Thorns

18

March 22nd
Australian Grand Prix

Lelia Amani

The McLaren garage is full of activity as the final moments of qualifying tick down. The sharp, steady hum of the engines reverberates through the pits, cutting through the thick air of focus and anticipation.

I stand off to the side, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the large screen showing the live timing. It's an odd feeling being here, this close to the action, yet feeling somewhat detached from it all. Thursday's events are still lingering in the back of my mind, the shit with Lando unresolved, and the silence between us only deepening. But right now, the only thing that matters is what's happening on that screen in front of me, and I was sure that was the only thing that mattered to Lando as well.

Lando's holding strong in P2. Max is still the one to beat with a time that has yet to be bested, but Lando isn't far behind. The gap between them is just barely four-hundredths of a second. In this kind of environment, that's nothing. Lando's showing up when it counts, despite everything. I can't deny that part of me feels a small sense of respect for how he's keeping it together on track. Especially after seeing a side of him that I never would have expected to see. Vulnerability.

Danny's sitting in P3, just a few hundredths behind Lando. There's a lot of pressure in the McLaren garage, and I can tell from the occasional glances around the garage that everyone's holding their breath. It's close. We need every ounce of performance out of Lando to keep pace with the likes of Max and Danny.

The final laps are closing in, and there's an almost palpable sense of anticipation in the garage. Lando's final push is coming, and the entire team is waiting to see if he can shave those last few milliseconds off his time. I force myself to focus on the data in front of me, blocking out everything else, trying not to let the weight of Thursday's conversation creep into my mind.

Lando comes through the first sector. It's good, not perfect, but still competitive. The gap is still holding steady, just a few tenths off Max's best. I glance at the timing screen again, my eyes tracking the lines as they shift with every passing second. The second sector flashes across the screen, and I can see Lando pushing, keeping the car just on the edge, trying to push out a little more speed where he can. It's clean. No mistakes, no major hiccups.

I glance at the clock counting down the final seconds of the session. Lando's coming up to the last corner, and there's not much more time left to make any significant changes in his lap. I can hear the murmurs around the garage as the team waits, eyes locked on the screens.

Then, Lando crosses the line.

Max Verstappen - 1:15.915

The time flashes on the screen first, and the gap doesn't change. Max holds P1.

Then Lando's time updates, and he crosses into P2, his 1:16.025 holding steady as the seconds tick down.

A collective breath is let out in the garage as the realization settles in. Lando managed to hold onto P2 despite the rocket ship Max was driving. It's a solid result. Max still has the edge, but Lando's not far off.

The day isn't over yet, and there's still a lot of media and press conferences to do, but qualifying was done. Whether or not he was going to beat himself up for it was still in the air.

I turn to look at the rest of the crew, some of them already beginning to talk strategy for the race ahead as the last ten cars began making their way into the pit lane.

As Lando pulls his car into the garage, the crew immediately gets to work, tending to the car. The air is thick with a quiet buzz, everyone still carrying the subtle energy from the qualifying session. P2 is solid, especially given the competition. There's no real disappointment in the garage, just a quiet sense of focus.