Arriving at McLaren hospitality at the Bahrain circuit, we headed inside and was greeted by our trainer Jon, who showed us to our driver rooms for the next few days. Luckily, the rooms were next door to each other. Before walking away, Jon turned to both of us.
"Both of need to meet me at the front of hospitality before we head to the garage as we need to do a small warm-up before you both get in the car" Jon explained.
"Yeah, that's fine. I'll make sure that we actually get there on time because a certain someone has poor timekeeping" I replied, whilst staring at Lando.
"Oh come on, I don't have poor timekeeping" Lando said sarcastically.
I looked over at my best friend, giving him the 'oh yes you do' look, before turning around and walking into my driver room to get all my racing gear out of my bag and putting it on the sofa. I grab my backpack from the table and open it up, to get my hair bands and hair brush out, so i could put my hair in some plaits, before changing into my fireproofs and race suit.
My hair was finally sorted and I was putting my racing gear on. Once that was done, I grabbed my balaclava and helmet, then left the room and headed to the front of hospitality to mee Jon to begin my warm up with Lando and when I get outside.... What a surprise, Lando isn't there. Well he claims to good timekeeping skills, but he obviously doesn't.
"Hiya Jon, I'm ready to do my warm up, but I'm guessing we have to wait for Lando" I said to my trainer.
"We can start and he can join in when he gets here. But I'm giving him 10 minutes to get here before i get Zak" Jon replied.
"I have a better idea that willget his arse in gear" I said with a smirk, which made Jon laugh.
I told Jon that if Lando, isn't down here in 10 minutes, I'll call his mum and tell that she needs to ring her son, to tell him to hurry up. Oh how mine and Lando trainer loved that plan. I always do it to Phil if he's running late, just call dad to give him a bit of kick up the arse about being on time and how it is important.
Standing down the side of the hospitality unit, Jon is doing the tennis ball exercise with me, helping me focus on my reaction times .
"That's good Jas! Focus is amazing. Have you been practising? Jon asked
"When I've had football training with Chelsea, I've been getting Mase and Chilly to do this exercise and if one of them annoys me whilst I'm concentrating, I grab one of the tennis balls and throw it at their head and it's rather funny when I do that, because they squirm like little girls" I replied.
A few minutes passed and Lando hadn't come out for the warm up session, so I grab my phone and call Lando's Mum Cisca, to knock some sense into him. I dial her number and she pretty much picks up instantly.
Cisca: Jasmine, sweetheart how are you?
Jas: I'm good Cisca. I'm just calling to see if you can knock some sort of sense into Lando, because he is meant to be with me doing a warm up with Jon before we get in the car for testing.
Cisca: That boy and his timekeeping. How many minutes late is he at the moment?
Jas: He's 15 minutes late at the moment.
Cisca: Right, I will gibe that boy a call now Jasmine. We will have to speak soon
Jas: We will. I've got to get back to warm up now and thank you for this
Cisca: It's not a problem. Bye now sweetheart
Jas: Bye
The line went silent and put my phone back in my pocket and continue my concentration on the tennis balls dropping out of Jon's hands into mine. To tell that I'm in focus mode is that my tongue sticks out slights.
Just a few moment later my teammate finally arrives and he isn't looking best pleased.
"You called my mum" he said with annoyance.
"Well yeah! It was the only way I could get you down here and look... It worked, Plus don't be annoyed I always ring my dad if Phil is running late and it kinda funny" I said with smirk causing Lando to let out a sigh of annoyance before it was his turn to focus on the dropping tennis balls.
15 minutes later, our warm up was done and it was time to head to the garage and get in the car. I was the first one to get in the new car, which made me as happy as a kid in sweet shop. Tying the end of my plaits into a small bun, I grab my balaclava and put it over my head before grabbing my helmet and putting it on gently and then picking up my HANS device, placing it on my shoulders and attaching the clip to the back of my helmet. Checking that the strap underneath my helmet was done up, I looked over at my teammate who came jogging over and giving me a big hug, wish me luck.
I climbed up on the small foot stall that was next to the car and got in, Once I was sat down, Jon came over to me and handed me my gloves and I put them and it that moment it just felt so real. I was actually sitting in a Formula One car and it was a proper dream come true moment. One of my engineers Pete came over to made sure that my seatbelt was fastens and that it was secure. Then there was a voice in my ear and that's my rae engineer Tom.
Tom: Radio Check Jas
Jas: Copy that Tom. How long till I can go out?
Tom: T minus 40 seconds
By the time I had finished blinking I was given the clearance to leave the garage and that's when I put my visor down and drove down the pit lane, with my heart going a million miles an hour. I was literally living my childhood dream.
Once I was on the open track I was able to put my foot down, as I was literally in the need for speed and the exhilarating feeling of adrenaline running through my entire body. Now that is the best feeling you can ever feel.
As I'm on like lap 42 or something, I'm approaching the final corner and I see my pit board having over the edge of the pit wall and I instantly though 'Oh god my radio isn't working', but as I sped past the wording on the board spealt out 'B1TCH'. When I saw that, I instantly knew that it was Lando. Oh I knew I was going to get him back and I was going to enlist the help of Mr Daniel Ricciardo. Oh boy this was going to be good. But I decide to complain over the radio.
Jas: Tom, Lando used my pit board to call me a bitch and I will get him back.
Tom: I saw from the pit wall. He had a smirk on his face when he was putting the letter on the board.
Jas: I've already got a plan on getting back and I'll be using my very special secret, to help me
Tom: You do do what you've got to do Jas
I let out a little laugh and continued my focus on the track that was in front of me. Gliding through each turn, having the time of my life.
65 laps later, I was called back into the pit because my day one of testing was now over which was aright because they needed to let Lando have a go. But now was the time for me to work on my slightly evil pit board plan.
I pulled up outside the McLaren garage and came to a stop, with the pit crew cooling down the car and pushing me back into the garage. Once the car came to a complete stop, I lifted the visor on my helmet and turned to my right to see my best friend standing there with an evil smirk n his face. I undone my seat belt, hoisted myself up out of the car, with the help of the halo and climbed over it, to place my foot on the the foot stall, so I didn't fall straight to floor.
Once out of the car, I undid the strap underneath my helmet and took it off along with my balaclava and then placed them on the table beside me beofgre looking at my curly haired best friend.
"I know what you did with my pit board and don't think that I won't get you back. I know ou did that because i called your mum about your timekeeping. Keep your eyes peeled Norris b3ecause you'll never know when I'll get you back" I said with a little bit of warning in voice before walking off out the back of the garage toward hospitality. On the way back to hospitality I bump into my favourite Aussie.
"Alright Dan" I said in a chirpy tone
"I'm good Jas and by the look on your face, it looks like your after something, so are you going to tell me or not?" he replied.
"While I was out testing, Lando used my pit board to call me a bitch, so I though I thought you could help me get back at him with the pit boards. SO what do you say" I asked with a cheesy smile.
"Of course I'm going to help you. We're going to get hin real good. Think about what your wanting to say and then we'll set them up, once he has left the garage. Is that a deal?" the Aussue said to me.
"You have got yourself a deal Mr Ricciardo. No if you'll excuse me, I'm off to have a shower to get rid of the sweat" was what I responded with before walking up to my driver room, to freshen up before commencing me plan with the Daniel.
20 minutes later, I was fresh as a daisy, in a clean McLaren top and my team issued shorts and headed back over to the garage. I walked back into the garage, grabbed a headset and radio, attached the radio to the side of my shorts before putting the headphone around my neck.
Looking over at Lando's side of the garage, he was talking to Zak and Andreas, so I decide to walk over to them and then jab Lando, gently in his side.
"What was that for Foden?" Lando said
"Just felt like it Norris" was my response.
Lando was about to say an insult but I was saved by the bell because Andreas spoke up
"How was the car on track this morning?" the team principal asked
"The car was amazing on track this morning. Being able to push it to the limits felt great" I replied
"That's great Jas! Your timing were amazing" Zak said
I nodded and then it was time for Lando to get into th new car for the first time and within 10 minutes, my teammate ad lef the garage in the car and I ran over to the pit wall and was greeted my the Aussie. I whispered the word he was going to write on the pit board and then I told what I was going to write, which made both of us laugh.
I grabbed my pit board, changed the name on the top and put Lando's name and race number at the top and wrote 'boobless boy' and I was ready and set to give him some payback.
40 laps into Lando testing the car, I give Dan the go ahead to put the pit board over the wall as Lando comes own the home straight. The board says 'd1ckhead'. I was laughing so much at the face Daniel was doing as he was holding the board, I was practically wettign myself. As I was starting to calm own, I was looking at the timing, on the computers at the pit wall, to see that Lando was doing pretty well but not as good as moi. Another 56 laps go by and it was my turn to put my board over the pit wall, but I couldn't help but laugh, which set Dan off. After Lando sped past, I could hear him complaining over the radio, which was typical him but hey ho.
Lando came back into the pit lane and the pit crew came out to hep cool the car down and wheel the car back into the garage. He got out of the car, lifted the visor on his helmet and gave me the raised eyebrow look beofre takingnbhis helmet and balaclava off. We gave each other a funny look, before bursting out laughing. Over our laughter, I could hear Zak speaking to Andreas say 'these two are going to be the death of me this season'.
After calming down and practically coming back to earth, we had an hours debreif, talking about how we found it today, the positive and negative of the car and how we felt the car performed our on track. Over the session today I was P3 and Lando was P4, which was pretty good and I was proud of that. Lets bring on the next couple of days of testing before my very first official F1 race.
Now it is time for some down time, so my body can relax and get ready for the next couple of days.