LDR Ch 24

Leo looked around the garage, which was filled with joy. Even though they had somehow managed to fix the car, it was not as if no one was nervous due to the reliability issue. But amidst that, it was clear that everyone was excited. It was the atmosphere of the very team that everyone dreams of and imagines when they think of Formula One.

Everyone was waiting for tomorrow.

“Leo.”

He turned his head at the voice he heard on his way out of the office in the motorhome, and saw Stefan right there.

“Hello, Steve. Is your leg okay?”

Stefan had injured his leg while riding a bicycle during his vacation and had not even participated in the Barcelona test. He said he was better now, but it did not seem like he had fully recovered.

“It’s all healed. I heard Harry got pole. Congratulations.”

As soon as Stefan said that, he looked at Leo’s expression and immediately asked.

“Why?”

It seemed the surprise was all over his face. Although Harrison and Stefan’s relationship had improved a lot, they did not go out of their way to praise each other.

“I’m 38 now, I don’t have the energy to fight outside of the race.”

Seeing his smiling face, you could really see a generosity that was not present in the Stefan of the past. It did not even feel like that much time had passed.

“Ah, but I was congratulating you. Don’t tell Harry.”

But at the following request, Leo smiled and replied.

“Thanks, anyway. What did the doctor say?”

“To take a lot of painkillers.”

“The prescription hasn’t changed in 30 years.”

Leo often heard stories from the time his maternal grandfather was still involved in racing, and back then, the safety regulations were far more inadequate than now, and safety awareness was also lacking, so he would hear stories of drivers getting into the car even with a broken bone. When asked how they could drive, he heard they just took a lot of painkillers and drove, and it had not changed to this day.

“It’ll be the same in 10 years.”

Leo walked slower than usual next to Stefan and checked his leg. Walking did not seem to be a problem, but being in a cramped cockpit for several hours was another story.

“You’re going to the parade now, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s a truck this time, so be careful.”

At Leo’s words, Stefan let out a sigh.

“I’ll have to. Thanks.”

The parade before the main race sometimes involved the drivers riding together on a truck and lapping the track, and sometimes each in a classic car, and this time it was a truck. While you could at least sit in a classic car, you had to stand the whole time on the truck.

The distance from the motorhome to the garage was short, so Leo parted with Stefan and entered the garage, and familiarly looked at the screen. In it, Harrison was already waiting, talking with other drivers for the parade.

Leo naturally checked the time. There was not much time left until the main race.

The Bahrain circuit begins with a long straight. As the five red lights on the traffic signal lit up in sequence and then went out, the cars, which had been lined up on the grid in order of their ranking, all sped off at once. Harrison maintained 1st place as he passed the straight, but Nathan, who was in 2nd, was pushed back by the cars aggressively pushing for a gap and could not find a position, falling behind.

— Harrison Turner has a very good start! In contrast, it’s a disaster for Nathan Morel! He has lost a lot of positions. He’s trying to regain his position, but for now, he can only manage to hold his ground. It’s very unfortunate. It was the best starting position of his career, and to go down at once. If Nathan Morel has a nightmare in the future, this moment will surely be in it!

The first corner after the long straight was a hairpin that turned to the right, requiring very hard braking. After passing through the continuous 2nd and 3rd corners, Nathan was already in 5th place. While it was certainly a good thing that Harrison was still leading in the chaos, the atmosphere in the garage and on the pit wall was not good because Nathan’s ranking had dropped significantly.

After another straight that followed, they met the 4th corner, which was considered quite tight, and since it was a corner where oversteer commonly occurred on exit, everyone was tense. But fortunately, both Harrison and Nathan drove on, maintaining their positions without much wavering.

After that came the high-speed corners that required downforce, and both drivers passed them quickly, just as Anna had confidently stated. And they quickly passed the 8th corner, a hairpin, that followed. The 9th corner was another element of tension, as it was very easy to lock up if you did not find the braking point precisely.

— Harrison Turner, his pace is quite good. Especially this season, ABW is showing great strength in high-speed corners, and according to Anna Griffin, ABW’s technical director, before the race, ah! Lock-up!

Harrison exited the corner properly, but the car running in 2nd place locked up and almost hit Harrison for a moment. Everyone held their breath for a moment, but Harrison, who had slightly wavered while avoiding the car behind him, immediately regained his balance and quickly passed the following straight, increasing the distance.

— Alfred Hansen locked up at the 9th corner. It’s a section where other drivers have had the same accident a lot before! He almost collided with Harrison Turner, but fortunately, both cars are safe. But Alfred Hansen has lost his position.

Bahrain was a track with long straights and tricky corners for their own respective reasons, but Harrison safely, and on top of that, quickly, completed the chaotic first lap and returned to the starting point to begin another lap. Now what was left was to not get overtaken and to manage the overall temperature, including the tires and brakes, while completing 57 laps of corners that required strong braking.

But in contrast to the quite chaotic first lap, there was not much after that. The broadcast cameras did not even show Harrison. Of the total 57 laps, up to the 48th lap he was currently on, Harrison had hardly been seen on the broadcast screen except for when he almost crashed halfway through the first lap. While broadcasting the fierce battle happening behind him, they would occasionally show Harrison for about 2 seconds just to let people know he was there, and then turn the camera away again.

On top of that, Nathan, who had dropped to 5th in the first lap and, as the commentators said, would probably have nightmares from time to time, had struggled a bit afterwards but had steadily climbed back up to reclaim 2nd place. He had even gained positions mostly on the straights, so there was no need to clash in corner battles. ABW’s chronic weakness had been the engine, but they were proving that the Ellington engine was working very well through their straight-line speed.

You could not see the face of the Ellington engine representative on the pit wall, but he was surely delighted. The fact that an ABW Racing car was overtaking on a straight was unfamiliar even to Leo, so how moving must it be for the engine development team who were the main contributors.

— The winner of this Bahrain Grand Prix crosses the finish line! Harrison Turner! It was a perfect race!

And then, just like that, the race was over. Leo had not even heard Harrison’s voice much. It was natural since there was nothing much to radio about. Leo ran out to the pit wall and, seeing the mechanics hanging onto the fence and welcoming Harrison, he went out with the other engineers to celebrate Harrison’s podium.

Harrison, who had received the checkered flag, waved to the crowd and slowly lapped the circuit, then got out of the car somewhat slowly, and, as if saying ‘good job,’ he patted the halo part of the car like he was petting a dog. He was still wearing his helmet, but a sense of bewilderment was evident in all his movements, which made him smile without realizing it.

Then, as soon as Harrison came out of the parc fermé, he looked over the fence and ran straight to Leo.

“Congratulations.”

As he hugged Harrison and said, Harrison also gave Leo a tight hug. And then he was immediately snatched away by other engineers and mechanics, but it was a justified appropriation.

— Harry, you achieved a grand slam by getting pole position, the fastest lap, and leading every lap without ever being overtaken. Did you expect this result? What were you most focused on during the race today?

— I didn’t expect a grand slam, but I should say I was hoping for it. I thank the team for making this result possible. Especially, I really want to say that today’s result was possible because everyone was so nervous about the Barcelona test that they worked without sleep. Since it’s a track that requires strong braking, I was most focused on temperature management, but I was confident that the car would follow my movements, so I was able to drive with confidence. I also thank the fans who always support me.

After finishing the interview, Harrison was about to come back to where Leo and the team members were, but he was caught by a staff member and went into the cool-down room. After that, Nathan, who was in 2nd place, gave an interview with a bright smile, and after the 3rd place driver also finished his interview, the scene from the cool-down room, where they rest for a while before going up to the podium, was shown on the big screen.

As he was watching Nathan and Harrison talking while watching the race highlights playing in the cool-down room, a whispering voice came from his side.

“I’m not going to come to the track anymore unless it’s absolutely necessary. The way they’re laughing together will be over in just two more races.”

When he turned his head, Anna was serenely gazing at the harmonious cool-down room.

“Why are you here?”

Not only the drivers up to 3rd place but also one member of the 1st place team went up to the podium. This time, it was naturally Anna who was supposed to go up, so he wondered why she was here.

At that, Anna shrugged her shoulders once and then, following the person guiding her, she started walking to go up to the podium. Leo looked for Simon while watching the drivers go up to the podium one by one.

“Anna predicts that the relationship between Harry and Nate will be ruined in two races. Do you have a contingency plan?”

“No way. They’ll at least make it to Monaco.”

It meant there was no contingency plan. In the first place, if there was a contingency plan, teams would not have to struggle every year. The drivers, who are sometimes called generational talents and at other times told they will not have a seat next season, all sitting in seats permitted to only 22 people in the entire world, all had strong egos in one way or another. They had fought hard without listening to others to get to that position, so there was no way they would listen to someone telling them not to fight now.

When he looked back at the podium, the British national anthem had already ended, and Harrison was blocking Anna, who was trying to run away, and from behind, Nate was spraying champagne. Then, Harrison, not just spraying but pouring champagne to drench Anna, ran forward and sprayed champagne towards the ABW Racing team members below.

Leo had already anticipated it and moved away, but Harrison, from up there, managed to aim accurately and spray a full face of champagne on Simon. Leo watched the faces of the team members who were hit with champagne. Their pure joy, even though they could not even open their eyes properly.

Australian Grand Prix

Albert Park Circuit

[I’ve been meaning to tell you]

[Don’t come to the debriefing anymore]

Leo was in an office job now, so his going to Bahrain in the first place was an exception made because it was the first race. Therefore, for the second race in Saudi Arabia and the third race, the Australian Grand Prix, which was happening now, he had remained at the headquarters, and a little while ago, he had just finished watching the remote qualifying debriefing. But at the sudden message, Leo’s fingers moved naturally.

[Why?]

Naturally enough, Leo only watched the debriefing and did not say a word. He had not even participated in the debriefing when they were traveling to the tracks together. So, since there was nothing for him to come or not come to, he wondered what he was talking about.

[You’re so pretty I can’t concentrate]

At the following message, Leo thought of his lover in the southern hemisphere.

[What are you going to do by seducing me again?]

[You might smile at me]

They had been dating for several years, but the reply was like someone who had just gotten a number and was contacting them for the first time.

[I just smiled]

And at the following message, Leo replied without hiding the smile he had been wearing since he received Harrison’s message.

[I’ll show you when you get back]

[Not now]

[I’m working]

Harrison and Leo now knew what each other would say without having to say much. Of course, Leo wanted to have a video call too, but unlike Australia where it was already night, it was still lunchtime in the UK where he was, which was in the middle of working hours.

Even so, Leo sent a photo afterwards. On the television, Harrison was being interviewed after winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and the dogs were gathered cozily in front of that television.

[Do they know it’s me?]

At that question, Leo replied without hesitation.

[They don’t]

In reality, it was just a coincidence that he had taken the picture. The dogs, both before and after that photo, had no interest in the television and were just wandering around as they pleased. Leo then unnecessarily looked around, then stealthily closed his office door and called Harrison.

“I’m at work, so we have to talk about work.”

[By all means. I just need to hear your voice.]

“I called because I wanted to hear your voice.”

[We can’t talk about work like this.]

Maybe I should have lowered the blinds too. But that would look too strange. Wouldn’t it seem like something was going on if the blinds were drawn in an office that usually even had its door open, especially when there was no guest.

“How are things with Nate?”

After pulling himself together and trying to talk about work, Harrison did not avoid it and answered.

[I apologized after it was over.]

“You, apologized?”

Anna’s prophecy that their relationship would be ruined in two races was half right, as the competition between the teammates was slowly beginning. Then, in an interview held after the qualifying session a few hours ago, when a reporter asked Nathan about the difference in results compared to Harrison, he had replied that the difference was inevitable because the updates were only given to Harrison.

[He said he didn’t know it was that.]

“So he apologized?”

In Formula One, it is not over just because you have built a car. There are always updates, big or small, for improvement, but due to budget constraints, they could not be applied equally to all cars. On top of that, when changing parts, you naturally expect an improvement, but sometimes it has the opposite effect, so they usually test it on only one driver, and if the results are good, they apply it to the other car as well.

In the case of ABW Racing, since Harrison had more experience and gave much better feedback, they had always applied it to Harrison first, but starting this season, they had given Nathan the option as well. It was the same this time, so Anna, after checking Nathan’s interview, had gotten angry, saying, “Why is he complaining when he was the one who refused it first?” But he had apologized.

Things like this were common. Whether you are actually discriminated against or not, how you feel is a different matter. So Leo was not particularly moved by the interview itself, but he was surprised to hear that he had realized his misunderstanding and apologized. No one apologizes in this field.

“Is there that much of a generational gap between you and Nate?”

He wondered if it was because Leo’s standards were all set to Harrison. The teammate rivalry between Harrison and Stefan had been spectacular in many ways; they did not care about things like the truth and used everything to their advantage.

At the time, listening to the stories while wandering around the paddock, everyone seemed to think it was nothing new, just a part of the championship battle. But had the era finally come where you admit your mistakes?

Although Harrison and Nate were only a year apart, in terms of career, there was a 5-year gap, so there was a bit of a generation gap.

[I apologize to you well too.]

“I said we have to talk about work.”

[Then….]

At Leo’s voice, which had no firmness at all, Harrison seemed to be thinking of what to say, and after a brief pause, he continued.

[Simon said they’re going to have our car investigated. He said 3 or 4 teams have already gathered. Did you hear about that?]

“Yeah. I know. It was two teams when I heard, but they haven’t specified which car to investigate yet?”

[They’ll probably nitpick some visible part. Anna said it would be fine.]

“She said if they only look at the visible parts, they won’t see what’s hidden in the invisible parts. She’s confident.”

[Then that’s fine.]

The fact that it is not over just because you have built a car also applied in these aspects. A slow car is fine no matter what you do, but everyone tries to find fault with a fast car. If they find something, it gets banned, and even if they do not, it can annoy the target.

The main ability of an engineer is to find loopholes in the regulations without breaking them, either by circumventing them or operating within a controversial scope, to make the car faster. Anna was particularly outstanding in that field, so although she would not be accused of intentionally breaking the regulations, she might be asked to make some modifications after an investigation, citing ambiguity in interpretation. But since the person in charge of building the car said it was fine, it would be fine.

[But you saw the debriefing anyway, do we need to talk more about work?]

At his voice, filled with a sense of injustice, Leo checked the time once more.