It has been a few days since Nyck and I arrived at Diriyah and I am currently getting ready for the day. It is going to be a long day since the event takes place over the span of a single day. I am looking forward to my debut since it will be in a different car to the ones that I am used to. I am in the hospitality area nervously sipping on a cup of coffee while I wait for the free practice session to start. At least I should have a small boost in energy. I would describe it like the fan boost. It's small but it's something. My only issue is it will be my first race hence why I am feeling nervous.
"Jess you will be fine," Nyck snaps me out of my thoughts as he takes the seat next to me.
"I know I will be but the wait is bothering me," I reply. I won't tell him the reason why it is bothering me. It is the part of racing that I have never liked but Formula E events take place over the span of a day not a weekend.
"Well, that is one thing that hasn't changed," Nyck replies. He has managed to get a giggle from me. He is right not much has changed about me. In fact, I reckon the only thing that has changed is the type of cars that we drive. After some different conversations, I have finished my coffee so I head to the garage where a small group of mechanics is working. I am finding it interesting to see how they assemble the rest of the car. I like how the mechanics are so engrossed in their work so much so they fail to notice that I am watching. After five minutes of waiting the mechanics have finished all of the work that needed to be done.
"Jess the car is ready," My lead mechanic informs me. I pull myself into the car. I take a deep breath as I gesture for the mechanics to leave the car. I quickly get to work on making sure I can get the required laps done. For some reason despite the fact that it is a street circuit I am finding this track a little easy. I suppose I will see if activating attack mode will make it tricker. As if reading my mind I hear the radio crackle to life with the voice of my new lead engineer.
"Jess, on the next lap we want you to try to go for the attack mode boost," He commands.
"I will see what I can do," I reply. It doesn't take me long to get back around to the attack mode activation area. I have a problem. I successfully get through the activation zone but I am a little too close to Jean-Eric Vergne for comfort. I narrowly avoided an accident. Crap. Well, I'll have to apologise later. Right now I need to focus on my work. After thirty minutes of practising, I feel like I have gotten the required data for the engineers. After fifteen minutes of just getting some more practice in, I find myself wandering through the paddock while I wait for the qualifying to start. I am hoping to find Jean-Eric so I can apologise to him.
"Jess," My attention is grabbed by a familiar French accent. I turn around to find Jean-Eric behind me.
"What can I do for you JEV?" I ask. I can hear the worry laced in my voice. The thing is I don't know why I am worried when I only made one mistake.
"I wanted to thank you for the challenge during free practice," He responds. Well, I was wrong but I still think that he is annoyed.
"Thank you but are you sure I didn't annoy you?" I find myself questioning his remark even though it is positive. I really should have accepted the compliment and moved on. Plus Jean-Eric is a veteran of the sport so I should be happy to get a compliment.
"Did you crash into me?" Jean-Eric responds.
"No," I timidly answered. I have no idea about what he is trying to get at but I assume his conclusion is good.
"Then why should I be annoyed?" He says. His question reminds me of something that my brother said to me. 'Make sure you provide a challenge for those around you but make sure you are fair' and I think I was fair and so did Jean-Eric. Hence why he complimented me. I find myself impressed that someone like Jean-Eric has complimented me. I put it down to the fact that all of the drivers are nice unless something happens on the track. After Jean-Eric and I part ways I am back in the garage waiting for the qualifying session to start.
"Jess, you seem happy," Nyck pulls me back to reality.
"Yes, I've just been complimented by JEV," I fill him in on what happened. It looks like he is just as impressed. I must be doing something right. The thought makes me feel content with where I am at. After thirty minutes of waiting for the first two groups to go out, I am finally ready to set my laps for the group qualifying. I am the first one out in my group which means I will have the clearest run. After ten minutes of driving, I feel like I have set the fastest lap. I have decided to come into the pits.
"Just so that you are aware Jess you have set the fastest lap," My lead engineer remarks. That means I will be part of the super pole shootout. I successfully guided the car back to the pits. I pull myself out of the car. I take my helmet and balaclava off. I find my eyes drawn to the timesheet as the others complete their last laps. Thankfully none of the other drivers come close to my time. In fact, the closest person in my group is my fellow rookie Nick Cassidy. After another ten minutes of waiting, I am getting ready for the super pole shootout. I know I will be the last one to go since I got the fastest time. After what feels like two minutes it is finally my turn. I swiftly get let out. After what I think is a good run I head back to the pits to find that the team is happy. That means that I have the pole position. My joy is soon soured by the fact that the image of my brother's grin flashes through my mind. I just need to remain strong for the rest of the event.
"Congratulations Jess," Nyck comes to the rescue.
"Thank you. Oh Nyck, can I talk to you somewhere private?" I ask. I need to get my worries off my chest.
"Sure. Follow me," Nyck replies as he walks off. I follow him as instructed and we make it to one of the power generation units. I can see the worry written on Nyck's face. It means he wants to help. I take a deep breath as I get myself ready to tell Nyck what is bothering me.
"Sorry, Nyck but every time I do something well I can't help but think of what could have been if my brother didn't crash. I need help to convert my negative thoughts into positive thoughts," I explain. The good thing is I know Nyck is a good listener.
"Well, I think Jules would be proud of you no matter what series you chose. Plus your performance in qualifying was the best of any rookie," Nyck gets to work on helping me. He is right, my brother couldn't care less so long as I was happy and I am happy. I quickly get to work on converting some more negative thoughts to positive thoughts with the help of Nyck.
"So Jess are you ready to race?" Nyck asks as we head back to the garage.
"I think so," I respond. I don't know why I am feeling the lingering doubt but it is soon overtaken by a new feeling. Confidence. Nyck gives me a supportive pat on my shoulder. We soon make it to the garage where we part ways for now. With a renewed sense of confidence, I get to work on making sure everything is ready for the race. After two hours of waiting the race is about to get underway. This one will be for you, Jules. I stomp on the accelerator to get some heat into the tires before the race gets underway. After that, the lights go out. I get to a good start but even then I find myself in an awkward battle with Jean-Eric. I managed to come out on top. I get to work on maintaining power so that I have some backup to battle it out later. After ten minutes of being cautious, the attack mode area has been activated.
"Jess, so you are aware you have to use attack mode twice but I'd hold off until we can see what JEV is going to do," My lead engineer informed me of what is going on.
"Roger," I keep my acknowledgment short since I need to focus on keeping Jean-Eric behind me. The thing is he is a little close for comfort but I need to make sure that I can have enough power to complete the race. I will try to use the attack mode soon to help me extend my lead. After a couple of laps, I feel like I have a big enough gap so I press the radio button.
"Kai, will I be able to take attack mode and still be ahead of JEV?" I use the radio to check.
"You should, so I would activate it on this lap," He responds. Ok, that is the kind of news that I want to hear. I arm the attack mode boost as I come around the last corner before the activation area. I take a deep breath as I pull out of the main racing line. A small section on my LED display flashes blue which means I have activated the attack mode boost. I soon rejoin the racing line but I am a little too close to Jean-Eric for comfort. I notice that the LEDs on Jean-Eric's halo are not blue so I can keep my lead. I am a little surprised that Jean-Eric has decided to go for the lunge anyway. The good thing is I am quick to cut him off. After fifteen minutes of racing I am still in the lead but only just.
"Jess we need you to take your remaining attack mode now," My lead engineer is annoyed at the situation he has been presented with.
"Not until Jean-Eric backs off. He will be out of attack mode after this lap," I let my lead engineer know. Man, I am going to cop it once the race is over. I am slowly getting nervous since no one seems to be agreeing with me right now. Well, I am the driver so I am going to trust my instincts. As soon as the thought crosses my mind Jean-Eric backs off now that his last attack mode has been used. I make sure that I have the gap to use my last attack mode. This time I got through without any issues. I feel a little smug since I was right. Again my lead has been extended through the use of the attack mode boost. After twenty minutes of driving the race has come to an end with me as the victor.
"Great work Jess you have won," I can hear the background excitement in the garage. I am overcome with joy. This time when the image of my brother's grin flashes through my mind the associated feeling is pride. I find myself struggling for a response.
"Congratulations Jess. You are the first winner of the season. How do you feel?" My radio crackles to life with the voice of the commentator.
"I don't know but all I can say is this race is for my brother Jules," I reply. I will have to let my victory settle in before I can tell anyone how I feel. I bring the car to a standstill behind the number one marker. Nyck is the first member of the team to arrive.
"Good job Jess," Nyck remarks. I am glad that I get to share this moment with him but it is a pity that I couldn't have my brother by my side. I find it a little sad that Nyck was so close to joining me on the podium but one of the Envision Virgin drivers took that spot. I will soon get ready for the podium ceremony but first I have some questions to answer. I am joined by the paddock reporter as I replace my helmet and balaclava with the first place cap.
"What an amazing race Jess, would you care to talk us through it?" She asks.
"Well, there is not much to say. I kept JEV behind me to win. There is nothing else to it," I reply. Even though there was not much to it, it was hard. At least she is quick with the questions. It doesn't take long for my name to be announced. I hop onto the top step with a big smile on my face. The smile soon disappears as the French anthem rings out across the venue. I can feel a single tear run down my face. I wipe it away as the French anthem comes to an end. Now for the fun part. I am showered with champagne from both sides. I try my best to return the favour but it is hard when I can't see. After some more interviews, I am back in the garage. Now that the adrenaline has worn off I am exhausted. I soon spot Nyck who looks like he is planning something.
"Nyck, is something wrong?" I ask. His look of concentration gives way to a smile.
"Just planning a celebration," He replies. Ok, at least there is nothing wrong. I hope that it will take place tomorrow. I am hit by the thought that it is people like Charles and Nyck who have gotten me the win today. They were the people that taught me that vulnerability is not a weakness.
"You know Nyck you were right. I am glad that you made me realise that vulnerability is not a weakness" I voice my thoughts out loud. I am glad that I was able to prove that I am better off in Formula E. Who knows maybe I will go into Formula 1 at some point.
"I'm glad that I could help," Nyck replies. Now I just need to update Charles and then I will be done for the day. I am quick to send my other best friend a text. I can only go onwards and upwards now. The thought puts a smile on my face.
A/N so the re-writes for this story are complete. Now I will return to writing new content for this story so please let me know through voting and/or commenting if you enjoy the new version of this story.