Turbulence [𝗠.𝗩.]

Texas, Pre-Race Cont

PADDOCK RUMOUR: Andretti is attempting to talk to team CEOs and owners in a bid to soften the resistance against their inclusion - @F1RumourMill

⸻

TEXAS
18TH RACE WEEKEND OF THE SEASON - 5TH SPRINT WEEKEND
OCTOBER

I get into the car with more energy than I had last week. Texas' track has plenty of trickery to its design, and today I will have to get to grips with that. The fan in my face helps keep some of the stuffiness away. It's not humid here, just hot. It's far more manageable.

We're all piling into the pit lane exit. Everyone wants to get this session started, because, as always with a sprint weekend: this is our only chance to get the setup right.

Our team has gone for a more downforce-heavy outlook to start with. I'm running one of our front wings that helped at the races where elevation changes were a challenge. The sidepods have been minorly adjusted to make sure the airflow is just right.

The hill up to turn 1 is something. I take it cautiously for now; it's just an out lap. Going into the s-like turns of 3 to 9, I take note of how each one feels. Some are sharp. Some are soft. They're not like Suzuka's turns, they're more like the swirling curves of Silverstone. Turn 10 is blind, and you have to slow down for it, which I do.

The turn 11 hairpin is as sharp as turn 1. So far, it's a bumpy ride. But it's bearable. I don't feel like the car is bottoming out, trying to turn me into a nodding dog. I'm fine.

And it makes sense now as to why the heavy downforce setup: our ride height is pretty high. Sure, it's only by millimetres, but it makes a difference.

"Current track limit weak spots: Turn nine. Turn thirteen. Turn seventeen."

I spend the better part of half an hour trying to work on those weaknesses. I take each lap as it comes, and Mateo tells me if I've fucked it or not. After countless attempts, as fast as I can, I'm getting the hang of it. I'm even getting used to the bumpiness of the car. It's enough that I don't think suspension or ride height changes are worth being made.

The car feels pretty good. I think we have decent chances for the weekend, provided we don't have any random failures.

As I fly around the track after a quick refuel and tyre change, Mateo tells me I'm no longer running wide as far as he can tell. That's good. As busy as the track is, others are somehow finding it possible to move out of the way, but the track is heating up. It's definitely hotter than Qatar or Singapore, but it's not that blistering, unrelenting heat. It's like being in a sauna for just a little too long. I can take this.

All in all, the session is dull and simple. Which is a much-needed break from some of the drama we've had this year. A boring free practice session is a good one. It gives us time to get data, time to learn, and it means our strategists back at the headquarters in the UK will have all they need to prepare us for the race.

As I return to the car for qualifying, I'm hoping for another dull session. Not a bad one, just a dull one, where the flags don't come out and we don't have to start-stop-start-stop over and over again.

I give the screens in front of me my full attention. My qualifying simulation times from the earlier practice session look nice and strong, but others have better times than I do, and I need to shave at least half a second off my best time to make it through each of the sessions.

I get stuck behind Ricciardo as we all pile out for Q1. We aren't expected to need to push too hard at first, because both Aston Martins are having brake troubles. On the same brake. But I'm going to push regardless, because anyone else could knock me out. Shit, even Mick could knock me out.

For the first part of qualifying, I'm pushing on old soft tyres. It's clear to me, as I fly past a slow Red Bull, that the slow corner weakness they'd suffered from is still present... but it doesn't matter anymore. Both titles have been secured. Now they're just looking to make the lead as large as possible to smash another record: the largest points gap between 1 and 2 in the title race.

Would be nice if they spared some points for us.

"Where am I?" I ask down the radio at the end of my second push lap.

"Probably safe, but we should push again."

"Copy." I'll use the rest of this cooling lap to recharge the battery, and then I'll go again. "How long left?"

"Six minutes."

I raise my brows briefly, going along the bumpy straight. Damn. This session has run away from us already. It's so strange, to have such a quiet qualifying session. I start taking more risks, breaking later and diving fully into the softer turns. My reward is being only two-tenths of a second off of the current pace, according to Mateo... for all of five seconds. Behind me, guess who just shaved another half a second off the fastest time? Yeah.

"We can leave it there. No chance you'll be thrown out."

I return to the pits as people desperately rush to get onto flying laps before the flag flies above them. I watch the times come in from the comfort of my car, in the garage. The screens in front of my halo keep me fully informed that yes, we are safe. For the brief break between Q1 and Q2, we decide to go for fresh softs, since old softs was a gamble that only paid off because I managed to stay in control.

The pit lane exit reopens after a few minutes; I'm first out. Getting that clean air is important. My first lap after the out lap is a bank one. Just a time, because track limits are getting more drivers. I just need to set a safe time to have a time on the board. It won't mean much once everyone's got a time, but there could be the rare chance that one driver fails to set a time.

Both Aston Martins are out. Both Williams are out. The safety net of the struggling teams is gone. My first flying lap isn't good enough. I'm a half a second off of the pace. Almost all the remaining drivers are in the pits as I continue to push the car for all it has.

"That time was deleted. Turn thirteen."

Fuck sake. I don't think I'm making it out of Q2.