Drive to Survive

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty

It was race day!

Dylan was in the garage, holding onto Max's helmet as he secured his race suit. He was locked in, that signature frown on his face as he zoned himself into the right mindset for the upcoming race. 

After Friday, the weekend had flown by in a blur. 

Max had struggled across all the practice sessions, not once managing to land his car in the top spot. It had taken a minor toll on his mentality and Dylan had barely seen him in the evenings; he'd either been shut up in his room poring over data or in the gym with Brad, pushing his body to the limit. 

She couldn't deny that she was a tad concerned about him, and Charles earning pole in Saturday's qualifying session only served to harden his resolve to push more. There had been less than a second in the difference but, despite Max doing even more laps than the Ferrari cars, he couldn't match their flying pace and he'd had to settle for starting in P2 on the grid today. 

The atmosphere in the garage today was focused. Checo was starting in P5 so neither side of the team was relaxed; everyone had their heads down, discussing and debating the strategy that would secure them the optimal result. 

With Max isolating himself over the weekend, it had left Dylan with a lot of time to spend with her family and she had soaked up every moment. When she wasn't getting her required content, she was in the Ferrari hospitality zone, chatting with her cousins and laughing with the aunt and uncle. With Charles on pole and Carlos in P3, the atmosphere over there had been a lot more jolly and Dylan had fit right in, high on her own joy of the social media success from her Red Bull video. 

As per Christian's request, she had avoided all further press interactions across the weekend. A few journalists had seen her dipping in and out of the Ferrari garage or racing across the pit lane for various reasons but, for once, she hadn't been bothered by them. They'd sent her a friendly smile and allowed her to get on with her day. 

They couldn't say that everything was fixed for certain until they'd experienced a few more press conferences but the early signs were positive, and Dylan was reveling in being able to spend time with her friends without worrying about the implications. She would once more be a frequent face in the Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes garages and feel no anxiety for it. 

"2 minutes, Max."

Dylan looked up and zoned back in at the sound of GP's voice.

There was an undeniable twist of nerves in her stomach as she handed the helmet over to Max. She was always anxious when any of them got in the cars but this weekend especially brought concern for her. With Max desperate for victory, she had no doubt that over the next two hours, he would take that car to the absolute limit and she worried about what that meant for his safety.

"Be safe, please." She asked gently, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. 

Max looked down at the girl in front of him, her big, brown eyes filled with a deep concern that she was trying to mask, and failing. It was still new to him, to have someone so worried for him right in front of him. Of course, he knew his mum was always fussing every time he went racing - she would go down to their local church and light candles for him across the season - but she so rarely attended a race that he could almost force that out of his mind. 

Over the years, he'd gotten used to travelling and racing with his dad, and therefore learning to worry for himself. As he'd gotten older and more determined to achieve victory, he'd even cast off that worry for himself. 

Now he had Dylan. 

It had been one of his biggest concerns at the start of the season; having someone like her in his life would distract him in the races, he'd been sure of it. Now, he found that it actually burned a new drive into him, a motivation to race harder and better to get back to her, and make her and his team proud.