Turbulence [𝗠.𝗩.]

Qatar, Pre-Race

FIA decide out of 6 bids, Andretti will be given the go-ahead to enter talks with FOM about joining Formula 1 as early as 2025 - @F1NewsReel

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QATAR
17TH RACE WEEKEND OF THE SEASON - 4TH SPRINT WEEKEND
OCTOBER

I'm entering the paddock alone, because Jos fucking Verstappen is here.

I don't want to be around him, and I know he's here for a good reason: Max is all but guaranteed to lock in a third Drivers' Championship win by Sunday. And because I know that his father can't even bring himself to be civil to me, I have to be the one that backs away. I know it's upset him. But I think it's right that I be the one to retreat. It's safer for everyone.

I can be civil to the man. I can be polite, even. Hell, I could force myself to fake kindness so hard I might even temporarily forget I think he's a monster. But he lacks the ability to fake kindness. He'll fuck it up, and I will let my temper slip when he does.

Vershtoppan (Max);
Where are you?

Jahsica (Me);
Just coming in now.
I don't think Horner will be happy
if you sneak off at all this weekend.

Vershtoppan (Max);
Don't care.
I'll find you after free practice?

Jahsica (Me);
Sounds good x
I need a hand with something anyway.

Vershtoppan (Max);
?????

Jahsica (Me);
Secret Santa. I've got Mick. I have an
idea but it means I need your dad to
play ball.

Vershtoppan (Max);
????????????????????

Jahsica (Me);
I was thinking of something sentimental,
rather than buying some junk present.#
Especially because I likely won't see him
in time to sort out a proper Christmas
present. I was thinking: your dad might
have some old photos lying around of the
days he and Mick's dad were racing, or he
might be able to help source some. Sure, I
could ask Seb and Fernando, but they'll
tell Mick.

Vershtoppan (Max);
I'll sort it out :)

I leave it at that. I trust Max knows what to say, and it spares me dealing with his dad. My attention turns to the paddock. It's one of the largest so far. It's not as unique as Miami, but it's certainly got a very upscale feel to it. It's just a shame it's so bloody hot.

It's dusty, too. We're in the desert, where the sun is unrelenting and the sand is easily picked up by the wind. It's not as if we're having any harsh winds... but I'm not unaware of the damage it could do to the cars this weekend.

"Hey! Jess!" I turn and see Logan behind. He rushes up to me, hands grabbing my arms, face a picture of pure worry. "I need help."

"Uh..." Dear god, what am I about to be dragged into?

"I have Sebastian for Secret Santa and time is almost out, what do I get him? I was thinking of something bee related but then that seems lame, and then I thought about like a donation to plant trees in his name but that sounds like a copout, but he really is big on environmental stuff—"

I have to put a hand up to stop Logan in his rant. Poor sod. He's worrying about having the easiest person for Secret Santa.

"Adopt an animal through WWF or something, in his name. Do the tree one. Anything that helps the environment. He'd love that over an actual gift. Or, you do a bit of both. A donation to a charity and gift him like... I dunno, a tree plushie or a bee one. That way you'll feel like you got him something good."

There's a small amount of relief washing through Logan; he lets go of my arms. "Which do you think is better?"

Why is he asking me? They're his ideas. "Dude, why are you asking me? This is your gift to him."

"Because I need your help, and you won't say anything to the others."

Motherfucker. Then again... I should be proud of him saying those words. It means he trusts me. That we're friends. That was my goal, wasn't it? I've finally got solid proof of achieving it.

"Go for trees. Then find a small business. Don't go for big names, usual toy makers and such. That way you're making sure the second part of your gift is also nice and eco-friendly."

Logan beams at me, all sense of nerves and seriousness gone. "Awesome! You're a life saver!"

As he runs off, my phone goes again. The news is not good.

GROUP: F1 - DRIVERS ONLY

Fastest British Driver (Lewis);
The FIA have allowed Andretti in.

Posh Driver (George);
Fuck.
Okay, we'll have to address that in
the meeting tonight. I know not everyone
is on the same page with this, and we've
been banging on enough about it, but we
need to seriously think about the
possibility of being given no choice.

Weeb (James);
Look: I get some of you are fine with this,
but we need to think about the financial
safety of our teams. Less prize money =
teams going bust.

I keep an eye on the messages as they come in. Valtteri thinks it could be good for those that fall out of F2 and can't get into F1. Lewis is focused on the concern of safety. George is trying to mediate.

There's no point in me adding my voice to this. We can talk at the driver meeting later. I'll only be repeating myself—

CANADA! (Lance);
Dad's absolutely livid about it.
I think our stance of insisting its not
financially stable needs to stay for now.
We can ease off a little now talks are with
FOM, but we spent time getting TPs on
board.
We need to stand by them, cause they
changed their minds for us.

A bunch of agreements come in, even from the few drivers that are on the other side of the fence. I put a thumbs up onto Lance's message. He's right. If we turn around and change our stance, we're gonna create one hell of a divide within the sport.

I put my phone away, heading further into the sandy paddock, trying to put this aside for now. I have no doubt Oliver will want to talk about this at some point, but we have a difficult weekend ahead of us that we need to focus on.

The sand-toned buildings are sleek in design, with reflective windows providing some sense of privacy for those inside. The ground is dusty as the wind dances around. The heat is not yet stifling, but I have no doubt it will be that way after a full session. Especially with the full resurfacing of the track. This is going to be a challenge for everyone.