[3] MARANELLO || C. LECLERC

THIRTY THREE

* maranello is BACK!!! please enjoy this chapter and interact with me i beg - i've missed you!! please make sure you read the note at the end of this chapter. *

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CAMILLE

Baku race day.

Charles didn't have a great Qualifying session yesterday compared to his previous ones this season. This year's car was amazing, with Ferrari really taking the fight to Mercedes. I was amazed at the amount of progress the team had made during the winter break and since the beginning of the season already. However, he didn't make it through to Q3 yesterday and was starting from P11 on the grid. He was disappointed, especially because Seb was starting in the top ten, but Pierre pushed him out of Q2 by the smallest margin, literally a matter of a hundredth of a second.

Charles was upset about it last night, but I told him to see it as a positive; tyre choice was always a good thing, especially when it came to strategy. I didn't really understand Pirelli's strategy for different races, but I had a good understanding of how Ferrari used it. Charles was starting on the Softs, following a one-stop strategy, unless something came up. I had all faith in him and in the team - they wouldn't let him down.

It was warm today, the weather was beautiful. I was wearing an Antique Nora top in white, which I'd lifted and tucked into itself to show off a tiny amount of my tanned stomach, paired with some light denim blue jeans. My feet were quite sore this weekend, strangely, so I gave the heels a miss to ease the cramp I'd been experiencing. White trainers were perfect and they matched my top, making my outfit a little more flattering. I felt like I wasn't really dressed up for this weekend, but as Charles sat with me in his lap before we left the hotel, twirling a strand of my straight hair around his index finger, he reassured me, telling me that I looked beautiful. The sun was shining so I wore my sunglasses on my head, my makeup natural as always and not too caked because of the heat.

I'd just finished wishing luck to Max, who was starting from Pole this afternoon. I could tell how nervous and how focused he was. He wanted a good result, naturally, but he seemed even more competitive today. Sophie, Victoria and Dilara were all here this weekend, watching from the Red Bull garage. I left them moments ago after giving Max one more big hug and telling him to be safe out there, while also wishing him lots of luck. Now, I needed to get back to Charles and do the same for him.

I never really took on the paddock alone, but I was feeling brave today. I turned Victoria down when she offered to join me and walk back to the Ferrari garage with me. I wanted to do it alone just to prove something to myself. I wasn't going to let Stefan win. Even if he did appear, I wouldn't make eye contact. I would focus on where I needed to be. I wouldn't give him a second glance. I needed to get over him and move on. He wouldn't be here much longer, flaunting around the paddock like he owned the place.

I stepped out of the Red Bull garage and soon found myself in the main, open part of the paddock. My heart was pounding because I was so nervous, my fingers trembling around my phone, but I took a breath and tried to clear my head. I didn't walk too fast so that my movements seemed suspicious, but I didn't dawdle in the paddock. I wanted to get to the garage and make my way to Charles as quickly as possible before he left for the grid.

"Camille?" My stomach fell at the sound of his voice. My ears told me that he was behind me. He'd been waiting for me and as soon as I left the garage, he decided to follow me. I pretended to not hear him and continued walking. I felt sick. My stomach was twisting into knots. A hand on my shoulder stopped me in my tracks. "I know you heard me. I saw you flinch."