LDR Ch 26

And on the inside of that corner, there was no buffer zone. Although Harrison cursed the moment he crashed and got out of the car right away, walking perfectly fine, he had to crash straight into the wall with nothing to absorb the impact.

Leo could not bear to recall that scene again. Nevertheless, his mind was naturally filled with the events that followed.

Harrison would go to the medical center because a checkup is mandatory after a crash, and after that, he would do an interview, and after that, he would come to the garage to talk with the engineers, and when Nathan finished the race, they would have a full debriefing together, and he would go to the UK to talk with the headquarters staff, get on the simulator, move across continents, and then get back in that car again.

Again, and again, winning, losing, getting hurt, smiling, and crashing. Endlessly.

Harrison, who had come from his checkup at the medical center, went straight to the monitor to watch Nathan, who was still on the track. Before Harrison retired, Nathan was running in 3rd place, and since the 1st and 2nd place drivers retired side by side, he became 1st. He was holding that position well, even now as the race was nearing its end.

Leo watched Nathan entering the final lap in that exact position, then soon looked at Harrison beside him. Watching a teammate win a race that you have ruined would never feel good, but what would it feel like if you clearly knew that it was supposed to be your place?

When Nathan finally received the checkered flag, all the mechanics ran out. And through the crowd, Harrison’s calm voice flowed out.

“Leo, you can go too.”

When Leo looked at Harrison, the man smiled, his face slightly contorted as if in a wince.

“I figured it would be less sad if I said it first.”

“Should I not go?”

At Leo’s question, a smile that looked like a genuine smile finally settled on Harrison’s face.

“Nate’s parents are here too. And it’s his first Grand Prix win. The first time is special for anyone.”

Harrison’s first Grand Prix win had not been like this. It was a time when the tension with Stefan was escalating, and the team was already dominated by Stefan. On top of that, it was a situation where Stefan had retired and Harrison had won, so only the mechanics in charge of Harrison’s car went out to celebrate. There were not many team members under the podium either.

Just once, the only time Stefan had ever apologized was then. He had said that a first Grand Prix win absolutely had to be celebrated by everyone.

“If I said I wanted you to finish 2nd, what would you say?”

To Leo’s sudden question, Harrison answered with the same faint smile.

“I bet everyone else thought the same thing. 2nd place is much better than retiring.”

That was probably true. But, what Leo was talking about was not that kind of result-oriented story. When he just stared without giving any answer, the smile slowly faded from Harrison’s face. Leo squeezed his hand tightly once under the table and let go.

“You did well today. I’ll be back soon.”

Leo stood up from his seat and walked away. It was unclear whether it was to congratulate Nathan, or simply because he did not want to see that reaction anymore.

Miami Grand Prix

Miami Circuit

Originally, the plan was to only go see the European Grands Prix, but this time, he decided to go see the race in Miami to meet with sponsors. However, according to the plan, he should have arrived before qualifying, but things got tangled up, and Leo ended up watching qualifying from inside the plane.

Since the last Grand Prix, ABW Racing had started to lag slightly behind other teams in terms of overall speed, but fortunately, they regained their pace after a major update this time. Thanks to that, they had shown overwhelming pace in the 1st and 2nd practice sessions yesterday as well.

However, today was different. The circuit was unexpectedly windy, and because of that, the setup that had been prepared based on yesterday’s conditions made the car unstable. Nathan had even already been eliminated from qualifying after losing rear grip and hitting the wall.

Naturally, the atmosphere of the ABW team shown on the broadcast was not good. In such an atmosphere, the final qualifying session began. There was even talk that it would rain within a few minutes, so every team came out onto the track to set a good time somehow before the rain started. Among them, of course, was Harrison.

Leo watched the scene anxiously. There was a fact that everyone knew. If the same accident that happened to Nathan also happened to Harrison, it was bound to be bigger.

While Nathan prioritized the grip of the rear tires over the front tires, Harrison, on the contrary, prioritized the grip of the front tires over the rear tires. So if the same problem that occurred with Nathan were to happen to Harrison, it was a given that Harrison’s rear tires would lose control more severely.

— Although ABW has shown dominant pace this season, Harrison Turner has already retired twice in the four races so far. The remaining races are very important, and while his teammate Nathan Morel was eliminated a little while ago due to a vehicle control issue, Harrison Turner’s pace is quite good. Look! He takes the corner perfectly, and his exit speed is tremendous! Harrison Turner, has set a new 1st place record! That was a truly excellent lap!

Fortunately, Harrison set a new record without any problems. On top of that, although it was said that it would rain, it was still fine for now. With not much time left until the end, all he had to do was finish the last flying lap well.

Harrison and the other drivers, who had briefly gone into the garage, came back out onto the track in time, and after completing an out lap to warm up the tires, the flying lap to set a new record in earnest began. Harrison was still in 1st place, but the gap with the 2nd place driver was not large, so it seemed he was trying to go for one more lap.

— Will Harrison Turner have time to do one more lap? It’s possible! Who will take pole position in this Grand Prix? The time difference between the two drivers is very slim at the moment, but, ah!

Leo watched the crash, so very identical, yet so much bigger. It was the same corner as Nathan’s. The way the rear tires spun first and then the side of the car hit the wall was the same as well. The only difference was that the impact was visibly stronger.

— Sorry. The rear suddenly spun.

— Are you okay?

— Yeah. But the rear suddenly spun, sorry.

— We’ll check it.

Leo turned off the screen at the same time he confirmed Harrison was getting out of the car.

He had heard that Harrison was fine. But he wanted to check for himself and headed straight to the garage, but for some reason, the atmosphere was different from what he expected. Of course, they would be busy and hectic having to fix two cars, but the accident had happened during the final lap after the checkered flag had already come out. In that case, Harrison was still 1st in qualifying. He would naturally start tomorrow’s race in 1st place.

Of course, Nathan’s 13th place position could be concerning, but Nathan’s overtaking ability had been improving by leaps and bounds this season. He was also getting good starts. Yet somehow, the atmosphere in the garage was heavy for a team that had secured pole position. It was understandable that the weather engineer had a look on his face like he wanted to die, but the mechanics and other engineers as well?

“Why is the atmosphere like this?”

When Leo went and asked Simon, Simon pushed back the headset he was wearing and looked at Leo.

“Harry can’t race tomorrow.”

At those words, his expression hardened reflexively.

“Why? They said he wasn’t hurt anywhere, was that not true?”

“He seemed fine at first, but they say it might be an elbow fracture.”

“Where is he now?”

“Interview. He should be back soon.”

Then, Simon let out a sigh filled with worry. In that case, it was natural for the entire team to be down. According to the regulations, if it were before qualifying, they could send out the reserve driver, but since qualifying had already taken place, if Harrison could not participate, only Nathan from ABW would have to race in the main event.

Leo wanted to check on Harrison’s condition right away, so he left the garage and walked toward the interview area. As he walked, exchanging brief greetings with people he occasionally encountered, he happened to run into Nathan, who was returning to the garage after finishing his interview.

“Nate, are you okay from the crash?”

“Oh, hi, Leo. And yeah. I’m okay.”

Hearing his completely dispirited voice, his condition was even worse than expected. The atmosphere at today’s debriefing was going to be the worst.

“They say it won’t be windy tomorrow, so it’ll be much better than today.”

But since the race was still on, Leo spoke as if to lift his spirits, and Nathan forced a smile.

“Thanks.”

It was clear that holding onto him any longer would just seem like blaming him, so Leo let him go with a simple greeting, and Nathan walked away slowly, just as before. I hope Harry isn’t acting like that. Considering his personality, it’s unlikely.

After walking a little further, he finally spotted Harrison walking and talking with Heather. Leo, whose eyes met his immediately, hardened his expression as he looked at the bandage wrapped around Harrison’s elbow, then forced himself to manage his expression as he approached.

“Hello.”

First, he greeted Heather, and Harrison, who was next to her, looked at Leo.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t come today?”

“What did they say about that?”

Leo asked, looking directly at the bandage, and Harrison looked at Heather once, at Leo once, and then at the bandage once. Harrison had had many accidents so far but had never been injured, but for some reason, there had been a lot of incidents starting last year.

“It’s not severe, so they said I just need to be careful for about 2 weeks. But did you stop by the garage?”

“Yeah.”

“How is it?”

Instead of answering, Leo just walked beside Harrison. As he continued to look at Harrison’s bandaged elbow, Harrison covered that part with his uninjured arm. Checking his expression, there was no overt sign of being dispirited like Nathan, but his face was so expressionless that it was impossible to know what he was thinking.

No race is unimportant, but this race was particularly important. Harrison had already retired twice, and because of that, he was now 3rd in the overall driver standings. Nathan, on the other hand, had moved up to 1st. But if he won this race, he could at least become 2nd. If Nathan finished below 3rd, he could even become 1st. If he was truly aiming for the championship, the point gap could not be allowed to widen any further. But since he could not participate at all, he was bound to be upset.

With nothing particular to say, he walked in silence, and soon they arrived at the garage.

“It was worth not telling me.”

Harrison, who saw the atmosphere and whispered only to Leo, naturally walked over to start the debriefing.

Leo, unable to dare predict how this season would unfold, sifted through channels analyzing the qualifying results. Naturally, all the channels were talking about Nathan and Harrison’s unstable car setup, with the common criticism being that they had overlooked the importance of the weather.

In the end, Leo turned off the video that was analyzing Nathan’s and Harrison’s accidents from multiple angles, using onboard and broadcast footage, as well as onboard footage from other drivers. The same thing was probably happening inside the debriefing room right now, but for some reason, he could not keep watching.

As he waited for the debriefing to end, people soon came out. But Harrison was nowhere to be seen. Usually in a debriefing, they only discussed general things, and afterwards, drivers would discuss important information only with their designated engineers. That was a common occurrence, but Harrison usually did that at the hotel.

Feeling something was strange, he went out to look for him and saw Harrison, Simon, and Manuel talking in front of the debriefing office door. No, rather than talking, it would be a debate if put nicely, or a fight if put badly.

“I can do it. Who wouldn’t be able to do it with just this?”

“Are you going to quit after this race is over? How many more races are left!”

“I can do that, and I can do this too. You know that if I say I can do it, I can do it. We can’t even use the reserve, are we just going to sit back and do nothing?”

Harrison looked straight at Simon and continued speaking.

“I am not giving up my pole.”

Leo, momentarily unable to grasp the situation, watched Harrison’s back as he left the debriefing room and headed for the garage.

“Just now, what…”

Leo slowly approached Simon and Manuel and asked.

“Don’t tell me, is Harry saying he’s going to race tomorrow?”

At that, Simon put a hand to his forehead and nodded.

“Did anyone else approve?”

“It’s not about approval, Harry is being so stubborn that he won’t listen, you know.”

As soon as Leo heard that, he immediately started walking and followed Harrison. As expected, Harrison was in the garage.

“I’m going to race tomorrow.”

At Harrison’s voice, which came from among the mechanics, the mechanics surrounding him looked at each other.

“If you can just make it so I can drive this car tomorrow, I can win.”

“Harry.”

Leo went up behind him and called his name, suppressing his emotions, but Harrison glanced at Leo once and then looked back at the mechanics.

“There’s no reason to throw away the time and effort poured into this car. I’ll take responsibility.”

“Harrison Turner.”

Leo finally grabbed Harrison’s uninjured elbow and muttered in a low voice.

“You, explain to me what the fuck you think you’re doing. Right now.”

At that, Harrison looked at Leo with his calm gaze.

“I’ll go straight to the hotel. Let’s talk there.”

Then his gaze turned back to the mechanics.

“We are going to win tomorrow. With this car.”

Since they could not fight in front of everyone, Leo, who was at the hotel as Harrison had suggested, did not even bother to turn his head at the sound of someone entering.

“I’m sorry.”

Leo removed the hands that wrapped around his waist along with those words.

“Still, I can’t not do it when I can.”

Only then did Leo turn his body to look at Harrison. The bandage was still on his arm.

“What can you do with that arm?”

It was a late question. There are many drivers who get into a car even after getting hurt somewhere. Even Stefan this season had done so. So it is a truly late question. Why, must they get into the car even after being injured?

“If I take painkillers, driving for a few hours is no problem. And anyway, there are no races for two weeks after this one ends. That’s enough.”

Leo quietly looked at Harrison. The gaze looking back at him was unwavering and firm. As if saying he would not change his mind.

“A person’s body is not a car, and your arm is not a part.”

You can fix a car by staying up all night. If a part is broken, you can replace it. Unlike a person’s body, which cannot be easily fixed or replaced once it is broken.

“I’ve never thought of it that way.”

But Leo knows that Harrison thinks that way. If he did not, he would not be able to not know what he was saying right now.

“The doctor also said it’s fi—”

“That person probably just told you to take a lot of painkillers.”

Leo tried hard to keep his voice down. Harrison was not the only one who had heard those obvious words. It was a treatment that applied to everyone. Since they knew they would race anyway, and there was nothing else they could do.

“It’s just a few hours. I’m saying I can do it because I can.”

“No.”

When he spoke firmly, Harrison came closer to Leo. Leo took a step back and met his gaze. At the clear expression of his will without any words, Harrison stopped in his tracks.

“You also know I have to race.”

Unlike Leo’s faintly frowning gaze, Harrison’s gaze was calm and solid.

“What everyone is working for. Not to mention the mechanics, engineers, and teammates who travel with us, everyone works without even seeing their families. Right now, both my car and Nate’s are wrecked, so they’ll be fixing the cars without any sleep. On top of that, because of this race, even the people at headquarters live according to the time zone here. They literally run the factory 24 hours a day, every single day.”

Leo’s maternal grandfather had always told Leo and Harrison. If you truly want to win, always meet your team members. You must know exactly what those people do and how that is expressed through the driver. Always listen to the mechanics and accept their thoughts. Find a language that can reach the engineers.

From that time until now, Harrison has always kept those words. No matter how busy he was, he would somehow make time to go to the headquarters to meet the staff, have dinner with the mechanics, and do research with the engineers. To justify himself, like this.

“It can’t end like this. It can’t end with the car not even making it out onto the track.”

“Why does it have to be this Grand Prix?”

Leo also knows about everyone’s efforts. He also knows that there are more efforts that he does not even realize. He knows everyone wants to win. But, Harrison spoke as if he had no more chances in the future.

“Because I don’t know when it will come again.”

That voice continued just like he was doing an interview, as if stating an obvious fact.

“I’ve already retired twice. Nate is better than me, but with the performance of other teams improving and our car in a situation where parts might get banned, no one knows what will happen in the future.”