Race two was at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany, two weeks after Silverstone. The gap between races gave time to analyze data, understand mistakes, and prepare improvements.
I spent the week between races training with Sandra, my physical conditioning coach who'd been with me since karting. F3's higher G-forces required more strength and endurance than F4.
"Your neck muscles need work," Sandra said during a gym session. "F3 cornering forces are significantly higher. You're young, still growing—we need to build strength without compromising development."
The training was intense. Neck exercises, core strengthening, cardiovascular work. Physical Peak helped with recovery, but the actual work still had to be done.
Between training sessions, I found myself in the kitchen. Lawrence had rented a house near the racing team's base in Italy, giving us a European home during the season. The kitchen was well-equipped, and cooking became my way to decompress after intense sim sessions and data analysis.
One evening, I was preparing dinner—proper Italian risotto, the kind that required constant attention and perfect timing. Chloe was video-calling from Canada, watching me cook while doing her homework.
"You're making risotto? That's the one where you have to stir constantly, right?"
"For about twenty minutes, yes. The rice needs to release starch gradually to create the creamy texture."
"Sounds tedious."
"It's meditative. Forces you to focus on one thing, be present in the moment. Can't think about racing or data or anything else when you're making risotto properly."
"Is that why you cook? To stop thinking about racing?"
I considered the question while adding another ladle of stock. "Partly. But also because I enjoy it. The precision, the timing, the creativity. It's similar to racing but different enough to be refreshing."
"You're weird, Lance. Most fourteen-year-olds are playing video games to relax."
"I do that too. Marcus and I game pretty regularly."
"True. But Marcus doesn't make restaurant-quality Italian food while gaming."
[Cooking: Therapeutic and enjoyable]
[Balance between racing intensity and creative outlet]
[Chloe documenting these moments]
The risotto turned out perfectly—creamy, al dente rice, proper consistency, balanced flavors. Lawrence and Claire were impressed when I served dinner.
"This is restaurant quality," Lawrence said. "Better than most places we've eaten."
"Chef Beaumont taught me well."
"You should cook for the team sometime," Claire suggested. "Show them this side of yourself."
"Maybe. If there's time and a good kitchen available."
[Seed planted: Cooking for team]
[This will happen eventually]
Hockenheim qualifying went better than Silverstone. I'd learned from the first race, understood the car better, felt more comfortable pushing to the limits.
Qualifying result: P8
Raffaele: P11 (I'd beaten him again)
Louis Delétraz: Pole position (again)
George Russell: P2
Lando Norris: P5
[Improvement: P12 to P8]
[Still behind Lando though]
[That competitive gap needs closing]
The race was cleaner than Silverstone. I got a decent start, held eighth through the first lap chaos, then spent the next fifteen laps defending against attacks while looking for opportunities to move forward.
Lap twelve, the driver in seventh made a mistake—went wide in turn six, ran onto the curb, lost momentum. I stayed tight, got better exit, made the pass.
Seventh place. My best F3 finish so far.
[Running P7]
[Points position improved]
[Five laps remaining]
The driver I'd just passed was German, older, more experienced. He didn't appreciate being overtaken by a fourteen-year-old and pressured me hard for the remaining laps. But my Tire Management showed my rubber was in better condition, and my Consistency Master kept my laps identical, giving him no opportunity to capitalize on mistakes.
Crossed the line in seventh. Four points scored.
[Race 2: P7]
[Points Earned: 4]
[Current Balance: 26 points]
[Improvement trajectory: Positive]
Lando finished fifth, extending his points lead over me. George was second again, consistently on the podium. Louis won, making it two from two.
In the paddock afterward, Lando found me. "P7. Not bad. You're getting faster."
"Still slower than you."
"For now." He grinned. "But you qualified better than Hockenheim, raced better, finished higher than Silverstone. You're improving. That's what matters."
"Easy for you to say when you're in fifth place."
"Fifth place I earned by being faster. But you'll get there. We're both learning." He paused. "Want to do some sim work together this week? Compare data, see what we can learn from each other?"
"You'd share data with a competitor?"
"We're teammates at Prema. And we're both fourteen racing against adults. Makes sense to help each other." His expression turned serious. "Besides, if we both improve, we push the older drivers harder. That's good for both of us."
[Lando: Proposing collaboration]
[Smart approach—rising tide lifts all boats]
[Friendship deepening through competition]
The following week, Lando and I spent two days at the Prema factory, working with the simulator and comparing data with Thomas and Lando's engineer.
The sim work was revealing. Lando's driving style was more aggressive than mine—later braking, more rotation through corners, accepting more sliding. It was spectacular when it worked but occasionally led to mistakes.
My style was smoother—earlier braking, more mid-corner speed, less sliding. It was consistent but sometimes left time on the table through being too cautious.
"You're fast through the middle of corners," Lando's engineer observed. "Better than Lando there. But you're losing time on entry by braking too early."
"And you're leaving time in the high-speed corners," Thomas told Lando. "Lance carries more speed because he's smoother. You're fighting the car more."
We spent hours analyzing each other's techniques, finding the optimal balance between aggression and smoothness. By the end of the second day, we'd both found improvements.
"This was useful," Lando admitted. "I can see where I'm overdriving."
"And I can see where I'm being too cautious. We should do this regularly."
"Agreed. Every few races, sim day together, compare notes, steal each other's fast corners."
[Training partnership formed]
[Both improving through collaboration]
[Prema management pleased—both drivers developing faster]
Race three was at Spa-Francorchamps, the legendary Belgian circuit that every driver loved. The high-speed nature suited F3 cars perfectly, and the weather forecast showed potential rain for race day.
I qualified ninth—frustrated by not breaking into the top eight but understanding the competition was fierce. Lando qualified sixth. George took pole. Louis was second.
Race morning brought rain. Light drizzle making the track slippery but not fully wet. The team had to decide: slick tires gambling on the track drying, or wet tires for safety?
Most teams chose slicks, gambling on conditions improving. I agreed with the call—my Wet Weather Expert skill would help manage the slippery conditions on slicks better than most drivers could.
The start was chaotic. Multiple drivers struggled with traction on cold slick tires in damp conditions. I was cautious through the first lap, avoiding incidents, letting the aggressive drivers make mistakes.
By the end of lap one, I'd gained three positions through others' mistakes: P6.
[Running sixth in mixed conditions]
[Your advantage: Wet Weather Expert managing slick tires on damp track]
[This is where skills provide real edge]
The race became about tire management and reading conditions. Some parts of the track were drying, others stayed damp. The racing line evolved lap by lap. My Wet Weather Expert showed me exactly where grip existed and where it didn't.
Lap seven, I passed the driver in fifth—he'd taken too much speed into a damp corner, slid slightly, I stayed composed and made the pass.
Fifth place. My best F3 result yet.
[Running P5]
[Points would be significant]
[Fifteen laps remaining]
Ahead were George (leading), Louis (second), a British driver named Jack Harvey (third), and Raffaele (fourth). Behind me, Lando was charging through the field—he'd started sixth, dropped to eighth on lap one, now was back to seventh and catching me.
Lap twelve, I caught Raffaele. My teammate was defending fourth place, but his pace was dropping. In the damp conditions, my tire management was superior.
Lap fourteen, I tried a move around the outside of Blanchimont—the high-speed corner where brave drivers made their reputations. It was risky in the damp, but my Wet Weather Expert said there was grip there.
Got alongside Raffaele. We went through the corner side-by-side, both trusting our skill and the cars. I had fractionally more grip, emerged ahead.
Fourth place. Podium position just ahead.
[Running P4]
[One position from podium]
[Five laps remaining]
Jack Harvey in third was defending hard. He was experienced, fast in these conditions, not giving an inch. I pressured for four laps, looking for opportunities, but he positioned perfectly every corner.
Final lap. One more chance. Into the Bus Stop chicane, I tried a late-braking move. Got alongside, but he defended the inside, held position through the corner.
Crossed the line in fourth. My best F3 finish by far.
[Race 3: P4]
[Points Earned: 12]
[Current Balance: 38 points]
[First top-five finish!]
On the cool-down lap, the reality sank in. Fourth place in an F3 race at Spa, in mixed conditions, against experienced drivers. This was real progress.
George won, extending his championship lead. Louis was second. Jack Harvey took third for his first podium of the season. I was fourth. Lando had charged to fifth after his difficult start.
In the paddock, Raffaele approached me. "Good race. You were faster than me in the wet. That pass at Blanchimont was brave."
"Thanks. Sorry for passing my teammate."
"Don't apologize. That's racing. You were faster, you passed cleanly. That's what you're supposed to do." He smiled. "Besides, you made Prema look good. Both cars in top five. The team is happy."
René Rosin confirmed it. "Excellent race, Lance. P4, clean driving, good pace in difficult conditions. This is the level we expect. Keep building from here."
[Team recognition: Earned]
[Confidence building]
[Still chasing Lando though—he finished P5 from harder starting position]
That evening, the Prema team had a casual dinner at a local restaurant. The mood was celebratory—good results for multiple drivers, team performing well overall.
The food was adequate but nothing special. I found myself mentally critiquing the carbonara someone ordered—cream in the sauce, a cardinal sin. The pasta was overcooked. The proteins were fine but uninspired.
Marco, the Italian mechanic who'd heard me talk about cooking before, noticed my expression. "You don't like the food?"
"It's okay. Just not what it could be."
"Still thinking you can do better?"
"I know I can do better. This carbonara has cream. That's not carbonara, that's pasta with cream sauce."
Marco laughed and called down the table. "Hey, René! The kid says he can cook better than this restaurant!"
The table went quiet, everyone looking at me. René raised an eyebrow. "That's a bold claim, Lance. You really think you can cook better?"
"I know I can. I've been trained by a Michelin-starred chef for six years."
"Then prove it," René said, grinning. "Next race weekend, you cook for the team. Show us what you've got."
Lando leaned over, whispering, "Did you just get yourself into a cooking competition with a restaurant? While trying to race F3?"
"Apparently."
"This is going to be either really impressive or really embarrassing."
"It'll be impressive. The restaurant set the bar low with that carbonara."
[Challenge accepted: Cooking for team]
[Pressure added but confidence high]
[This will be interesting]
To be continued...