BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
'There is no way around the hard work. Embrace it.'
- Roger Federer
Lucía loved the atmosphere at the Bahrain track. Not just within the crowds of viewers but also in the garage where she could watch everyone at work, focusing heavily on statistics and the car. Everything was intriguing and it was enjoyable to watch how much of a team sport this was. There wasn't just the two drivers in the team, but all the engineers, the team principals, mechanics, and then those behind the scene, back at home. There's social media content creators, and people working in public relations. She loved being able to see other sports in action.
Charles and Lucía set off to the track earlier than the past two days, wanting to get a lap done on the track, running. They enjoyed the cooler air, knowing it was bound to grow hotter throughout the day. If she didn't need to slip in some form of exercise for the day then she would still be in bed, however this was the only time she'd get today to go for a run. And where better to do it than the track itself. They decided to get breakfast at the Ferrari hospitality afterwards before Charles took her around with him, showing her more of what his job entailed. The way she held on to his every word had Charles falling for her even more. He planned on announcing their relationship sooner than later, wanting to be able to show her off and proudly say that he was her boyfriend. The idea of the two of them both supporting each other at their sporting events, without having to do so discreetly, excited him. He knew it would be impossible to have her with him every race weekend and vice versa with him at her tennis matches, but he would spend every free moment he could find by her side, whether he was watching her play a game of tennis or the two of them chilling in his Monaco apartment or even her apartment in England where the fire and blankets were a must.
"It is so warm today," Lucía fanned her face with the Ferrari baseball hat she had been given by Charles, not his own this time.
"I am so glad our hotel room has air con." Charles agreed, chuckling at her dramatic slouch in her chair. She hooked her legs with his, reaching them under the table from her slouched position, back leaning backwards. "Long legs," Charles teased her making her reach up to swat him with her hat. Charles laughed, moving away to try and dodge the hit. It was a nickname that had apparently grown in his list of nicknames for her. Long legs. She did indeed have long legs. Charles was taller than her but Lucía wouldn't class herself as short.
"Strong legs," She corrected him, wrestling his legs under the table, trapping them between her own. People often would think that due to having to swing the racket constantly, tennis is a upper-body sport, but the leg muscles, including the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves, are doing most of the work out on the court and therefore Lucía should never miss out on leg day. The ideal body of a tennis player would be powerful and well-developed legs, a strong core and a lean upper-body. All of which Lucía had worked very hard for.
"You were definitely a kicker when you were a baby," Charles acknowledged making her throw her head back and laugh.
"I could raise my leg," She slowly inched her foot up the inside of his leg, maybe getting a little too high.
"Don't you dare," he slapped her leg away making her laugh again, dropping her feet flat to the floor. Charles rolled his eyes at her teasing actions.
"I see Merlin has scratched your hand," Charles noted the cat mark on her hand.
"Yeah, the little shit," The Mexican girl scoffed as Charles grabbed her hand to run a finger over the mark,
"Your cat is just as violent as you chérie," Charles told her playfully, lacing his fingers with her own.
"I'll show you violent," She warned sarcastically, no really threat behind her words.
Lucía and Charles had their moment in the Ferrari garage with only forty minutes left to go until lights out. She gave him a good look kiss and spoke encouraging words before letting him get in the car. She watched as the boys in red rolled the car out, taking it to the grid.
She too made her way to the track where she mingled around and had access to look at the other cars, keeping away from bumping into anyone. Being surrounded by the busy crowd wasn't the best for her anxiety but just this once she wanted to push her limit and be able to see up close like celebrities on the track were able to.
"Lucía Martinez, mind if we have a quick word?" Someone with a Sky Sports microphone came up to her a camera man behind him, pointing the lens in her direction.
"Of course," She grinned warmly, stopping so she could chat with the enthusiastic man. From what she had gathered, Sky Sports were the main channel that F1 was streamed on, being a British TV channel. "So, going from an Australia Open win to the Bahrain Grand Prix, the sports much different is it not?"
"Oh definitely, I've had the pleasure of being shown around the Ferrari garage this weekend and it's all so different to tennis. Much more team work involved. Much more people. Also dangerous too." She giggled.
"Yes, we've seen you around accompanied by Charles Leclerc. Are you here this weekend to support the Ferrari driver?" He asked. She let out a nervous laugh however it was on purpose to show that she knew what the interviewer was implying and trying to get her to admit to. He was smiling and meant no harm by the question though.
"I am here to support the Ferrari drivers's, yes. Although I grew up watching Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso so I will be cheering them on quietly too." She joked.
"And who do you think will win the Championship this year?"
"I think the battle will be between the Ferrari's and Red Bull, but I think Charles and Max are definitely the two drivers up there. But we'll see I guess," She laughed, speaking loudly so they could hear her over the noise, "We could see the Mercs back up there in the coming weeks." She shrugged. The interview seemed very pleased with her responses and attitude. She was a lovely and pleasant person to chat to, smiley and just a joy to talk with.
"And are you prepared for the Miami open on Tuesday? You've got only a day in between flying from here to Miami, I suppose that's your destination tonight?" He asked about her upcoming tennis match.
"It is. I'm flying later tonight. As for being prepared, I'd like to think so." She laughed. "I'm confident. And excited. It's always exciting when a tennis tournament as well known as the Miami one is coming up. Will you be watching?" She meant it as a small joke asking him if he'll be watching.
"I guess you can ask me about it next time I see you at the track," He smiled politely. "Well, it's been lovely chatting to you Lucía. Good luck these next few weeks, we're cheering you on from Sky Sports."
"Thank you, have a lovely evening." The British man smiled as she waved and moved on so he could find someone else to talk to.
Within the next half hour the track was cleared, apart from the cars and drivers in said cars, ready to start the formation lap. And then they were off, formation lap over and lights all red. Through turn two Charles led with Max behind him, followed by the other Ferrari with Sergio Pérez coming in fourth. Cars started to pull away while others tried to make moves. Pérez dropped to 6th place while Hamilton moved up to fourth. On lap seventeen there was a dramatic moment as Max, in a shower of sparks, overtook Charles who then regained the position with the help of DRS. On the next lap Max was able to slip past Charles once again, his pace much quicker than expected. Lucía watched with wide eyes, curious but also full of nerves for Charles. The speed of these cars was simply amazing. But also very dangerous. Charles then came out of turn four ahead once again making her clap and cheer, jumping up and down on the spot slightly, bouncing on the back of her heels. Lap nineteen, Max went on the inside and was able to drive his car slightly in front of Charles and he probably would have been able to put a bit of distance between them and kept the first position however he had a lock up which therefore meant Charles could retake back first. Watching the race in person, under the lights of Bahrain was a magnificent experience and Lucía wouldn't have been having a better weekend. The weather was gorgeous the track looked extremely impressive in the dark, lit up by the many, many lights on either side of the track. The atmosphere was crazy. She could even hear the cheers as Max nearly snatched first from Charles right from where she was. Luckily Charles now had the advantage after Max had locked up. With only six more laps out of the whole fifty seven, the top four were Ferrari, Red Bull, Ferrari, Red Bull however Max suddenly had a problem with the car, meaning Carlos was able to over take him. There wasn't nothing Red Bull could do to help Max and so drivers were over taking him on the track as he slowed down. With Max having to retire and only three laps to go it was looking like a Ferrari 1-2 with Pérez driving to P3, but he too was now having the same problems Max had experienced only laps ago. On the very last lap Sergio spun, his car loosing power and coming to a stop. Hamilton, having not driven his best had manage to pull himself to P3 simply by the luck of both Red Bull's having to DNF.
Lucía watched in anticipation as the two Ferrari's crossed the finish line, all fifty seven laps completed. Charles Leclerc had won the first race of the 2022 season. And it was a 1-2 for Ferrari. Lucía let out an excited squeal and jumped up, both hands clasped over her mouth as her smile was uncontrollable. The happiness and pure joy she felt for her boyfriend winning not only his first race of the season but also thee first race of the season, was to the maximum. She joined Isa who gave her an excited hug before both girls watched as the Ferrari team members all cheered for Charles and Carlos through the bars as they passed in a blur of red.
She watched the podium, hands clasped and rested on her chest as she she grinned widely. She gave him a small wave as he looked down towards her quickly, his lips turning up more before focusing back forward while the national anthem played. Her eyes shone under the lights which if she did say so herself made her makeup look almost perfect, with the highlighter on her cheeks making her look like she was glowing. And she was really, her smile couldn't have been bigger than anyone else's as she stared at Charles receiving his trophy on the Podium for first place with Carlos at one side and Hamilton at his other. When popping open the bottles of champagne after purposely shaking them up, Charles lent over the edge and sprayed the team, more specifically aiming for his girlfriend who's face scrunched up as she tried to avoid it, using her hands to cover her face. Her smile was contagious and the small noise that left her throat was adorable. They took the podium photo before going off to do their interviews. Charles was whisked away before he could come over to Lucía but she knew she'd see him later where they could celebrate together. They didn't want too much media coverage on their relationship yet anyways so perhaps not sharing a kiss for all the cameras to see was the better option.
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please leave your thoughts and opinions on this new f1 story.
I'm hoping that because it's a 2022 f1 story the updates will be frequent and in time with the race weekends. Of course I have this weekend to write about but there's no race next weekend so there's time to catch up.
Today's race was incredible though. I mean the battle between Max and Charles was top notch. Sad for Checo though, at least he got his first ever pole. I'm loving this Red Bull / Ferrari title battle this year, let's hope it stays this way.