behind cameras- c.l

seven

It's qualifying day, and I'm sat in the Williams' garage with Lily. Both George and Daniel had tried to persuade me to sit with them, in either McLaren or Mercedes, but I decided to show my support for my best friend instead.

Watching from a tiny screen on the wall with Lily and the rest of the team, I see Alex's name shoot up the leaderboard as his last lap time comes in. It's Q3, and the fact that he even managed to make it here in a Williams astounds me.

His name is next to the 8th place position, with Oscar and Carlos behind him. Max is top, of course, with Hamilton 0.2 seconds behind, followed by Alonso, Perez, Charles, George, and Lando, in that order.

As Alex finishes his lap and pulls in to the pits, Lily rushes straight out to congratulate him. I, however, decide to stay and watch the race out, as only Alonso, Oscar, George and Charles remain out.

George is behind Charles by 0.07 seconds, whilst the Ferrari needs to gain at least 0.16 seconds in order to finish P4. On the track, Charles is turning the last corner, whilst George is about halfway through his final lap.

Alonso crosses the finish line, with a 0.18 increase, which isn't quite enough to pull him out of P3. Oscar, who is currently 0.09 behind Alex's time, finishes his final lap as well, with just not enough speed to knock the Williams from P8.

Charles crosses next, his red Ferrari shining under the harsh sunlight, as his time shifts up by only 0.11 seconds, not enough to budge him from P5. I see him slam his fist into the wheel on the screen, obviously pissed with the poor start to the season.

George is now speeding down the final straight, the last car left on track. He needs a 0.18 faster time than Charles, in order to finish P5.

As he crosses the line, I watch the little leaderboard in the corner anxiously, somewhat needing him to beat Charles. That asshole didn't deserve to do well, not this weekend.

+0.22. A full 0.04 seconds faster than the Ferrari, and it's catapults George into P4, ahead of both Perez and Charles. I let out a little cheer, struggling to hide my smile. Fuck yeah.

Alex walks into the garage, and comes straight over to me, his arm around Lily. I grin at him. "P8? That's what I'm talking about!"

He shrugs, smiling from ear to ear. "You're bringing all the good luck in already. How did it all end up?" He asks, nodding towards the screen, which is now displaying replays.

"Max on pole, of course," I start. "Then Lewis, Alonso, George, Perez, Leclerc, Lando, you, Oscar and then Sainz."

Alex whistles. "Wow. Good for Mercedes."

I nod. "P2 and 4. Ferrari, on the other hand, P6 and P10."

Lily laughs. "They won't be happy with that."

I scoff. "Still think that's more than Leclerc deserves." I say. "At least George beat him. Speaking of George, I'm gonna go find him and congratulate him. You coming?"

Alex shakes his head. "Nah, I'm gonna stay here. Debrief, get weighed, all that."

I nod. "Alright. We got plans for after?"

"Oh, yeah. A few of us are going around to Lando's  hotel, there's a really nice restaurant there. You wanna come with?"

I contemplate my options for a moment. "Who's going?"

"Lando, Oscar, Daniel, Heidi, George, Carlos, and then us." Alex says.

No Charles. Phew. "Sure."

Alex grins. "Give George a well done from me."