What The Heart Wants (Sebastian Vettel)

41. The Start of Something New

Seb lowered himself into his car.  He'd stood for the Bahraini national anthem. He'd kissed Jessie, hugged Britta and Martha, fist bumped his crew.  This was it now, the final countdown to lights out.  

He glanced at the two Red Bulls in front of him that had locked out the front row. It seemed that they had indeed been sandbagging. Still, third place on the grid for his first race back wasn't bad. He glanced at the car sharing the second row with him. He knew he'd have to be careful of Charles at the start. The team would not want them taking each other out.

He closed his eyes and began to run through the lap in his head, barely noticing his belts being done up. It was a track he knew well, and he'd won there four times before.

"Ok Sebastian," Lorenzo said in his ear. "This is it mate. Formation lap begins in thirty seconds. You can do it. The Bulls are there for the taking. Just do what you do best."

"Copy."

He counted down in his head, reaching zero at the exact same second as Max pulled away from pole position and led them away on the formation lap.

Seb settled behind Daniel, not too close, but not miles behind, darting from side to side to get some heat into his tyres.

As they pulled onto the grid again for the start, adrenaline was pumping through his veins. Oh how he'd missed this feeling, the feeling that anything could happen, the feeling that it was just him and the machinery around him up against nineteen other men and their machines. He was the best, he knew it. He had to think that or there was no point being there.

He glanced up at the lights on the gantry. They began to come on one by one. Then as the fifth one came on, time seemed to stand still. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest. Then the lights went out.

Seb darted forward, moving to the right to block Charles. In front of him he saw the Red Bulls going wheel to wheel into Turn 1, Daniel outbreaking Max and taking the lead.  

Managing to stay ahead of Charles, Seb slotted into third behind Max.

He didn't even have to really think about the lap. He knew this track like the back of his hand. What he did have to think about was how he was going to get past the Red Bulls.

He couldn't rely on just strategy, Red Bull had the best strategist in the sport in Hannah Schmitz, and the head Ferrari strategist, Alfonso, was untested, being new to the team this season. Recruited from Alfa Romeo, he'd never really had a chance to shine. Seb hoped that this season would be that chance.

"Ricciardo P1, Verstappen P2, you're P3, then it's Charles, Norris, Hamilton, Russell, Piastri, Ocon and Alonso," Lorenzo told him as he crossed the line to finish his first lap.

"Copy."

Back in the garage Jessie released the breath she'd been holding.   Watching the start of a Grand Prix really hit differently now she was married to one of the drivers.  

She felt Britta grab hold of her hand and squeeze it reassuringly. 

"That's the worst bit over," the German woman told her.  

Jessie didn't know so much.  She knew she wouldn't feel relaxed until Seb was safely out of the car at the end of the race.  Then she'd have to go through it all again in Saudi Arabia. This was just the beginning of a long season.

She watched the screens as Seb completed lap after lap, pulling away from Charles, but never quite threatening the Red Bulls. 

Finally, after fifty seven laps Jessie joined everyone in the garage applauding as Seb finished in third place, a podium on his return to racing.