Overshadowed (Lewis Hamilton X OC)

An interesting night

It has been a couple of days since I left Switzerland and I am riddled with guilt. I should be helping my mum but I do have to travel for work. At least Silverstone is a good track for preseason testing. I am worried that everything that has happened will affect my ability to perform. I just need to go out on a high this season. I guess I will find out when we get to Abu Dhabi. All of these thoughts swirl around my head as I get ready. I just need to take it easy. I say easy but I mean easy for someone who is driving in a fast car. I am aiming for a good start like Mick but I have noticed that I lack confidence. I should build it back up as the season goes. I am soon joined by Toto and Lewis.

"Liesel, I'm happy to listen if you want to talk," Toto offers. I am glad that he is offering but unfortunately it will only help after the testing is done.

"Thank you Toto but I want to see how I feel after testing," I responded. It doesn't take long for me to get to work on helping my mechanics. It is the least that I can do. After ten minutes of waiting the car is finally ready. I am about to get my balaclava over my head but I am stopped.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Lewis snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Lewis I've decided to go out with a bang so there is no stopping me," I reply. The car should perform well anyway. With that Lewis leaves me with a smile. It doesn't take long for us to take the car out. I get to work on getting the required data. After forty-five minutes of driving, I am back in the garage. For some reason, I am thinking about how nervous I was when I started my Formula 1 career. There is a part of me that wonders if the post-testing celebration was worse.

I am nervous. I mean it is probably an understatement but there is no other way I could describe how I am feeling as I make my way through the paddock on my way to the garage. I don't need to be nervous. It is just preseason testing. I guess I don't know what to expect. At least I know that I will be fine once I start. I soon find myself in the Mclaren garage where I am met by my new teammate. Oh.

"I see we meet again," Lewis remarks.

"As teammates," I reply. Hopefully, the situation doesn't become awkward. Thankfully we are saved by the team principal and our engineers. After a reasonable briefing, Lewis and I are sent out. It feels a little odd being in a Formula 1 car as a full-time driver. The reason is I never thought I would get through the junior categories. I just need to survive the preseason testing before I can do anything drastic.

"Liesel, you don't have to worry. Now is the chance for you to find your limits," My lead engineer uses the radio to reassure me.

"Ok. I'll try my best," I responded. The thing is I am part of a team that has a lot of history behind it and I am worried that I will mess it up. No, I cannot be thinking like that. I am a rookie and rookies make mistakes. I may have a famous last name but I am not my father and I know that. I soon clear my thoughts as I reach the finish line to start my first timed lap. Here goes nothing. Let's hope I have some of my dad's talent. It doesn't take long for me to get the first of many laps done. After forty-five minutes of gathering data, I have made it back to the garage where I am met by my crew of mechanics. Now we have an hour to debrief. I rescue myself from the car before the area gets too crowded. At this point, there is a lot going through my mind but most of it is positive since I was the fastest in the first session. I find myself in the hospitality area grabbing a bite to eat.

"Mind if I join you?" My lead engineer asks.

"Sure," I responded. I could chat with him even if it is about the car.

"I was thinking for the next session we could try the higher downforce set up," He gets to work on making sure I am prepared for the next session.

"We can. I don't think there would be much difference though," I explained before taking a bite out of the biscuit that I am holding. Anything to make the engineers happy. After fifty minutes of waiting the team is finally ready for the next session. I get to work on making sure I can get the data. To my surprise, the high downforce setup has allowed me to increase my time a little. It has been a few hours since the day's testing came to an end and I am getting ready to go out. For some reason, one of the other drivers has decided to invite the entire grid to a nightclub. It will be an interesting time. It doesn't take long for Lewis and I to reach the venue. I am hit by a sudden wave of embarrassment as Lewis and I part ways. I do not fit in as a rookie. Thankfully I am rescued by the only other familiar face.

"Congratulations on your full-time drive," My dad's old teammate Rubens Barrichello remarks.

"Thank you," I responded.

"Would you like me to introduce you to some people?" Rubens asks as if he has read my mind.

"Sure. There is no point in me standing around looking like an idiot," I reply. It doesn't take long for me to get acquainted with some of the other drivers. It seems that I am not going to have anything to worry about. It doesn't take long for me to find myself engaged in an interesting conversation with last year's champion Kimi Raikkonen. I really can't tell if he is annoyed at the possibility of fresh competition or not. I hate how Kimi is hard to read. Oh well.

"I think a fresh face in this sport will be good," Kimi remarks.

"Yes but I feel like we are going to be the pair to watch in terms of a championship battle. That means I have added pressure," I retort. The thing is I have enough pressure already. I guess I am going to have to deal with it I guess.

"You'll be fine. I am sure the press will leave you alone after a few races," Kimi responds. It seems that he knows what to say since I feel a little reassured. He is right. I need to ignore the fact that I am being compared to my father. I may have aced the junior categories but Formula 1 is completely different.

"What are you thinking about?" Lewis breaks me out of my thoughts.

"Just how nervous I was meeting everyone on my first day of full-time Formula 1 duties," I explained. That night would probably be one of the more interesting nights of my life. I am thinking about it because I have the same nervous feeling as I did back then. I wonder if we will have any celebrations like that again. I guess we will find out at a later stage in the season.