4 April 2024
Suzuka, Japan
April sunlight filtered through the towering trees surrounding the Suzuka Circuit, where round 4 in the F1 calendar was taking place, casting dappled shadows across the paddock. Oscar and Kim, his trainer, made their way towards the McLaren garage, Oscar still in his little dreamland after just waking up. The team has been satisfied so far after the last two races in Australia and Saudi Arabia. Both, where Oscar finished in 4th.
Inside the bustling garage, mechanics meticulously prepared the car for the upcoming season. The sleek lines of his car, adorned with a striking new livery that shimmered under the lights, were a testament to the team's dedication to excellence.
"Morning, Oscar!" greeted a brown-haired petite British woman who was in her 30s, Sarah, his press officer, with a warm smile. "Ready for a media day?"
"Morning. And absolutely." Oscar nodded, tiredly and sarcastically.
Sarah chuckled. "We have a few scheduled interviews today. The first interview is at... 9 am and the last one is at... 5 pm with... Sky Sports F1. We'll be driving out for that interview." Sarah spoke as she checked the schedule. "And I suggest you warm up your Japanese."
"I think he needs to warm up." Kim joked. "Look at him. He's still in wonderland. What time did you sleep last night? We arrived in the afternoon so you shouldn't have slept so late."
"I slept at- er- 8 pm?" Oscar replied, yawning.
"Mate, you had a good 11 hours of sleep." Kim's eyes widened.
"It's not long enough. Koalas need a good 18 to 20 hours of sleep." Sarah laughed.
Oscar pressed his lips into a smile and did his famous shrug.
The morning continued with a series of interviews with journalists from around the globe. Microphones and cameras surrounded Oscar as he fielded questions reflecting on his first podium in Japan last season and outlining his goals for the year ahead.
"Hello everyone, today we are back with Oscar piastri." Susan, the host, gestured towards Oscar, who was sitting next to her.
They were at a beach area somewhere near the circuit. The backdrop of the ocean and sand behind them accompanied the sounds of waves.
"Hello." Oscar waved at the camera in his usual calm manner.
"So, Oscar, we'll be playing a little game today. I have some Japanese words for you that I need you to translate for me."
Oscar nodded and pressed his lips together, blowing air into his cheeks.
"They are all F1 related."
"Ah... Okay..." He nodded again but unsurely.
"They are easy." The host promised.
"Okay." He repeated cheerily this time.
"Okay, this is the first one." The host held her phone up in front of them. The words "ドライバ" across it.
Oscar put his hand on his chin as he sounded out the characters one by one. "Drive...er."
"Oh, not bad." The host said, surprised, pulling out the next word. "レーシングカー"
"Shin" Oscar sounded the second word skipping the first. "The last part is car." He thought out loud.
"Racing car?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the host.
"Yep!"
After an hour, the day started to draw to a close as the sun dipped low over the Suzuka Circuit. Oscar was back in the garage going over some things with his race engineer, Matt, for the practice sessions tomorrow.
YOU ARE READING
Daarin | ダーリン | Oscar Piastri
Fanfiction|ON GOING| 7 years ago, an exchange programme brought them together, with a documentary on the side. And here they were again, 7 years later. Just like when they were 16, but... it was different this time. Start: 15 July 2024 End: Book 1 of the stri...
