Elsie's hand is tightly clasped in mine as we navigate the bustling paddock, the air thick with a heady mix of excitement and tension. Elsie's eating it up, constantly pulling me to and fro as we take a walk of the pitlane Sunday afternoon, as the teams begin to ramp up.
With her interest captured, it's no issue to keep Elsie close by, her escape in Silverstone ever present in my mind as we dip into the Red Bull garage to give Max a wave.
He'd been one of the first people from Carlos's world to reach out to us after the break-in, offering us a place to stay in Monaco if we ever needed to get out of Spain. He'd admitted there was an ulterior motive, insisting his girlfriend's daughter and Elsie would be fast friends if they were ever introduced, but I hadn't found any issue with that.
When you're a parent, whether it be by blood or not, you'd do anything to see your child happy.
Which is why I've been standing off to the side of the Ferrari garage for the last thirty minutes as Elsie sits in Carlos's seat, happily chatting with his race engineer and asking questions that sound very much so like her grandfather.
Hands wrapping around my waist tug me backwards, the weight of Carlos's arms coming around to pin my back to his chest. "Ready to see our girl go into Formula One?"
I laugh, leaning back into my boyfriend's embrace with a smile, "Give it a few years, yeah? She's got time."
Carlos hums, leaning down to press a kiss in the crook of my neck. "She's got time."
It takes the promise of headphones to wear during the race to get Elsie out of Carlos's seat when it comes time for pre-race adjustments. Reyes is eager to get Elsie out of the garage and upstairs, where she's set up a spot for her granddaughter to sit and watch the race.
After the sun's gone down, I find myself walking the grid, practically drowning in nervous anticipation as everyone begins to settle into their gridplaces.
As I approach Carlos's position in P4, a familiar voice cuts through the noise, "And here's the beautiful girlfriend of Carlos Sainz, Mara Walsh! Mara, care to have a chat?" Martin Brundle's warm smile is all I need to see to bring a smile onto my face, very excited to be interviewed by the man after watching him interview others all season.
"With you, Martin, always."
I step closer to him to hear his questions, nodding along as he asks me how I'm feeling about the race and how Carlos has been preparing.
"There's a lot that's gone into today, for sure. Carlos has spent the last few weeks on the sim and working on fine tuning some things that needed fixing and he's really hopeful today goes well."
Martin nods, gesturing to Carlos's car, "And has he taken you out on the track yet? Obviously not in this beast, but maybe in that nice Ferrari he's got back home?"
"Oh goodness, no, not yet. He's taken our daughter out a few times, um, she's just begun karting and so, um, she asked him if they could go out together and she loved it. I had a heart attack when I heard how fast they'd gone, but uh, Elsie's a big fan."
"Speaking of your daughter, here she comes now!" Martin squats down to shake Elsie's hand as she runs up, Caco following close behind. "Miss Elsie, is it? Pleasure to meet you. Do you know who I am?"
"Yes!" She's jumping up and down, happily shaking Martin's hand and giving him a hug. "Mummy, go wish Papa good luck! Tío says so."
Effectively dismissing me, I quickly thank Martin for his time and step around the crowd of people closest to Carlos's car to catch his attention before he climbs in.
He pops off his helmet and balaclava, pulling me into a quick kiss before kneeling to give Elsie a high five. I can feel the cameras on us, everyone eager to watch Carlos with his daughter after he'd spent all of Thursday's media duties gushing over her.
Our time with him is cut short, Ferrari team members ushering us off the grid as all personnel begin to clear the track. Elsie's leading us back to the garage, happily chatting with Caco about her 'special headphones'.
The race unfolds in a blur. I watch from the garage, Elsie up above with her grandparents, my heart pounding out my chest as the cars zoom past for the formation lap.
I'm holding my breath with every overtake, every corner, every press of acceleration. He's been doing well, so close to a podium it hurts.
But then, all too soon, the chequered flag is waved and the end of the race places him in P4. The realisation he's gone up in the drivers ranking because of it doesn't escape any of us, sending the entirety of Ferrari's garage into a frenzy. We're still cheering and jumping around when his car finally makes it back.
The car's only just been pulled into the garage when Carlos follows it in, his gaze locked on mine as he hands off his helmet. In a heartbeat, he's before me, his arms pulling me into a spinning hug.
To my right, Elsie's cheering rings out, calling for her Papa as he picks her up and holds the two of us close.
We go together to the podium ceremony, happily watching on as Charles hoists his third place trophy into the air with a tired grin. Elsie by my side and Carlos holding me by the waist, I'm overcome by a wave of emotion.
As the national anthem fills the air, I steal a glance at our daughter. Her eyes are wide with wonder, her face illuminated by the glow of the fireworks as confetti fills the air and champagne sprays down onto us.
This is a core memory for her, right here, and there's nothing I would trade in this moment to be here for it.
As the podium ceremony comes to an end, Carlos takes my hand in his, his gaze locking with mine. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he pulls me into a kiss that quite literally steals away my ability to think, the world around us melting away.
YOU ARE READING
solo / carlos sainz
Fanfiction'you're allowed to be more than just a mummy' above all else, mara walsh is a mother. for as long as her daughter's been in her life, she's raised her all on her own and done a damn good job of it. so what happens when carlos sainz comes into her li...
