Rivals - Charles Leclerc

Game Time

Chapter 7

Ava's POV

It was finally race weekend. The day that I had always dreamed of had finally arrived. Practice had gone without a hitch, the car feeling like an absolute dream as I moved around the Bahrain track effortlessly. Compared to the Formula 2 cars that I was used to, this was an entirely new playing field. Today was the qualifying day, and I was ready to get to work.

Thankfully for myself, I had managed to avoid Charles almost the entire weekend, sticking to my team's garage almost at all times when I wasn't doing media or something else. It made focusing on racing all that much easier, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I watched when the two Ferraris practiced. They looked good, against my wishes, and unfortunately seemed like pretty strong competition. But Christian seemed confident, so in turn, I was too.

"Alright Max, Ava. So we are going to be doing media in just a second. Remember if they ask you questions about the gala, or other drivers, just say-"

"Formula 1 is a competitive sport where emotions run high. I have much respect for my fellow driver, and wish him the best of luck today on the track," I said, interrupting our team's media director as a smile crept on her face.

"Precisely," she said, tapping me on the back "You're going to do great," she added, reassuring me of any doubts that I might be feeling. But I wasn't all that nervous. I had practiced for today for days and I honestly felt ready.

"She sounds like a fucking robot," Max added, making the three of us laugh. While others found his brutally honest comments off-putting I found it like a breath of fresh air. Max said the things that everyone was thinking, just too afraid to say and I liked that about him.

The three of us finally reached the media table, as herds of reporters surrounded a circle where a couple of other divers were answering some questions. Max and I parted from our media manager and started answering some questions. Honestly, it was pretty much the same stuff that I was asked yesterday.

How are you feeling coming into today? How does the car feel? What do you expect the result to be? How is the competition between you and Max? How does Red Bull feel about the threat of Ferrari? How is your relationship with Charles after the gala? All the same stuff I had heard a million different times.

After a little bit, it was finally time to get into the car. I was full of a mixture of excitement and nerves, as I anxiously lowered myself into the pit of the car, getting comfortable as the engineers placed parts around me.

"Radio check Ava, Radio check," Christian said, making me giggle a bit.

"Hear you loud and clear," I replied, a smile on my face forming from ear to ear. No matter how many test drives I did, this was still the coolest thing ever. I was sitting in an actual Formula 1 car about to start my first qualifying segment. It didn't get much cooler than that.

After a few minutes, I was given the all-clear as I drove out of the garage and onto the track. It felt so good to fly through the track, feeling the wheels grasp onto the pavement as the car flew through turns. This was my happy place, and I was doing great.

"Alright Ava, you are currently P5, let's push push," I hear over the radio, letting me know that it is time to do so.

And I did just that, I flew through the next lap shooting by each sector at a great pace, ending my segment as I anxiously awaited my result.

"Nicely done Ava, that is P3 right now, P3! Well done! Just a few more drivers on the track, will update if that changes" they said, excited as I screamed out in excitement. P fucking 3! Just as I was pulling into the garage I could hear people let out gasps, shocked at what was going on.