After enjoying a couple of days in Milan with the guys, and spending a few days in Maranello to unwind on her own, and get work done at the factory, she spent the rest of the break training with Charles and Andrea in preparation for the Singapore Grand prix. She has been training with the two for this grand prix weekend ever since her and Charles were both involved in Formula 1, because they knew how physical straining the weekend is, with how much sweat they release by just being outside, but the drivers lose almost 5 kg during a race weekend.
The trip to Singapore also consisted of a long flight, which Alessandra used to her advantage to get some work done and rest as much as she could. She needed to be prepared, because there were certain rumours swirling around the paddock and Formula 1 world that teams could be dropping drivers, or changing drivers and she needed to be on the alert since Carlos is not locked down with the team yet. She never believed rumours, until she had concrete facts in her hands, but she had this weird feeling in her stomach, like her gut was telling her that a big shuffle was about to happen within the grid, and it was going to effect her team.
She pushed the thought aside, not wanting to deal with that scenario until she had to, but then her mind took her to the night after Charles and the team won the Italian grand prix. She was well and truly drunk in the middle of the Duomo square, but she could remember every word that was said in her encounter with Toto at almost 3 in the morning, them sharing a bottle of champagne next to the duomo and whilst they danced. Her skin memorised his every touch on her, the gentle squeeze on her hip every now and then, his heartbeat against the side of her face when she rested her head on his chest. The occasional grazing of his fingers on the small of her back as he tapped them gently on her skin to the beat of the music, resting his chin on the top of her head. She couldn't help her cheeks turning crimson as she thought about that night, and when she glanced at her drivers, who were sat around her on the jet, not noticing the change of colour on her face, she hid behind her laptop.
The days that passed after landing in Singapore were dedicated to a schedule Andrea prepared for Alessandra, which was the same as Charles's, to beat jet lag to make sure that it would not ruin their weekend. Andrea knew how Alessandra was when it came to physical activity, and for him it was a good thing that she was so similar to Charles, and factoring in how he's known both of them for a long time, he knew how to cater to them. But Charles and Alessandra were like twins in this aspect, so all Andrea did for the past few days was give them the work out itinerary, and watched - and helped when needed - them work out together.
On Wednesday evening, Alessandra was getting ready to go out, meeting an old friend who she grew up with but hasn't seen a lot the past few years as they were so busy with their jobs. The Italian was looking forward to seeing her again, especially because for once their schedules bumped perfectly with each other and both had a free night whilst they were in Singapore, and she was going to finally meet her friend's fiancé.
She got dressed in a white dress which had the straps tied in a bow, the neckline square, giving her cleavage a modest look. It was tight around her waist, but then it opened up, stopping right below her knees. She slid on a pair of nude heels and when she saw that she was ready, she texted her friends, letting them know that she's going out for dinner in case they needed her for something.
She got out of the taxi that took her to the restaurant, tipping the driver before watching him drive away. She then turned around, about to enter the restaurant. She was so excited to see her old friend that she didn't realise someone else was about to enter the restaurant the same time she did, until they bumped into each other.
"Oh, I'm so sorry I was distracted I-" She stopped talking when she looked up at the person in front of her, her eyes matching his as they widened in shock. She felt a strong wave of heat running through her body when she realised that his arm was around her waist when she almost fell at the contact with him.
"Do I seriously have to bump into you everywhere I go, Alessandra?" he asked, a smirk making its way on his face.
"This has to be some sick joke," she chuckled as she gently stepped away from his hold, "out of all the restaurants in Singapore, how do I manage to bump into you in the same one I'm eating at today?"
"I don't know what to tell you," he shrugged, "I'm here to meet with an old friend, he recommended me this restaurant, so I came."
"Yeah, I'm also meeting a friend too," she replied as she walked inside the restaurant, with Toto right by her tail as she told the restaurant's host that they're meeting a friend who's already there. She spotted her friend sat a table on the terrace with a man by her side, and Alessandra turned towards Toto, who she rolled her eyes at when he looked at her smugly, which did not help the slight annoyance she was feeling after not being able to get away from him at least before media day. "So, enjoy your dinner."
"You too, Ale," he nodded, giving her a smile, "and I'll see you around."
Toto was glancing around the restaurant, looking for his friend when Alessandra walked away. He looked at the table Alessandra was walking towards, seeing the woman standing up and greeted the Italian in a hug. But Toto's eyes widened when he saw the male figure sat down, and Toto slowly made his way towards the same table.
When Alessandra sat down at the table, before she could introduce herself to her friend's fiancé, he stood up, and when her eyes fell on Toto once more, who was at her table, exchanging a hug with her friend's fiancé, she couldn't help the butterflies that started fluttering hard at the realisation that she was having dinner with him too.
Toto turned around, the amused look on his face when he glanced at her earned him a dramatic eye roll as he took a seat next to her. He leaned his head towards her, his breathe hot on the side of her neck, creating a trail of goosebumps. "I think you're right," he whispered, "this is some twisted joke."
"Why can I never get some peace from you?" She asked, her voice almost whiny when she turned her head to look at him, which was almost a bad mistake because their noses were barely a hair's length away from touching, "I see you for the majority of the weekend, it's like god's punishing me for some reason and is making me spend more time with you!"
"Being with me is not a punishment," he scoffed, rolling his eyes, "it's a privilege, it's an honour, it's anyone's dream!"
"Okay, time to take your ego home," she shot back, cannot helping the chuckle that left her lips because she knew that he was joking. "It doesn't fit here."
"Ale, I'm sorry to jump into your conversation," Alessandra glanced away from her rival team principal, and towards her friend, "but I didn't know you two knew each other?"
"Fede, they're both team principals," Matteo said, placing a hand on his fiancé's shoulder, "of course they know each other!"
"Wait," Federica said, her eyes widened as she turned towards her fiancé, "you're telling me that you're also friends with a team principal, and I didn't know?!"
"You never told me that Alessandra was your friend either," Matteo chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced at her.
"I've mentioned Alessandra countless of times," Federica replied, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, Alessandra, your friend from Maranello who you've known a long time," he said, "not team principal Alessandra Ferrari!"
The two team principals glanced at each other as the couple in front of them continued to bicker about how they never told each other their closest friends were rivals in the pinnacle of motorsport. Toto gave Alessandra an amused look, which got her laughing as she grabbed the glass of water in front of her, taking a sip.
"We haven't ordered food, and I'm already entertained," Toto commented, "That's Matteo for you, never a dull moment with him!"
"Oh, it's the same thing with Federica," Alessandra chuckled, "she's got a wild spirit, and she's not afraid to speak her mind, even if it's something really stupid."
"How do you know Federica?" Toto asked, quirking an eyebrow at her, "I knew that Matteo was engaged, but had never met his fiancee before."
"Federica's like an older sister for me. She used to work at the Ferrari factory, and growing up she used to teach me so much about cars, which were so helpful when I did my degree. When I got older we used to travel around whenever we had the chance, even when she left Ferrari to manage and co-own Maserati," she explained, "you know, I've never met Matteo before today. How do you know him?"
"Matteo's been involved in the car business for a long time, and he was one of my sponsors when I competed," the Austrian started, "even when I stopped racing and focused on the financial and administrative aspect of racing, we still kept good communication. And I kind of helped him out when he bought half of Maserati."
"So we have mutual friends out of motorsport," she said, looking up at him, "I'm not even surprised anymore, but what are the odds of that?"
"With us, I think the odds have become high," he chuckled, glancing down at her, staying silent for a moment to take in how pure she looked in the white dress, which covered half her legs, which were crossed over each other, the white making her blue eyes brighter, "but I don't know if they're good or bad."
"Who the hell knows at this point?" She shrugged, gesturing with her hands for a moment to emphasise her point, which made Toto chuckle when he thought how she never fails to be totally Italian with her hand gestures.
She then looked at the couple, chuckling when she saw that they were still bickering, putting a hand on Federica's arm to get her attention, "Fede, as much as I get entertained whenever you bicker with someone, how about we order something and enjoy the evening?"
"You're right," Federica said, giving her fiance a soft smile before turning to her friend, "I hate when you're right."
"You love me," Alessandra said in a singing tone, which got her friend to stick her tongue out at her, the men chuckling at how immature they were together. The ladies noticed their laughs, showing them the middle finger discreetly before engaging in a hushed conversation about what they were going to order.
The four ordered their choice of food and drink, and Alessandra glanced at her friend after she ordered a peach juice, when she knew very well that Federica loved her drinks, especially a good gin tonic. The four quickly engaged into a conversation, catching each other up on what they've done since they last saw each other, which Toto and Alessandra realised that because of how time consuming their jobs were, they haven't seen their friends in ages.
Alessandra felt shy whenever she glanced to her right and found Toto next to her every time. This was another line being crossed, and it was absolutely accidental. They weren't having dinner at a beautiful restaurant to discuss the sport, potentially discussing drivers. They were having dinner together as friends, because of their mutual friends. They were sat next to each other, stealing glances once in a while as they ate, sometimes feeling like they were in their own world when they recalled a memory from a past race, and the two team principals were just laughing about it. The promise she made to herself a couple of weeks ago that she would keep the filter and be confident and professional around him was slowly slipping away from her with every round of drinks they got.
"Okay, so, Matteo and I did have a reason to invite you to dinner, not just to catch up," Federica started when they finished dessert and were having coffee, "and Ale, I saw the weird looks you were giving me whenever I ordered a peach juice."
"I'm sorry, but you usually would have been 5 gin tonics deep by now," Alessandra chuckled, her mind slightly buzzed from the 4 pornstar martini she had, which Toto whispered a comment about every time she ordered one, "so, what's up?"
Alessandra and Toto watched as the couple glanced at each other lovingly, which caused them to look at each other confused before turning back to them. Matteo's eyes glistened, looking like he was about to burst into tears any moment, which got Toto even more confused. Alessandra quirked an eyebrow at Federica when she grabbed the team principal's hand.
"Matte and I, well," Federica started, "we're having a baby!"
The team principals' eyes widened at the news, and Toto watched Alessandra get up from her chair, pulling her friend into a tight hug. He couldn't help the smile on his face as he stood up to congratulate his mate, but his eyes were on Alessandra, spotting the tears threatening to escape her eyes as she congratulated her friend.
"Oh my God!" Alessandra beamed when she sat down, "this is so amazing! How far along are you?"
"A bit over 5 months," she said, "and I'm having a girl!"
"Congratulations, Federica," Alessandra looked up at Toto as he spoke, seeing how genuinely happy he looked for his friend and his fiancee, "a baby's the most amazing blessing one could ever have!"
"Oh, I cannot wait to spoil her rotten," Alessandra gushed, putting her hands on the sides of her face as she looked at her friend with so much love, and Toto couldn't keep his eyes off the Italian next to him as she looked like she was about to burst with happiness.
"But that's not all we wanted to tell you," Matteo said, earning a nod, and a slightly confused look from the big bosses, "we want both of you to be the baby's god parents."
The team principals' eyes widened once more that night, and they turned their heads, looking at each other with sheer surprise. They were both thinking the same thing, they were going to be involved in something so personal and intimate together. They were basically about to become the child's protectors, second set of parents in case something happened to Federica and Matteo. They knew that this will blur out even more lines that were dangerous to be crossed. But something about them being important figures for the child, together, made them feel something they've never felt before, a certain warmth that could not be explained. And it scared them slightly, because they didn't know if this would have an effect on their relationship outside of the track, when it was important that they kept a certain level of professionalism and distance since they were rivals, even though they knew very well that those factors have been going out the window more than a few times this year.
They tore their gazes away from each other when they realised how long they've been looking at each other, giving the couple a wide smile as the news slowly sunk in.
"Uh, I think I can speak for Toto and myself," Alessandra started, glancing at the Austrian from the corner of her eyes, who nodded at her with a soft smile on his lips, "that we're absolutely honoured to be your baby's god parents!"
The rest of the evening was spent talking about the baby, knowing the couples' plans for their future and when the baby will be born, which to the bosses' convenience, was before the season started, so they would have good amount of time to spend with the baby before going head on for the 2024 season. After paying for dinner, the four left the restaurant, Alessandra pulling Federica in a hug, promising to see her soon, since her and Matteo couldn't stay for the race. Toto was saying goodbye to Matteo, planning a hang out when the two have the chance, and the two team principals stood by each other's sides as they waved goodbye to the couple.
Toto saw Alessandra look around as he grabbed his keys from his pocket, twirling them around his index finger as she grabbed her phone out of her bag. "Are you heading back to the hotel now?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "just need to book a taxi."
"Nonsense," he said, shaking his head, which earned him a confused look from his rival, "I came with my car. Come on, I'll give you a lift."
Alessandra was past the stage where she was hesitant to accept a ride from her rival team principal, after having shared car rides, and even jet rides, on various occasions the past few months. Or it could also be the alcohol that was still buzzing slightly in her system as she nodded her head without thinking about it, the two walking side by side down the pavement which was almost empty.
"That was an eventful evening," Alessandra said, "out of all the ways I expected this dinner to go, especially because I haven't seen Federica in quite a while, I didn't expect to have dinner with you as well."
"And the two of us becoming god parents," he chuckled, "the odds keep coming up in our favour."
"Cannot wait to tell baby girl how her god parents were always battling for their teams to finish at the top," Alessandra continued, glancing up at the tall Austrian, "she has the battle of the gods for god parents."
"She's got a lot of stories to listen to," Toto said, looking down at the Italian walking next to him, "because when she grows older, we would have gone through even more battles."
"I'm surprised you're not thinking of retirement," she joked, giving him a cheeky smile when he let out a scoff, followed by an eye roll.
"As if," he said, letting his lips turn into a smirk, "you're not getting rid of me anytime soon, darling."
"Well, I hope not," she shot back, replicating the smirk on her lips whilst pushing away the warmth that shot through every nerve in her body at how the pet name rolled off his tongue, almost making her weak to her knees, "I can't just have Christian as my rival, he's no fun to mess with."
"Oh so you have fun messing with me?" Toto asked, quirking his eyebrow at her, "I should just leave you stranded here if I'm honest."
"Please," she scoffed, rolling her eyes, "you'd end up missing me way too much if you left me stranded. You won't be able to complete your task of annoying me if I don't show up for media day tomorrow."
The Austrian shook his head, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth as he fought back the smile fighting its way on his lips. He stopped by the black Mercedes SL-class. pressing the button on his key to unlock it before opening the passenger door. Alessandra felt her cheeks heat up slightly at the gesture, muttering a thank you as she slid inside whilst he got to the driver's side. He slid in his seat, the sound of the German engine ringing in her ears as he started the car and started the journey back to the hotel.
The drive was a short one, probably less than ten minutes, filled with comfortable silence and soft music playing in the background. Toto was stealing glances whenever he had the chance, looking at how peaceful she seemed as she rested her head against the window, looking at the city pass by. It genuinely scared him how much he enjoyed having Alessandra as his passenger, especially when he did not know why he felt the way he did. He had no answer for his feelings, emotions or reactions when she was around him, not able to comprehend them. He had no control over them, and not being able to have control over something so vital for him, was the scariest thing of all.
What Toto didn't know was that when he was focused on the road, it was Alessandra who was stealing glances of him, a small smile tugging on her lips as a fire burnt in the pits of her stomach when she analysed him. He was dashingly handsome tonight, dressed in blue blazer, which was now discarded on the back seat, and off white tailored pants, the change from black attire suited him just as much, if not more. The light blue shirt under the blazer had a few buttons undone, and the sleeves rolled up, revealing his forearms, which were contracting every time he turned the wheel, the sight almost hypnotising her. But what really captivated was the concentrated look he had on his face, the occasional clenching of his jaw, and what sent her into overdrive was catching his tongue lick his bottom lip, like it was an unknown habit of his.
She let out a silent sigh when he stopped the car in front of the main door of their hotel. The two got out of the car, quickening their steps as they walked through the lobby, both feeling tired, and were not in the mood to get caught by fans, having them ask questions and initiating some stupid rumours. The two got in the elevator, pressing their respective floor buttons, and just rested against the elevator wall until they arrived at their floors.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Toto said when his floor opened, chuckling at the tired smile Alessandra gave him, "we have the media pen tomorrow together right?"
"We do," she nodded, "see you tomorrow, Torger." Her breathe hitched in her throat when he leaned forward, placing his lips on her cheek, a goodbye greeting so innocent and common, especially in European cultures like theirs, but it sent bolts of electricity through every inch of her body, the skin of her cheek burning from the contact. She almost slid against the wall when the elevator doors closed after he walked down the corridor, barely able to keep herself up from feeling tired, and awake because of that gesture, at the same time.
ººº
The Italian team principal felt a change in the air when she walked through the paddock, and it wasn't that the weather became even more humid than the past few days she's been in the country. She could hear the mumbling of journalists setting up their channel's stations, showing each other their phones. Alessandra glanced at Mick, who was walking by her side, also confused at what was happening.
"Is something about to drop?" The German asked, glancing at his best friend, "because they look like they're about to go into frenzy."
"Could be," Alessandra replied, "I mean there have been endless rumours about teams changing drivers, maybe one of them is going to announce that."
"Who do you think is getting silly season actually started?" The Italian chuckled at Mick's question, "because if I had to bet, it's Red Bull or Mercedes."
"We'll just have to wait and find out," she answered, shrugging her shoulders as the two entered their motor home, "speaking of all this, I have a proposition I'd like to run by you, do you have time for a chat?"
"I always have time for a proposition chat with you," he grinned, "I'll talk to Chiara and see when you're free?"
"Okay," she nodded, "but until then, how about we grab some coffee and just enjoy the bit of free time we have before we start media day?"
"Oh thank god I came just in time for coffee," the pair of best friend laughed at the sound of the Monegasque's voice, turning around to find him with his backpack on his shoulder, a smile on his face. "Am I the only one who felt a weird vibe in the paddock?"
"Nope, not just you," Alessandra said as he pulled her in a hug, "we're thinking that silly season's really about to start."
"And we think it's Mercedes or Red Bull," Mick continued when Charles gave the German a quick hand shake and pat on the back after pulling away from Alessandra, "anyone wants to place bets?"
"Honestly right now I'm glad I'm past silly season with my renewal," Charles chuckled, "now come on, let's go grab some coffee and see what's about to happen!"
The three went to the coffee bar, ordering their usual orders, which apart from Ale's signature iced coffee, Charles got a double shot espresso and Mick got an americano, they went and sat at a table on the small porch of the motor home. When they spotted the Spaniard walking through the paddock, the three were waving like crazy, which got Carlos laughing loudly at the greeting, giving his boss a hug and his teammate and reserve driver handshakes before disappearing in the motor home, returning a moment later with his own coffee in his hand, getting a rundown of what they think is about to happen before, or during media day.
"Alessandra Enzo Ferrari!" The Italian rolled her eyes at the loud greeting the Dutch gave her when he made his way towards them, resting his elbows on the banister that separated the motor home from the paddock, "you have some explaining to do!"
"And what do I need to explain to you, Massimiliano?" Alessandra asked, quirking an eyebrow as Max took out his phone from his shorts, scrolling for a few seconds before showing her his device. She let out a groan at the picture on his screen, whilst the three guys dressed in Ferrari gear gawked at the phone, then at their boss, then back at the phone. "Oh for fucks sake."
"You said you were going out for dinner with Federica and her fiance!" Mick exclaimed as he took Max's phone in his hands, zooming on the picture, "why am I seeing pictures of you and Toto having dinner together?!"
"I'm offended you didn't tell us you went out on a date with Wolff!" Charles said as he snatched the phone from the German's hands, "you looked really pretty by the way. But a date with your rival?! Alessandra!"
"Christ on a bike, it was not a date!" Alessandra groaned loudly as she leaned on Carlos to look at the pictures since he was the one holding Max's phone now, "I was out with Federica and Matteo."
"Then what the hell was Toto doing there?" Carlos chuckled as he gave the Dutch his phone back, the four boys looking at her with amused looks.
"Would you believe me when I tell you it was another horrifying coincidence?" She let out a huff when she saw the looks they gave her, clearly not believing her coincidence.
"Nope," Max said, shaking his head, "because at this point, coincidences do not exist with you two."
"Well, it was," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, "because Toto was invited to the same dinner by Matteo, Federica's fiance."
"Didn't they know that you two knew each other?" Mick asked, quirking an eyebrow in confusion at her.
"Apparently not," she shrugged, leaning back in her chair, "I truly don't know but we were all shocked about our mutual friends."
"How was the dinner then?" Charles asked, "did you manage to survive dinner with Toto?"
"I did, dinner was lovely," she chuckled, "oh, and Federica's pregnant!"
"Well that's amazing!" Mick beamed, sheer happiness forming on his face at the news of the woman he also knew quite well, "Ah, a mini Federica's gonna be running around soon!"
"And she's gonna have the coolest god mother!" Alessandra replied, giving the boys a satisfied, and excited, grin as they congratulated her.
"Don't forget the brilliant god father," the group's heads snapped in the direction of the thick voice belonging to only one Austrian in the paddock, "telling them about our dinner last night, Alessandra?"
The Italian team principal wanted to sink deep into her seat when she saw the shocked looks on the drivers' faces, jaws dropping to the floor as they processed what their rival team principal just said. She then glanced at Toto, who was taunting her with the amused look he was giving her as he stood next to Max, who's mouth was opening and closing like a fish as he tried to find the words.
"Oh Federica's child is one lucky baby," Carlos chuckled, breaking the silence that fell over them, looking at the two team principals, "a whole powerhouse for god parents."
"Well, congratulations are in order for you too, Toto," Charles said, grinning at the Austrian, "Max was showing us pictures of you two last night. Might be the talk of today." Toto chuckled at the loud whine Alessandra let out, hiding her face in her hands.
"Our personal lives is none of the media's business," Toto replied sternly, "plus, with the drivers rumours roaming around, I highly doubt that our dinner will be the main topic of conversation."
"I hope not," Alessandra sighed, "I do not want to deal with endless rumours about the two of us."
"We know how to deal with these kinds of things, Ale," Toto said, giving her a warm smile, "you better than any of us."
"If an announcement from a team needs to come out, it better come out now," she chuckled, returning the smile, which the drivers caught, but decided not to say anything about it. "So we can let them have the spotlight."
Max started shuffling slightly at the mention of team announcements, glancing down at his watch before looking back up to the group. "I've got to get going," he said, pushing his body of the banister he was resting against, "I'll see you guys later!" They all waved goodbye at him as he walked away whilst waving back at them.
"I'm heading off too," Toto said, giving the drivers hand shakes before turning to Alessandra, "see you in the media pen."
"See you in a bit," she nodded, giving him a soft smile, which he returned before walking away too.
"Ah, Alessandra," Charles said in a taunting voice, which earned him a challenging look from the Italian, "these coincidences are getting out of hand."
"Tell me about it," she groaned, shaking his head, "I mean, out of all the people in the world, Matteo's good friend is Toto. And they've known each other a long time, like back when Toto was racing."
"This should really be studied," Mick chuckled, "like what the hell is the universe trying to te-" The german was cut off from the endless buzzing coming from their phones. They all grabbed their devices in their hands, looking at the notification they all released, and not just the five sat around the table, but basically everyone in the paddock, because as they read the headline, the paddock was filling with loud conversations.
FORMULA 1: SERGIO PEREZ WILL NOT RACE WITH RED BULL RACING IN 2024
"And there we have it ladies and gentlemen," Charles said as they all glanced at each other, "Silly season has officially begun!"
And what Alessandra didn't know was that, this was only the beginning, and this would be tumbling down like blocks of dominos, and her team would be a part of that tumbling.
For the majority of the media day, the main focus was on Red Bull Racing, the drivers and team principals all getting questions about how the team from Milton Keynes will effect them with regards to the driver market. Journalists barely cared about what was to be expected from the teams for the race weekend, which was understandable. Dropping a bomb like this right before media duties commenced was going to cause an upright roar and journalists needed every opinion and possible scenarios from every driver and team principal they talked too.
Alessandra was hoping that whilst she did the interviews in the media pen, she would not get any questions regarding her dinner last night. And she thought she was successful when she walked towards the last interview she had in the pen, which was with the Dutch media. But when she took her position in front of the microphone, and Toto came standing next to her as he was about to start his interview with Sky Sports, that success was thrown out the window.
"Oh I'm glad I have you and Toto next to each other!" Alessandra's interviewer exclaimed, which got the two team principals looking at each other, giving each other the same look as they knew what was about to be asked. "A few pictures of you two have been circulating the media, having dinner together in a fancy restaurant in the city last night. What was the deal behind the dinner? Are you planning on swapping drivers?"
"No, the dinner did not involve anything Formula 1 related," Alessandra said as Toto walked closer to her, "and even if it did, we wouldn't be telling you anything about it until anything was confirmed."
"Oh so it wasn't a business dinner," the journalist said, amused laced in his voice, the smirk on his face slowly making Alessandra sick, "so what was it then? A sort of date? Alessandra are you dating your rival?"
"Apart from the fact that you just asked a very inappropriate question," Toto jumped in, and Alessandra could feel that he was becoming pissed, "you are here to ask about our jobs, our teams and our drivers. So, how about you stick to those questions?"
"You did not deny my question though," he continued taunting, "so what is it, Ms Ferrari, are you fucking your rival to get to the top?"
Toto felt like he was about to explode, and his body was reacting before he could think, almost launching himself to the journalist. But Alessandra saw it coming, quickly turning towards him, putting her hands on his chest to stop him from moving anywhere closer to him. Alessandra looked up at him, feeling his heart beat fast under his chest, the gentle dig of her nails into his skin got him to look down at her, her soft blue eyes slowly calming his anger down, settling him back down to reality.
"I've got this," she whispered, giving him a gentle smile before dropping her hands and turning back to the journalists, who's eyes widened in slight fear when he was met with a confident smirk, but glaring eyes, "I'm going to answer your question to set the record straight, not to satisfy whatever it is you're trying to do. Toto and I do not have any relationship apart from being rivals, colleagues and friends. I am not fucking my way up to the top, I have worked extremely hard to get to where I am, and my only focus is my team and racing, which should also be your main focus since you're a formula 1 journalist. But now, I am ending my interview with you because you do not deserve any answers regarding the weekend from me. Have some shame and do better."
Toto watched as she walked away with Chiara by her side, head held high as she strode the paddock, oozing confidence and domination, and he couldn't help but smile at how well she handled the situation, and at how well she managed to stop him from doing something stupid, even though he knew that the journalist deserved it.
That's my girl, he thought to himself as he went back to the interview he was about to start with Sky before the whole ordeal went off.
Alessandra was sat in her office after finishing her eventful media duties, replying to emails and answering phone calls from Maranello, which was the perfect distraction she needed after once again, trying to be mansplained and accused of things by journalists. She knew that it came with the job being the only woman in such power, but she hated it even more. She also couldn't stop thinking about how angry Toto got when he heard the accusations the Dutch journalist threw at her, and how she managed to calm him down. Everyone who was involved in Formula 1, or even just watched the races, knew that when Toto got angry, it would be hard to calm him down. But she managed to in a matter of seconds, and that confused her, she didn't know if that was a good thing or not, especially because they were rivals. And she couldn't stop thinking about how hot he looked when he got really angry, the burning fire behind his eyes was something like no other, his jaw clenched tightly and his nostrils flaring. It was a sight to behold.
She was taken out of her thoughts by the knocks on the glass door, shouting a come in as she looked up from her laptop, smiling when she watched Mick walk in, closing the door behind him before he made his way towards her desk.
"Hey, I heard about what happened in the media pen," he said as he took a seat on the other side of the desk, "are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good," she nodded, "at least he was the only journalist who asked me about the dinner. I handled him accusing me of fucking Toto to get to the top, which really does not make sense if you think about it."
"You should talk to the executive about it," Mick sighed, shaking his head, "I know you always handle these kind of comments really well, but you shouldn't even be getting them in general!"
"I know, and I'll talk to Stefano about it. But enough of that, let's get down to why I asked you to come here," Mick nodded, leaning back in his chair as he waited to listen to his boss, "what do you think about World Endurance racing?"
"It's absolutely amazing!" Mick beamed, "I've been watching as much as I could, and it's amazing to see Ferrari do so well in the hypercar category!"
"What do you think about racing in hypercar next season?" Mick's eyes widened in surprise at her question, "You'll still be our reserve, of course, but what do you think of also joining the Hypercar team and race in endurance? I believe that racing it that category would give you some really good experience and learn so much, before I find you a seat in Formula 1 for 2025, what do you say?"
"You believe that I could return to Formula 1 in 2025?" Mick asked, looking at her with his soft blue eyes as he registered how much his best friend and boss believed in him, especially how everything went down for him when he was at Haas last season.
"I'm hoping that you'll be driving for us in 2025," she grinned, "but if not for us, for someone else, I'm sure."
"Yes," he quickly replied, nodding his head furiously which earned him a chuckle from the Italian, "I'd love to race with the hypercar team!"
"Alright then, I'll settle everything with that team when we get back in Maranello!" She beamed, resting her elbows on the desk as she leaned slightly forward, "I just want to say, right now there's nothing concrete if Carlos is staying with us next season or not, so if we do get a new driver for next year, I don't want you to think that it's because you don't deserve it or anything like that. I believe that also experiencing another part of Ferrari would do you wonders for your future, and you'll come back to this grid being an even better driver than you already are."
"I know that you mean well for me, and I'm not saying this because you're basically my eldest sister," he chuckled, "but I trust your judgement, you know this sport better than any of us, and plus, especially after seeing how well the AF Corse team is doing in hypercar, I'd love to experience it too, even just testing it in the simulator was amazing, let alone driving the real thing!"
"I'm glad," she smiled, grabbing his hand and give it a gentle squeeze, "when we get back to Maranello, we'll confirm everything, and I'll even introduce you properly to the drivers, I know they'll be happy to show you the ropes, especially Giovinazzi and Fuoco."
"Thank you so much, Ale," he grinned, "are you done from media day?"
"Got a couple of interviews left in my agenda," she shrugged, "if you're done, you can head back to the hotel and rest. The heatwave is not helping anyone and I'm ready to just spend the evening under the shower or even in the pool."
"Yeah, I might just do that," he replied, standing up from the chair, "if you're up for it, we can order some room service for dinner and enjoy the AC in our room?"
"I'll let you know when I'm back then," she answered, also standing up from her chair, walking around the desk and stood in front of him, "I hope you know how much we value every moment you've spent in the simulator. You've been vital in how well the car works."
"I appreciate it Ale," he said as he pulled her in a hug, "thank you for always believing in me, especially when others didn't."
"I never doubted your talent and capabilities," she mumbled before pulling away, "now go, enjoy the rest of your day in endless air con." He chuckled, nodding before leaving her office.
Alessandra was glad to be back in her office once more after finally finishing her media duties, enjoying the air conditioning blasting through the room, cooling her body after spending more time in the middle of the heatwave, which only got worse as the hours passed. She was finishing up any work she had for the day, closing her laptop when someone knocked on her door.
"Carlos!" She exclaimed when he walked inside her office after granting entrance, "did you just finish your media duties?"
"Yeah, and honestly, doing a speed challenge in this heat wave was not the smartest idea by Sky," he chuckled as he stood at her desk, "are you done too?"
"Yeah, just finished up some data reading too," she said, glancing up at him concerned when she saw how unsettled he looked, "are you okay, Carlos?"
"Yeah," he sighed, running a hand through his slightly damped hair, "I need to talk to you about something." She nodded, standing up from her chair, gesturing with her hand to the red couch at the side of her office, which he nodded to before sitting down on it, slowly sinking into it as she joined him.
"What did you want to talk about?" She asked as she crossed her legs under her, leaning against the couch as she glanced down at him.
"I've known for a while that Checo was not going to continue with Red Bull," Alessandra nodded as he started to talk, the slight unsettling feeling in her stomach giving her an indication to what this conversation was going to be about, "Christian told me a few weeks ago. He came up to me and he offered me the seat."
Alessandra knew that this was all part of the sport, her driver potentially leaving to go with another team. She couldn't stop them if their contracts were expiring, and she had to support whatever they decided, because at the end of the day she couldn't hold them on a leash, tie them down to her team forever, unless they wanted to. But it did hurt, especially when she had such close relationship with her drivers, even outside of the sport. It was these moments where separating professional and personal feelings would hurt like an absolute bitch, but it was also these moments where she had to prioritise being professional.
"Okay," she started, "and what do you want to do?"
The Spaniard let out a loud sigh as he rubbed his hands against his face, barely able to look Alessandra in the eyes, especially when she looked at him with a kind glance. He has been conflicted about his future ever since Christian Horner came up to him during the Hungary grand prix. Before that, he was certain that he would continue with Ferrari for as long as he could, but as weeks passed after being offered the seat at the current reigning world champions, he thought about it long and hard. And he wished he talked to Alessandra sooner, but he couldn't until it was announced. He wished he got this part of his career over and done with, because it was hurting him, especially because of how close him and Alessandra are away from the track, how she's helped him in personal issues, how good of a boss she's been to him.
"When I started racing, I was a Red Bull athlete, and I had dreamed of driving for the main team, but I never had the chance, which was kind of a blessing because I learned so much from my time at Renault and Mclaren," he started, finally managing the courage to look up at her, "and then I came to Ferrari, which was a dream come true, being able to form part of the most historic team to exist. And honestly, before Christian came up to me about the seat, I was certain that I was staying for many more years with you guys."
"But Christian's giving you the opportunity to live the dream you had coming into Formula 1," she said, giving him a sad smile, "and you've made your decision about it."
"I don't want you to resent me because of it Ale," he sighed once more, resting his head on his arm that was resting on top of the couch, looking, and feeling, absolutely devastated, "your friendship the past few years means the world to me. My time at Ferrari will be times I'll look back to with a huge smile on my face. But yes, I want to live the dream I had when I started all of this, now that I'm given the chance."
"I could never resent you, Carlos," she said, placing her hand on top of his, "you see how we are with Max, who drives for Red Bull, and it will be the same for your from next season. We know how to separate our personal lives to our professional lives, nothing will change, and I will always support you, no matter where you are."
"And I'll always support you, Ale," he said, taking her hand in his, "you've been an amazing engineer, and an even better boss. You have made my time at Ferrari so amazing, and still having you in my corner when I start my new journey means the absolute world."
"Okay, so, when you can, let Christian know about your decision, but all I ask is that you do it discreetly so we can avoid as much rumours as we can, until we announce your departure," the Spaniard nodded, promising her what she asked of him, "when we return to Maranello, we'll confirm everything, then decide when best to announce it. All you have to do then is finalise with Christian, prepare with your PR manager what to answer when asked about your departure. And I will talk with Christian to discuss when it's best to announce your new journey."
"I'm sorry Ale," Alessandra's heart was already breaking as they confirmed what their upcoming plans were, but it shattered in a million pieces when she saw how wet his eyes have become, "I never thought this would happen."
"Don't be sorry, Carlos," she said, squeezing his hand gently, "everyone should follow their dreams. And that's what you're going to do."
"How about tonight, you come over to my room," he started, "I'll tell Charles and Mick to come too, so I can let them know about what's happening."
"Yeah, we can do that," she smiled, "should we head back to the hotel?" He nodded, and the two stood up from the couch. Alessandra packed her stuff, throwing her bag over her shoulder before turning to Carlos, who gave her a sad smile as he pulled her in a hug. She sighed against his chest, giving him a tight squeeze. They pulled away, giving each other a soft smile before making their way out of the motor home.
Throughout the weekend, Alessandra was communicating with the management back in Maranello to let them know about Carlos's move and plan important meetings with the Spaniard, and with the executive to discuss potential drivers to partner up with Charles. Carlos did tell Charles and Mick the evening he told Alessandra, during dinner in his room, which shocked the Monegasque and German, not expecting that Carlos would leave the team.
The Italian team principal was trying to get used to the idea that there's only a few races left before Carlos leaves the team, and as much as she was gutted at the thought of not seeing her friend so often because of their job, she knew that she would see him at least almost every weekend, they weren't going to be worlds apart. She was also focusing on the team more than ever, knowing that they're inching closer to the championship finale, and could not afford to make mistakes, now more than ever.
She was very pleased with the qualifying they had, Charles securing another pole under the night lights of Singapore, with Carlos locking up the front row and had Max and George in the second row. Singapore, apart from the challenge the heatwave alone gave the drivers, was a difficult track to drive, a hard one to master, but she was happy to see that her drivers had no problem going around it and that the car was responding well to it.
The morning of the race, Alessandra was on her bed, enjoying the air conditioning as much as she could before she needed to head to the track. She had just called her father, letting him know how the weekend was doing and that she'll see him in Japan next week, a race they have attended together almost every year, and the fact that this time she's team principal, it means a lot to her that he'll be there supporting her.
She then ordered breakfast up to her room, trying to avoid leaving her room as much as she could before she actually had too, and a moment after she started eating the bowl of berries she ordered, her phone buzzed in her hands, and she looked at it with wide eyes, almost choking on her food.
She quickly went in her phone app, dialling the group chat, leaving it on speaker as she went back to the notification, reading the article Formula 1 posted.
"Ale, I'm on my way to your room right now," Charles said, "you got the notification, right?"
"I'm about to head out of my room now," Carlos quickly said, "Charles wait for me!"
"Try not to wake up the whole hotel," Mick hissed, and she could hear the door close, indicating that he also left the room, "Ale, can you order some food for me? I haven't eaten anything yet."
"Just order when you get here," she chuckled, "Max, are you still lazying in your room?"
"Nope, I'm in front of your door," Alessandra rolled her eyes as she stood up from her bed, making her way to the door, opening it to find the four drivers behind it, giving her sheepish grins, "well, all of us." She moved to the side, letting them all walk in, shaking her head as Charles and Max kicked off their sneakers and made themselves comfortable on her bed. She then saw Mick eyeing her food selection on the table, sneakingly taking one of the crossaints and started munching on it, then watched his cheeks heat up when he realised that he got caught.
"It's like I knew that I was going to have company this fine morning," she chuckled as she grabbed her bowl of berries and sat between the two drivers, whilst Carlos and Mick grabbed some food from the table and sat down around it.
"So," Max started, "what do we think of the news?"
"I'm surprised honestly," Charles said, "I thought he would renew for at least another two years."
"This has to be the craziest silly season in a long while," Max chuckled, and the fact that both announcements came out in one weekend makes it even crazier."
"And ours is going to come out in a couple of weeks," Alessandra said, which earned her a confused look from Max, "Carlos is leaving Ferrari."
"Oh wait seriously?" Max asked, turning to the Spaniard, "so you accepted Christian's offer after all?"
"Yeah, I just need to tell him that I'm joining next season," Carlos nodded, "don't tell anyone else Max!"
"You know I won't," he chuckled, "I wanted to say something about Checo but I couldn't."
"Anyway, back to the announcement," Mick quickly said, "what do you think is going to happen now?"
Alessandra was enjoying munching on her berries, but then she stopped when she looked up at her friends, and found them looking down at her, as if they were waiting an answer from her about something. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Are you thinking about bringing Lewis to the team?" Max asked, "I mean it would be a killer move if you did."
"Max, I love you," she chuckled, shaking her head, "but I'm not discussing who I'm bringing to the team with you."
"Fair enough," he grinned, "I'm just saying, I know for a fact that even if Carlos declined Christian's offer, he wouldn't join us."
"Maybe he's deciding to retire," she shrugged, "who knows?"
"Wouldn't he announce his retirement, though?" Charles asked, "like Seb did last year?"
"Maybe he hasn't decided what he wants to do yet," Carlos shrugged, "just he knows that he doesn't want to stay with Mercedes."
After they chatted about Lewis Hamilton's possible new career move, the drivers left her room so they all could get ready for the race. She then met with Mick in the lobby a couple of hours later, the two getting into her Ferrari SF90 Stradale and made their way to the track.
For the majority of the day, her and the majority of the team were shielding from the heatwave in the motor home, her having the luxury of being able to stay in her office, which was also occupied by the drivers who did not feel like being around lots of people in the main hospitality area of the motor home. They were slightly dreading to leave when it was time to head to the track for the driver's parade and the national anthem, knowing that the moment they leave the office, they're going to be in the heat for at least 4 hours. Alessandra may be in the garage, but that won't help her and her team shield from the heat.
During the national anthem, she stood next to Toto, who had a serious look on his face, one which was different from his usual serious demeanour, and she didn't know if she should say anything to him, especially regarding the shock news of the weekend. She decided not to mess with him in any way, just gave him a smile as a greeting and let her mind go into focus solely for the race.
Alessandra was drenched in sweat when Charles crossed the finish line first, followed by Max, then Carlos, feeling slightly faint too, but she didn't care as she was pulled in a hug by Mick and Andrea, who were also sweating like pigs. Her and the team threw each other cold water bottles before making their way out to parc Ferme, cheering their drivers on as they got out of the car and jumped in the arms of the team members.
Whilst they waited for their drivers to get on the podium, Alessandra, Mick and the rest of the team personnels were showering each other with the cold water, trying to cool each other off as the humidity of the evening got stronger. What Alessandra didn't know that Toto was watching her pour water over herself from his team's garage, eyeing the way her team button up was sticking against her body, forming every feature she had perfectly. At that moment, he forgot about how his team officially announced that their record breaking champion decided not to renew with the team, which was a sort of embarrassing moment after the hope and speculation that Lewis would eventually renew with his team. He understood Lewis's reason as to why he didn't renew, although he wished he knew if he was going to another team, or if he even was staying in the sport.
He sighed as he watched her beam up at her drivers on the podium, her face radiating happiness, which he knew she deserved after the accusations and verbal harassment she received because of the pictures shared on line of the two of them at dinner. But he was disappointed that his drivers did not make it on the podium, and so he made his way back inside the garage, making a mental note on what he wanted to check and what he wanted to tell the team during debrief.
After celebrating in the garage the amazing result by Charles and Carlos, inching the Monegasque, and the team, closer to the championships, Alessandra and the team went back to their hotel, promising to celebrate properly when they arrive in Japan, because all everyone wanted was to be under good air conditioning. She enjoyed a long cold shower, spending a good amount of time under the water which was cooling her body from the horrid heatwave she experienced. As much as she loved Singapore and the track, she couldn't wait to head somewhere where the heat was not attempting her to pass out every few minutes. When she got out of the bathroom and made her way back to her bed, she looked down at her phone as her ringtone blasted through the room. She grabbed it, looking down at the caller id, her eyes widening slightly in surprise when she saw the name on her phone, quickly pressing the answer button before putting the device against the side of her face.
"Hello?" She asked, having no idea how to greet him as she sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Hi Ale," he answered, "I hope I'm not catching you in a bad time?"
"No, no you're good," she said, letting out a chuckle, "How can I help you?"
"I would like to have a proper chat with you," he said, "and if it could be face to face, it would be better."
"Is this about what I think it is?" Alessandra asked, her gut feeling about what the conversation could be getting stronger and stronger since she saw his name on her phone.
"It could be, yes," he replied, "do you have a moment for me when we're in Japan?"
"Yes, I have some free time somewhere in my schedule," she answered, which got him chuckling this time, "but we have to find somewhere where no one can see us, because before anything becomes concrete if it does, we cannot be seen together."
"Yeah, you're right," he nodded, "we'll plan everything when we get to Japan. But I do have one thing to ask of you."
"And what's that?" She asked.
"Don't tell Toto anything about any of this," Lewis said, "I didn't tell him what options I was going for when I decided to not renew."
"I mean, there is always Red Bull too now with the seat vacant," Alessandra commented, which caused Lewis to let out a snort, making her laugh even harder.
"Never in a million years would I dream of spending my last year or two years racing with that team," he scoffed, "plus I heard some rumours that Carlos could be taking that seat?"
"I am not going to comment on that," she chuckled, "I'll obviously respect your wishes and won't tell Toto anything, but can I ask why?"
"I'll explain to you everything when we meet," he replied, "I'll let you enjoy the rest of the night, which you truly deserved after another amazing weekend for the team. And thank you for agreeing to meet with me."
"You're welcome Lewis," she said, "and have a good night as well. I'll see you in Japan."
"See you in Japan Ale." Alessandra sighed when he hung up, throwing her phone on her bed as she ran a hand through her damp hair.
Not only has her and her team was about to be publicly involved in silly season when they announce Carlos's departure, but now they're going to be neck deep in silly season too if Lewis actually decides to join her team after not renewing with the Prancing Horse's biggest rival. Japan awaited them, and she knew that there won't be a single quiet moment for her during that week, and she was already pressuring herself to push her agenda about the race, but now she has to deal with the driver market too.