Regaining

~Anything~

*I know Max is in the photo but pretend as if it's Lando and not him in that group.*

Group 1:
Pierre Gasly
Lando Norris
Charles Leclerc
Zhou Guanyu
George Russell

10 minutes after the start of the conference...

"Charles, if I could come to you now. You were champion last season so a very simple question to you. Can Ferrari come on top this year as well?"

"Well, that's the goal. For sure. Red Bull has had a strong start and they seem to be very, very strong. We've only finished testing, so it's difficult to quantify by how much they've improved but I think we'll be just fine." I smiled because I was pretty proud of my answer.

"Tell us a little bit more about testing last week, how much of Ferrari did we actually see?"

"I'm not going to say! We didn't show everything - but nobody has. We will have to wait for Qualifying."

"Where is this car better than last year's?"

"The aim is for it to be better everywhere but you always strive for more. The car's been very good so far but we still have to see how it behaves in race conditions and in a more stressful enviroment before we jump to conclusions."

"Well let's hope its performance will be consistent. Lando, coming to you now, what have you been up to during the break?"

Okay. She's done speaking to me so I can gossip with Pierre now. Thank God they sat us next to each other.

"Mate, have you found out how Y/n got the seat?" I whisper to my best friend.

"I've heard some rumors but I don't think there's any truth to them. One of them is that Horner called her personally and offered her to come back but I haven't heard what was the reason for that move. Hell, I am not even sure if he actually called her himself. Surprisingly, everything about her comeback has been well-guarded. Nobody knows exactly how and why she came back."

"Do you think the reason as to why they're being so secretive about it is the fact that she came back to stop me?"

"Could be."

"Ha! See, that's what I've been saying." I accidentaly raised my voice a bit out of excitement that I wasn't the only one considering that possibility.

"Mate, shush." Pierre immediately shot back at me.

"It is a possibility but I still think that you're being a bit paranoid." he continued.

"Oh, come on! You thought it as well."

I am not sure if Pierre is making fun of me by saying that it's a possibility but if he isn't then that could end up being the reason. I am not sure but I would do anything to find out. Anything.

Group 2:
Y/n Dekker
Oscar Piastri
Carlos Sainz
Alex Albon
Max Verstappen

After all drivers from Group 2 sat down the interview began.

"Well, ladies first so Y/n, how does it feel to be back?"

"Honestly, it feels great. I got out of the sport a long time ago so I forgot what it meant to me and how much it defined me as a person. It made me think about my younger days when I had just started karting. I was five at the time and I missed the feeling of being so young and carefree and racing purely for the enjoyment and the rush the sport gave me. I hate to admit it but I missed everything about the sport. The adrenaline, the risks, the danger, everything."

"You speak of the sport with great passion. I know that everyone's been asking you this question but why did you retire if you love the sport so much?"

"You are right, everyone's been asking me that question and my answer remains the same. I had personal problems that took priority over racing which is why I decided to leave, so I could deal with them on my own, out of the public eye."

"Would you do it again?"

"Retire?"

"Yes. Would you do it all over again or would you do something differently?"

I won't lie to you, this question caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting a question like this. Up to this point I've only been asked dumb and idiotic questions but this one really made me think about my answer.

"No. No, I don't think I would. Some time away has given me some perspective on my life and what I've accomplished. I am glad I stepped down and I wouldn't change anything that happened before or after that decision because it brought me here. It brought me back."

"Thank you Y/n. Now if I can move on to Oscar." the interviewer started asking the other drivers questions.

I hate to admit it but that last question really shook me to the core. I never thought about that. Actually I decided not to think about racing after I quit because it always reminded me of Charles and just thinking about him hurt. Come to think of it, if I had never fallen in love with Charles my career probably wouldn't have ended. I would probably still be racing.

Still, I wouldn't change anything I did before leaving because that would mean that all the good memories we shared wouldn't have happened. Even though we didn't end it like we were supposed to, we got a lot of good memories out of that relationship and I wouldn't change them for anything in the world. Anything.