THIS was it. Zia's big chance. Her last chance.
Abu Dhabi would decided whether she would stay or whether she would go.
She was stressed walking towards the track, and had Alice talking to her, trying to comfort her as Lance walked with them, every now and again squeezing Zia's shoulder for comfort.
Zia couldn't hear what Alice was saying, she was too zoned out, trying to wrap her head around how she was meant to get on that podium without taking herself or anyone else out of the race.
She'd talked to Lance about it on the walk towards their cars, and he promised to let her by if needed, although, Zia told him he better be joking.
When they walked through the entrance cut out of the fence, Lance gave Zia one last hug, and Alice a fist bump before jogging off to find Seb.
Alice hurried Zia along to her car, and then began telling Zia's race engineer about how she was feeling, and the best way to speak to her during the race.
Zia sat down on the grass beside the pit barrier, and placed her head against her tucked up knees.
"Breath." she thought to herself. "You're not doing yourself any good getting stressed."
She looked up, and rested her head against the concrete wall, her eyes scanning the busy track, full of famous people, mechanics and journalists running around.
She spotted Martin Brundle running around after some B-List celebrity, wanting their opinion on 'Max or Lewis.'
She laughed at the sight of Martin running to catch up with people, before she turned her head, her eyes falling on a certain Williams driver, who was doing some last minute reaction practice with his trainer.
Zia watched as George laughed with his trainer, and how he attempted to focus on his reaction as Aleix made jokes.
Zia smiled to herself as she watched George try and hold on his laughs, ultimately standing up straight, and pushing Aleix's shoulder back.
Aleix laughed, before patting George's shoulder, telling him something, and holding his hand out for George to take.
George shook Aleix's hand, before pulling him in for a quick hug, hitting his back slightly as Aleix walked away.
Zia watched as George turned his head, looking around the track, before he found Zia sat on the floor.
His eyes lit up as he spotted her staring at him, and a smug smirk as he noticed Zia staring at him, and she rolled her eyes, but continued to smile.
When she looked back at him, George was smiling too. He clenched his first slightly, lifting it up slightly, and punching the air like a mini celebration.
He mouthed to her. "Go for it."
Zia smiled wildly. She copied his action, and nodded, telling him she would. George winked at her, before he walked over to Aleix who had returned with his helmet.
Suddenly, Alice bent down beside Zia. "Hey babe."
Zia looked towards the blonde. "Hi."
Alice took a hold of one of Zia's hands and squeezed it. "You've got the anthem now, and then I have to go."
Zia's eyes immediately widened but Alice continued to speak. "I know, but Alex will be there, his excuse is "I'm still technically Red Bull." so he's aloud to be on track up until the formation." she assured her friend.
Zia nodded, and the pair stood up and Zia pulled Alice into a tight hug.
"You'll do amazing mi amour." Alice said, rubbing Zia's back. "I love you."
"I love you too Ali."
ALEX stood behind Zia and rubbed her shoulders, as she prepped herself before getting in the car.
"What are you going to do?" Alex asked.
"I'm gonna' send it."
"And why are you gonna' send it?."
" 'Cause I deserve that Ferrari seat."
Alex hit Zia's shoulders excitedly. "That's my girl. Now get in the car and smash it. Not literally." Zia turned around and gave Alex one last hug, before she put her helmet on, and got into the cockpit of her car.
Settled in the seat, she closed her eyes underneath her helmet, calming herself.
Her engineer's voice, Marco came through her ears. "Hey Z. So, not to get all sappy on you but this is our last race together."
Zia chuckled. "Aw Marc you gonna' miss me?"
"Maybe a bit. Won't miss you screaming at me." Marco joked, as they waited for the okay to begin the formation lap.
Zia rolled her eyes in the cockpit of the car, and a thought popped into her head. "Hey! You miss my birthday. It's the start of January."
"Aw man. Sorry Z. I'll send you a gift in the mail don't worry."
"Could you, y'know as a last race kinda' gift sing me an early happy birthday?" Zia teased.
"Christian's sat next to me sorry I can't." Marco almost whispered, sheepishly.
Zia laughed.
COMMENTATOR'S BOX
"WELL, I won't lie to you Martin, doing this starting grid is going to make me a bit emotional." Crofty admitted as the graphics for the grid came up on the screen.
"I don't blame you Crofty, we are saying goodbye to so many great drivers, and fantastic people. This will certainly be an emotional race."
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Your starting grid for the finale of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.
On the back row, Nikita Mazepin, Mick Schumacher, a disappointing qualifying for Jake Bryant who starts 18th.
Then we have Nicholas Latifi in 17th, and Sebastian Vettel rounding up the bottom three rows.
A disappointing start for Antonio Giovanazzi, as we bid goodbye to the Italian as he heads of to Formula E, in 15th place. Then comes Pierre Gasly in 14th, but if a shocker for him.
After Gasly we Alonso, then we have Russell in who leaves Williams at the end of this season to head off to Mercedes to chase his Formula One dreams.
In 11th place, Zia Powman, after a crash in qualifying with George Russell, the young Red Bull driver finds herself just outside of the top ten in her final race in Formula One.
In tenth place, and a good friend of Powman's we have Lance stroll, then Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, Charles Leclerc, Valterri Bottas, who moves to Alfa Romeo next year replacing Antonio Giovanazzi, and Carlos Sainz.
Your top three for this race, Lando Norris in third, who told us a lunge for the lead may be in the cards if the opportunity arises.
And of course, the battle we've all been watching. Lewis Hamilton starts second, Whilst Max Verstappen grasped pole positron at the end of yesterday's qualifying."
Martin shivered as Crofty finished the grid. "I don't think I've ever been this excited for a season finale since 2016 when the two Mercedes were battening for the Championship."
"As we know Martin, the championship did not go the way of Lewis Hamilton that year, but rather to Nico Rosberg. If there a chance the underdog gets the bone today?" Crofty questioned.
"We'll Max has a good chance." Martin assessed, as the cars all moved slowly around the track for the formation lap. "this race will be thrilling!"
"Indeed it will Martin, as Max Verstappen comes around the final corner, ever so slowly, bunching the pack up." Crofty observed.
"And as Mazepin lines up on the final spot of the grid, we watch as the lights go red, one light then two. Oh this is tense! And.... It's lights out and away we go!"
" OKAY Z so that a yellow flag in sector two, yellow flag in sector two please slow the car in two." Marco's voice sounded in Zia's ear.
"Is everyone okay?" she asked, checking her dash, seeing "27 Lap Pos 8." She sighed, knowing she had to pick up the pace if she was going to get anywhere near that podium.
She's pitted early onto the hard tyres, and had some trouble firing them up, and now a yellow flag wasn't going to help the temperature.
"Everyone seems okay, Russell lost drive and has parked up. Shouldn't be too long the yellows, just keep your tyres in check."
"Yeah copy." Zia sighed.
She felt bad for George, his last race with Williams and a DNF was his fate. It was bittersweet as he said goodbye to the team who gave him his start in Formula One, and put their trust in a rookie turned hero into taking them back to where Williams should be.
As she reached sector two she spotted the blue and white car parked along the left hand side of the track.
George was stood beside it, helmet off, running his free hand through his hair, as he spoke to a marshal. As Zia drove along, she was able to get a closer look at George.
He didn't seem angry, but had accepted his final race with Williams had ended earlier than expected. The marshal walked away and went to inform his colleagues about whatever George had told him, and George looked across the track to see the navy blue car adorned with the red "62" on the side.
He could see the helmet inside the cockpit turned slightly to face him. By his side, he softly pulled his hand into a fist, and mimicked his earlier action, of punching the air.
A small hand from inside the cockpit emerged. Zia copied George's action quickly, before returning her hand to the steering wheel.
As she drove away, George smiled to himself. "Come on Z. I believe in you."
"OKAY Z, you've got Lance ahead of you in P5 alright, P5. Gap is 1.678. You need to get passed him if you want that podium." Marco informed her.
"Yeah just leave me too it man. I'll be there I promise." Zia assured not only Marco, but the whole pit wall, who she knew was listening.
"Alright. Send it girl." Marco said before coming off the radio.
Zia pressed down on the throttle as she came out of a corner, pushing as much as she could to catch up to Lance.
As they came around into the final corner, Lance came off the racing line, leaving a large gap open for Zia.
"Fuck you Stroll." Zia muttered to herself chuckling. "I told you not to."
Although, she knew Lance wouldn't have listened to her.
Lance got on his team radio as soon as Zia drove off down the straight. He had been waiting to do that all race, just wondering where would be the best place to let Zia by without affecting his own race.
"Aw man. Sorry guys. Just came off the line somehow."
"Hm somehow. Your dad says stop cheering for Redbull." Ben Mitchel voiced, laughing at his own joke.
Lance laughed too. "Get out of here. I know he's cheering her on as much as me."
COMMENTATOR'S BOX
"AND Nicholas Latifi is in the wall!"
ON TRACK
"OH god oh god Marco I can't do this." Zia said, as she drove around in 4th place.
Latifi had just crashed, meaning that Max and Lewis were closer than they had been through the duration of the race.
Zia was driving behind Carlos Sainz, who was holding the last podium place of the race. A Ferrari.
Great.
"Z come on now. That's not you. You nearly punched my face in when I asked you to let Max by at Hungary, which was team orders I might remind you not my decision." Marco joked, "There's no way you of all people are backing out now."
Zia took a few deep breaths. A vouce in the back of her mind, that sounded incredibly like Mattia Binotto's reminded her of what he had told her in their little meeting:
"You get on the podium tomorrow from P11, even if you have to overtake a Ferrari driver, and that seat is yours."
She looked up, and saw the large screen showing Christian Horner on the pit lane as he talked to some next to him.
Then the footage changed, as George's figure was being filmed in the Williams garage, as he watched the race from the big screen.
When he saw himself on there, he gave a small smile, and turned to find the camera. Again, he punched the air slightly.
Now to mere viewers of the sport, the gesture was probably for Lewis, George being a big Hamilton fan, and wanting the Brit to win the championship personally.
But Zia knew what it was.
Her mind was made up.
"Leave me for the last lap. Just let me go at Sainz." she told Marco.
"You got it. Do yourself proud Z."
Then there was silence. It was Zia alone, on the hunt for her future. Herself and the car, and a red prancing horse with her name on it a few meters away.
The safety car came in, Lewis bunched up the pack, and then shot away, Max trailing closely behind him.
Carlos didn't get a good reaction from Lewis' decision to push, but Zia did. They were nose to tail as Zia followed Carlos around, judging the right place she could overtake, to ensure that podium was hers.
The long straight was fast approaching, and even without DRS, Zia knew that she could have a good drag race down to the hairpin.
Carlos didn't get very good traction coming out of the corner and Zia was able to get right alongside Carlos as they both raced each other towards the corner...
COMMENTATOR'S BOX
"BUT the championship can only be won by one, it's going dutch in 2021! Max Verstappen, for the first time ever is Champion Of The World!" Crofty roared as the entire Grandstand cheered as the young dutchman crossed the line, the first ever champion from his country, his dreams come true.
"It was thrilling, it was controversial, it was pure racing emotion. I did not expect for it to end like this, but as we see Max Verstappen getting out of his car, and collapsing at its wheel, you know he's going to be on cloud nine. " Crofty watched as Max crouched down beside his wheel, gripping onto the rubber tightly as he rubbed his eyes through his open visor.
A hand clapped Max on the shoulder and he looked up to see Zia stood with her helmet already off, crouching down beside her teammate.
"Mate you did it." she said. "You actually did it."
Max let out a quiet sob, and then stood up, pulling Zia into a hug. "I fucking did it." he said, his voice slightly muffled by his helmet.
"Yeah you fucking did." Zia agreed.
"You were a fucking awesome teammate. You deserved better Zia." Max said, as his sons slowly calmed down.
"Don't worry about me mate. It's fine. I'll get by." Zia said, rubbing Max's back, as they both pulled away from the hug.
Max took off his helmet and wiped his eyes, which were glossy from tears. He squeezed Zia's shoulder. "Gonna' really miss you mate."
"Stop now you're making me emotional." Zia joked, as she felt her own eyes tearing up. She ruffled Max's already messed up hair, and pointed towards his family. "Go celebrate champion."
Max rushed away, and jumped into a sea of Red Bull mechanics and his family members, as Zia watched on, feeling as if her time at Red Bull had been wasted.
Her contract had lasted a year, and she'd been left for dust whilst Max had been practically drawn from Christian Horner's dreams, giving him another championship.
She felt useless compared to the dutch golden boy, so she walked away into the paddock, not wanting to dampen Max's mood.
"Zia, aspetta un minuto!" she turned around to see Mattia walking towards her.
"Mattia, hi." Zia said, as she stopped, giving him a small smile.
"You drove a fantastic race today." He complimented the young racer.
Zia shook her head. "I got lucky. There were quite a few DNF's. Right place at the right time mostly."
"We'll, despite that. A deal is a deal." Mattia smiled. "When does your flight to England leave?"
Zia looked up, in total shock. He was right, that was the deal, but she didn't really think...
"Tuesday. Why?"
"Cancel it. You and Charles are flying with me to Maranello tonight, so we can get your contracts sorted tomorrow." Mattia informed her, holding his hand out for her to shake.
"Welcome to Ferrari Zia Powman."
HAPPY???? IM HAPPY. IM REALLY HAPPY
2749 WORDS
JEEZE
THANKS FOR STCIKING AROUND FOR THIS LONG CHAPTER GUYS
now she's gotta celebrate with a certain driver. don't know who that would be of course. any guesses? 🤔
ANYWAYS
BYE FOR NOW