Turbulence [𝗠.𝗩.]

Saudi Arabia, Pre-Race

RUMOR FROM THE PADDOCK: One team might have been breaking technical regulations

- @F1PaddockTalk

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SAUDI ARABIA
2ND RACE WEEKEND OF THE SEASON
MARCH

I approach the paddock entrance feeling more confident than I had in Bahrain, with a tinge of excitement that comes from my inner child being constantly surprised that yes, this is my life now.

"Jess!" James isn't the only one trying to get here early, it seems. I make my way through the automated security barriers, grinning at him as his infectious smile gets to me.

"Bit hot, ain't it?" I'm hardly going to be the first to make a comment about the heat. I know it's not as bad as it could be, given we're here in March, rather than the height of summer. As I reach his side, I realise that the green shirt he has on has Hal Jordan printed on it. "You fucking nerd!"

"Hey! Nerdy is back in fashion, I'll have you know!" He retorts, puffing up his chest and pretending to be prideful for all of three seconds before descending into laughter. "I hung out with Alex last week."

"Nice! What did you get up to?"

James easily takes the chance to recite to me his story, emphasising how lucky he was to get a chance in his busy schedule and how much he admires Albon for being so cool. I do my best to fully engage with him, asking a few questions, and giving my nonverbal reactions when I think they're needed until we reach the point where we have to go our separate ways.

"Good luck out there!" He says as he heads into the hospitality area for his team.

I get straight into some training with Claire, who wants to work on my neck. The harness is strapped around my head and she has me lean back slightly, telling me to pull gently against her own pulling on the other end of it. It's easily my least favourite exercise because god is it the one that hurts the most. But it's a vital part of training, one that I can't afford to skip.

After some personal training, the new jumpsuit is brought to me. Instead of being purely black, it now has thick white stripes along the outside of the arms, that stop at the shoulder cuff. There's another bold stripe along the right side of the right leg. It goes up to my armpit, but also dives into more of an open zip-like effect, with a curve over the top of my chest that stops at the zipper flap, meaning up to my right shoulder is also white. I love it. It looks more like a professionally made racing suit, and less like a spare jumpsuit with tacky logos plastered on.

I join the mechanics for their warm-up exercises, whilst Olivia films us from different angles with her work phone. About five minutes later, she stands near me as we stretch.

"Want me to have your phone again during the sessions?" She asks, her voice so warm and energetic. She's roughly my age, with sunny blonde hair that's always neatly tied up in a single pontytail. "I could maybe do a quick TikTok video showing you getting in the car and use this template I found."

I glance at her screen as she shows me the template. It seems pretty cool, the transition is definitely eye-catching.

"You sure you got time to do it?" I ask her as I copy the mechanics who have moved from arm stretches into lunges.

"Yeah!" She seems like she really wants to do this, to help out. I like it. It's tiring using social media sometimes. "Oh, and I was thinking, if we get some time between FP1 and FP2, could I get you to come with me to the Alpine garage? We're gonna do a little joint video, one of those wrong answers only ones."