Spain - Training
February 26 - February 28
It’s the first day of testing in the warm country known as Spain, and Marlena “Marlene” McKinnon is giddy. She loves the atmosphere on track, despite not racing herself. No, she’s said goodbye to her days behind the wheel when she broke almost every bone in her body during a crash in Formula Three.
She still remembers the feeling of being weightless, of flying through the air at a speed her car hadn’t even been driving at, and crashing into the stand.
Marlene thanks any deity listening every day that the stand was empty, and she doesn’t let herself think about the amount of injuries or deaths she could’ve been the cause of if that stand had been filled. Luckily, she was the only one hurt, but it had scared her so much that the thought of taking the wheel again made her nauseous.
Her best friend, Jamir “James” Puttar, had asked her to become his engineer, and that’s where she is now.
For the past four years, Marlene has been James’ race engineer, and they make a fabulous team. This will be their fifth year working together, and it’s going to be a good one.
Despite it being Testing, many of the stands have been sold out, and there’s loud music playing over the speakers of the track. The crowd is singing along to some songs, and if they’re not, they’re cheering on their favourite drivers. Many are wearing team merchandise and are holding up posters with questions or quotes or the distance they’ve travelled to see their favourites. Marlene spots a few with the numbers 89 and 95 of Frank Lubbermans - the other Griffin Racing driver - and James, respectively.
Testing takes place over three days where each team gets a few hours to let their drivers test their car. Depending on the team, the driver has either the morning or the afternoon tests. Some teams choose to have their drivers go right after each other, while others try to switch each day. For Griffin Racing, it’s the latter.
This morning, it is James’ turn to test out the new Griffin Racing-25. The car has been in development for the past year, and now is the chance to see how well it does its job. Anything wrong with it can still be fixed before the season really begins in a week, and anything else too expensive or something that won’t really be a problem can be taken to the factory for the next year.
This evening, Marlene will have to revise the testing results and compare notes with her colleague Benjy Fenwick, who will have to look at the data Frank will bring in during his session.
And this for three days back-to-back.
Marlene can’t wait.
Taking her seat at the pit wall, Marlene plugs in her headphones and makes sure all her screens work. She opens her notebook and clicks her pen, writing down today’s date to make it easier for herself. She writes down the weather report and temperature of the track, too.
“Radio check,” comes James’ voice suddenly through her headphones, and Marlene turns in her seat to watch the pit box of car number 95. She sees him being handed his gloves and a smile makes its way onto her face.
“Clear as the sky,” Marlene replies, and she turns back around. “It’s 15°C, 59°F with a track temperature of roughly the same. There’s not much wind, but I’m not sure how it is in the corners. No one is out yet, but I’m sure you won’t be alone once you roll out.”
A chuckle makes its way over to her.
“I’m not an Autobot, Marls,” James jokes. “Thanks for the update, anyway. How confident are we?”
Marlene looks over the notes she got from the mechanics and grins. “We’re taking that trophy home,” she tells him confidently.
The past three years, Griffin came close to the win, but they didn’t win the world title or the constructors title in a while. Especially not since Regulus Black took over the seat of Noir Racing from his older brother, Sirius.
But, Marlene knows this season will bring a change. She has a feeling a lot will happen this year, and she’s ready for it.
“Rolling out,” James announces, and Marlene follows him on her screen. She shakes her head at the joke, which she now realises won’t leave them for the rest of the season.
The screen in front of Marlene shows the red car exiting the pit lane and entering the track. There is a tiny camera hidden in the side-pod, showing the left side of the front wing, as well as what’s ahead of it.
The seat next to her gets pulled out and Marlene smiles at the team principal.
Zoricus Meadows sits down and plugs his own headphones in. He presses the button for James’ radio and starts talking.
“James, it’s Zoricus,” the man announces himself. Marlene hears him twice; normally and through her headphones. “Show us what you’ve got.”
“You got it, Boss,” James replies, and from the data on her screen, Marlene gathers that he’s preparing to start a fast lap. “There’s a lot of vibration.”
Marlene marks it down. “Yeah, we’re picking up on that, too,” she tells him. “Keep going and see where it vibrates the most.”
James finishes his fast lap with a remarkable time of 1:22:441, which is not the fastest he’s ever been on this circuit, but the track and James’ tyres are still relatively cold.
“Breaks are slow,” James notes, and Marlene writes it down again. “The balance is a little off, but I can work around it.”
Zoricus pushes the button for the mechanics in the pit box and relays the message to let them know what they have to work on once the driver comes back in. Lucky for them, James goes around the track a few more times before he makes his way to the pit lane and parks his car in front of his box. The mechanics wheel him in and the man jumps out to stretch his legs.
Marlene makes her way to the pit box to talk more with her friend and finds him in the back. James is busy taking off his helmet and balaclava, but smiles when he sees the woman approach. He lets his earbuds hang over his chest and shakes out his curls to make them unstick from his forehead.
“Hello,” he greets and goes in for a hug.
Marlene pats his shoulder. “Hot?” she asks.
James winks at her while he pulls back. “Always am,” he jokes. “What are your notes?”
“Same as you,” she tells him with a shrug. “There’s nothing majorly wrong with it, which is great, but it also makes me slightly anxious.”
James nods with a frown. “We’ll see what happens,” he declares. “What did the boss say?”
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Zoricus pops up behind Marlene and laughs. “Nothing yet,” their boss says. He comes to a halt next to the blonde and crosses his arms. “You’re doing well, but we just started. I’m not making any comment just yet, but I’m curious what your feelings are.”
Marlene turns to him and her smile almost splits her face. “I’m pumped!” she exclaims. “We’ve worked hard on this car, and James is a very talented driver. For now, the issues are small ones, so I’m not too worried, but we’ll see what this season brings. Who knows what Benjy and Frank will find this afternoon, though.”
“I agree with her,” James nods while he opens his water bottle. “I have a feeling we’re gonna be in for a treat this season.”
Zoricus chuckles at their enthusiasm. “Well, as long as you both are positive.” He turns to walk away. “Puttar, I want you back in that car in five.”
“Yes, sir,” said driver salutes and puts the cap back on his bottle. There’s still a lot of their time left to see the limits of the car, and Marlene can’t wait.
🏎
The start of a Formula 1 season is chaotic, but Dorcas Meadows revels in it. All around her, her employees are preparing their notes or finishing the last few pieces of their articles. She even spots someone arguing with their keyboard and smashing it, which results in more cursing because now they have to start all over again.
Daily F1 isn’t a large company, but that’s what Dorcas loves about it. She knows all her employees by name, and she calls most of them her close friends, too.
It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes people choose her company to intern for. She always takes those people under her wing and lets them see every side of the job.
Today, a new intern is starting. It messes a bit with her schedule, seeing as she should be in Spain right about now, but she had send Emmeline ahead so that she could focus on the intern.
Dorcas had met Emmeline when she visited her father during one of the Grand Prix’s. Emmeline had been there as an intern for Der Sport-Prophet, but she hated every second of it, until Dorcas spoke to her about a different side of the press, and she offered the girl a job.
Dorcas’ father owns Griffin Racing, so starting a successful business for herself is in her blood. She’s seen how much work goes into everything from both sides, and it’s paid off for herself.
As a child, Dorcas did karting competitions left and right. She’s seen half of Europe because of it, but she never wanted it to be her whole life.
Don’t get her wrong, Dorcas loves the thrill of speeding through corners, but not as a job. No, she loves writing about it just a tad more.
Besides, the fear of crashing and not making it out alive has her shying away from anything other than a go-kart. She’s seen the footage of Fleamont Puttar’s crash. No, thank you.
A knock on her office door makes Dorcas look up from the pile of test-articles she was reviewing. “Come in,” she calls, and watches as a lanky man from around the same age as her walks in.
“Uh, hi,” the man begins, “I-uh, was told to show my face here? I’m Remus Lupin.”
“Ah!” Dorcas stands up and goes to greet the man with a handshake. “You’re the new intern. Welcome! I’m Dorcas Meadows, owner of DailyF1, and I’ll guide you through the season. You are staying the whole season, right?”
Remus nods. “I am, yes.”
“Great!” Dorcas beckons him to follow her. “Let me give you a tour of this place and show you what it is we actually do. Normally, I wouldn’t be here right now, with how Testing has begun, but I wanted to be here to introduce you. Next Sunday, we’ll fly out to Australia, so be prepared for that. We’ll be staying a week, and then we will come back here. We’ll be flying a lot, so keep in mind that you’ll have to deal with a lot of jet lags.”
Looking behind her, she sees Remus writing things down in a notebook that’s small enough to fit in his jeans pocket. Dorcas tells him it’s totally alright to ask questions, if he has some.
“I always wanted a company that feels more like a study hall than an office with cubicles and no socialising, so that’s why we have a few tables with chairs and bookshelves lining the walls with books about all sorts of things.” Dorcas gestures around and lets Remus take it all in before continuing. “I’m the only one with an office because we needed a place to have a safe, as well as a space where I can review the articles without being interrupted. What we do here is mostly writing articles. Our content is all about F1, so that keeps it simple. We stick to facts, and gossip has no place here. We don’t bring out anything about the drivers’ private lives unless it impacts their career. So, a birthday or a wedding is nothing worthy of note to us, but a hospital visit or a talk with a different team’s principal is.”
“Makes sense,” Remus nods along. “I have to be honest, I’m not well-versed into Formula One, but I’ve made a lot of notes before coming here, so I can keep up with the drivers of this season.”
Dorcas is impressed. Not many interns put that much dedication into their work, but Remus is a rare one, she believes. Already, she can tell that she’s going to have a lot of fun with him this season, and she’s curious what he will bring to the team.
“Okay!” Dorcas claps her hands and every eye in the room turns to her. Some pull off their headphones to listen better. “Everyone, meet our newest intern: Remus Lupin. Remus, this is the team. All the way in the back, the one with blue braids, that’s Adrianna Katlego. Right next to her we have Reinier de Boer. The one in the purple hoodie is Parker Villarreal with Rosie Novak and Kit Cooper next to them. Lastly, our lovely Damian Krüger. Our team also has Emmeline Bansu, but she is in Spain now so that I can be here.”
“Hi, everyone,” Remus greets with a wave of his hand, and he gets greetings shouted back from the team.
“No one generally works alone,” Dorcas goes on with her tour and shows Remus the coffee machine and kettle. “It’s always good to let someone proof read your articles, just to make sure if it makes sense. And, when looking for the facts on the internet, it’s also great if you have someone that can verify at the same time as you, otherwise it would take twice as long to do your work, and no one wants that.”
“And what happens after the article is written?” Remus wonders, accepting the cup of hot water and picking out the flavour of tea he wants.
Dorcas points at herself. “Every article goes by me, first, before it gets published. Some will go on the website, others will go into the magazine, but that’s my choice to make. Adrianna is in control of the magazine, so my choices go towards her and she makes it into something presentable. The website is in hands of Damian, but everyone has control of their own article. Our social media is under management of Parker and Rosie, but Kit is learning to take over from Rosie so she can go on maternity leave next month. Emmeline and I are usually the ones who do the interviews with the drivers and others of their teams, and that’s what you’re going to do, too, this year.”
“I had a hunch,” Remus smiles. “So, what do you do in between races?”
“We go through our content that we record during race weeks and make it into something presentable,” Dorcas explains, leading the way back to her office. “When there is no content to go through, we help where we can. Sometimes it’s working on something bigger such as the end of season articles, or keep up with information that has been confided to us, but isn’t allowed to be leaked. We, also, keep up with other news outlets and try to come with hard facts when something they posted isn’t correct. We try to stay authentic, but you never know, exactly, with this business.”
Remus chuckles. He sits down in the chair before the desk and waits until Dorcas sits down, too, before he talks. “It sounds all really logical,” he says. “I can’t wait to begin. What will you have me do?”
Dorcas smirks at him. “Why don’t you start with seeing what Emmeline has posted about yesterday’s testing and this morning’s. Compare it to what you know about the drivers and their previous years, and try and make a prediction for this season. I’ll evaluate your work, and then we can see how to place you during race weeks.”
“Already looking forward to it,” Remus smiles, and stands up to work in the open space.
Dorcas watches him go and smiles to herself. With the new addition of Remus, she believes the quality to go up for their articles. Of course, she hasn’t seen him out in the field yet, but the grades he had sent her when he applied for the job give her enough of an idea.
Yeah, this season will be a good one for her company.
🏎
It’s her first season as a Formula One driver, and Mary-Ann Macdonald is nervous as fuck. She’s been working as hard as possible to get a seat, and her performance in Formula Two convinced Prime Blossom to sign a two-year contract with her; starting this season.
She’s pumped!
For as long as she can remember, Mary loves seeking out things that give her a certain thrill. She was always bummed when she was too short for roller-coasters, and when her mother couldn’t get her to come out of the bumper cars at the fair, the woman enrolled her to karting lessons. Soon enough, Mary reached a level of skill that her coach told her would win her prizes in Europe.
Mary’s parents fought about it, and while her mother was all for moving to Europe, her father wasn’t. It created a split in the family, and when Mary’s mother gained custody of the children, she moved them all to Europe.
For years, Mary has been holding onto the guilt of robbing her siblings of an education. She has been trying to make it up in any way she could, and that’s still her only goal in life. Especially now that she can help them gain an education.
Getting into the racing world is something she’s still getting used to, and Mary has had her fair share of trouble in her journey to the top league. From getting a seat in Formula Three - which brought her father back into the picture in, not always, a good light - to winning the championship in Formula Two, which resulted in where she is now.
Formula One is in a league of its own entirely, and Mary is starting to understand it more now that the testing days are almost over. It’s her last few hours on the track, and she’s still learning the ins and outs of the car.
The pit crew have been working hard the last few days - months, actually - to get the car ready for the season to begin in two weeks. They’ve done some minor changes to the car whenever Mary or David Travers - the other Prime Blossom driver - told them about anything that had felt off during their test drives in Spain.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a challenging track. The corners are tricky and the long straight really makes you work. If the wind is against you, things can go horribly wrong. Things like the balance of the car could get you in serious trouble in a split second, and Mary is learning that very fast.
She makes her way through the first few corners with low speed. Mary’s waving from one side of the track to the other as she’s warming up her tyres, avoiding others on track while she does so. Crossing the finish line, Mary steps on the pedal to gain more speed and see how the car works as she really works to get a fast lap in.
The thrill of racing through corners and feeling the wind makes her giddy, and she laughs as she, once again, nears the start/finish. She passes it in a blur of pink and blue, and loosely presses on the breaks to slow down.
“To our lovely lady driving with the number 15, how did it go?” her race-engineer, Fabian Prewett, questions over the radio.
Mary presses the button on her steering wheel to open the channel from her side to reply. “Fucking fantastic, Bee,” she says.
Fabian chuckles. “Don’t let the FIA catch you swearing,” he teases, knowing the woman will, most likely, forget about that rule, anyway.
“That’s only for press,” Mary tells him, proud of herself for that loophole. “Except the Dutch-press. Those idiots don’t mind it.”
“That’s true,” Fabian agrees, before turning serious again. “Did anything interesting pop up while driving, or did we manage to fix everything?”
“I think everything’s alright,” the racer replies while passing a slow driving Phoenix. “I’ll get in another lap and tell you if anything changes.”
“Give it your all,” Fabian encourages her, and Mary grins to herself as she switches off the radio.
The last couple of corners come up again, so Mary steps on her gas and gives it her all. She races across the circuit and notices little things like the bouncing of the car and the way the wind lifts the vehicle exactly how she doesn’t want it to in some corners, but it’s nothing major that needs to be fixed in the garage. She will manage this season with those small things.
Not taking her foot off the accelerator, Mary directly goes for a second fast lap, but it all goes wrong once she reaches Turn 3.
The car slips from under her as she turns, making her tyres graze over the curb, which spins her car. Mary takes her hands from the wheel when she feels herself slide over the track, into the gravel, and against the wall.
The impact of hitting the wall makes her breathless, and Mary needs a few seconds to understand what has happened and where she is now. Her body feels sore, and there’s ringing in her ears, but nothing seems to be in critical condition.
Except for her car, of course.
“M-… Ma-ry? Mary Macdonald, answer your damn radio!” she hears yelled into her ears, and the ringing she had been hearing before subdues a bit.
Pushing the button on her wheel, Mary groans before speaking. Her head hurts a bit.
“I’m alright,” she tells her team. “I’m sorry about the car.”
“That doesn’t matter right now,” Fabian tells her, he sounds relieved. “What matters is that you are okay. Does it hurt anywhere? Can you get out on your own?”
“Yes,” she replies to both questions, and pushes up her headrest. She lets it fall next to her car and sits there for a second as she catalogues where, exactly, it all hurts. It happened so fast, the shock is still making her numb to most of her pain.
A marshal rushes up to her and asks her if she’s alright before helping her out of the car. Mary pulls out the cords for the radio and her water before fully stepping out and following the marshal to a vehicle that will bring her back to the pit lane.
On her way back, Mary gets out of her shock and starts to feel the soreness of her body. Most of the crash had been caught by the shock-absorbers, but because of how fast she was going, she still feels some of it.
Looking behind her, Mary sees marshals trying to get her car hooked onto a cord to lift it up so they can get it off the track. It doesn’t look pretty, and there is a lot of debris that needs to be cleaned off before anyone is allowed to go out again. Their time isn’t stopped, which makes her feel extra guilty for crashing.
Finding her way back into the pit lane, Mary says hello to a few fellow drivers who’ve come to see if she’s alright. She waves off the medical crew, but knows that her team is going to force her to be checked out later.
Finally reaching her pit box, she finds it fuller than it was before. Not only her mechanics are there, but the team boss, Hestia Jones, is standing next to her engineer with a concerned frown on her face and a small child in her hands that seems vaguely familiar. David is also there, smiling at her when she comes into view.
“Oh my God!” a familiar voice exclaims, and before Mary knows it, a pair of arms are around her neck and she’s being hugged so fiercely, it’s almost impossible to breathe. The red hair tells her it’s her best friend, though, so she doesn’t really mind the not being able to breathe.
“Lily,” Mary practically whispers, too scared to talk any louder. “I’m fine. I’m alright.”
“You scared me to death!” Lily Evans yells, pulling back to look at the woman. “When you didn’t answer your radio, I feared the worst! Never scare me like that again, Macdonald!” she shouts while punching the woman in the arm.
Mary chuckles fondly. “I’m sorry,” she apologises. “I’ll try not to crash again, but you never know with this sport.”
“I know, and I hate it,” Lily says. She walks over to Hestia and takes over the child- who Mary now realises is Harry, Lily’s son. “Harry, tell Mary she can’t crash again.”
“No!” Harry shouts, which makes the racer laugh. He’s in his no-phase, and Lily takes full advantage of it when it suits her.
Mary walks over and tickles the boy. “I didn’t know you were coming today, little man,” she smiles at the four-year-old.
Lily clears her throat. “Yeah, well, it’s kinda necessary,” she tells her friend. “I’m going to have to leave him with James for a few months.” She grins and does jazz-hands with her free hand. “Surprise, I got the job.”
“No way!” Mary’s answering grin is obscured by her helmet, but her eyes say enough to convey the message. “I’m so happy for you! Congrats!”
“Macdonald, we need you over here,” her team principal says, cutting into the celebration.
Sighing, Mary nods her consent. “We’ll celebrate it this evening,” she stresses to Lily before turning to talk the crash through with her team.
It’s not the ideal start of the season, but that’s life as an F1 racer. You never, really, can predict what’s going to happen.