Crash and Burn

Chapter Thirty Two

Memories engulf her as she pushes her way through the crowd, a beaming smile firmly etched on face and the exhilaration makes her run even faster. If Spa is the embodiment of the worst weekend of her life, Monza is the complete opposite. It's been 4 years since Charles made his way onto the top step of the podium here, but it still feels like yesterday. Every single second of that weekend, every single detail has been burned into her memory for eternity. The loud chanting of his name in the stands, the erratic beats of her heart as her boyfriend lead lap after lap. The red sea chanting his name as he finally crossed the finish line. The tears streaming down her face and the tar of the track underneath her feet as she sprinted down the pitlane with Arthur and Lorenzo. The pride on her face when he lifted the trophy and looked up to the sky.

Her experience in 2020 was a bit different, with the Covid situation preventing her from attending the Grand Prix and Charles's stunt in the wall. Still, goosebumps prickle across her skin every time she thinks about that race. She'd held her breath for 24 laps, her heart lodged in her throat as she watched her bestfriend lead and defend brilliantly against Carlos Sainz. The pure euphoria she felt listening to the electrifying commentary of Julien Fébreau during the last lap. The tears of joy she let out when Pierre sat alone on the podium, his head in his hands. The tremors in her voice when she called him to congratulate him.

The absolute conviction that this was only the beginning.

"You good?" Alessandro asks as he protectively steps between her and the engineers.

She nods excitedly at the chef mechanic and holds onto the barrier. The P1 board rattles a little as Charles parks the F1-75 in front of it, and she cheers alongside the team when he climbs on top of the nose and pumps his fist in the air with a roar.

The car has been exceptional all weekend, and though putting it on pole doesn't mean tomorrow will be a walk in the park, it's still a great result for the team. Qualifying makes her heart race (no pun intended), maybe even more so than the actual race. The raw focus required to execute a perfect lap blows her mind every time. Qualifying is a challenge to push the car, and yourself, to the absolute limit and Charles is the king in that exercise.

"Pole, yes!!!" he shouts, still high on adrenaline before jumping in the awaiting arms of his team. "Dai!"

The pure happiness on her boyfriend's face brings tears to her eyes, and she soon gives up trying to keep them at bay as he runs towards her.

The article, which blew up in their faces last week, is still very much on everyone's lips, so getting that pole position feels even sweeter than usual. Despite Silvia's best PR efforts, Charles has not escaped the limelight in the media pen. All week, in and out of the paddock, he's been harassed by journalists bombarding him with questions and hoping to get the slightest crumb of drama. Did the article rattle his concentration? Did his relationship with the team suffer from the fallout? Will it affect his performance on track this weekend?

There's no better response than turning all three sectors purple. In your face, fuckers!

She kisses his cheek, her hands tenderly cradling his face. "You were incredible out there! Congrats, baby!"

Emily removes the bracelets circling her wrists and hands them to Charles - a tradition they've partaken in since his maiden pole position in Bahrain in 2019, in what was only his second race for Ferrari.

"Thanks for holding onto them for me. I'll meet you back at the hotel?"

The media attention has been so intense today that she has stayed hidden in the hospitality or in Charles's driver room during the sessions. Despite her frustration, it'd been decided that they should avoid making their way back to the hotel together. While Charles's integrity and hard work hadn't been compromised in the team, people still loved to stir shit up and make up outrageous lies and theories about the events mentioned in the article. They made it sound like she was a scorned woman, and suggested Charles was something of a serial cheater, which was frankly ridiculous and harmful.