Gasoline - [Charles Leclerc]

1.0

"Today we'll work with an aerodynamic construction". John told Charles as he held up a drawing of the construction they were getting onto the car. "It's the same with testing in Abu Dhabi last year, but it will possibly feel different, so make sure to not go too crazy before getting used to it". He spoke, Charles nodded and took the sheet from him, briefly glancing at Edrice from the corner of his eyes as she stood in the back of the pit box. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her eyes were directed at the screen above her, that showed the other cars driving on the circuit of Barcelona. Edrice noticed his eyes on her soon enough and she looked back at him, a small smile curling her lips. Charles dug his teeth into his lower lip before grinning back and he quickly focussed on the aerodynamic construction again before John would return to his side.

His suit was dangling loosely around his waist, the sleeves in a messy knot to prevent them from hitting the ground or him falling over them. Edrice looked at the white shirt he was wearing, it was quite a cold morning, but the thin shirt seemed to keep him warm enough to not zip up his overall now. The Ferrari sponsors were stitched onto the sleeves and the front of the shirt that pulled taught around his muscled body. Charles and Edrice didn't have a chance to talk properly about the previous night. Not that it was something serious to talk about, but Edrice found her thoughts wandering off to the kiss they shared more often than she liked. Charles had to focus, but he secretly thought about it too. It caused a warm feeling to spread through his chest and he wouldn't want anything else but walk up to her and kiss her again.

Charles leaned back against the desk as he watched how the iron fences were build behind the front of the car. With green paint, the engineers would be able to discover the airflow of the car and that way they can improve the aerodynamic system of the bolide. It were such small technical things that could have a very large impact. He turned back to grab his helmet and his balaclava. He tried not to look over at Edrice again, checking as if she was still there, but he knew she was still there. The static electricity in the pit box was something he felt because of the desire between them. Charles was Lucky he could shut that out once he was in the car to do his job. He wouldn't want to spin off the track and damage the car because his mind was somewhere on cloud nine.

The Monegasque pushed his arms through the sleeves of his red overall and zipped it all the way up. Andrea handed him his balaclava and he pushed it over his face and head. He took a couple sips of his drink before handing the bottle back to his trainer and then took the quite heavy helmet. Only his eyes and eyebrows were visible afterwards. Charles held on to the halo while getting into the car, letting himself slide into the seat. The steering wheel was back in front of him and his gloves rested under the halo, ready if he was ready. He briefly leaned back so the crew could strap him into his seat, the belts tight around his body to secure him. Charles felt his heartbeat slowing down, his mind becoming a tunnel vision when he was seated here. Only he and the car mattered.

His fingers were cladded with the soft material of the gloves soon enough. Charles felt the rumbling engine vibration through the car, rumbling under the pedals beneath his feet. It was eager to be let down and it was eager for him to lift his hand from the clutch. Edrice was glad her ears were covered with a pair of headphones to block the loudest sound of the engine when it revved and sped out of the garage. Still the piercing sound caused her to flinch a slight bit. It was the last testing day for the first week and she could sense Ferrari was very content with what the cars showed till now. Of course, testing isn't everything, but they had a source of reliable information and data now. They were the quickest all week, yet everyone was suspicious about Mercedes, sure they were sandbagging here and there.

It was quite a long testing day. Charles had been out for a lot of laps, only stopping for a lunch break around noon and then getting back into the car again. He was exhausted at the end of the day, after driving almost the distance of two races. Andrea made him lay down on the massage table in his driver's cabin in his underwear, his hands and knuckles pressing into his sore muscles. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?". Charles asked with a groan when his legs were stretched and his muscles were burning almost into a cramp. Andrea shrugged and grinned, continuing with his other leg. "So, this is Charles' room...". They looked up at Edrice's voice. "Oh, look he's here". Edrice turned around with her gopro camera, indicating she was filming for their F1 special.