Race Engineer - Daniel Ricciardo

Chapter 3

The second session went alright. Max finished it with a 8th fastest time. Max himself was a bit disappointed, but I thought it was pretty good.

I'm now sitting in the pitbox, having all the data sheets in front of me. Max went to dinner with his dad, some team members left and some are still here, working on the car or on data themselves.

I have put on some music to keep me going. As I'm bouncing my head to the music, someone taps my shoulder. I take out an earbud and look up, seeing a grinning Daniel in front of me.

"You're still here?" he asks, sounding a bit shocked by it. I nod my head, pointing at the data.

"Two sessions worth of data, it's a lot. I like doing it here because whenever something isn't right, I can check things" Daniel nods slowly.

"Max did well, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. I'm excited to see what he can bring tomorrow"

"Do you like working with him more than with Daniil?"

"Well, Max for sure is a bit more chatty and gives more information. It's not that I like it more, it's easier and less stressfull" Daniel nods and smiles.

"To be honest, I like Max more. He is a bit more like me. Joking off track but serious on track" Daniel says with his famous grin.

"Yeah, I agree. Anyway, are you done for today?" Daniel nods.

"Yeah, you coming to the hotel or are you staying?" I look back at the pile of data, sighing heavily.

"I should stay, but I'm hungry. Give me 5 minutes and I'll come with you" Daniel nods and leans against a wall in the garage. I just gather all my stuff, putting it in my bag. I wave at the engineers and mechanics who are still here and I get bright smiles back.

I walk over to Daniel, who is on his phone right now. I just go and stand in front of him, making him look up. He puts his phone away and smiles again.

"Ready?" I nod, walking out of the garage and onto the paddock, Daniel following me. We walk in silence to the car that will take us to the hotel. We get in and I just lean back.

"Long day, huh?" Daniel is grinning at me. I haven't had this kind of day since the beginning of the season.

"Yeah, but a good one"

"Yeah. Can I have your honest expectations for Max on Sunday?" I have to think about it, looking at Daniel in the meantime.

"I'd say he finishes atleast P4, P3 if he qualifies in front of you. I know he is quicker and smarter than the Ferrari's, you're the only one I'm worried about" Daniel chuckles slightly.

"I think we can have some fights if we qualify behind each other. I do think I'll beat him" Daniel says, wide grin on his face. I giggle soflty, shaking my head along as well.

"We'll see about that, Ricciardo"

-

I groan as I push away the stack of data. I can not see any more small letters and such. I am getting a headache and I'm still hungry. I haven't eaten yet, because I wanted to finish the data before I started eating.

I decide to just text the team, wondering if they know what is good in the restaurant.

Mackenzie : is the food in the restaurant good?

Evan Green : you still haven't eaten?!?!

Liam Scott : come on, you gotta take care of yourself

Mackenzie : well, I had work to do and you guys still haven't answered my question

Max Verstappen : i just ate there with my dad, food is good! You should really go for the pasta!!

Mackenzie : thanks, Max!

Before I can stand up to change, my phone buzzes. I look at my screen to see Daniel's name.

Daniel Ricciardo : i'll bring some food to you! Stay in your room!

I smile slightly, sitting back down. I don't know why Daniel is being so nice to me, I barely know him. When I started working for Red Bull in the beginning of the season, I was nervous to talk to Daniel. One day, he started a conversation with me, and the nerves just flew away.

I actually can't help myself, but turn back to the last pieces of data. I have to finish it so I can just sleep tonight.

A knock on my door pulls me out of concentration. I walk towards it and open it. Daniel is standing there, two plates in his hand, filled with pasta.

"I haven't eaten myself, so I thought I'd get you some food as well" he says. I step away so Daniel can walk in. He puts the plates down on the table and looks at the paper on the desk.

"You are almost finished, right? I shouldn't worry?"

"No, don't worry, I'm almost done. Like 4 pieces left" I say as I sit down on the small couch, my eyes landing on the food. My stomach growls loudly, making Daniel chuckle. He hands me a fork and we just start eating in silence.

"It really is good. Did you really listen to Max's advice for the food?" I ask Daniel. He chuckles while a slight blush creeps onto his cheeks.

"Might have. Stuart isn't liking this one bit, though" I giggle, knowing Stuart would want him to be on his diet and pasta isn't part of that diet.

"He doesn't have to know everything" I simply say, finishing my plate. Daniel smiles and nods his head.

"I don't know how, but Stuart always knows. I don't know how he does it. I sometimes worry that he has a spy on me or something" I giggle and shake my head.

"I'm sure he doesn't have a spy on you. He is your personal trainer, he just knows you"

"Yeah, I'm afraid he does" I just smile at Daniel. My eyes land on the stack of paper and I groan, which makes Daniel look at me weirdly.

"Do you think they mind if I just go to sleep and not finish the data?" I ask, in my best serious voice. Daniel looks at me, believing that I'm serious.

"I'm sure some don't, but I think it's not such a good idea to skip it" Daniel answers truthfully. I smile at him.

"I know, Daniel. I was just kidding" I reply, a big smile on my face. Daniel blushes slightly again, looking down for a second.

"I knew that" he mumbles. I giggle and nod.

"Sure you did"

"I should let you get back to work, now" Daniel says, a small smile on his face. He puts the two plates together and stands up. I follow him to the door.

"Thank you for the food, Daniel"

"You're welcome, Mackenzie. I'll see you tomorrow" I nod at him as he walks out of the door. I sigh and turn back to the desk, slowly making my way towards it. As I grab another sheet, Daniel's smile is stuck in my head.

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Next chapter will be up on Tuesday :)
Xxx