Red

The day the meetings were boring

Athena Verstappen drummed her fingers on the polished wooden table, glancing at the clock for the hundredth time. It was only 9:05 AM, and she was already on her third team meeting of the day.

"Welcome to the glamorous life of Formula 1," she muttered under her breath.

As the little sister of Max Verstappen, Athena was no stranger to the world of racing. But while Max thrived under the spotlight with Red Bull Racing, Athena was carving her own path with the newly established Corvette F1 Racing Team. She loved racing, loved the thrill of the track, but if there was one thing she hated, it was endless meetings.

"Alright, next on the agenda..." started Patrick, the team manager, flipping through his stack of notes. Patrick was a well-meaning guy, but he could make even the most exciting race sound like a lecture on tax law.

Athena stifled a yawn. Today's itinerary was a veritable parade of meetings: strategy sessions, sponsorship discussions, technical briefings, and team-building exercises. She eyed the door, wondering if she could sneak out for a quick lap around the track. Maybe she could convince them it was a new form of strategic planning.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a nudge from her teammate, Marco. "Pay attention, Athena. This is about the new tire compounds."

She sighed and forced herself to focus. Tire compounds were important. They could mean the difference between victory and a spectacular spin-out. Still, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the upcoming race in Monaco. The tight corners, the roaring crowd, the sheer adrenaline rush—now that was what she signed up for.

The meeting dragged on, with Patrick painstakingly detailing every nuance of their tire strategy. Athena's eyes glazed over until she was jolted back to reality by the sound of her name.

"Athena, any thoughts?" Patrick asked, looking at her expectantly.

"Um, yes," she said, buying time. "I think we should definitely go with the, uh, grippier ones."

Patrick raised an eyebrow, and Marco snickered beside her. "Grippier ones? Care to elaborate?"

Athena cleared her throat. "You know, the tires that offer better traction. Especially given the weather conditions we're expecting."

Patrick nodded slowly. "Good point. We'll need to be ready for any changes in weather."

Athena smiled, relieved she had said something remotely intelligent. The meeting finally ended, and Athena headed for the door, hoping to escape before the next one started. But her escape was thwarted by the arrival of Charlotte, the team's PR manager.

"Just the person I was looking for!" Hannah beamed. "We need to finalize your photoshoot schedule for next week."

Athena groaned inwardly. More talking, less driving. Just what she needed.

The day wore on in a blur of PowerPoint slides, technical jargon, and endless cups of coffee. By the time the final meeting ended, Athena felt like she'd run a marathon without leaving her chair.

As she walked out of the conference room, she bumped into her brother, Max, who was visiting for the day.

"Hey, sis, how's it going?" he asked, his trademark grin in place.

"Kill me now," she replied dramatically. "If I have to sit through one more meeting, I might drive the car straight into the nearest wall."

Max laughed. "You'll survive. Just think how proud mom will be of you."

Athena's eyes lit up. "Mom. Right. That's what keeps me going."

Max gave her a quick hug. "Hang in there. You're doing great, Athena. Meetings and all."

She smiled, feeling a bit more energized. If Max could handle the pressures of F1, so could she. Besides, she had a race to win and a team to prove.

As she headed to the garage to finally get some hands-on time with her car, Athena couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, the meetings were worth it. After all, every detail mattered when you were chasing the checkered flag. And she was determined to make her mark, meetings and all.