Amber & Honey ~ [DR3]

20. Monaco

I crane my neck over the balcony as Charles shoots past in his Ferrari. We spoke earlier and he was just about as tense as a person can get with nerves. I gave him a hug and tried my best to assure him that the weekend is his and even being here is an achievement, he only agreed absentmindedly at my words. I may as well have been telling him about what I ate for dinner last night, he just didn't care. All he wants is to win at home, the race means that much to him it's written all over his face.

It's as I'm watching Charles's car shoot around the corner that I hear Lu gasp. My stomach drops at the noise as my neck snaps back towards her. Her eyes wide and mouth a little open. I hate that noise around here.

With nervous eyes I turn to the screen we had previously been searching and there's an orange car hugged into the wall. "Oh shit." The whispered words fall out of my mouth as I process the sight displayed. The front wings are slathered along the track, with the wheels of the car splayed in angles they shouldn't be. The car's firmly smashed into the barriers which are thankfully made of the softer tech pro mats rather than steel or concrete.

I gasp, needing the air forced into my lungs just to steady myself. I feel sick looking at the sight, Daniel is nodding his head, his multicoloured swirled helmet bobbing around a little in the car. "Is be okay?" I ask Luisa, my eyes glued to the screen voice quiet. I'm surprised that the words can leave me. Engineers downstairs are groaning at the sight and a few are shouting around.

"Yeah, he's okay - I think." She mumbles back looking around the area the two of us are stood in for some kind of sign Daniel is okay. I could be sick.

I take it back, the biggest problem I have with formula one is that the risks are so great. A tiny minuscule mistake can have life changing impacts.

The shot widens and the sight of debris littering the track makes my eyes widen. When the shot returns back Dan is climbing out of the car and I breathe a sign of relief. I wish I was with Mum downstairs able to hear the team radios. Able to hear his voice and hear that he's okay for myself. It would save me a lot of anxiety. They wouldn't let the big crowd of us hang around the pit though and I'm cursing Ollie for making an appearance today.

The replay repeats in front of us as the session is red flagged. Daniel came zipping around the corner and the car just...didn't move how he thought it would, I guess? I cringe watching it speed down towards the wall, grinding into the metal edges of the track before slamming into the wall at the next corner. My stomach flips when the footage cuts out at the impact.

"I texted your Mum and she said Danny told the engineers he's okay over radio." Luisa explains quickly, her fingers moving at a fast rate against the screen of her phone. I feel tension in my shoulder dissipate at the reassurance. Thank the universe for Luisinha! I thank her quietly , feeling the stress in my body unravel at the confirmation.

It takes five minutes but Daniel eventually comes walking towards the pit lane. He has his helmet in his hands and waves to the fans that call his name with a tentative smile instead of his usual bright one. The expression makes my chest ache a little. Daniel will be wounded by this, he was so looking forward to this weekend. There's still time for it to go to plan though, I have every hope.

As soon as he's back in the garage beneath us the camera's are shoved back towards him. He's chatting avidly to the engineers, pointing to screens with his face firm and body tense. The screen in front of us is jumping between the cars returning to the pit lane and Daniel's concerned face, I can't rip my eyes from it.

Clearing the track takes longer than expected. It's at least twenty or even thirty minutes until the session continues, at which point I've just about wound myself up enough about the situation. I've been shifting my weight around frustrated for around forty minutes when I make up my mind. I unscrew the cap of my water bottle, downing the remainder of the liquid before taking a final look out on the track as Lando shoots back out of the pit lane.