Teach Me Something // LH44

Chapter Forty-One

Australia, 16 March 2025

The red and white confetti is streaming down around the podium where Lewis stands on the step below his teammate, the smile on his face bigger than the world as he feels the energy going through him. It's crazy to see it in real time, to see how he and the crowd are celebrating the first Ferrari 1-2 of the year at the very first race. I look to my left and see Miles jumping up and down like a crazy man and laugh at him along with the rest, feeling a light dusting of rain on my face which encourages me to look back up at the podium and realise it's not rain but champagne being sprayed on us by none other than the man himself.

It wasn't Lewis's day today and that's okay. He hadn't qualified great yesterday in 7th and had then fought his way up the competition until he finished second, just a couple of seconds adrift from Charles who had qualified on pole. I knew he'd be happy with this because even following a not great day yesterday, he'd been happy with his performance, reminding me and himself repeatedly that he was meant to be a little adrift of Charles whose input last year had been the base of the car he was currently driving.

He made it up today, some turns and overtakes that would make a regular fan let out a hiss with how tight it is. Me? I was screwing my eyes shut and putting my head in my hands. Now, I could look back with a smile, for the first time really understanding the racing masterclass that he'd put on and all of my concerns about the season faded for just a moment because I knew this was just the beginning.

Japan, 6 April 2025

There he was, after three races in red, he'd made it to the top step once more and I couldn't be happier about it. I knew that this was the dream coming true once more, I could see the fire, I could see the belief and I was with the rest of the F1 fan world as we let ourselves get swept up in this.

This had been yet another magical week of following him around the world and if I'd thought I'd understood his stardom following Vegas, I was forced to come to terms with the fact that I was very incorrect. Every week it seemed to get better and the LH 44 fanclub combined with the Tifosi were undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with. This had been my favourite race yet though as the fans in Japan, while maybe more enthusiastic than other parts of the world, are also by far the most respectful that I'd come across.

While I felt eyes on me in the paddock and received bright smiles of recognition from everyone who I locked eyes with, there was never any sort of yelling or obviously unsolicited photos which felt like a dramatic change and also beyond welcome. I think Lewis could see how this affected my confidence because on the single occasion when fans had approached me in the Ferrari hospitality where I was having a coffee with Jude, I'd been able to enjoy the interaction, accepting the gifts from them to Lewis on his behalf. I was even gifted my own small red LH keyring which I thought was beyond adorable and had quickly added to my keys without hesitation before going back to enjoying the rest of the day.

When I'd gone to his room to show him his loot he'd smiled at me instead of the gifts in a way that let me know a little of what was going through his mind. I ignored the look, choosing not to comment and end up making a big deal of it and so he turns his attention instead to the gifts for him as we spend some time going through it, helping him decompress before qualifying.

After the race ends with him crossing the line, during his interview with former teammate Bottas he said: "Thank you to everyone who has been so respectful all weekend, I've said this before but you're some of the best fans in the world. You've really made this one to remember and I'm proud to have given you an exciting race to watch. Also, thank you to Ferrari for another great weekend. It's a great car and has been a lot of fun - I'm already looking forward to coming back and doing this again in a year."