Away We Go • 2 • Formula One

Chapter 48

thanks for your continued support! as always, i am willing for you to engage with votes and comments aha. FOREVERLANDO has been copying my strategy so i have to keep doing it but better than her. we are rivals xoxo

i will be replying to as many comments as i can so go crazy!

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Stoffel hasn't stopped smiling since achieving his first win in Formula One. I hated how bitter I felt that I didn't win because he was my friend and I knew that I should be supportive. I wanted to be supportive. It was almost impossible to convince myself that I wasn't annoyed at Stoffel's success and instead at my own failure and Kevin Magnussen, but I couldn't get it out of my head that the win should've been mine. If I had only lead the handful of laps towards the end then, sure, Stoffel should take the top spot on the podium, however I had been leading from the first corner, the only time I conceded my position in the lead being down to the timing of pitstops. Throughout, I maintained a net lead only to be rewarded with third place because of a stupid penalty. What a fucking joke.

Before he celebrated with the team, Stoffel made an effort to approach me in my car as I sulked. He leaned an arm against the halo whilst his other reached in to pat me on the helmet. His words were nice, and I think I would've preferred him to have cracked a joke just so I could be mad at him with reason. It was all, "That penalty was stupid", "You should've won the race, not me", "If I could give you this win, I would"... I had no reason to be angry at him, but I was. The most I could do was pat his outstretched arm and grumble a small 'thanks'.

The cameras should've been focused on Stoffel; this was his first ever win in F1. Instead, they seemed eager to capture my response as I stalked to be weighed, keeping my helmet secured on my head. When Damien inevitably criticises my choice, I already had my lie planned - I was keeping the helmet on to avoid the rain that was still steadily falling.

Only when I got out of the car and I no longer had the engine to keep me warm did I realise how cold it was in the rain. This only seemed to spur on to my miserable attitude. If I hadn't spotted Riki amongst the Mercedes crowd all celebrating Stoffel, his gaze fixed upon me with a knowing expression on his face, I wouldn't have approached them. Toto's tall physique stood out, too, however he was very much engrossed in the excitement of yet another win. I wasn't going to bother him.

"Hey, kid," Riki greeted me, a sad smile on his face. His voice was raised so that I would be able to hear him, but his sympathetic tone still came across. I pushed my visor further up so that I could see him more clearly. "I know I told you over radio, but you drove well."

"I'm going to have some words with Magnussen as soon as the stupid ceremony is done," I said, voice so low it felt like a growl.

Riki raised an eyebrow, his sadness quickly being praised by a look of amusement. "I know you want to kick his ass, and trust me - I do, too, but you should probably cool down before you engage with him. Take a moment for yourself and reflect."

"I have reflected - that win should be mine! He cost us a one-two finish, too, and who knows how this will affect us in the future in our battle with Ferrari and Red Bull," I paused, before adding, "okay, maybe not Red Bull."

"Suck it up until after the ceremony. We can talk in detail in the debrief and sort through it all. Remember your media training, okay?"

I did as I was told - I sucked up my anger and, through gritted teeth, dealt with the media in the most positive way I could. Nico Rosberg happened to be the one doing the interviews and annoyingly seemed to focus on the safety car incident. It took every ounce of willpower that I had to not cuss out the Dane, however a backhanded compliment slipped out: "It's amazing how far Magnussen has made it in this sport whilst having the worst eyesight of anyone on the grid, and half the brain cells."