn't expect was that he would come and sit next to me after grabbing some food.

'Hi Blair, nice to officially meet you'

I chuckled,
'Nice to meet you officially, Esteban'

'Are you nervous for the interviews this afternoon? I bet they will be all over you.'

'I'm terrified, public speaking is not my thing in the slightest'

'Either way, it must be exciting being the first woman driver in F1 for a while. It's definitely a step in the right direction for the sport!'

'It still hasn't registered yet, but I don't that to be the only reason why people know me. Don't get me wrong I'm so excited to be but it's so much pressure, if I mess up it reflected poorly on all of us which is why I just want to be another rookie driver.'

'I'm quite thankful it's not me to be honest.'

We kept talking about this coming season for a while before Esteban said, 'I have to say, I'm excited to be your teammate. I kept up with last years F2 season and you looked impressive in the car.'