With the summer break now over and it was time to head back to the track and we are now of to Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix. This track holds some happy memories but also some very sad memories, as we lost Anthoine here a couple of years ago. Once my little group of friends all moved up to Formula One, Anthoine was the friend that I stuck by before races. But when the accident happened I was only a few cars behind him and my heart broke when I found out that he had passed away. So every time I come to the track I walk up with Pierre to where the accident happened and we both place some flowers there in his memory and we always race for Anthonie at Spa and any other race we take part in.
The weather during FP1 and FP2 yesterday was alright but wasn't the best and I wasn't in the top 10 which kind of upset me but anyway we move on and we learn from what has happened to see where we can improve on and that's all we can do at this stage.
With the rains starting to fall at the end of FP3 and still not being in the top 10, all I could really hope for was that qualifying was in better conditions but I don't think that is going to happen. Sitting in the garage next to Lando, with my head on his shoulder looking outside the front of the garage and watching the ran fall. Pulling the sleeves of my coat over my hands, I feel Lando placing a kiss on my head,
"You alright baby," Lando asked sweetly
"Yeah I'm alright, just nervous about qualifying" I replied
"What are you nervous about baby?" Lando said
"I'm never good at racing in the wet, it always makes me super nervous that something is going to happen," I told my boyfriend
"You have nothing to worry about. All we are going to focus on is getting a McLaren front row lockout and then we can be on the podium together tomorrow. How does that sound?" Lando said to me
"That sounds like a really good plan. It would be amazing to share a podium with you!" I answered as I took my head off of his shoulder.
Both of us got up out of our seats to go and talk to our engineers about our plans for qualifying and also talk about strategy. As a collective, we decided on the full wet tyres for qualifying because the slick tyres wouldn't have enough grip on the track and I think Lando's engineer had the same idea as mine. Smiling at Lando through the gaps between all the monitors in the middle of the garage made me laugh be he was pulling all kinds of funny faces but then we got told off by Zak, which was good but when we had the chance we did laugh about it.
As I was the first one out of the garage and onto the track in the awful wet weather, I had to focus on what was in front of me and not let anything distract me at all and that included the voice of my engineer Tom but he knows that I have never been keen on racing in the rain, so he just knows when to shut up and to only talk to me if he needs to pass over any important information that I need to know.
Q1
The rainy weather was coming in thick and fast and all my eyes were focused on was the track in front of me. I was pushing the car to the best of my ability but I didn't want to over do it but my focus was to do well and I had my mindset on the top 5 and having a front row lockout with Lando. By the end of Q1, I was in P3 and Lando was in P1 and that made me extremely happy to know that my boy was at the top of the timing sheet
Q2
With the rain not going away anytime soon, I had the same mindset as Q1 which was to aim for a font row lockout with Lando and I was praying so hard in my mind that we do get the front row lockout. I was told over the radio that Lando was at the top of the time sheet, with Russell behind him. My mind was blown! George had managed to get a Williams to P2 in Q2 and it was looking like he was going to get through to Q3. At the end of Q2, I was in P4 which is quite good in my opinion and I was extremely happy with that but I was even more happy to see that Lando was on top of the timing sheet again.
Q3
In the final stage of qualifying and the rain wasn't going to stop because it was coming down pretty hard. Still, with the wet tyres on and as soon as I left the pit lane, I was in the zone and nothing was going to stop me. With the track being extremely wet, I was being extra careful when it came to breaking because I didn't want to skid off the track into the barriers. With the clock going down to the end of the session, I was coming around turn 19 of the track when I heard my engineer's voice come over the radio.
Tom: That's a red flag Jas, Red flag, return to the pits as there has been a crash on Eau Rouge
Jas: Who was involved, Tom?
Tom: I don't want you to panic
Jas: If you don't tell me who was involved in the crash I'm going to panic arent I
Tom: Lando has crashed at Eau Rouge
Jas: Is he alright Tom? I need to know that he is okay and that he's not hurt
Tom: Lando is out of the car but he is going to the medical centre just as a precaution
Returning to the pit lane, I was currently in P6 and with 3 minutes left of qualifying, I pretty much has one chance to improve on my time and I'm just hoping that I can get into the top 5 and at least be on the second row if I can't be on the front row. Not wanting to get out of the car during the red flag, I just sat there, hoping Lando is alright and is alright to race tomorrow but if it was me in Lando's position, he would definitely be trying to stop me from racing until I would give in.
With the track cleared after the 20 minute red flag, the remaining 9 cars went back out onto the track to continue the final stages of the qualifying. Heading up Eau Rouge and the into Radillion and onto the Kemmel straight, as I was doing my final quick lap of the session and I was being cautious with every move I make with the car and doing my best to not make any mistakes that could lead to disaster.
Crossing the start finish line, I was informed that I qualified in P4 meaning I was in a decent position for tomorrow's race and I was also told that George was on the front row with Max Verstappen. Honestly, my mind was blown that George managed to get that Williams car onto the front. But I'm really proud of him. But now my only focus was to go and see my boyfriend who had to go to the hospital as a precautionary measure to make sure that he wasn't too badly injured.
Bringing the car back down the pit lane and into the pit box ready to be wheeled back into the garage. Now with the car back in the garage, I undid my seatbelt, got out of the car and took my helmet, HANS device and balaclava and put them on the shelf in the garage to then grab my town to wipe all the sweat from my face.
Since the start of the season, I've lost two PR managers, so now Lando's PR Charlotte looks after use both and I'm so grateful that she does. Charlotte leads me out of the garage and we head to the media pen, where I do a couple of interviews with Sky Sports, F1 and ITV sport. Once those interviews were done, Zak gave me permission to not attended the debrief that evening because he knew that I would want to go and spend some time with Lando in the hospital.
Not even bothering to get changed into my jeans and t-shirt, I took my racing boots off and put my white Nike Air Forces on and practically ran through the paddock with the car keys, my phone and my pass in my hand. As soon as I got in the car, I put my belt on, put the key in the ignition and put the car into drive and drove as quickly as I could so I could be with my boyfriend.
The 15 minute drive to the hospital was the longest drive I have probably felt in such a long time. Upon arriving at the hospital, I parked the car and ran into the hospital and stopped at reception.
"Hiya, I was wondering if you can tell what room Lando Norris is in?" I asked the receptionist but I didn't get an answer. Realising the lady doesn't speak English and most likely speaks Dutch and luckily I can speak Dutch.
"Hallo,ik vroeg me af waar ik Lando Norris kan vinden. Hij is ongeveer een uur geledenbinnengebracht vanuit het medisch centrum op Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps" I said to the receptionist, who started to look him up in the system. (Hi,I was wondering where I can find Lando Norris. He was brought in from themedical centre at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps about an hour ago)
"Lando Norris is in kamer 21 in de Majors Bay, als je aan het einde van de gang rechts bent, zal kamer 21 daar zijn" The recptionist said. (Lando Norris is in room 21 in the majors bay, if you that a right at the end of the corridor, room 21 will be along there).
"Hartelijk bedankt" I replied and practically ran off to my boyfriend's hospital room. (Thank you so much)
Running down the corridor to the room, I see the room in my sight and slow down and start walking toward the door and when I get there I knock on the door lightly.
"Come in" the voice from behind the door said
I opened the door to see Lando sitting in bed watching TV, with his arm strapped up
"Hi babe" I said softly
"Baby, why are you still in your race suit?" Lando questioned
"I came straight after the post qualifying interviews and I couldn't be bothered to change my clothes then the only thing I changed was my shoes" I replied making Lando smile.
I walked up to the bed and sit in the chair next to it and he looked at me.
"You had an amazing qualifying baby. I'm so proud of you. P4 on the grid tomorrow. I have a feeling there's a podium waiting for you" my boyfriend told me.
"Thanks, Lan, but you were so close to getting pole position but I'm sorry to put a downer on everything but FIA has said that you are starting P14 tomorrow. It makes me upset that we're not starting on the same row or even just a few spots behind each other but 10 places. That's a lot" I said rather quickly.
"I get that I'm in P14 because of what happened during qualifying but no matter what happens on the track tomorrow, I will always love you," my boyfriend told me.
"I love you too. Anyway, what have the doctors said about your arm?" I asked
"They said nothing is broken but that I have a bruised elbow and it should go down by morning so I have to keep the splint on for the next few hours" Lando responded
"At least nothing is broken, which is a good thing2 I replied to my boyfriend
We both smiled at each other and started to watch a movie. About an hour into the movie the doctor came into the room to say that Lando can go home and that he has been given the all clear to race tomorrow, which made him really happy. Once we left the hospital, I drove us back to the hotel, so we can get some well earned rest ahead of the race tomorrow. Also when we got back to the hotel, I gave Zak a call to let him know that Lando is okay and that nothing was broken and that he has been given the all clear to race, which Zak was happy about.
After having something to eat, we both got into bed for some well deserved sleep after the events of today and I was pleased to get some sleep because I was exhausted. Carefully snuggling up to Lando, he put his arm around me, because he knows I like to have his arm around me at night for a sense of comfort and security.
The next morning came around Within a blink of an eye. With the extreme weather that we experienced yesterday during qualifying, I expect the weather to be the same today during the race. But who knows? The weather can change. Within a matter of hours, it could be completely different. You never know it can be bright and sunny.
Waking up and feeling refreshed, Meant that I was ready for the race. I was still a little bit hesitant about letting Lando drive today in the race but it wasn't my decision to make. After having a small but filling breakfast. It was time to head to the track. And go over the events of yesterday's qualifying. Instead of me driving the car down to the truck, I let Lando drive because. He felt like he could do it, so I let him.
Upon arriving at the track we scanned our passes at the barriers. Are we headed over to the McLaren hospitality, Where we had the meeting in the offices upstairs. Luckily, the meeting didn't last that long. So me and Lando headed to our driver's rooms and prepared for the race.
Leaving my driver's room and heading to the garage. The weather was getting worse and worse. With the heavens opening the rain poured. And not looking like it is going to stop. I was getting drenched walking more, well, more like running from hospitality to the garage. Praying that my race suit didn't get wet because I left my coat in the garage. The night before.
Talking to my engineer, Tom. We decided to have the same strategy as qualifying yesterday by going out on the full wet tyres and keeping the slicks just in case the weather does improve. By looking out the front of the garage. And looking at the pit lane, it was starting to look like a mini river. With the weather not looking like it's going to clear up, my personal opinion is actually really for the safety of drivers. But it's not my decision to make. It is up to the race director and all the other people involved in making the right decision of what they think is best.
With my racing gear on, I was sitting waiting for clearance to leave the garage and head round to the grid. And with the clearance given, I pulled out of the garage slowly and carefully to make my way onto the track and around to my position on the grid.
Arriving in my P4 slot, I carefully got out of the car and stood under the tent that covered my car, whilst all my engineers and mechanics did the final checks on the car before I got back in. Hearing all the other drivers around me, talking about how we shouldn't race because it wasn't safe to do so because the track was pretty much waterlogged and if we race, there could be a lot of aquaplaning across the track meaning that cars could end up in the barriers, which is something everyone wants to avoid.
Getting back into the car, I was getting this weird feeling in my stomach that something is going to go wrong and that it is seriously not going to end well. With my hands gently gripping the steering wheel and pressing the clutch in, I left my spot on the grid and headed off for the formation lap, which took longer due to the condition, we were currently experiencing. Coming around the final turn, I pulled into my grid spot, just staring up at the light waiting for them to go out and with the lights now coming on.
1.
2..
3...
4....
5.....
IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO
With all the cars heading for turn one, the spray from the car in front of me was impacting my view of the track in front of me and I could hardly see and it was frustrating, so I got on the radio to speak to Tom.
Jas: Tom, I can hardly see the track in front of me. The spray from the car in front of me is impacting my view. Honestly, it is not safe to be racing in these conditions. Someone could seriously get hurt if we continue to race
Tom: I will relay all the information back to Andreas and he will contact the race director and he will let him know your views. But for now, just do the best you can.
Jas: Thanks Tom
After speaking to my race engineer about my views, I really hope that the race director makes our views into consideration because we drivers are the ones that are on the track having to experience this. I have never been good at racing in the wet because it scares me that I could end up in the barriers or that another driver could have an accident and crash into me. I'm just praying that we get called back to the pits, so we can wait for the conditions to hopefully improve. Moments later, Tom is back on the radio.
Tom: Okay Jas, we have been given the order for you to return to the pit lane as the race has been suspended, to see if the weather conditions improve.
Jas: Thanks for letting me know Tom. Much appreciated.
With the news of the race being suspended until the weather conditions improved, I headed back to the pit lane following the safety car. Well, this is going to be one fun Sunday afternoon with conditions that are less likely to improve.
Getting out the car, I sat on the seats in the garage, just looking up at the big tv screens and looking at what is probably being shown on sky sports. All of a sudden I felt a pair of arms wrapped around my shoulder and I turn to see my happy and smiley boyfriend, who pulls me close to him. With our coats and beanie hats on, we ended up just scrolling through tiktok and watching all the funny videos that were on the for you page. Every now and then, I looked at the screen and it kept say that there will be a race update in 5 minutes time but I just knew that it was complete and utter bullshit.
2 hours have passed and we still haven't had an update which is rather shocking. I bet all team principals are radioing the race director to find out what is happening and to see if the race is going ahead. For the race to be classified as a race, 2 laps need to be completed, even if it is under the safety car, which it most probably is going to be like, if we have a race restart. Also during the 2 hours, Lando had fallen asleep on my shoulder, which I thought was rather cute but I woke him up when I burped rather loud, making half the garage laugh.
Finally, We have given the all clear to get back in the car and the race will be restarted and we will be following the safety car for two laps. With all the cars at the back on the grid and the safety car at the front, the lights went out for the second time today.
Following the safety car around the track for the two laps, felt long and I honestly mean long because it just didn't feel like a proper race because there wasn't that adrenaline pumping through my body like it normally does. After being informed over the radio that the race is now no longer going ahead and that I have finished in P4 and that I can head into parc ferme. I kind of felt a bit of relief knowing that I'm still in the points. Because the race wasn't a full one, it was decided that half points would be given out. 6 points are better than nothing at all.
George getting his first ever podium in F1, made me such a proud best friend because he honestly deserved this so much. Watching him receive his trophy and seeing him this happy was the best thing that made this weekend great. Walking away from the podium ceremony, I went to find Lando and I found him walking away from the media pen after doing some interviews together we headed to our driver's room, so we can change out of our race suits into something a little bit warmer and more comfortable before we head off for the big debriefing of the weekend. But this was the first weekend of a triple header.
Next, we're off to the Netherlands for the Dutch Grand Prix and I can't wait to experience a new track that I've never raced at before.
During this chapter, I have used google translate on some parts, so if it's wrong, I honestly do apologise.