[3] MARANELLO || C. LECLERC

THIRTY

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CAMILLE

I always knew that the driver market could get a little crazy in Formula One, but I'd never known anything like this before. Rumours were everywhere, from Twitter to the front of newspapers, but thankfully, none of them discussed either Charles or Max. Charles' multi-year contract with Ferrari had been discussed in the media months ago and it was pretty obvious that Max wasn't leaving Red Bull yet. I was pleased that their names were kept far away from all the rumours because it was the last thing they needed when they were trying to focus so hard on doing well this weekend in Spain. With Qualifying in a matter of hours, the boys needed to be as focused as possible.

However, there was a rumour flying around online which regarded Sebastian. I'd not heard much mention of it in the paddock and I was yet to bring it up to Charles in case he wasn't aware, but I doubted that very much. He probably knew a lot more about it than I initially realised, but I didn't want to speak to him. I wanted to speak to Sebastian himself. We'd grown close over the years; because of the age difference between us, I saw him as a much wiser figure to talk to, similar to Daniel. If the rumours were true, and he was leaving Ferrari like the speculation suggested, I hoped to God that he would find a seat in another team. Although his options seemed limited - there was no way he would move to a team which couldn't provide him with the wins he desired - but I didn't want him to leave.

"Seb?" I cleared my throat as I approached him and Britta in the Ferrari motorhome. Charles was with Andrea in his private drivers' room. He needed some time to relax before Qualifying and he'd just finished his briefing with all of the data the team acquired from the final practice session of the weekend. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Camille, hi," he smiled when he saw me and the muscles in his face relaxed. Britta gave me a brief wave before she patted her driver on the back, slipping towards the main part of the hospitality building where she could get some food. "I have some time. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," I flashed him a nod, but dug my teeth into my bottom lip. I didn't want to bring it up in case he was upset over it, but I knew Sebastian. If something wasn't right for him, he wouldn't stay where he was. He was very strong minded. He had a family at home. I wouldn't be surprised if he took some time away from the sport, or maybe even left completely. It made me think about what Charles would decide to do when we started a family of our own, but right now, that wasn't the most important thing. "I just wanted to ask you about the rumours. Are they true? Are you leaving?"

Sebastian sighed as he guided me towards a table, tucked away in the corner of the Ferrari motorhome. With the hospitality area in the same building, he ensured that we were out of earshot from other people. That in itself gave me a bad feeling. It seemed obvious that his answer would be yes and it made me feel uneasy. Sebastian was Ferrari's biggest fan.

"It will become public knowledge in a few days. Everyone here knows already, but yes, I'm leaving Ferrari at the end of the season," he sighed, almost contently, as if the news wasn't breaking his heart like I assumed it would be. "Charles already knows but he's been told not to tell anyone. I don't mind telling you. Our views are different. We want different things. I just need to move on."

"Oh, Seb." I shook my head, feeling a little devastated inside for him. It would be strange knowing that he would no longer be at Ferrari next year. I'd spent most of my time with Max in Formula One watching Seb move from Red Bull to Ferrari and I just thought he was an amazing driver. I couldn't understand how his views differed so much in comparison to the team members at Ferrari. It didn't sit right with me, but it was none of my business.