Away We Go • 2 • Formula One

Chapter 74

"Maybe we should invite him over for dinner sometime?" I pondered aloud, my finger tapping against my knee.

"Hm?" Max sat up a little straighter in his chair. I had definitely interrupted his train of thought as we sat in front of the chattering group of reporters, readying for our interview, but he didn't seem to care as he looked over at me with a smile. Click.

"Lando. I said we should invite him over for dinner."

Max pulled his lips to the side. "I think it's too soon."

He had a point. I let out a small sigh, sinking into my chair in a way that allowed for my head to rest against his shoulder. Immediately he responded by leaning his head against mine. Click. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"We can discuss it more later," as he reached for my hand that was placed on my knee, the cameras clicked once more. Gosh, they were obsessed with taking pictures with us. Max dropped his voice down to a whisper and ensured that the watching crowd would not be able to read his lips, "right now, I'm just trying to figure out a way to talk about the whole Pierre demotion thing without seeming like a dick."

"You're always a dick," I jabbed, laughing softly, "no but seriously, you'll be fine. I mean, I heard you practicing in the mirror this morning and that speech you gave about the team and championships best interest was pretty good. Just maybe drop that spontaneous singing moment you had, yeah? Or don't, it'll be fun to watch again."

Max playfully pushed my shoulder. "Shut up."

"Make me."

"Alright, we're all ready to go," a voice interrupted over the crackling speakers. I broke my gaze with Max to look over the crowd. Closest to us, there was a table with a few laptops set up and a member of staff in charge of controlling the interview. On either side of the table were microphones positioned both towards and away from me and Max. Damien had forgotten to give me a copy of the questions before Max and I walked onto the stage, so I was going in completely unprepared. D had managed to reassure me that he had checked over the questions and that they were all appropriate - I trust him.

The interview started slow with general light-hearted questions about our summer and standard queries about our relationship, and then it suddenly took a turn. "Given the tragic loss of one of your own two years ago at this track," I sucked in a harsh breath through my teeth, "a Formula Two race which you took part in, Alyssa," and I'm well aware of that, "how has that impacted how you've prepared for this race, especially given the poor conditions predicted for this weekend? Do you have any fears?"

"Spiders, puppets, heights," I joked, earning some laughter from the crowd of people before I cleared my throat and sat up a little straighter. My eyes fixed on the young woman who asked the question. Heading into the weekend, I was feeling mixed emotions, and I'm sure a lot of other drivers were too. This circuit was, in many respects, on of my favourites to drive on, however there's no denying the dangers present, most notably at the top of the hill at Raidillon. Max's eyes were focused on me, most likely out of concern for how I would respond. "I don't have fears, I have flutters. I prepare the exact same as I do any other race weekend, although with a much heavier heart. You probably want me to go into more detail but I won't. Max?"

"I'm in full agreement," Max said with a nod of his head. "We race for Anthoine and every other driver who lost their life doing what we do, however the sport is safer now than it has ever been. It's pointless worrying about what could happen out on track this weekend because it's something that could happen anywhere that we race. We'll just do what we do best."

There was a short pause as the interviewer organised her notes, tapping the cards lightly on the table. "Both of you have a change in teammate for the rest of the season - Mercedes welcoming back Sir Lewis Hamilton, and Red Bull opting to promote Alexander Albon from Alpha Tauri to replace Pierre Gasly. Has this changed the team dynamic in any way and are you happy with the pairings?"