Battle of The Gods

Uno

"And with us we have two of Italy's most beloved people in Formula 1!" Mara started, "Ferrari's very own, driver Charles Leclerc and chief engineer Alessandra Ferrari!"

"Thank you for having us, Mara," Alessandra started, smiling at her, "you look absolutely beautiful!"

"So do you!" Mara replied with a wide smile, "so, 2022, what a season has it been! So close to the championship, which was denied with strategy errors and development difficulties after the new regulations that came in place mid season. What are you looking at before entering the 2023 season, Ale?"

"Well, first off, in terms of the car, we're working hard to make sure that it will be much better than this year, especially after the new TD threw us off," the Italian started, her blood boiling at the reminder of the TD, but she kept her smile to the cameras, "we're adapting to the new regulations and prepare for anything. And regarding the other errors, as a team, we're making sure that those errors never happen again."

"How do you feel about coming in second, Charles?" Mara asked, "it was your first championship battle, spending a part of the season leading the championship. I know various things didn't go your way but what positives can you take from the season?"

"It felt good to say that for a moment in the season, I had a foot inside the championship," Charles chuckled, "it was a crazy season, and like Ale said, we're working to make sure last year's mistakes won't happen again. It was amazing to battle for the championship for as long as I did, and shared pretty great battles with Max, which I hope we can do again next year!"

After spending around an hour jumping from one interviewer to the other, the two made their way inside the hall, which was decorated beautifully for the event. They made their way to the bar as they chatted about what they said in the interviews, laughing as they watched the videos of them answered a number of quick fired questions, which Mia filmed for them.

Alessandra let her eyes wonder around the room, spotting the table which they were going to be sat at, close to the stage. She noticed some people sat around the table on the right of theirs, not being able to make who they were or which team they were part off as they had their backs towards her. A slight smirk made its way on her lips, sipping on the glass of red wine when she watched one of the figures turn their head, recognising the Team Principal and CEO of her rival team, dressed in a black tux, his raven hair pushed slightly back. The muscles of his shoulder contracted under his blazer as he lifted his arm to rest it on top of the chair he was sat at, his jaw clenching as he spoke.

"ALE!" She was taken out of her thoughts by the loud voice belonging to a certain Dutch, turning her head as she watched him make his way to them. "Look at you! You look stunning!"

"You clean up nicely too, Massimiliano," she smiled as they shared a hug, "where's Kelly?"

"Right here," she said as she appeared from behind him, "and Max's right. You look super beautiful!"

"You're one to talk!" Alessandra gasped as she eyed the woman in front of her, admiring her in the beautiful white dress with silver details on the side, "Max be careful, I might steal her from you!"

"And I might let her," Kelly giggled as she stepped forward to stand next to her, linking her arm with hers as they smiled wide at the Dutch, who rolled his eyes at them.

The four moved to the side of the bar to chat some more before an announcement came through the speakers to let everyone know that the event was starting soon, meaning that everyone needed to get to their seats. They let out a muffled groan, grabbing another drink before they made their way to the table, the ladies letting out a quiet cheer when they realised that their assigned tables were right by each other.