February 2023
Big shifts were happening in the Scuderia Ferrari, desperately wanting, needing, to bring the titles back to Maranello. It has been a 16 year long drought for the Prancing Horse, but they were determined more than ever to make an end to it. And the shift started from the top.
Mattia Binotto has stepped down from his role as Team Principal, and resigned from the team he's worked at for many, many years. After him followed other members of the team, getting replaced by new prospects with fresh ideas and the determination to do everything to win.
Alessandra had spent the rest of December enjoying her holidays, spending time with her family in Maranello and with her friends in Monaco, where she resided. She went to the Dolomites, joining Charles on his winter training, training herself for the upcoming season, wanting to be in the best shape both physically and mentally. And she also spent a few days in Geneva at her best friend's house, catching up with him and his family like she did a few times every year.
She was also spending many days and nights working. When she was in Maranello, she would be the first to walk in the factory, and the last one to leave, checking the data from the wind tunnel runs and saw what needed to improve to create the best car possible to contend for the championship. She was also showing the ropes to the new members of the team, wanting to make sure that they can do their jobs and avoid any fuck ups. She's making it her mission to bring her team back to the top.
She was also working harder than ever because of the news she got. She was given the biggest responsibility of the team after earning a unanimous vote from management to give her the new role, showing their support towards her and the faith they had in her to be the change the team needed.
She did celebrate her news with Charles, Max and Kelly whilst in Monaco, the Dutch throwing her a celebratory party at Jimmyz, but never mentioned the reason, as it couldn't be announced until the car launch.
On the first day of 2023, she was in the factory, introducing herself in her new role and still overlooked the progress of the new car, analysing more data and fixing the finishing touches until the car produced perfect data from the wind tunnel. She worked with the drivers, wanting to hear what they thought could improve their drive. She was head in to make the project work, and she spent the whole of January making sure she did.
It was agreed that her new position would be revealed during the car launch, and the day to show the car to the world had finally arrived. Alessandra has been so focused on her work, that she had forgotten about the reveal, of both the car and her new job, so when she woke up on Valentines day in her home in Maranello, she got sick with nerves. She barely had the energy to move out of bed, her brain wrecking with endless thoughts that wanted her to overthink, making her drive her head deeper into the pillow.
"ALE!" A loud voice bombarded through her room, which she responded in a muffled groan in her pillow, "Ale, why are you not up? We need to start getting ready for the launch!" She didn't move when she felt the empty side of her bed dip, a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Give me a few minutes," she mumbled, "I'll be down soon to make us breakfast."
"Ale, are you okay?" He asked, as he let his body fall on the bed next to her, "you're always the first one up, ready to conquer the day." She let out a sigh, turning her head, looking into the concerned blue eyes of her best friend.
"Nerves are kicking in, badly," she said honestly, "everything's changing after today. I can't afford any fuck ups under my watch. I'm just scared of the backlash, and I don't mean from the media, I mean from other teams."
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in his chest, tracing his fingers over her exposed skin under the oversized t-shirt she was wearing. She sighed once more, letting her head fall on his chest, the comfort feeling he always provided her slowly accumulated her, the nerves slowly disappearing in his hold.
"I know this is big, but you're Alessandra Enzo Ferrari for fucks sake," he started, the hand that was on her arm started running through her hair. "You've changed the engineering game ever since you entered it. You went up the ranks because you're capable. You got the new role, because you're the best there is, and can truly bring the change the team needed. You're going to make everyone shit themselves when they see you walking down the paddock in Bahrain in a few weeks. You've got this Ale, and we're going to be there supporting you every step of the way."
Alessandra looked up at her best friend, smiling up at him as she wrapped her arm around his torso, pulling him in a hug. Out of everyone in her life, he could instantly see when she was upset, even when she hid it so well. He could read her like a book, which she sometimes hated, but was grateful for. They went through the same thing growing up, only having each other to understand the pressure no one else had, and they were each other's support.
"You're the best, Mickos," the German chuckled at the nickname, "I'm so glad you stayed with the team, even as a reserve."
"I only stayed because you convinced me too," he smiled, placing a kiss on her forehead, "your first task in your new role, beating Toto from taking me to become Mercedes's reserve driver." She chuckled, unlatching herself from her best friend before finally getting out of bed.
They made their way downstairs, entering the kitchen, chuckling at the sight of Charles rushing to make everyone coffee as they sat down around the kitchen island. Charles turned around when he heard the chairs moving against the floor, smiling widely as he handed them a mug each. "Finally, you're both up!" He exclaimed as they sipped their drinks, "I didn't think you'd stay in bed Ale, today of all days!"
"I just needed a few minutes," she said, giving Charles a small smile to his concerned face, "just nerves thats all. I'm fine now."
"Good," he smiled back, "now, let's eat and get ready. We've got a beast to show the world!"
The three chatted over breakfast, excited about showing the car to the world in a very special and intimate launch, finishing it up with something that has never been done in F1 car launches before. They went in their separate rooms, her two best friends occupying the guest bedrooms, which have become their own when they're in Maranello, preparing for the day ahead. Alessandra went out on the balcony, enjoying the mixture of the sun and wind hitting her face, looking at her home, the Ferrari factory, which was a few meters away from where she was standing, a smile on her lips, determination running through her veins.
She went back inside and jumped in the shower, then changed into a pair of black high waisted trousers, which hugged her hips perfectly, the material opening up under her knee, giving it an 80s flare. She put on a cropped Ferrari silk shirt which had red, white, black and blue splattered on it, landing right above the top of her pants, leaving the a few of the top buttons open. She slid on a pair of puma sneakers and finished her outfit with the Armani team blazer and a Ferrari team puffer jacket.
She smiled to herself, the confidence she lacked earlier in the morning coming back, ready to conquer anything, or anyone that tried to battle her. She put red gloss over her lips, a quick wing eyeliner and mascara on her lashes, grabbing her black handbag with the silver prancing horse, making sure she had her pass before leaving the room.
She grinned widely when she was greeted with hoots and whistles from her best friends upon entering the living room. Charles was in his race suit, with the same jacket she had on over it, admiring the excitement in his eyes. Mick stood next to him, decked in Ferrari team wear, one of her favourite sights in the world, also grinning in excitement.
"You're determined to give the competition a heart attack," Charles said as he walked towards her, taking her hand and spun her around, which made her giggle loudly, "eliminating the competition is a smart strategy not gonna lie."
"Would you look at that, I'm making smart strategy choices already," she hummed in amusement, which made them laugh, "you guys look amazing! I wanna spend all day fawning over you two, but we gotta get going!" The two nodded, following her out of the house, and into her scarlet red Ferrari Purosangue, one of the many cars in her collection that sat in the garage, ready to be driven whenever she pleased.
The drive to piazza Michael Schumacher was short, but it took a while to get in with the fans swarming the car the second they spotted the three in it. A security guard came forward, opening the passenger side, creating some space as Charles walked out. She got out of the driver side, greeted by fans who were shouting her and her friends' names, asking for pictures, screaming chants they created. She smiled as she made her way towards them, signing their stuff and posed for selfies, taking time to listen to them tell her why they loved her team, which made her day ten times better already.
The three strode through the piazza after making time for as much fans as they could, giving Antonello, the social media manager a wave and a crazy pose together when they saw him point his phone at them, which made him chuckle, happy that he's getting good content for the socials already.
She had a skip in her step when she made her way to her parents, who were chatting with Laurent Mekies, but stopped when they saw her presence. Her dad gave her a wide smile, pulling her in his arms. "Buongiorno piccola," he greeted along with a kiss on her cheek, "how are you feeling?"
"I feel ready," she said, looking up at him, "I must admit I woke up nervous today. I know I'm about to get some bad backlash when it's released, trying to make me feel incompetent because I'm a woman, and make me look like I got the job because of you and nonno."
"You know very well that you got the role because you're brilliant at what you do," he told her sternly, "you're an intelligent woman, and you made me lucky to have you as a daughter, and Enzo for making him a grandfather, not the other way around." She nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder for a moment before hugging her mum.
"You look so beautiful amore," Lucia Ferrari said as she looked at her daughter, smiling widely at how well dressed she is, "ready to show the men their true competition this season?"
"You know it!" Alessandra beamed, looking around, spotting Charles chat with his teammate, "let me go say hi to Carlos. I'll see you guys after the launch!" The parents nodded, giving her a hug and a kiss one more time before they let her walk to the drivers.
She placed her hands on the Spaniard's shoulders when she stopped behind him, making him jump in fright, causing Charles to burst out laughing. He turned around, giving her an eye roll before pulling her in a hug. "Why are you trying to kill me before the season starts?" He joked, "you need two drivers in the team, you know!"
"Eh, I can always put Mick in the car," she joked back, patting his shoulder as they pulled away, "excited Carlito?"
"Of course!" He exclaimed, raising his hands for dramatic effect before placing them on his hips, "but the question is, are you?"
"You know it," she said, a smirk on her face, "come on, it's time to show the world what we've created!"
The three were hidden behind a black box next to the stage that was set up next to the Fiorano track, in front of the built in stands that was filled with tifosi from members of the team's fan clubs around the world. They smiled as they took a peak, taking in the atmosphere that they were creating, listening to the chants and watch them lift the coloured paper that were on their seats, forming the Italian flag as the host played the Italian anthem on his violin, which Alessandra was quietly singing the words to.
"Welcome, to the launch of Ferrari's 2023 contender," he started after he finished playing, "the SF-23!" The crowd cheered at the mention of the new car. "We have quite a list of guests that we will be speaking to today, but I promise you, we will see the car very soon!"
"Now, let me start off the launch by bringing up our drivers," the crowd erupted in screams and cheers once more, "Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz!" The cheering never stopped as they made their way on stage after Alessandra patted them on the back, watching from the side as they took the stage, waving at the fans as they held the mics that were given to them.
"Wow!" Charles beamed, "what an atmosphere we have today! The tifosi always make it special!"
"We're so happy to finally have them back at the launches," Carlos said, "and having them here in Fiorano is very beautiful!"
The host and the drivers spoke about the last season, and what they hoped for this season. The tifosi went crazy in the stands when Charles finished telling everyone his ambitions for this year with Forza Ferrari, sempre.
"Alright, so we know that big changes have been made within the team, and I know that everyone is eager to find out who will be the person to lead the team from today onwards. I think it's time to let everyone in on the big secret," the host said, "should I tell them, or should one of you guys do the honours!"
"I'll do it!" Charles quickly said, making the crowd chuckle at his eagerness as he turned towards the stands, "This person needs no introduction, but all I will say is that they are absolutely intelligent, have been working their asses off for the last months, making sure everything was up to perfection. They know how to lead, has already led their own department within the team but has already led the whole team in the right direction." Charles quickly glanced at where Alessandra was, giving her a wink, which calmed the nerves that were slowly making their way back. "Please, join me in welcoming our new team principal, Alessandra Ferrari!"
The crowd let out a gasp as she graced their presence when making her way up on stage, then let out one of the loudest cheers she's ever heard as she hugged the host, taking the mic before being engulfed in a hug by her drivers.
"Ah, I can't believe the secret's out now after almost two months," she started, making everyone chuckle, "Wow, what can I say. It's so good to have the best fans in the world with us for this unveiling, at the track where every car Ferrari made was tested, be it a race car or a road car. Fiorano is a very special place for us and I couldn't be more honoured to have you all here!"
"It's my absolute honour and privilege to be given the trust by Ferrari to lead the team back to glory," she said, smiling at her drivers, "we have been working day and night to produce a championship contending car, analysing what went wrong last season in terms of strategy to make sure those mistakes never happen again. I have been working with Ferrari for years now, already knowing everyone from my role within the engineering department, but it was important to get to know the team again within my new role, which is what I did. And we are ready to go fighting and bring the championships back home where they belong."
"We cannot wait for the season to start, meet you at every race, share the victories together," she smiled, "let's do this. And like my friend Charles said, Forza Ferrari, sempre!" The fans were on their feet, clapping their hands and chanting her name when she finished her speech, making her grin widely.
The three chatted with the host some more before getting off the stage and did some media stuff whilst he spoke with the reserve drivers and the FDA drivers. Alessandra was buzzing when they got into the garage, smiling at the car which was covered in red silk material with the black prancing horse right on the nose of the car. Her hands were itching to unveil it, her smile getting wider when she got the go ahead, cheering along with everyone else in the garage when she let the car show in all of its glory, her eyes on her favourite feature of the car, the vintage Ferrari logo in white over the black rear wing. She couldn't wait to see it on the track.
ººº
Everyone in the motor sport world was watching the Ferrari launch, all curious to see the machinery they produced for the season, and to see who will be the new team principal of the team. And it was no different for Toto Wolff, who was sat in his apartment in Monaco, returning from Brackley earlier in the day to make sure that everything was prepared for his team's launch.
Sipping on a glass of wine, lunch on his lap as he watched the live coverage Sky Sports were providing. He watched the atmosphere the tifosi providing, never denying that they're the best fans in the sport. Even if his team was big, and with Lewis as his driver had his own army of fans supporting the team, no one supported a driver and team the way the tifosi supported Ferrari, it was a known fact in the motorsport world.
He listened to the drivers talk, then was intrigued at the mention of the new person leading the team. He watched closely, hearing Charles introduce the new team principal, quirking an eyebrow as he thought how enthusiastic Charles was about the new team principal, with the way he spoke about them.
His eyes widened, almost dropping the glass he had in his hand as he watched her make her way up on the stage after hearing Charles say her name. He couldn't help himself as he looked at her, eyes roaming over her body that was being displayed on his screen, her pants hugging her in the right places, the shirt she had on giving the viewers a tease from the open buttons, the Ferrari blazer worn with pride.
He leaned back in the sofa, a smirk playing on his lips as he listened to her talk. He knew that she wasn't going to play around, probably give the other team principals a run for their money. But he wasn't fazed, he knew he could handle her on track, get her to her weakness. She was still the same beautiful woman he knew when she was still chief engineer, or at least, that's what he thought.
ººº
Alessandra's face hurt from smiling, but she couldn't stop as she watched from the garage the SF-23 getting its very first laps in. Charles was the first to drive it, after winning a coin toss they did yesterday between him and Carlos. The Spaniard was next to her, both of them analysing the data that was being gathered, nodding their heads in approval as things seemed good.
She adjusted the mic on her headphones, putting it in front of her lips, pressing the radio button, a surprise for the fans. "Carletto, you look like you're having a good time out there!" Her and Carlos chuckled at the screams from the fans, hearing her speak through the speakers, realising that they're going to hear their driver's onboards whilst he drives in front of them.
"Oh I am!" He beamed, "She's a real beauty and a beast!"
"Lord Percival," Carlos joined in, earning another chorus of screams, "how's the car? Do you like it?"
"Hello mate!" Charles greeted, "can I do one more lap?"
"No no no no," Carlos quickly said, "box now, it's my turn!"
At the end of the day, Alessandra, Mick and the two Ferrari drivers went back to her house, deciding to treat themselves to take out after a successful day. Carlos had already showered at Ferrari, so he was chilling on the couch, whilst the others went back up to their room to freshen up and change.
After her shower, she walked in her room dressed in black sweats and an oversized hoodie, her hair up in a bun as she finished off her skincare. She met with the other two, in the corridor, heading downstairs together and plopped next to the Spanish driver on the couch. She grabbed her phone, answering the facetime call she was getting from Max, who greeted her with a wide smile.
"Hey TP!" He beamed, "we watched the launch. You've got everyone sweating already!"
"Oh really?" She chuckled, "how did Horny react to it?"
"Spat some rude comments in the chat," he grumbled after laughing at the nickname she had for his team principal, "I love the man but I wanna kick his misogynistic ass."
"Did he call me a nepo baby too?" She asked, "because I can hear his annoying voice from here saying how I got the job because of my family."
"Yeah, he threw it in there too," he sighed, "I'm really sorry Ale."
"Don't sweat it Max," she chuckled, shaking her head, "I'm already expecting headlines tomorrow about how I shouldn't be leading Ferrari because I'm a woman or that my new role was inherited to me because of my grandad. I'm expecting similar comments from the big boys when we get to Bahrain."
"Jesus I wish I had your calmness in situations like these," he laughed, "I would be punching walls for real."
"I've learnt to channel my anger in other ways," she smirked, earning gags from the boy on the phone, and the three around her, "I didn't mean it like that you whackos. Get your head out of your dicks, jesus!"
"Channel your anger to Toto this season," Charles chuckled, "get him riled up, I need some kind of show if my races go into shit."
"The man gets angry just by looking at me," she replied, flipping her hair behind her shoulder dramatically, "I basically have nothing to do then just be there."
"I highly doubt anger is what Toto feels when he sees you," Mick slowly said, earning a hit in the ribs with her elbow, "Ow! Get physical with him, not with me!"
"What is this obsession of me and Toto?" She groaned, "yes we're the hottest people to walk the paddock, but please be serious, we're both team principals now, we're main rivals, like we've always been but I'm on his level now. I can't have anyone outside of our circle hearing the jokes and actually think I want to fuck the man. I need to show everyone that I'm better than them, especially him."
"You will," Max said, giving her a soft smile, "We've got your backs. I know I'm going to be your main target this season, but off track, I'll be right behind you, ready to fight anyone who speaks wrongly of you. And I know that if Daniel was here, he would say the same thing."
"Same for Pierre, Ale, and you know it," Charles said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "and I know Seb has your back wherever he's going to be now."
"Oh yeah, I already got told that by him when we were in Sweden for ROC," she chuckled, thinking about her trip to watch Mick and Seb race in Race of Champions, the older German getting her and the younger German drunk in celebrations when she told him that she was leading his former team. "I love you guys, thank you for keeping me sane and reminding me of my worth. Thanks for calling up Massimilano, I'll see you very soon yeah?"
"I'm going to be in Monaco for the next few days," he smiled, "let me know when you're there, yeah?"
"Will do," she replied, "say hi to Kelly for me!" The conversation ended. Carlos walked in the living room with pizza boxes in his hand, not even realising that he left the room as she was so invested in her conversation with her friend. She thanked him as they opened the boxes, seeing which were their pizzas, taking a slice from each other's pizzas like they always did.
She felt her phone vibrate for a second next to her leg, indicating that a notification came through. She grabbed it, her eyes rolling in the back of her head and her bottom lip was sucked between her teeth when she saw who the notification was from.
Toto Wolff
You really know how to surprise people, Ale.
Congratulations on your new role. You deserve it