Maybe in another life-formula 1

Testing

The Bahrain circuit hummed with excitement as preseason testing commenced. The Red Bull Racing team was a flurry of activity, with engineers and mechanics buzzing around the garage.

Angelus Reyes was conspicuously absent from the action, choosing instead to hide out in the motorhome. He wore a Redbull hoodie and sweats opting out of the short-sleeved shirt he was offered, angelus wasn't comfortable with the idea, especially with so many cameras around. But maybe the hoodie wasn't the best choice for the Bahrain heat.

Angelus hunched over his laptop, scrutinizing the live data feeds. He watched the new Red Bull car leave the pit lane on the monitor, its sleek design standing out from the rest.

The commentators' voices crackled through the speakers, filled with awe.

"The new Red Bull looks different this year; it is truly a remarkable design," one of them noted.

But Angelus didn't hold the same excitement as he frowned. The car was supposed to be much faster than what the data showed. He knew the team was sandbagging, holding back to keep their true potential a secret until the first race. But something else felt off. The numbers didn't add up.

Max's voice came over the radio, frustration evident.

"The balance is off. The car feels unstable in the corners."

"Understood, Max. Pit this lap," came the calm reply from Gp, Max's race engineer.

Angelus's eyes darted across the screen, dissecting the data. He replayed the footage of Max's lap, his mind racing to identify the issue.

Walking out of the motorhome, Angelus headed straight for the garage. As he entered, Adrian Newey greeted him with a knowing smile.

"Nice of you to join us," he said, handing Angelus a pair of headphones.

Angelus took the headphones and followed Newey to the pit lane, standing beside Max's engineer. He looked out of place in his casual attire, but his focus was razor-sharp.

There was nothing he could pinpoint,

"maybe it's the brake balance," GP said,

"no, the car feels different he just needs to adjust" Angelus replied eyes focused on the screen.

So they both watched as nothing changed still the car was extremely swift but unsteady in the corners.

"why is he doing that" Angelus whispers to himself as he looks through the speed entry for every corner. Max was taking the corners way slower than he should.

"pit the car we need to look at the data again," Newey says from behind him

"Max pit next lap" GP relayed

"What! No, I barely did anything" Max's frustrated voice came through the radio.

"Then tell him to push harder," Angelus said in frustration.

Max's response was immediate. The car seemed to come alive just a bit, taking corners smoother and flying through the straights faster. The garage erupted in murmurs of approval, but Angelus's frown deepened. Something still wasn't right. His concentration broke when he saw his image on the big screen. Anxiety crawled up his limbs as he saw the label at the bottom of his name.

Angelus Reyes Redbull engineer.

The cat was out of the bag media has defeated him once again. They always found a way didn't they? He sighed, leaving the garage just as the car was called to the pitlane.

That night, as Angelus packed up his things in the dimly lit engineering room, he sensed a presence interrupting the humming of the machinery. He didn't need to look up to know who it was.