Page 19 of Falling Fast
‘You can’t drown them in sugarandbeer. Pick one.’
‘Fine.’ He puts his bottle down, swapping it for a mug of tea. ‘One at a time.’
‘They’re about to start!’ Maisie sits forward on the sofa. ‘Usual deal?’
She flicks a look at me and I nod. We made an agreement at the start of the season not to cheer in the event of a Quezada car overtaking Gio or vice versa. That way there’s no risk of damaging our friendship.
The lights go out and the cars speed away. Gio keeps the lead, with Marr close behind him, but Louis Cooper in one of the Chilterns manages to overtake Shimizu on the first corner by diving up the inside. I’m surprised Shimizu allows it, but maybe the pressure of driving in front of a Quezada home crowd is getting to him. The grandstands are a sea of vivid yellow, like a field full of sunflowers. Just the sight of it causes a pang in my chest. It would be so amazing to be there, yelling and cheering along, soaking up the atmosphere. Maybe next year … In the meantime, it’s probably better that I’m watching at home. I meant what I said to Maisie about supporting both teams, but I don’t want anyone atRask to know I have divided loyalties, and it would be hard to conceal my love for Quezada if I were there.
‘Olsen got a good start,’ Dan comments.
‘Yes.’ Maisie and I answer at the same time, both of us staring fixedly at the screen. He’s right, Leif has already overtaken two cars and is causing problems for Zaragoza in the Gold Dart. He’s driving really well too, closing the distance so fast it won’t be long before he’s in the DRS zone and can overtake.
‘Oh, shit.’ Dan jolts forward suddenly, and I see Maisie wince as Marr overtakes Gio on the straight. It’s a brilliant move, a completely amazing piece of driving, and the Quezada crowd go crazy.
Meanwhile, Leif has gone up another place, but the cameras have been so focused on the leaders that we’ve missed it. I hope they show a replay later because overtaking three cars in one lap is impressive.
I settle back in my armchair, sipping my tea as the race settles into a steady rhythm. I generally watch races twice. The first time so I can fixate on the Quezada cars, the second time for all the others so I can give them equal attention in my podcast, but today I find myself uncharacteristically distracted, my gaze drawn towards the middle of the pack. It’s a strange feeling, like my heart is pulling me in one direction and my head in the other.
The cars start pitting on lap 13. The track at Barcelona is notorious for tyre degradation and, by the look of it, all the teams are on a two-stop strategy. Leif is one of the first in, which puts him back half a dozen places until lap 18, when suddenly he’s in fifth place. As if that isn’t enough good news, Shimizu also manages to leave the pit-lane ahead of Cooper,putting him back in third, while Corey is up in tenth. I can hardly believe it’s all going so well.
‘What kind of upgrades did Rask give their cars?’ Dan sounds impressed.
‘I have no idea.’ I find myself grinning. ‘But I guess Bastian knows what he’s doing.’
Lap 60 and I give myself permission to start getting excited. There are only six laps left, and Leif and Corey are still going strong, with no sign of any mechanical issues. That’s a win in itself, but if they can finish where they are, in fifth and tenth places, it’ll mean eleven points for the team.
I rest my hands on my knees and lean towards the screen. This could be the perfect result: Quezada occupying the first and third spots on the podium, with Gio between them, and both Leif and Corey scoring points. Just six more laps …
I’m still envisaging it when Cooper, in fourth place in front of Leif, understeers at the third corner, hurtling into the tyre barrier at high speed, flipping his car over and sending one of his wheels flying towards the track. It happens so quickly there’s no time for a red flag before Leif and Zaragoza both swerve and brake. But Matti Erikkson in the other Gold Dart is close behind Zaragoza, too close, as he runs straight into the back of him. He’s going so fast, almost two hundred miles an hour, the impact launches him straight up into the air. The car flips, corkscrewing over the top of Zaragoza to land … I shoot a hand out, gripping Maisie’s arm, as my heart leaps into my throat.
‘No!’
‘Is that …?’ Maisie gasps.
I hold tight, watching in horror as the Gold Dart lands on the back of Leif’s car, causing it to rear up and spin off into the gravel too.
‘Shit!’ Dan is on his feet.
We all stare at the screen, waiting for the drivers to get out of their cars and prove they’re OK. The race has been red flagged and the medical car is speeding towards the scene, but everything seems to be happening in slow motion. I can’t move, can’t speak, can’t do anything because my heart is hammering so hard. Cooper climbs out, then Zaragoza and Erikkson, then … I press a hand to my chest, heaving a sigh of relief as Leif hurls his steering wheel over the side of the car and pulls himself out over the top.
‘Phew.’ Maisie collapses against me. ‘That was scary.’
‘It probably wasn’t as bad as it looked,’ I say, though I hear the quiver in my voice.
‘It’s still horrible to watch.’
‘Shame – Olsen was in fifth place.’ Dan sits down again. ‘If he’d just been another second ahead, he probably could have dodged the whole thing. But at least Corey Hammond is still out there.’
‘I guess,’ I say, trying to sound positive as my phone buzzes.
Gutted!Charlotte’s WhatsApp message comes with a string of crying-face emojis.
Cooper had better get some kind of penalty.Emika joins in from the media centre in Barcelona.The stewards are looking into it now.
I send a disappointed face back, then put my phone down and grab a cushion, wrapping my arms around it as the stewards clear the track and the race restarts. Marr, Gio and Shimizu cross the finish line a few minutes later, sending the Quezada fans wild, but I can’t seem to cheer any more.
Maybe my heart is a little involved with Rask, after all.
