Melody of death | English Version | Charles Leclerc FF

thirty-seven ఌ

Saturday
Under dark clouds and with two coffees in my hands I entered the paddock in the morning of the saturday. My app for the weather says that only light showers are going to come up, but the sky seemed to be off for more.

The entrance doors of the Ferrari motorhome opened automatically and I was happy to get into the warm. Temperatures have dropped by a few degrees since yesterday. I pushed down the doorknob of Charles' room with my elbow and then pushed the door open with my back. I put the two cups on the dresser and closed the door behind me. Charles had disappeared from the hotel before I did this morning to arrive in time for free training. However, he left me a note on which he had written that I should stay at the hotel until 12 a.m. so that Sam can pick me up later. But I didn't feel like spending another three hours in our suite, which is why I grabbed my things and ordered a taxi.

While I was absorbed in my thoughts, the door suddenly opened. In horror, I screamed softly and opened my eyes. Charles' gaze fell on me and he pulled up his brows in amazement. „You here?" He asked and approached me. „How did you get here? Didn't you read my note?" He hugged me and gave me a kiss on the lips. „By taxi. As if I'm waiting for hours just because you don't want me to be traveling alone..." I smiled and saw Charles frowning.

„Listen. I'm in a racing car and have to focus on the track. If I don't know where you are or if you're okay, I get scared," he took a break to sigh, "Do you understand?" His voice sounded helpless and weak at the end. This is his weak point. His fear that he developed through the loss of his father. I didn't say anything for a moment but just took one of the cups and handed it to him. "Sure, I understand," I mumbled and turned to my own coffee. „Exactly what I need now.", Relieved, Charles took a sip of his latte macchiato and smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"How did the training go?" I changed the subject and sat down on the small couch. "I'm just behind Max and Lewis was two tenths behind me. Will be exciting later," he said. The qualifying will take place today at 2 p.m. and I will of course watch it. However, I would not be alone.

„My siblings landed an hour ago and are already in the hotel," I told Charles. "Then let's go," the Monegasque took off his racing suit and instead a red Ferrari shirt and a dark blue jeans. In the last moment, he reached for an equally red jacket and followed me out of the room. I had already taken his car key and grabbed our coffees. With Charles' Ferrari, we drove to the hotel where my siblings spend the weekend. It is a few places further away from the racetrack than ours, because logically many fans are here because of the Grand Prix, all nearby hotels are fully booked.

The journey took half an hour through a few tunnels, along green meadows and mountainous landscape. I liked the view here in Austria. Of course, I also love the beaches in Monaco and city life, but it is still good to travel to more natural areas. My siblings were already standing at the entrance of the hotel parking lot and were just waiting to be picked up. They planted themselves in the back seat, with Linnea in particular remaining suspicious. She probably hasn't driven in such a Ferrari yet. "This car is the absolute madness!" After a few moments, it came across her lips. I laughed and Charles next to me got in. "Of course. I only drive the best car!" He proudly raised his chin and gave my little sister a quick look over the interior rear-view mirror. She sighed. „Do you like your racing car or this one better?" Now I also turned my gaze with interest to Charles, who tried hard to blow out the air. "Uhm, good question," he thought and looked concentrated on the street. "I don't think you can answer this question. After all, my racing car is my profession and this baby here," he knocked on his dashboard, "is the car with which I travel to all the beautiful places. Both are great," Charles smiled to underline his statement.

„So I think this one is a thousand times more beautiful," Linnea expressed her opinion sharply. "You haven't even seen what my dear Ferrari can do yet," Charles commented on her statement and grinned. She rolled her eyes, "I don't think you can convince me with it."

„We'll see...", Charles sounded sure of victory. If he knew that Linnea actually always has a clear and unchangeable opinion, he would probably not be so sure.

Back at the racetrack, Charles had to go to his garage after a few minutes, as qualifying would start in less than an hour. That's why I took over the job of rudely leading my siblings around. They raised their eyebrows with almost every new look they catch on new backdrops and made enthusiastic sounds. I was pleased to see them so interested and happy, because for me it was just as important and special.

Shortly before the start of qualifying, we looked for our place above the Ferrari garage, from where we had a perfect view of the start and finish. When the pointer hit 2 p.m., the first cars, including those from Mercedes and Renault, drove onto the racetrack. I also saw Charles two minutes later directly behind Sebastian, Lando and Carlos. "What exactly is that now?" Linnea asked from the side when Charles drove his first flying lap. I could only half devote myself to my sister, as I focused more on what was happening on the track. "All 20 drivers have to go through qualifying today. It will determine which starting position they will get tomorrow at the race," I explained and she nodded understandingly. As Charles on the 4th place jumped, I cheered. So he was safe in Q2. In the 15-minute break, which was installed between Q1 and Q2, I made my way to Charles' garage. My siblings wanted to go to the toilet during that time. Upon entering the garage, I discovered Charles with Sam and an engineer standing in front of a monitor. He didn't look happy, but that changed when I tapped him as I did in Canada. He drove around and a wide smile replaced his bad-temered expression. "Hey." he pulled me into his arms and pressed a tender kiss on my hair. My heart got warm.

"Everything okay?" I asked, realizing in retrospect how unnecessary this question was. He grumbled and looked at the screen in front of us. „I was slower in sector two than the one before me. I have to manage that better in Q2." sighing, he turned back to me and looked at me thoughtfully. "Thank you for being here. Without you, I wouldn't even be half as good." I lowered my gaze laughing. "Yeah, as if I were responsible for it."

In the second part of qualifying, Charles improved to third place, whereby he was even in first place in the meantime.
In the last and definitely most exciting Q3, I was excited in every single corner. And then, when I heard the commentator announce P2 for Charles, I jumped up screaming. Linnea and Benjamin were also happy and clapped their hands.
Immediately after Charles came back to his garage, I greeted him there with my siblings. When he pulled me into his arms, I noticed in the corner of my eye the paparazzi and reporters in the corner of my eye, who were curiously waiting in the Pit Lane for the Monegasque. I heard fluttering flashes coming from people's cameras. "Hey Leclerc! Who is the girl?!" shouted one of the people in English. Annoyed, I turned my back on them and hoped that they would disappear quickly. Charles pushed himself in front of me so that I was not visible to the people outside. "I'll take care of it. Go to the paddock," he whispered to me barely audibly and I nodded gratefully. He let go of me and I meandered past the engineers to the back exit towards the paddock. My siblings followed me in my back. I briefly turned around again and saw Charles now turning to the excited TV people. So now it had happened. They had taken the first pictures and had a topic, which they could now spread into the big social media world...
It didn't make me happy to have this thought in the back of my head, but I was aware from the beginning that this was coming. If I want to support Charles on site, I have to show my face and at some point everyone will know who I am. And yet there were many thoughts that now circled through your head questionably. Among them the fear of eventually getting hate from those who would like to be in my place...

„When will we see Charles again now?" Linnea tore me out of my tense thoughts. I put on a smile, after all, nothing has happened yet about which I should have broken my head now. "He now has to go to a strategy meeting for an hour and then he will take us with him. In that time, we can stay in the motorhome, drink a coffee or just persevere," I suggested and was just heading towards the Ferrari motorhome.