Turbulence [𝗠.𝗩.]

Brazil, Pre-Race

Liam Lawson signs for another year with AlphaTauri, ending weeks-long speculation about his future - @F1PaddockTalk

⸻

BRAZIL
20TH RACE WEEKEND OF THE SEASON - 6TH SPRINT WEEKEND
NOVEMBER

I cannot wait for the end of the season for one reason: I'll have some free time.

We're all in the sims, all training like there's no tomorrow, and all focused on getting what remaining points there are before this season is over. Three weekends doesn't sound like much, and realistically, it isn't. We don't have enough points to shift up from 6th to catch Aston Martin, but we are at risk from Alpine. Unless Mick and I pull out fingers out, it's gonna be tight.

The top of the table might be secured for Red Bull, but Ferrari and Mercedes are fighting it out for second. Every point counts. The prize money jumps up substantially if you can get up another spot.

I'm leaving the hospitality unit as Max runs over, grabbing my arms and pulling me away from any prying eyes, into a gap between all the Jaguar-emblazoned storage crates filled with gear we need as the weekend progresses. The instant we're hidden, his arms are around me, and I want to melt into them. I want time to stop so I can have more than the brief hours we've been trying to steal here and there.

But we're only getting thirty seconds today; I can hear my name being called by Claire.

With a heavy sigh, we let go of each other, but not before sharing a quick kiss.

"Try to let someone else win." I say, poking him as I run out first, to go find my waiting trainer.

Everyone's rushing to get out in the cars; we all know rain is a high risk here at Interlagos. And we fully expect rain to ruin the session, so Mick and I are out and flying around the track to make sure our setups are spot on. Because it's another - and thankfully the last - sprint weekend.

The wind is strong as I try to go through the various settings, testing them gently, one by one, lap by lap. The hard tyres - which everyone is running, to preserve a set of mediums for the shootout - don't feel great as I come back around into the Senna S.

"I don't think these will be the tyres for the race, guys." I say down the radio as I feel a tiny smidge of unreliability in the following turn. It doesn't feel like the car isn't causing this understeer; it feels more like it's the lack of grip to the track.

Yet I'm called in, so they can change my front wing. It doesn't stop there, though, as Mateo wants an adjustment made to my suspension, given that it looks like there's something not right on the telemetry. I'm back out within ten minutes, and the car feels faster, the traction is definitely improved, but still lacking compared to what I would expect.

So maybe the hard tyres aren't right for the race, or we just need more rubber laid down this weekend. I can feel it the most as I navigate the Senna S again. Although I'm avoiding the harsh kerb, I shouldn't be struggling with traction there.

"This is pretty poor still."

"We're seeing a lot of drivers reporting similar issues. Alonso has a puncture, possibly from track debris."

Ah. Then I'm completely wrong. It's the track. I keep my head down, getting in the data-running laps whilst doing what I can to make sure I'm happy with the car. So far, so good. I think the team has the sprint weekend restrictions down to a T, which is a damn good thing because it doesn't look like the Parc Fermé rules will be changed for next year's sprint weekends.