𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗩𝗼𝗹. 𝟭
🏎️ English Version 🏎️
Abigail Mathews had always felt in the blurry part of the picture, wondering if, in her work at the Haas F1 Team, anyone would ever really notice her.
But an email, one morning, ca...
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I wanted to say goodbye
Maranello, Italy January 2022
🏎️
An elbow woke me up from the continuous game of glances that neither I nor the predestined had any intention of interrupting. I had to blink several times, to make the Moor's gaze disappear from my mind.
"I think you should listen..." The Spaniard chuckled, leaning a few inches so that only I could hear him. So from that moment I decided not to get distracted anymore and listened to the beginning of the Team Principal's speech.
"Good morning everyone. I wanted to start by saying that the crash tests were successful and the results on the engine bench are valid, from now on we can start with the assembly and testing of the components of the car." Someone almost rejoiced.
"The drivers are here today and will be back before the pre-season tests. Up to that moment, interviews and some photoshoots have been organized for you for the team's social pages to advertise the new merchandise." Mattia exposed, observing Carlos and Charles for a moment.
He continued to explain how important it was that everyone did their job on schedule, the training that the drivers would have to undertake like every year and then he turned to us in the team to say that the date of announcement of the car would be February 17th, even if it had already been communicated to me just before the meeting.
The participants began to get up, probably returning to the tasks they were doing a few moments before, so I decided to get up too and Binotto came to meet me.
"He is Andrea, he will initially follow you on your path here, and I beg you to rely on him for every need and need" He introduced me to the boy, whom I recognized as my neighbor, "I now have commitments that will keep me busy, so see you in the next few days." He greeted me, leaving the room.
Andrea led me to my desk, explained that I would have to sign some documents for employment and that I would find them on the table. He left me alone and I looked at the room, white, with a black desk and a computer resting on it. The sheets lay vertically with a pen on the side, with the Ferrari logo on it.
The moment I started reading the contract, I heard something tapping on the door, looking up I saw the Spanish rider leaning on the door smiling.
"I wanted to say goodbye to Abigail, and good luck with the job!" He waved with one hand and moving my gaze slightly I noticed that Charles was behind him.
"Thank you Carlos, you too for whatever you do from now on." I joked, triggering the laughter of the boy, who said goodbye to me one last time before leaving.
I noticed how it took Charles a few more seconds before he turned around, but I decided to look down and not see if he would turn around again.
Monotony had always bored me, but doing the exact same tasks in a month here didn't have the same value as anything else.
Every morning I got up, we continued the design and assembly and I understood that there could be a pilot, from the crowd outside the building. I met with Andrea almost every morning before leaving the house and as the days went on we started having a coffee before working hours.
The F1-75 was beginning to take shape; I managed to meet Carlos Sainz just once at the entrance, on a morning in early February. He was signing autographs and seeing me, I was curious as if to greet me, he stopped paying attention to the boys for a second.
In the weeks I also met the third driver Robert Shwartzman, who turned out to be very friendly, while Charles Leclerc had no trace. Completely gone. Only one day did I see the car enter the driveway, but by then I was already on my way home.
The car passed all the tests and the results in the wind tunnel were so positive, that morale improved day by day within the team. But everything would be confirmed on the track in the first official tests of the new season.
The day of the presentation arrived, as every morning I woke up and wore the usual uniform. I tied my red hair in a ponytail and ran it through the hole in the back of my hat.
The presentation of the F1-75 arrived in the early afternoon, and once I arrived at the offices I realized that chaos reigned. Both outside, for the fans who had come to bring their support, and inside, where the engineers and people who were in charge of marketing seemed to have a nervous breakdown every minute.
I found myself attending some meetings, seeing the rehearsals of the speeches and the fateful moment arrived. The presentation would have been live on all social channels and especially on Ferrari's official websites.
The live broadcast began and we all stayed to observe the result of the hard work of the last few months. There was a succession of images regarding the drivers, the new uniforms and after a while Binotto's speech began.
He began to tell how excited he was, thanking the whole team for their commitment to the creation of the F1-75. He spoke of the innovation of the new car and then explained the reason for the name, referring to the just seventy-five years since the first red single-seater.
He invited Charles and Carlos, whom I had not yet been able to meet that morning and wearing the new uniform, approached Mattia on stage. The Team Principal began to pay homage to the number 16 with compliments and he, unable to remain serious, smiled. The Monegasque's time came to thank and explain how much effort and hard work he put into what he did. Binotto began to address Carlos, probably talking about the beginning of his career in Ferrari, but I missed a few passages, because even if the Moor was not watching me at that moment, I could not take my eyes off his figure.
I was distracted the moment I heard the music rise and in the dim light I saw the figure of the single-seater slowly gaining clarity. All the details were shown first and the whole at the end. A few seconds later Mattia, Carlos and Charles approached the car.
"I love her, I think I'll love her even more if she's fast on the track, but I absolutely love the looks." He commented on the number 16; Other tributes to the new creation followed and after about ten minutes everything was over. The blinding white lights for the live broadcast went out and those in the room were turned back on.
Sainz went to drink water at a table set up on the side of the room, some engineers including Andrea looked out to take a close look at the protagonist of the day. I took out my cell phone, opening the lens and pointing it at it, I noticed how Charles had been enchanted to observe it, almost enraptured by the power that a simple machine could give. It seemed so spontaneous that I decided to take some photos, which I was sure I would keep to myself. I approached cautiously.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" I said again behind his back, hoping not to scare him.
"It's beautiful, every year it's always exciting to see it for the first time." He answered still immersed in his thoughts, without looking away.
"I have to say it's one of the best designs." I agreed this time, pointing my gaze towards his profile and he must have felt observed, because he instantly turned around.
"I don't think that observing each other for more than two seconds counts as a presentation, so... Nice to meet Abigail." Trying to hold back a smile, I placed my hand in his direction which he observed for a few moments before squeezing.
"I'm Charles." He said simply bringing his eyes into mine. I didn't expect him to tell me his name, everyone in the paddock knew who Charles Leclerc was.
The bubble of silence that had been created burst and he had to leave. Before leaving the room, however, he turned to look in my direction and I didn't know if it was for me or because of the presence of the Spaniard at my side.
