All the Way - an F1 story

49

"Hey, Susie." Calina embraced the older woman, but she wasn't sure if she was even allowed anywhere near another teams' building. Susie could probably notice her hesitation, because she let out a lighthearted, amused laugh.

"Darling, don't worry! We're not going to get fined for talking," Susie said. "I've been talking to B but I always miss you!"

"I know, he told me. I'm so sorry but this is a crazy time for all of us." Understatement of the year.

Susie smiled in response, and pulled out a chair for Calina to sit, patting it gently.

"I'd love to, but I've got a meeting with the engineers." Calina felt bad, but she really didn't want to hear it from Melissa.

"Got it," Susie replied. "I'll let you go, but are you free tonight? Maybe we could get dinner at the hotel?"

Calina nodded, recalling seeing Lewis walk into the hotel only hours after she had arrived with her own team.

"Yeah, of course." It would be good to sit down with Susie after barely seeing the older woman all year. "I should be there for eight or nine. I promised my chief mechanic I'd help the crew tonight."

In her pocket, Calina's phone rang out, the specific tone she had put for Marco's contact blaring out.

Susie laughed at the way Calina's face fell.

"Go, Cal. I don't want to get you in trouble."

Jogging up the the end of the row of identical makeshift buildings, the black-and-red sign of the Pagani team quickly came into view, and just as she reached the door, she could see her team boss shaking hands with a young man, a tuft of blond hair held back by a pair of sunglasses, and an unmistakable logo of two bulls on the navy blue polo shirt he wore.

Calina watched in slight surprise as Dennis Hauger, a Red Bull Junior Driver walked out of her team's hospitality and back towards the other end of the paddock, after offering him a simple 'morning'. Marco soon approached her, a satisfied smile plastered on his face, eyes shining brightly behind his glasses.

"Hi, Calina," he said, as if everything was alright in the world. "Fine morning, no?"

"Why—what was Dennis doing here?"

"Oh, you haven't heard the news?" Marco made his way back inside the air conditioning, his office in a small room off to the side of the main area. Calina stood in the doorway, still surprised and very confused as she watched her boss sit down in his chair.

"What news?"

"Well, given we're just doing so well this year, Horacio wants to expand the Pagani Racing family—"

"I know he didn't call it a family. That's all you." Marco's hands fell into his lap, his expression one of unamusement.

"Let me have this, please? Anyways, as I was saying, we're doing pretty good so far, and if things keep going well, Horacio wants to start expanding the team in the coming years."

"Expand? Like, beyond Formula One?" Calina asked. It was all happening very quickly, but she knew this would be good for the team.

"Exactly. He wants to look at other racing series. Formula E, the endurance series." Marco set his glasses down beside his open laptop. "He wants to start first though with the junior drivers."

"So you two thought that stealing Red Bull Juniors would be a good place to start?"

Marco's expression changed to serious, a clear indication he wasn't appreciating Calina's sarcasm.

"Before you start with your smartass remarks, Dennis was the one to come to us."

Calina's eyes widened in even more shock.