Gasoline - [Charles Leclerc]

2.1

"What is this kind of bullshit? Let me box!". Charles harshly called over the radio, knowing the stragety didn't include this, but his tires were gone and so was the gap he created with the ones behind him if they didn't let him come in soon. His engineers muttered something in response that they were discussing it with the team, meanwhile he was lacking pace and the turns of Baku's city circuit began to get slippery. He was losing the rear every now and then and he felt his fingers cramping from how hard they had been wrapped around his steering wheel. Five more laps they had him out on the track before the call of relief reached Charles. He boxed for some new tyres, yet so much time had been lost. Pierre came back out in front of him a lap later. This year, even the Red Bulls were competative for the Ferrari's, however Charles had the surance that he'd overtake Pierre on the main straight with DRS, but until then he was driving in his dirty air and that was not nice at all.

Later on in the race they had virtual safety car, that closed the gap between him and now Verstappen a bit, but definitely not enough to get back within podium reach. He was mentally complaining about his own driving in qualy again. If he hadn't made that stupid mistake, he wouldn't be driving here now. The team called him in a last time for fresh tyres to secure the fastest lap for the team, an extra point was welcome. Charles drove a new lap record without a lot of effort when the yellow flags were over and then got to the finish in P5. Of course that were decent points, but not the result he had hoped for. Charles didn't reply much when they said to him over the radio that he had driven faultless today. He waved to the people in the stands and on their balconies before turning into the pitlane. It was a bitter pill to swallow to see your teammate on the podium while you were barely even within reach of it. Charles had earned more respect after Bahrain, but his selfrespect was something he had lost.

He sighed deeply after he got out of the car at Parc Fermé and he unclipped his helmet from the support brace in his neck, slipping it over his head with his balaclava, He ran a hand through his sweaty hair, waiting with the other drivers in the FIA garage to get weighed and then leave to their cabins to drop the stuff. Charles was allowed to leave soon and Andrea and Mia were waiting for him at the exit. Andrea took his helmet and handed him his water bottle without saying anything. Mia gave him a small smile and the three of them walked back to the Ferrari hospitality. Charles sat down there with a sigh, his overall unzipped and stripped down to his waist. "They will be asking questions about what the qualy had to do with your performance today". Mia started. "And I'll respond that it was my own stupid fault". Charles muttered, waving her away while taking another swig of the water bottle. "Globally looking at today, what did you think?". She continued. "The pace was quite okay, but we're nowhere near Mercedes as it looks like". He sat back for a moment.

"We're lacking pace and decent stragety". He added. "But next to that, I did everything I could". Charles finished. "You can leave out that we're lacking stragety". She filtered. "Or put it in more subtle words". Charles nodded meanwhile and it was time to get up form the couch as the pressconference was almost over and he needed to get to the media square. Charles and Mia made their way over there while Andrea was looking for some clean teamwear for Charles after the press moment, so they could travel back to the hotel and back home this same evening. In London, Edrice had watched the race as well. She was in her office the whole morning and afternoon to work and after she had gotten herself something to eat, she had started up a live stream to watch the last ten laps of the Baku race. Jomana had heard the sounds from the livestream coming from her laptop and shook her head as she still didn't seem to be able to get Charles out of her life. Jomana was fine with it, at least Edrice wasn't aroudn him anymore.

Jomana didn't like working alone. She wasn't as independent as her friend was and she was a bit lonely too. A part of her had been jealous that Edrice was able to get herself such a nice, goodlooking gentleman like Charles was. A part of her wanted her friend back for herself, they barely saw each other. She wanted to join races too. She wanted the exclusive package of peaking into a team's pit box as well. Jomana swallowed hard as she knew Edrice wouldn't allow her to apologize at the moment. She was angry for weeks that Jomana had made her choose, but this choice was the best for her, Jomana was sure of it. The Egyptian decided to push the guilty feelings aside after she closed her laptop, about to go home. "Edrice?". She asked, leaning against her door. "I'm going home, my flight to Caïro is leaving in four hours". Jomana was visiting some familly back home. "So, you're leaving me with all the work". Edrice said and Jomana was a bit caught by surprise with her response. Edrice chuckled. "Have fun, I'll see you next week. Tell your mom I said hi".

Jomana blinked when Edrice stood up and moved to close the door of her office, leaving her standing outside. Edrice couldn't care less about what she thought at the moment. She knew Charles felt like shit and that was the only that really mattered at the moment. Edrice took her Phone out of her pocket and dialed his number without thinking, feeling her heart beating like crazy in her chest. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she was send straight to voice mail and she hesitated about leaving a message. Wait. What was she doing? He had been so clear about that he didn't want her to text or call him. Edrice lowered her phone again and sat down at her desk with her hands in her hair. In her mind she went back to the day when Jomana had confronted her about the decreasing viewers of their page, the brands that worked with them being angry and their management being frustrated with Edrice's work. Edrice decided it was time she wrote an apologizing mail to Maserati, which she still hadn't done.

She didn't want to seem pathetic and desperate at the time, but prove her partnership with them by hard and dedicated work. Maserati hadn't complained at all later and she had nice conversations with their PR agent Tina. Edrice knew Tina for as long as she was a partner with the Italian manufacturer and she was quite surprised Tina hadn't mentioned anything about it, however it probably wasn't her task to do so either. She opened up her laptop, ticking in the email search for the mail Jomana meant from them. She browsed through and then frowned, not seeing any mail from their usual address they contacted her with. Edrice searched again, this time paying attention to the date as well. She found the mail Jomana had let her read and she then opened it, checking the real address of the Maserati PR team and the one that had mailed her about her failing to furfill their wishes. It was fake. It was set up. Edrice pushed her chair back from her desk, not sure if she wouldn't take her laptop and smash it to the floor in anger.

She was pretty sure that Jomana had set this up. She's the only one having her business email next to all of their partners. Edrice groaned, how could she be so stupid and not check it right away? She had been so shocked by everything that had happened and she had lost focus. She looked over at Jomana's office and she then remembered the locked drawer in her desk. Edrice got out of her office to get to hers, discovering it wasn't locked, so she was Lucky she could get in. She kneeled in front of the drawers, pulling on the last one to discover it was still locked. "They can do it in the movies, so I can do it too". She muttered to herself while taking a safety pin from the pencil case that laid in another drawer. She pushed it in the lock and twisted it a few times, obviously having no idea what she was doing. "Come on". Edrice decided to get back to pulling on it and she eventually pulled hard enough for the pull lock to give in. She nearly threw it back with the force she had pulled on it and she fell on her bum, making her chuckle at herself, but the drawer was opened.

Edrice placed it between her legs and rumbled through the pages that included some signed papers from whatever and she scanned them briefly through till she found the letter of their management that Jomana had let her read. The autograph on the underside was the exact same as the one on her contract she had signed a couple years ago. As in, exactly the same. It was scanned in. Edrice got up from the floor and then to her office, taking her Phone again. She dialled the number of their management team, getting the main desk firstly. "Hi, Edrice. Nice that you're calling, is everything okay?". The lady asked. "Hi, I was wondering if Rob is in? I've heard I haven't done my work as I should, I figured I owed him an apology". The lady laughed. "Edrice, he's so amazed by what you do. I think you're mistaken him for someone else". Edrice let out a chuckle. "Jomana said I've received a mail some weeks ago, I think just around the seventeenth? I can't find it anywhere".

"Oh". She laughed again. "Not from him. We've had a technical issue here in the office, phones and desks were shut for almost a week. He's been furious about that, so I'm sure it's nothing with you girls there". Edrice shook her head as she still couldn't believe her friend has set this all up. "Thanks anyway". Edrice thanked her and ended the call. She slammed the letter down on Jomana's desk, so it would be the first thing she saw the next morning she was here. Edrice took her stuff and shut everything down, locking the door behind her when she left. She made brisk steps to her car and sat down, turning on the lights while pushing her Phone to her ear one more time to try Charles again. She got his voice mail once more, but this time she did leave a message. "Charles, I'm on my way to Monaco. If you like it or not". She threw her Phone in her bag to get home and gather some Essentials before getting the first flight to Nice.

A/N: Will update next wednesday so you guys won't have to wait until I return from my holiday :)