The perfect match

“You think you can install that upgrade in a day?” Lando asked, standing in their garage in Belgium on Thursday, having a break in his media duties.
“Yeah, it gives more downforce, as well as heightening the aerodynamic fluency. I can go into further detail, if you want to?” one of the engineers said.
“Actually, I would need you to explain it like you would talk to a child.”
“The upgrade gives you more downforce and grip on the track by the floorboard and it will move better in general, because the outlines are a little different. It will be faster, although it will also be more sensitive, be cautious in the turns during practice.” He explained.
“Okay, that I understood.” Lando said.
“Lando, your interview is waiting!” someone from PR yelled.
“Okay, I’ve got to go, thank you for the upgrade, everyone.”

He got back to the suite in the late afternoon, Oscar sitting on the desk, having a call with Rodney and some others, the launch now only a week away.
“So, it will hit the stores on Thursday exactly.” Oscar said.
“Exactly. Production is running around the clock; deliveries are already being shipped. Production goes according to plan; big retail chains and discounters are 90% completed. On Monday we will hit our goal for Thursday. On Monday 8am UTC, the online store will open. We are only selling directly for the first month minimum, no third-party websites, except illegal. After the first two weeks we will have a meeting about widening the online market. We’re going to ship almost worldwide, some countries in Africa and the middle east currently excluded due to distribution laws. Minimum order will be 40 GBP or equal in other currencies, 3 GBP shipping until 80 GBP.” A lady explained while Lando heated up some food.
“The launch party is on Wednesday, starting at 8pm, you’ll bring Lando, I suppose?” Rodney asked and Lando held up a thumbs up, chewing his food and placing a bowl next to Oscar before stepping out of the frame again.
They kept talking about production and distribution speed, winning margins and marketing costs, possible increase of employees for production and all kinds of other things while Lando took a shower and watched tv in the bedroom.
“Oh, someone is done.” Lando said, pausing the video and looking at Oscar coming in.
“Yeah, I am, finally.” Oscar said “Let me change really quick.” He said and vanished into the bathroom, climbing into the nest half an hour later, being engulfed into Lando’s arms immediately. “Somebody is in a cuddly mood.”
“I have two full days of media.” Lando grumbled. “But I’ll get an upgrade!” he then smiled happily.
“Means you’re going to win even more?” Oscar asked.
“Hopefully.” Lando said, kissing his hair.
“What about Max, then?” Oscar asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he’s really competitive … I know you all are, but … what if you’re winning the championship? You’re only 27 points behind.”
“Oh, I didn’t even have that in mind so exactly.” Lando admitted. “You think it would influence our friendship?”
“A bit definitely. I’m not sure how much, though.”

“Are you feeling ready?” George asked Alex, holding him close in his suite on Friday morning.
“Yes” Alex smiled.
“Alright, then let’s go.” George said and opened the door, letting Alex step out first. The media attention on Alex was extreme. His first race back after the accident … and in Spa of all places.
He had his annual run to Eau Rouge with Pierre and the others yesterday to lay down flowers for Anthoine, as they did every year. The flowers now were tied to the fence above the tire barrier in the same place, not being allowed directly on track during racing.
It rained again, but only a little bit, not enough for inters. They went out and the screams for Alex got even louder, holding up signs with his name. Practice went well for Alex, Fernando congratulating him afterwards in the garage.
Shortly before the end of first practice, the rain started picking up, Lance just having started another round. He slid off a little in front of La Source, the first needle pin, but got the car back under control. He sped up, but lost grip at the beginning of Eau Rouge. His back broke out, twirling him around, smashing his back wing against the barrier, sliding back over the track and coming to a stop with a sideways crash against the barrier on the inside of the track. Sebastian had been invited to the Aston Martin garage, wearing a headset. There was silence at first, then the race engineer asked if Lance was okay. Twice. Then there was a groan.
“I fucked it up. I’m sorry guys.” Lance pressed out.
“It’s okay. Set it to neutral, the car is coming to pick you up.” The race engineer said and they all let out a breath. They weren’t able to repair the car in time for second practice.

Lance let the tv reporters question his sanity when he was seen with a little tower of paper coffee cups, also carrying a can of coffee and tea, handing it out to the people in the garage. He was also seen with Sebastian at the back of the garage, the two of them seeming to be in a deep conversation, going through some data.
“You have to keep your emotions under control during racing. I know it’s way easier said than done. If you hear the others swear … it’s more natural to alphas, they have a higher stress level than betas and especially omegas. You can swear, but don’t take things personal. Accidents, Incidents, whatever happens, you swear and then you have to move on. Otherwise, it influences the rest of your race. I’m sorry to say it this bluntly, but that’s why you tend to make these stupid mistakes in the last third of the race. I can say that to you now that I’m no longer employed by your father.” Sebastian finished with a smile. “You should also train your core more; you need more stability. And stop sliding your hands.”
“Sliding my hands?”
“Not all the time, but a lot when you are changing gears, you don’t just move your fingers, you also turn your hand a little from the steering wheel, which gives you less control.”
“Thank you.” Lance said “Why are you helping me?”
“I’m not sure.” Sebastian said, looked straight ahead and swallowed; Lance kept looking at him.
“That’s a lie.”
“That’s true.” Sebastian said, looking at Lance “I have to admit I was one of the people you thought that you were a little asshole. You had really good moments, when I thought you were a great guy, but I never saw you as one. Now I’m thinking those were the moments where you started to be yourself, but then realized it and got scared somebody would notice you are not an alpha.”
“That’s true. I would have really like to be somewhat friends with you.”
“I don’t think it’s too late to build a friendship.” Sebastian said “Do you have a replacement for Nicholas, yet? And no, I’m not asking for myself.”
“We don’t have one as much as I know and who do you have in mind?” Lance asked.
“Fernando won’t say it, but he already misses it again.” Sebastian smiled.
“Against what everyone thinks … I don’t have influence on that decision. I wanted Checo or Esteban instead of you.” Lance admitted “But I can drop the name.”
“That would be more than enough.”
“I also want to thank you for your help in Silverstone. Thank you.”
“We were just in the right place at the right time.” Sebastian said.
“Still, I’m sure a lot of people would have just called an ambulance, and that … would have revealed a whole lot of things.”
“Probably, yes.”
“I’m not ready for that to happen. Not at all.”
“That’s alright. It’s none of our business, we won’t say anything.” Sebastian calmed him.
“You know … Sebastian said something” Lance said during dinner “He thinks Fernando wants to come back but doesn’t dare to say something.”
“Well, what another subtle hint from you.” Lawrence answered “An interesting one, though.”
“I saw you guys together, you seemed really good, you and Sebastian.”
“We were. We talked about racing; he gave me a couple hints. Did you see the reporters questioning my sanity for me handing out coffee?”
“Of course. I was in the lounge at that time. You didn’t do that before, that’s probably why. There’s nothing wrong with doing that, though. It’s not a solely omega thing.”
“Yeah.” He said, followed by a little silence “So who’s the girl? If you bring home another twenty-year old, I’m moving out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Please, I can read you like an open book. And those phone calls and texts? There is someone, I’m just not sure at which point this … relationship currently is.”
“First, she’s not twenty. Second, there isn’t anything going on at the moment. I will have to ask her son first.”
“Ask her son?”
“I … she’s a lady, I should do it right.” Lawrence said and Lance rose his eyebrows “It … You saw how much it hurt me when your mother died and my … coping mechanism wasn’t the best, I admit that. I think this could be different though. I’ll tell you about her after her son agreed.”
“Alright, just try to not mess it up.”
“I’ll give my best.”
Third practice was the next day and Lance tried to concentrate on what Seb said during a long run, it was dry for once, even though the sun didn’t shine. He was right. He moved his hand when shifting up sometimes. He tried to keep himself from doing it. His speed slowed for a couple of laps before picking back up.
Qualifying was in the afternoon, Lance concentrating on stabilizing his core and not moving his hand. He qualified in 8th.

The next day, it rained again. The race was first delayed for half an hour, then they did two laps behind the safety car before it was decided to have a standing start. The forecast said the rain would continue for at least another 30 minutes. Whyever, Haas felt confident and let both cars pit and then start from the pit lane at the end of the formation lap, giving them hards, while everyone else had wets. Lance started in front of Esteban in ninth. Alex had qualified in 6th, standing in front of him. The lights started going on and he took a breath, concentrating. Start. He floored the pedal, deciding to go through the middle, Alex going a little to the right. Alex was behind him in a flash, apparently not getting enough grip on the start. Behind turn 4, the Raidillon, he heard from his race engineer.
“It’s Norris, Verstappen, Leclerc, Sargeant, Tsunoda and you, Albon .8 behind. Keep the pace going.”
“Copy” Lance said. The field stretched out quickly, the first three breaking off from the rest after the third lap. The Haas were just sliding around, going slower than ever, but for some reason were refused to box. The inevitable happened in 12th lap. Almost getting lapped by that point, Magnussen lost control over his car in a puddle, classic aquaplaning into gravel and against the tec-pro, just when it started stopping to rain a little.
“What do you think about inters?” his engineer asked.
“How bad was the crash, is there a chance for a red flag?” Lance asked.
“No, it’s a yellow. Decide now.”
“Let’s do it. I think it’s worth the risk. Put it on me if it fails.” Lance said.
“Box, box.” Was the only answer and he pitted, together with Norris and Tsunoda in front, Albon and Ocon right behind him. The had a quick stop, going back out of the box. He had a warning that Russell came up, but would definitely stay behind him. He got back on track and started up the hill, seeing the Mercedes behind him, when he suddenly felt a thump on his left rear, his car almost breaking out. The Mercedes was turning left, twirling onto gravel and finally stopped.
“Is George okay, how does the tire look, it doesn’t feel right?” Lance asked.
“Russell seems okay, he’s out, stuck in gravel. His tire blew, it was out of his hands. We need to box again; the tire is losing pressure.”
“Shit, okay, on my way. Let’s try hards, Magnussen’s puddle was the last I think.” Lance went back to the pits, got new hards and went back out, now falling back to 14th. Yellow flag was lifted after the next lap. The track was good for the hards now, dry in most places, the sun drying up a lot. He warmed his tires, waiting for the others to start, Logan now in first. Directly in front of him were the two Stakes, then Gasly and Lawson. He could take them, he knew that. He had the speed. Then he would be in the points again. He saw the cars in front speeding up, the line came closer … and he was free to race. He went over to the right, breaking out of the line, overtaking Bottas, sliding back in line behind Zhou. He took the corner tight, sticking to Zhou before overtaking him later in the lap, using Gasly as a pull until the Kemmel straight, where he had the advantage over the Alpine and overtook him as well.
“Great driving, Lance. Stay steady, we got 25 laps to go.”
“Copy” he answered and kept going. Lando overtook Logan quite soon, but Logan and Max stayed close behind him, the three speeding away from the rest bit by bit. Lance slowly started speeding up after a couple of laps, closing up on Esteban, Lewis and Yuki, who had a battle for 7th. He stayed behind them for a bit, gaining power during breaking. Esteban and Yuki sped up the Kemmel straight, Lewis losing a little as he was the only one without DRS. Lewis, for whatever reason, turned a little right, freeing some space between himself and Yuki, Lance made the split second decision to go for it, going full throttle and into the gap, the next turn coming up quickly. It came to Lance’s advantage, giving him the inner line, Yuki trying to stay behind him, Esteban fell behind them. The next turn gave Yuki an advantage, just followed by another advantage for Lance, turn 7. Behind it was a little straight and he was able to gain a little space, moving in front of Yuki and securing seventh.
“Awesome racing, Lance, let’s keep it up.” He heard through the intercom.
“Who’s next?” was all Lance said.
“Ricciardo 1.2, then Verstappen and Leclerc, fifteen laps to go.”
“How are the tires?”
“Everything looking good, Ricciardo has same tire age, you’re currently closing up on him but no DRS this lap.”
“Got it.” Lance answered, speeding up a little more. He was in Daniel’s DRS the next lap, closing further in. The lap after he was on his tail, overtaking on the main straight.
“Great, Lance, speed up, you’re still getting DRS for Kemmel, you need to get Ricciardo out of your DRS.”
“Copy, what’s the next gap?”
“Eager today, huh? Verstappen is next, 1.4, you should see him behind the next turn, Leclerc is just in front of him, apparently defending like crazy.”
“Thank you, how much left?”
“Twelve full laps.”
“Alright.” Lance said, seeing Max in front of him now, only little distance in front of him was the red Ferrari of Charles.
“Okay, you’ve got DRS, keep in mind, it’s Verstappen.” His engineer said, sounding a little bit worried underneath.
“I will.” Lance said, letting out a breath and using his DRS, closing in bit by bit. Those two were definitely faster than Ricciardo.
“Three laps to go.” His engineer said when he closed up on the main straight, now being directly behind Max.
“Oh God” Lance exclaimed and stuck behind them. They went on, needle pin, Eau Rouge, DRS zone, full speed. He kept his eyes focused on Max, knowing he was the more aggressive driver. In the middle of the straight he just did it, getting out of the shadow and going left, against the recommended line, next to Max. The spectators seemed to explode. He took the turn, making sure to stay a tires width away from Max’s car, not in the mood for another damaged tire. The next turn gave him the advantage, and he gained a little more, now half a length in front of Max. He had to take the next turn wider than Max again and due to their battle, Charles was able to gain a little space. Lance kept his position, speeding down the little straight next to Max. The next turn was to Max’s advantage again, having the inner line and Lance went a little too fast, keeping up next to him. The next turn, turn 9, was finally to his advantage again, a ninety degree turn left, he sped up, forcing his way in front of Max, taking the corner too fast, letting his body being pushed by the overwhelming g force. He saw Max falling back, his front wing now at his back tire. The straight they both sped down, Lance keeping an eye on the space between their cars, always at least a tire width. The next turn was two in one. If he took the first a little too late and drove in a long curve over the track, he would get in front of Max and also get into the second turn fluently, without a lot of braking. This was a high-speed circuit anyway, but this speed was almost deadly. He followed this thought, pushing himself in front of Max with everything he had. He kept himself in front of Max, using Charles to get pulled himself at the same time. They went into sector 3, speeding one behind another. Lance wouldn’t get DRS on the main straight, Max would. He couldn’t let him overtake him, not this time. He made it through the chicane, Max just behind him. He sped up, placing himself closer to Charles, keeping his eyes on him instead of Max. If he kept himself on the opposite side of the track, Max wouldn’t be able to overtake, even with DRS, there wouldn’t be any space left on the grid. He made it. He kept himself in front of Max, going into turn 1 tightly. DRS detection was ahead. Max and himself will be getting DRS.
“Two laps, stay focused.” His engineer said, he only answered with a groan.
They made it through Eau Rouge, none of them slowing down even a little bit. This was madness.
“What the hell is going on there?” Lando asked into his intercom, seeing the three coming on the Kemmel straight, just before he had to turn.
“Is that Lance fighting Max and Charlie?” Logan asked in disbelieve.
They sped up the straight, Lance sat himself in front of Charles in the last moment, not giving Max enough time or space to overtake as well. He saw Max slamming his hand on his steering wheel. After the next two turns it came clear to him. They would get DRS, he wouldn’t. He was on his own. He tried to keep his head straight and stay focused. Then a memory flashed through his mind. Carlos and Lando in Singapore. Carlos had kept Lando in his DRS to use him as a buffer.
“What’s the gap to Leclerc?” he asked his engineer.
“.4, keep going.”
“Keep me updated on the gap.”
“Will do. You can do this Lance, bring it home. One more lap to go.” He sped through the chicane and onto the main straight, seeing the Ferrari race behind him, the Redbull right behind, but taking a big lift over a curb, crashing back on the ground and losing some speed. Good for him, but Charles still had DRS. Full speed down the main straight. Charles stayed where he was.
“Leclerc in DRS 0.2.” his engineer stated. He didn’t slow down for Eau Rouge, almost losing his grip on the back. Up Kemmel again, one last time, long DRS.
“Leclerc 0.4, mistake in turn 6.” He heard when he came out of turn 7 and onto the little straight. “Seems to battle Verstappen more than you.” He heard his engineer breath hard. “Come on, bring it home, boy.” He then muttered, probably more talking to himself than Lance.
“Leclerc 0.5” he heard when he entered sector 3. He sped down the track, thankful that the now lapped Hulkenberg went out of the way very soon. He lifted his hand in a thank you, seeing him lift his hand back, he gave a thumbs up. He sped further and into the chicane, taking the curbs hard, being almost thrown around like a ragdoll in his car. He came on the main straight right after, the finish line directly in front of him, his team hanging over the fence a little further down. He crossed the line and waved at them. Thanking everyone profusely over the intercom.
He stopped his car in the spot with the big 3rd sign, put it neutral, turned it off and just stayed there. It was like he couldn’t move. It had been years since he had been on the podium. He didn’t know how long he sat there, but at some point, Charles and Max walked up to him, Max giving him a smack on the head, earning a push from Charles. Charles lifted Lance’s visor a little bit.
“You all good?” he asked.
“Yeah” Lance said, a little bit dazed “It’s been a while.”
“I get that, but you really should celebrate this and your team is waiting!” Max yelled against all the noise around them, pointing at his team, eagerly waiting for him at the park fermé barrier.
“Yeah, I should go.” Lance said and Charles chuckled. He ran over to his team, getting grabbed and hugged from all sides. In the aftermath, he didn’t even really remember what he said in the short interview with David Coulthard. He knew that he sat in the winner’s room, getting hugged by Lando and Logan. He stood on the podium, lifting up the trophy. They didn’t really prepare anything because they didn’t expect a podium, so they just got whatever they had from the hospitality and made a team party.

Results race 14, Spa-Francorchamps, nimbers display the total points in the driver's championship.
NOR242
SAR152
STR31
LEC146
VER254
RIC90
OCO29
TSU62
BEA34
ALB29
RUS55
GAS1
HAM21
ZHO2
BOT12
LAW4
SAI59
HUL5
LAT0
MAG6