Hot off the Press | Charles Leclerc | F1

t w e n t y - t h r e e

Fia didn't expect the sight of Charles to affect her so much, but when she spotted him across the paddock at Suzuka, it felt like someone had knocked the breath out of her. He was talking to Pierre outside the AlphaTauri garage, their heads bent low against the drizzle.

"This is a tough race for Charles," Claudia said, following Fia's gaze. They were heading to the hospitality area on Friday morning for breakfast before the pre-race press conference.

Fia studied Charles' unshaven face and was surprised to find she could parse his emotions from a fleeting glance. He looked tired and serious as he said something to Pierre, who threw a friendly arm around his shoulders.

"Come on," Claudia urged, hurrying Fia towards the hospitality building. "I don't want my clothes to get wet." She broke into a jog, and Fia followed behind, her footsteps slapping against the damp concrete.

Charles and Pierre glanced up to see what was going on. When Charles' eyes met Fia's, she willed him to call her name, but he quickly looked away. Pierre raised his hand in a wave, and she awkwardly waved back as she ran across the paddock.

"What did you mean about this being a tough race for Leclerc?" she asked when she caught up to Claudia, who was already in the canteen queue.

"It's Suzuka," she shrugged, pouring granola into a bowl of yoghurt.

Fia grabbed a couple of pieces of fruit and a cup of white coffee. She thought she was probably too anxious to eat anything more substantial. Her mind was consumed by thoughts of Charles and what it would be like working together now that they'd kissed.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" She followed Claudia to a table by the window. "Why is Suzuka special?"

"Remember the 2014 Japanese GP?"

She shook her head, expression blank.

"Jules Bianchi?" The name rang a faint bell, though she couldn't quite place it. "Bianchi was in a fatal crash that year."

"I remember now." Fia nodded slowly. "Christ, that crash was awful."

"He was Charles' godfather. They were like brothers."

She winced, her stomach twisting at the thought of the grief Charles had shouldered so early in his life. He must only have been eighteen. She put down the orange she'd been peeling, feeling faintly sick. "I didn't realise."

And now he had to race on the same track that had taken the life of someone he loved, over and over again. Fia didn't know how he found the strength. She thought about the smashed-up Healey sitting in her father's garage on the other side of the world. She hadn't even been able to look at it since the crash, and she knew now that she couldn't bring herself to restore it. She'd never be strong enough to sit in the seat where he'd sat, in the car he'd loved.

"It must be so hard," she murmured, stirring her coffee. "The memories on this track must be unbearable."

Claudia nodded. "But Charles is strong. If you can get through the death of a parent, you can get through anything. When his dad passed away a few years ago—" She paused, staring at Fia's surprised expression. "What? Don't tell me you didn't know."

She shook her head.

"You kissed the guy!"

"Shhh," she hissed, looking around to check that nobody else in the canteen had heard. "I don't need to know everything about someone to kiss them."

"It's a pretty big piece of F1 lore, Fia."

"When did it happen?"

"I don't like to talk about people's situations like this." Claudia leaned closer and dropped her voice. "But since it's common knowledge, he died in 2017. And four days later, Charles went on to win the Baku Formula 2 round."