Redline | L.Norris

twelve

Isla would be lying if she said she got any sleep last night. She tried everything — counting sheep, tossing and turning, even a late-night workout — but her mind refused to shut off. She must have run through the race a hundred times by now, trying to anticipate any and every possible scenario. The reward for her efforts? Lovely bags under her eyes. Makeup had always been minimal for her, usually because the sweat from a race or the nerves before one would simply wipe it all away. But concealer? Concealer was her best friend, and today, it had a particularly important job: helping her look like someone who belonged in F1.

The vibration of her phone interrupted her zombie-like staring contest with her reflection. A few texts had come through — one from her team, another from her dad, and one from Lando. The team could wait; she'd see them in an hour. But she almost felt guilty opening Lando's text before her dad's.

Lando

I'd be surprised if you slept at all last night. I know I didn't when I got my first pole, and the few following ones. If you come down for breakfast in the next 20 minutes, I'll have a nice cup of coffee waiting for you. If not, good luck today, darling. Though we both know you won't need it.

Isla let out a sigh, releasing a bit of tension she had been holding. Looking at the clock, she saw she had ten minutes to get her life together if she wanted to be down there in time. She finished getting ready, putting most of her efforts into the concealer, and went down to the hotel café.

It didn't take long to find the curly haired papaya driver and saw he was sitting with Max already. Max had his back to her but turned to see what Lando who Lando was smiling at. "Didn't think you would be up this early." Max smirked as she sat down.

Isla shook her head, "We have to be at the track in an hour. Why wouldn't I be awake?" Isla thanked Lando as he slid her cup of coffee towards her but missed the questioning look on Max's face at the small exchange. He schooled his face before either noticed, "You have to be at the track in an hour. I have another 2 before I even need to leave."

Isla's head whipped towards her teammate. "Excuse me?"

Max held up his hands, "Wasn't my decision. You are on pole for the first time and I'm sure they wanted to have a couple meetings over it. Me starting in 11th isn't as exciting as getting your plans right."

Isla rolled her eyes, "Just what I wanted was for everyone to freak out because the rookie is on pole. I know how to drive car. And I'm pretty sure me holding my position is easier than fighting in the midfield. You should be the one with the early meeting."

Lando snorted behind his coffee, trying to stifle his laughter. Max let out a low whistle. "Remind me not to talk to you before you've had coffee," he said. "Saw a mini Iceman there."

She cursed under her breath and pulled her phone out. "What? Now the silent treatment? I didn't make the rules Sunshine."

Isla shook her head, "No. My dad texted this morning and I forgot to open it."

Lando smiled into his coffee, fully aware that Isla had read his message.

Dad

No matter the result today, starting pole in a rookie season is a big accomplishment. We will be watching here at home.

Isla

Thanks dad. Will call you after the race.

Before she could tuck her phone away, Christian's flashed across the screen. She sighed inwardly, the answered, "Hello?"

"Good morning, Isla. Wanted to call to make sure you were up and on your way in." Christian's cheerful voice crackled through the phone.

Max, seated next to her, couldn't suppress his chuckle at the team principal's chipper tone.

"Good morning." Isla replied. "Yes, I am about to leave the hotel now. Max said he would give me a ride up there." Max, mid-sip of his water, immediately choked and Lando had to get up from the table to hide his laughter from the team principle.

"Oh, that's nice of him! We can get a head start on his briefing too. See you both soon." He hung up and Isla looked at her watch.

"We should probably leave if we want to get there on time. If I'm late it's now your fault." She gave Max a sweet smile and finished her cup of coffee. Max shook his head and cleaned up the mess he had made.

"What part of it wasn't my decision did you not understand?" Isla shrugged her shoulders as she stood up, "It was before my cup of coffee so I wasn't fully paying attention."

She ignored whatever Max was grumbling about under his breath and turned to Lando. "Sorry to cut breakfast short but thank you for that text. Helped me feel a little more normal."

He gave her a warm smile, "Glad I could help some. I'll see you later today."

***

Isla's mind was running again as she made her way to the car with Max. Despite being frustrated about having to be the only one at the track this early, she couldn't shake the small smirk forming at the corners of her mouth as Max's grumbling filled her ears. She knew she would pay for it later.

The drive was short, making the nerves hit Isla quicker than she would've liked. The pressure seemed more intense today than it had been the past few weekends. Qualifying pole was yesterday's victory and today's burden. She couldn't help but wonder if everyone was going to look at her differently now that she delivered a result that had raised the bar for expectations.

"You're thinking too much." Max's eyes remained on the road as he cut into Isla's thoughts.

"Can't help it. The feeling of starting in pole is not as exciting as I thought it would be." Isla waved to the fans that were lined up outside of the parking area.

Max chuckled, "Once you get a few more under your belt you will look forward to it. The first one is always the hardest." He parked the car, and the pair got out.

"I think I will feel better once I'm in the car. Or maybe when the race is over." She walked over and signed a few things before following her teammate through the gates.

Max gave her a sideways look, "You know, if you keep going at this pace, I'm gonna start charging for all the coaching I'm doing."

Isla rolled her eyes, "I'll be sure to pay in full with a race result." They both laughed as they continued to walk to their team's garage.

As they walked into the garage, Isla could feel the eyes of the crew turn to her. She was used to the attention by now, but today it felt different. The whispers, the exchanged glances - they all seemed to carry a weight she hadn't noticed before. For a moment, her heart skipped, and the pressure to perform settled heavily on her chest.

It wasn't lost on her that driving for Red Bull is challenging. The amount of teammates Max has had, shows how high expectations are in a very short time span. Losing pole position today feels like she could possibly be losing more.

Max picked up on her sudden silence and nudged her with his elbow. "Stop overthinking. If I can do it from 11th, you can do it from pole."

She shot him a look. "You're too confident for your own good."

"Just enough for the both of us," Max quipped. "And hey, when I win this thing from 11th, you owe me lunch. Deal?"

Isla gave him a small smile, one that felt a little more genuine than before. "Deal."

As they entered the team's main area, Isla was greeted by the familiar faces of her engineers and strategists. They were already deep into preparations, checking data and fine-tuning their approach for the race. Her team, for all their quiet professionalism, were all smiles when they saw her. The shift in their demeanor was subtle but noticeable. Everyone was hoping for a good result, but there was a different energy now.

Something that told Isla they all believed it could be her day.