Her || Charles Leclerc

38. F1 Giggles & Tea... Arabic Coffee

"We have seen a video from last weekend," the brunette girl said into the microphone.

This would be the second to last podcast of the two girls of F1 Giggles & Tea. And this would be their most special edition; they were invited as guests at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and they got to have very special guests on the show: Matilde Jørgensen, Nico Rosberg,

Zhou Guanyu, Hannah Schmitz and Fernando Alonso. They were doing these interviews separately due to different schedules.

A disappointing smile came on Matilde's face. "Oh, no," she whispered, but nodded anyway.

The brunette girl could smile since it was a carefree video, but many people had other thoughts about it. "After the race in Las Vegas, you went to a club. This video is of you and your opponent Max Verstappen, quoting Pitbull."

A shy and embarrassed giggle left Matilde's mouth. "I know people would be talking about this," she admitted and cleared her throat. "Please, let me add that we were very drunk. And that I cannot remember it, it was a bad night." It made the girls laugh. "But yes. You know, we were in the moment and honestly, the quote really says something about the situation we are in now. 'Life is not a waste of time and time is not a waste of life, so let's stop wasting time, get wasted and have the time of our lives'." A short laugh rolled over her lips.

"I admire your relationship with Max: you left his team to be team principal at Ferrari, an opponent of Red Bull. And you still have a fantastic relationship with him, even though he and your drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, are fighting for the title. And also your friendship with Kevin Magnussen."

Matilde leaned back slightly in her chair, her lips quivering into a thoughtful smile. "It's... complicated," she admitted. "But I think the key is mutual respect. Max and I go way back, and while our roles have changed, the foundation of that respect hasn't. We've both worked incredibly hard to get where we are, and I think we both recognise that about each other. And about Kevin... We're only friends because he's also Danish," she playfully smirked.

The blonde host leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "That sounds easier said than done. Doesn't the tension ever spill over, especially with Charles and Max being so close in the standings?"

"Oh, absolutely," Matilde replied with a soft laugh. "There are moments, many moments, where the tension is there. But I've always believed that rivalry on the track doesn't have to mean hostility. Max and I have boundaries. He does his job, I do mine. And if people think we share team secrets with each other. No, we do not. We signed a ton of documents, NDA's, and I don't see why we would do that. What's the fun in that?"

"True," the brunette girl nodded. "People like to make assumptions."

Oh, how the tables have turned, Matilde thought. The brunette girl doubted Matilde in everything, and she shared that openly in the podcast, and the amount of assumptions came from her mouth.

"Unfortunately, yes," the blonde girl sighed. "How do you deal with it? I mean, so many people assumed you would quit in less than a month since you are a newbie to this function." She looked down at her notes. "The media was cruel towards you, you were basically living under a loop. Every look, every breath and every word you shared was enough to make a fuss about it. Fernando Alonso said that it was a ridiculous decision to put you on the top, Danica Patrick said she was waiting for you to fail and Zak Brown said he was certain that you couldn't handle it. What do you think of it when you look back at the season?"

Matilde's expression softened, a contemplative smile tugging at her lips. "It's been a journey and an adventure," she began, her tone even. "I used to work behind the scenes, safely behind my manager, comfortably out of sight. And suddenly I was one of the faces of a team. I never liked being in the spotlight, but now I am in one of the spotlights. In the beginning, it was so overwhelming. I was new to this, I didn't know what to expect. All those assumptions, criticisms, and doubts were hard to ignore. It was like every move I made was under a magnifying glass, and people were just waiting for me to trip." She paused, glancing briefly at the microphone as if choosing her words carefully. "But here's the thing," she continued, her voice gaining strength. "I knew what I was walking into when I accepted the position. I worked closely with Christian, my former boss at Red Bull. And you know, Ferrari isn't just a team; it's an institution. The expectations are massive, and the pressure is relentless. And honestly? That's what makes it so rewarding. I didn't take the job because I thought it would be easy. I took it because I wanted the challenge. If I wanted an easy job, I would go to work in a supermarket. And with all due respect, even a supermarket could be stressful, but when working in F1, a team principal is the next level of pressure."