Jacob Thompson, a boy who had a dream to be the best Formula One driver in the world.
Olivia Rodrigo, a girl who had a dream to be the biggest popstar in the world.
Two people, two dreams, one connection.
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Where four childhood best friends who, aft...
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MEXICO CITY, MEXICO. OCTOBER 2023.
Jacob had obviously replied to Olivia's message although he was uncertain at first. He replied with just a simple "Thanks" and sort of left it at that. It wasn't until a couple days later Olivia replied when Jacob had just landed in Mexico, ready for the next race weekend. Esteban was in full force again but there was some controversy regarding that situation. Alpine, heavily impressed with Jacob's performance in Austin, wanted to get the Thompson in the car for more races.
Alpine were keen to keep Jacob on board and wanted him to have a seat with them next year, however McLaren were heavily against that. Jacob was scheduled to have a video meeting with Zak Brown to discuss his future at McLaren, as per the clause in his current contract.
Jake logged onto a Zoom call where he was joined by his father Marcus (who practically acted as an agent for Jake) and both Zak Brown and Andrea Stella from McLaren.
"Good afternoon, Jacob." Zak began. "It's great to see you. And hello, Mr Thompson, glad you could join us."
Jake's father responded. "Thank you, Zak. We're excited to be here."
"Hi, Zak. Hi, Andrea." Jake greeted.
"Hi, Jacob. We're glad to have this opportunity to talk to you. So, let's get straight to it." Andrea began. "You've had a good season, and your performance at Alpine has been very impressive. You were very impressive last weekend. We've been closely monitoring your progress, and we believe you're ready to take the next step.
Zak agreed. "Absolutely. As you know, we have a clause in your contract with Alpine that allows us to bring you over to McLaren. With Daniel Ricciardo's departure at the end of this season, we're looking to activate that clause and offer you a seat for the 2024 season."
"We see a lot of potential in you," Andrea added, "your adaptability, racecraft, and determination align perfectly with our team's values. We believe you can make a significant impact. We've seen you develop under our driver development programme and excel in the earlier single seater circuits too."
"We want to ensure a smooth transition for you. Our plan is to integrate you into the team as soon as possible, so you can start working with our engineers and get accustomed to our car and setup."Zak explained. "We're confident this will set you up for success next season."
Jake was filled with immense joy but kept it as professional as he could. "That sounds good, what are the next steps?"
Andrea responded. "First, we need to formally notify Alpine of our decision to activate the clause. Once that's done, we'll handle the contractual formalities and announce your move publicly. We'll also arrange for you to participate in our winter testing program and any pre-season activities.l
"We understand this is a big change, so if you have any questions or concerns, we're here to address them. Our goal is to make sure you feel supported and prepared for this new challenge." Zak reassured him.
