Adrenaline: A Lestappen Story

𝟏𝟐 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐞

Their time in the press conference was abruptly cut short, and the drivers were guided out of the room, immediately bombarded by their teams eager to usher them back into their own private media activities.

As they were guided away from the conference room, with the next set of drivers poised to take their places, Charles instinctively followed Max. It took him a minute to realize that he was surrounded by only Red Bull personnel, having missed his own team entirely. The embarrassing realization hit him, intensified by the vivid contrast of his red outfit against the sea of blue. Charles blushed brightly as he spotted his team, who were quick to tease him, seeing it as a funny mix-up that could have happened to anyone.

"Let's hope I am paying more attention by tomorrow," Charles laughed it off, and soon he was brushed away in the opposite direction of Max. His media manager laid out the content that needed to be filmed for the day, most of it involving Carlos, who was currently in a conference. This rare opportunity allowed Charles a chance to walk around before waiting in his room.

As the events of the day continued to unfold and daylight began to fade away, Max received news about the last general meeting with the head engineers and his team principal. The prospect of being released from his duties soon compelled the Dutchman to plan out another meeting with Charles. It would be one last chance to savor the taste of his lips, a craving that had lingered throughout the day.

Grabbing his phone, Max began texting Charles.

"Do you want to meet me at the pool tonight? Maybe after we can stay in your room if we manage to." Max typed as he walked towards the meeting location within the Red bull paddock. "I want to see you again."

"I'll be by the pool at 9.. please sleepover? :-) We were interrupted and I think that warrants some extra time together," Charles immediately answered.

Walking into the meeting room, Max was forced to put his phone away as the discussion shifted to strategies for the weekend. Ferrari was briefly mentioned, a detail that he would typically overlook. However, this time, Max paid extra attention to the mention of Ferrari. The fleeting thought of Charles lingered in his mind, the anticipation of their planned interaction after the last meeting of the day building up within him.

Mark, a seasoned and meticulous strategist, cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the engineers and analysts.
"Alright, team, let's get down to business. We've got the upcoming race, and I want us to be one step ahead. Our main rivals this weekend are Ferrari. It seems like their tire strategy has been inconsistent. They've been struggling to find the optimal balance between performance and degradation."

Guillaume Rocquelin, Red Bull's head engineer nodded thoughtfully. Yet, before they could continue on the subject, Max was quick to interrupt, engaging in curiosity.
"Inconsistent? Elaborate on that" he asked.

"Well, for starters, they've been experimenting with aggressive tire compounds, trying to gain an edge in the early laps. But it seems to backfire later in the race when tire degradation kicks in. We've seen them lose positions due to the unexpected pit stops. I'm sure they'll be going to try this same technique this time." Mark replied professionally.

Max was certain that the engineers of Red Bull were smart enough to draw such accurate conclusions, which was why he never questioned any of their suggestions when it came to predicting other's team's strategies out of observing their past tendencies. However, Max didn't seem to be very convinced this time around, he didn't like how his own team seemed to be so far ahead, it made him feel like he was playing an unfair battle against Charles, something he did not wish for.

"Sounds like something they'd do." Another engineer joked, leading most of the others to follow behind in laughter.

Suddenly, Dave, the chief strategist, chimed in. As if a push into Max's uncertainty.