Racing For Love

Chapter Seventy Two

It's the week of the Italian Grand Prix, which would have usually been the biggest celebration of the season for Lorenzo and the team but this year, it was totally eclipsed by reports of Andrea Bianchi's removal from Bianchi Racing - the team in which he funded, and that bore his name.

Bianchi Racing has a deep history in Italy - the original team was based in solely in Italy - the historic 'Scuderia Italia' team had a long list of wins and championships. They ran into trouble in the 1990s, which was when Andrea bought out the team, securing his families legacy in the Formula One world by renaming and launching as Bianchi Racing, but keeping the signature red, which was well known around the world. This was when the team's headquarters were moved to be based in the UK - a move to align with other teams at the time, the majority of which were based in the same small pocket of England. A factory remained in the Italian countryside, machining specific parts and securing the team's Italian heritage.

With Andrea's leadership and funding, the team grew quickly and in the early 2000s, they were competing for championship titles again. Joe began at Bianchi in 1997 and had an 18 year stretch with the team. It was always the team my parents supported, the team that we followed as a family. To see news reports of Bianchi now in trouble feels like another personal loss, not only because of my family, but also because of my job.

Of course there is wild speculation across the media about the reason for the departure of Andrea because that part has not been widely publicised, but FormulaOMG! posted an "exclusive" video suggesting that it was due to sexual harassment claims, and this has gained traction - making media day at the track beyond chaotic, especially for Lorenzo who had to field the questions about his father, whilst our legal team try and establish where the rumours are coming from.

Kate and the media team have been prepping both drivers on what they need to be saying this week, and I have been tasked on briefing trackside reporters that they are not permitted to ask questions surrounding the on-going investigation - in some cases this worked, but we still had people questioning any member of the team they could - trying to catch people out, asking mechanics and hospitality staff for their opinions on what's going on, with the hope that they might get a sound bite.

The entire team have been exhausted by the extra stress this has brought onto us all this week. We have become far more insular as a team as we've all tried to protect each other as much as we can. We move in groups, testudo formation to try and prevent anyone infiltrating our camp. Since the team have stuck together closely, so have Jono and I.

Even with the chaos surrounding us, Jono has been attentive and after last race week we have both consciously focussed on communicating. It has felt more normal and more relaxed being together here - there is a solidness between us, knowing how we feel about each other brings an additional unspoken unity.

It's race day and we are all at the track early, as per team orders. Davide Romano has us all gathered at the motorhome for a team principal briefing - silence overcomes the group as we all look towards his leadership. "Thank you all for being here. I know that this week has been challenging for us all, but the teamwork that I have seen displayed amidst this has been inspiring. This is of course reflected in the incredible qualifying yesterday - to see our cars front row again will silence the doubts, and give everyone something else to focus on. Let's work hard, and show them the strength we all possess. Forza Bianchi!"

Claps and cheers echo around as we go our separate ways and prepare for the race. Jono and Lorenzo are deep in conversation as they walk off - the issues this week seem to have brought them closer together, and it has been reassuring to see them getting on better, focussing on racing hard and showing everyone our capabilities. Lorenzo is still leading the driver's championship at this point, but only by four points. Whilst this closeness would normally create discord, it has instead bred a unity. I just hope the press report about the championship battle, and not the internal politics of our team.